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What does the buffalo on american coinage signify?
GoldCoinLover
Posts: 1,244
I like the new nickel, but I never understood what the buffalo meant. Is it related to indians? I know there was a cent that had an idian on it. Whats the design supposed to represent?
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Moooooo..........
<< <i>I like the new nickel, but I never understood what the buffalo meant. Is it related to indians? I know there was a cent that had an idian on it. Whats the design supposed to represent? >>
Great book about Lewis and Clark's travels.
Text
Lewis and Clark considered the bison the most amazing natural spectacle of their northern and much of their western journey. They were duly impressed by its central role in the lives of Indians. There are likely allegorical ties to the cornucopia concept of America's great natural provision and abundance.
Hoot
Give me a home where the buffalo roam and I'll show you a house full of buffalo chit.
Actually it depicts a time when it would have been great to have been alive in the old West; the buffalo is actually a significant part of our American history.!!
Edited to add that I am astounded that people don't know what the bison is or what it was or the role it played in American history and the American Indians. So, rather than curse the darkness...here's a candle from encarta encyclopedia:
"Bison
Bison, the largest terrestrial animal in North America, where it is commonly called buffalo. Biologists prefer the term Bison, which is based on the animal's Latin name, as it distinguishes it from the cape buffalo of Africa and the water buffalo of Asia. The bison is characterized by a hump over the front shoulders; short, sharply pointed horns (in both sexes) curving outward and up from the sides of the massive head; and slimmer hindquarters. A mature bull of the North American bison is about 2 m (about 6.5 ft) high at the hump and 2.7 to 3.7 m (9 to 12 ft) long and weighs 850 to 1100 kg (1800 to 2400 lb); the female is smaller. The head, neck, forelegs, and front parts of the body have a thick coat of long, dark hair. The rear part of the body is covered with much shorter hair. The adult bull usually has a black beard about 30 cm (about 12 in) long.
Bison are usually found in groups, except for old, solitary bulls. Most of the year females with young form small bands, and immature bulls may stay with them. Mature males have their own groups. The bands may congregate in large herds in the spring or fall to search for food or water. Bison grunts and snorts are audible at short distances. The roar of rutting bulls, audible at nearly 5 km (nearly 3 mi), is heard most often in mating season, mainly July to September, when bulls go looking for cows and try to ward off rivals. Breeding bulls have little time to eat and lose more than 90 kg (about 200 lb) during mating season. Gestation is eight to nine months, and a single yellow-red calf is born. After a few days the calf can keep up with the herd and follows its mother until the following spring.
The bison originated in Eurasia and is one of the few members of its family to have crossed the Bering Strait land bridge in prehistoric times to North America, where two subspecies, the plains bison and the wood bison, survive. The European bison, or wisent, taller but lighter than the American bison, is almost extinct; a few exist in parks and zoos.
Until the 19th century, as many as 60 million bison lived on the Great Plains from Mexico into Canada, and some were found east of the Mississippi River. They were central to the existence of the Plains peoples (see Native Americans of North America: Great Plains), who used them for food, hides, and bone implements; even the dried dung, called buffalo chips, was used as fuel. From 1830 to 1889, methodical destruction by encroaching white settlers, for sport and for hides, reduced this number to less than 1000. Today well over 200,000 bison live in protected areas and on private ranches."
<< <i>A buffalo.
Moooooo..........
I agree.
<< <i>What exactly is a buffalo, anyway? Some kind of cow or something? >>
A "ruminant" mayhaps?
Apropos of the coin posse/aka caca: "The longer he spoke of his honor, the tighter I held to my purse."
The bison, once strong and prospering in the millions was nearly made extinct by neglect or lack of rational governmental policies at the time, thus it would seem to symbolize the American spirit, tenacity and strength of survival.
I'm so tired of this fraudulent "American History", it should be called "Early American Genocide" or "The Take over of America". I will agree the bison represents strength and Native American history, but it didn't take Lewis and Clark, Christopher Columbus, the Pilgrims or any other European pillferers to come over and make America great.
i'm at a loss as to where your comment came from or is directed towards. in a word, it's confusing.
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
Is that breaking it down enough for you Keets you have plenty of knowledge to spread about everything nonsensical, how about something that means something? It's directed toward whoever feels guilty about the way this country was founded, you were the first bell to ring so I guess you for one feel guilty.
How many of you know that the buffalo nickel was created before native americans were even considered as american citizens.
Apropos of the coin posse/aka caca: "The longer he spoke of his honor, the tighter I held to my purse."
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
Can we poke at it with a stick to see what happens?
<< <i>"I told you guys: Don't feed the trolls!!!"
Can we poke at it with a stick to see what happens? >>
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
On another note, Buffalos to me, are associated with some of the worlds finest jerky.
-Daniel
-Aristotle
Dum loquimur fugerit invida aetas. Carpe diem quam minimum credula postero.
-Horace
Please check out my eBay auctions!
My WLH Short Set Registry Collection
<< <i>Whats the design supposed to represent?
>>
The other red meat.
Keeper of the VAM Catalog • Professional Coin Imaging • Prime Number Set • World Coins in Early America • British Trade Dollars • Variety Attribution
--csw
Tiger trout, Deerfield River, c. 2001.
<< <i>So this must be a hot button topic for you, yes? My great-grandmother was full-blooded Cherokee. We're doing OK, really, but thanks for the concern. Are you Native American? If not, your people are from where? >>
The Pequot and Mohegon tribes in Connecticut are filthy rich!!