In most instances, the woman’s job in the nomadic plains societies was to set up the teepee and follow the men in the hunt so that they could butcher the meat on the spot. In the event of a “buffalo jump,” where the Indians found a herd of animals that they could drive over a nearby precipice, everyone—women, children, old—participated (see CR# 351, CR# 351A, CR# 351B, CR# 351C). But, as Miller explained, “An Indian woman at intervals starts up who is capable of running and bringing down a Buffalo,” and that is what he has depicted in this image. He continued:
Her success is not attained suddenly, but by practice and perseverance. First attempts are invariable failures, and when it is considered how many things are to be attended to in the same moment, the default is not to be wondered at.
No sooner does she reach the animal than she must watch his every movement,–keep an eye to her horse and guide him,–must look out for rifts and Buffalo wallows on the prairie,–guard against the animal’s forming an angle and goring,–manage bow and arrows, or lance—and while both are at full speed to wound him in a vital part;–To do all this requires great presence of mind, dexterity, and courage,–and few women are found amongst them willing to undertake or capable of performing it.
In this picture, Miller shows the woman attacking the bison with bow and arrows as they dash across a prairie.
Ron Tyler
