The Southern Prairies
What is Life? It is a flash of a firefly in the night. It is a breath of a buffalo in the winter time. It is as the little shadow that runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset. Crowfoot (c.1830-1890), chief of the Blackfoot Indians
The Native Indians were deeply in touch with nature, and for good reason. Their lives were intertwined physically and spiritually, and they depended on the land for their survival. In the early days of the Great Plains the Indians set regular fires to bring forth new shoots and attract the bison and grazing herds. It was a way of life, and together they helped to maintain over 700 million acres of native grasses stretching from Tennessee to the steps of the Rockies.
Today, less than 1% of these grasses remain, the prairies destroyed by early settlers, bison hunting (to near extinction in the 1890’s) and encroachment of the forest. Similar to the north, many Southern states are working on conservation and reintroduction of native grasses, and we got a view of that effort at the Elk and Bison Range in Land Between the Lakes, KY.
It’s a small glimpse into a life that once was. Bison ranging on the prairie, grasses swaying and bursting with life, and a peek into the past. Worth the trip indeed.
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