The mighty buffalo

[chiefewegeerekshun]

An old Indian Chief sat out in a field,
Speaking some words of wisdom to his young son;
"Once, long ago, before the white man came,
Across these fields, the mighty buffalo did run.

"They ran in herds which numbered in the thousands,
Their kind was numerous, both powerful and strong.
Our people would often hunt these mighty beasts,
Always careful not to thin out their throng

"We used the buffalo for everything we could think of,
Not one piece of it ever went to waste.
One buffalo could feed an entire tribe for days,
And nothing compares to that exquisite buffalo taste.

"The buffalo's hair could be used to make strong lengths of rope,
Or to make soft pillows for a more comfortable bed.
From the hooves we could make a very sticky glue,
Or a rattle to stop your child from crying off her pretty little head.

"Our moccasin footwear were made of buckskin on top,
While the bottoms were made of tough rawhide.
With this we also made our clothing to keep warm,
On cold winter nights, or an early morning canoe ride.

"Their tails we used as fly brushes and as whips,
Their horns for our cups, ladles, and spoons.
From their bones we fashioned many tools,
Like hoes to toil our fields before the rise of the moon.

"All that's left now are those fifty or so gathered down there,
The time of the Indians is done;
Our numbers are dwindling, much like the buffalo down there,
The time of the white man has come.

"They don't use the buffalo in as many ways as we use it,
They hunt it for its fur, and some even kill it just for fun;
All those uses we have for it, they kill it for just one,
Then leave the bald corpses there to rot, in the hot afternoon sun.

"It's not just the buffalo either, but also the wolf,
The bear, The hare, and any other creature that's wild.
Some of the white men have even taken to hunting us,
I know it's hard to believe, but it is true my child.

"If there is a hell in this world, it's having our hands tied
While we watch the slow death of our ravished lands;
And all the time the white man is out there raping our land,
He has the gall to call us the savage man.