The Buffalo Hunt 1890

Frederic Remington, an American artist who lived from 1861 to 1909, painted "The Buffalo Hunt" during a period marked by significant changes in the American West. Remington's artwork depicts Indigenous hunters in pursuit of buffalo, a scene that romanticizes the "Wild West," while conveniently eliding the violence of settler colonialism. Through the narrative of the hunt, we might consider the complex interplay between human activity, ecological impact, and cultural identity. How does the depiction of this hunt affect the historical narrative? It's impossible to ignore the perspective of the Indigenous people whose way of life was profoundly altered, as this landscape was changing due to the expansion of Western civilization. The painting prompts us to question whose stories are told, and whose are omitted, so that we might remember the emotional and historical nuances inherent to the land.