Buffalo and Deer - Sustainers of Life

Introduction

Pankute, one of the old hunters Photograph by Dr. Sutton c. 1900 Nicola Valley Archives Association pn 12438-2-3

The Aboriginal people who inhabited the Northern Plains and Plateau were expert hunters who studied the habits and migration patterns of the buffalo and deer for thousands of years. Most communities appointed an exceptionally skilled hunter as Chief of the Hunt. This person often consulted the men and women who could communicate with the spirit of the buffalo and deer and see the location of migrating herds. Other individuals possessed the gift of "calling buffalo", through songs and prayers, to return during times of hardship or starvation.

Bringing Home the Deer by Nicolas Point, S.J., c. 1840 De Smetiana Collection, Midwest Jesuit Archives, St. Louis, Missouri, IX-C9-59

Father, Mother and Daughter on the Hunt by Nicolas Point, S.J., c. 1840 De Smetiana Collection, Midwest Jesuit Archives, St. Louis, Missouri, IX-C9-106

Francis Baptiste, an Okanagan artist, was also a rancher and rodeo competitor. One of his drawings was acquired by the Royal Drawing Society of London, England, for the King Edward VII and Queen Alexandria Memorial Collection.

Drawing by Francis Baptiste Courtesy of Virginia Baptiste, British Columbia Archives 19009-006 file 6

Introduction | Hunting Methods | Products of Life | Buffalo and Deer Imagery | Buffalo Ritual | Decimation of the Buffalo and Deer | Re-emergence of the Buffalo | Transition to Cattle ranching

Introduction | Buffalo and Deer | Dog and Coyote | Honouring the Horse

SACRED BEINGS | RANCHING | ENTERTAINMENT | RODEO | ARTS AND INDUSTRIES