The Buffalo War

Like the American eagle, the buffalo evokes strong, conflicting emotions in many Americans. Although buffalo once roamed free across the western plains, all but a handful were slaughtered during the latter half of the 19th century in a deliberate attempt to starve and subjugate Native Americans. Today, the last herd of free range bison are located in Yellowstone National Park, where recent harsh winters have driven the beasts to wander outside the park's boundaries in search of food--arousing the ire of local ranchers, who fear the buffalo will compete with their cattle for food, while spreading the deadly disease brucellosis to the rancher's livestock. Amid protests from activists and park officials, Montana's Department of Livestock routinely round up and slaughter buffalo that migrate outside the park. Presenting the viewpoints and concerns of cattlemen, wildlife advocates, park rangers, and Native Americans, filmmaker Matthew Testa's The Buffalo War examines the skirmishes over the future of Yellowstone's buffalo, focusing in particular on a 500-mile "spiritual activism" trek led by Lakota tribe elder Rosalie Little Thunder, who links the buffalo's future with the welfare of her tribe. A thoughtful, hard-hitting program (although scenes depicting the killing of buffalo may disturb some viewers) that offers no easy answers, this is recommended, especially for public and academic libraries in the American northwest and central states. Aud: C, P. (S. Rees)