Facing the Storm Story of the American Bison

Product Description FACING THE STORM: STORY OF THE AMERICAN BISON is the epic account of our tempestuous relationship with the iconic symbol of wild America. The American bison once dominated the plains of North America, numbering in the tens of millions. Native Plains Indians shared a sacred relationship with the species that went far beyond survival and sustenance. Then, in the nineteenth century, they were nearly eradicated from the continent, and an entire Plains culture was forever changed. Review Maps the tragic history of the American buffalo, the majestic species that was hunted to near extinction by western settlers and is slowly making a comeback. --St. Louis Post Dispatch An incisive history of the animal s relationship to man and efforts to restore bison herds to the Great Plains. --Kansas City Star Besides being an enduring symbol of the Great Plains, the buffalo is also an emblem of survival. For nearly 10,000 years these animals were the driving force behind Native American culture and economy; then, in the nineteenth century, their numbers plummeted from the tens of millions to fewer than 1,000. Though they ve been saved from extinction, recent history hasn t been so romantic for the buffalo, as their storied past has given way to an uncertain future tied up in the realities of land management, bureaucracy, court trials and town-hall meetings. Today, even as buffalo unite Indian tribes under a common cause, they divide hunters and conservationists, lawmakers and constituents, as America continues to argue what, exactly, home on the range means for the buffalo. FACING THE STORM analyzes these ongoing challenges in a beautifully shot film that combines interviews with Native Americans, conservationists and ranchers with sweeping panoramas of the plains, simple yet effective animation and not-for-the-squeamish scenes from slaughterhouses. Thoughtful and thought-provoking, the film s look at North America s history and future serves as a poignant reminder that civilizations are at their best when the land and its people live in mindful accord. --Riverfront Times About the Actor Featuring archival film and photographs, breathtaking original footage, evocative animated sequences, and a slate of interviews with a diverse array of characters from scientists to ranchers, animal rights activists to state governors FACING THE STORM paints a