Dakota Pathways: People of the Bison

Dakota Pathways: A History was a 20-part series used by Educator's across South Dakota for use in their classrooms. The 14 minute long segments explore some of the history of South Dakota. People of the Bison is the 9th segment produced in the series.

I found myself sitting in a park on a cold October day. The leaves on the trees were full of color. Yellow trees to my left, red trees to my right, and a mosaic of colors on the ground. The grass was a deep green color, at least the areas not covered by leaves. The swimming pool was drained and winterized, and the park benches were all placed in the closest shelter house.

The playground equipment was different too. The swing sets looked empty, because the swings were taken off for the winter. Springs were stripped of their horses so they would not crack during the cold winter. I didn't need bug spray since it was too cold for mosquitoes or gnats to bother me. The most important part of the park was also missing, the kids. I didn't notice any laughter or tears, no cuts or scrapes, no running or tag, no swimming or hugs, no friends and no fun. As I walked though the leaves, I uncovered a flower protected by warmth, a reminder of the past season and a glimpse of the future of good things to come when the seasons do change.

Years ago bison covered the plains similar to new leaves on a spring tree. They migrated with the seasonal change. They traveled north of The Black Hills during the summer and south of the Black Hills during the winter. The movement of Native Americans coincided with the bison migration. The Indians main source of food was the bison. The Indians used every part of the bison because they respected the animal and considered it very sacred. They used the meat for food, the hide for warmth, the stomach to hold water and the bones for tools and arrows. The survival and livelihood of the Indians depended on the availability of the bison. The number of bison during the 1600s was very abundant. It is estimated that during the early 1600s there were 30 to 60 million buffalo.

There is an old saying that all good things come to an end. Unfortunately, this was true for the Indians. No one ever imagined the buffalo would almost become extinct by 1890. Just as leaves fall from the trees before winter, the buffalo were disappearing from the grassy plains. There was an increase in demand for the fur of the buffalo. Millions of animals were slaughtered during the 1800s. The livelihood of the Indians as they knew it was gone. The United States Government set up agencies on reservations where the Indians could receive clothing, food, and shelter. Even the people of Crazy Horse and Red Cloud had to come to lands set-aside for them. It was either that, or starvation.

As for the people a hundred years ago who perhaps thought reservations were places where American Indians would drop their traditional ways...history proved them wrong. Just like we have seen an increase in the population of buffalo today, we see old Indian traditions still celebrated on reservations. Just like the bison, the people of the bison are forever part of South Dakota.

Turkish F16s intercept Syrian civilian flight from Moscow to Damascus

Turkish F16s intercept Syrian civilian flight from Moscow to Damascus

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Published: 10 October, 2012, 21:58

Turkish F16 fighter jets forced a Syrian airline passenger plane to land in Ankara over suspicions it was carrying "non-civilian" cargo, says the Turkish Foreign Ministry. The Damascus-bound plane, which had departed from Moscow, is being inspected.

A Turkish Air Force F16 jet fighter (Reuters/Umit Bektas)

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu says Ankara received intelligence that the Syrian plane was carrying "non-civilian" cargo, but refused to comment on the presumed content.

Earlier, Turkish media speculated that the plane was diverted on suspicions that it might be transporting heavy weapons.

The plane was forced to land in Ankara’s international airport at 5:15 pm local time. The Airbus A-320 was carrying 35 passengers.

The Airbus was intercepted on its way from Moscow by F-16 jets as it entered Turkish airspace. A Turkish Foreign Ministry official confirmed that a Syrian plane was forced to land at the capital's Esenboga Airport, and that authorities were "inspecting the plane'', but would not provide further information.

Turkey is determined to stop any transfer of weapons to Syrian administration through its airspace, the Foreign Ministry said Wednesday.

"All civilian flights in Syrian airspace have been stopped since it is no longer safe," the ministry also added in a statement, as quoted by the Hurriyet Daily News.

Syrian authorities have not yet commented on the reports.

Tensions between Turkey and Syria have escalated since a Syrian shell killed five civilians in the border town of Akcakale last week.

Zugspitze - Germany, Austria HD

The Zugspitze, southwest of Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Bavaria, Germany, is with a height 9718 ft of height the highest mountain of Germany. The borderline between Germany and Austria runs across the western summit.
The summit can be reached by three cableways, the Tyrolean Zugspitze Railway and the Eibsee Cable Car. You can also use the Bavarian Zugspitze Railway, a track railway that runs through the mountains on the so called Zugspitzplatt. The Zugspitzplatt is a plateau developed as the ski area. From there, a third cable car takes you to the summit.
The Schneefernerhaus which serves mainly as meteorological research station lies clearly visibly between Zugspitzplatt and the peak. The Northern Schneeferner, the Southern Schneeferner and the Höllentalferner are the three glaciers of the Zugspitze massif. On beautiful days you have a distant view of up to 105 miles. From the bird's-eye view the Bavarian lake Eibsee appears like a tropical paradise.

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Battle For Syria - Trailer of 28 minute report

It is a dirty war of vigilante justice, rag-tag militias and indiscriminate bombing of civilians. This stunning and intimate film gets right into the stark reality of the frontline battle for Syria.

In a shot out car a dead man lays across his wife in a hopeless attempt to save her. The rebels, led here by Abu Muhammad, a former army colonel, thought they had cleared the snipers from this area. But they were wrong. His men are immensely brave and committed, but also undisciplined: "The problem is they don't follow directions, if they follow 15% of the plan that's great!" With the government unwilling to engage in direct conflict with the rebels, for fear that those in the lower ranks will defect, snipers have become key to their strategy and leave a trail of dead bodies, young and old, in their wake. However, it's not just the government who are guilty of excesses. When the rebels capture a civilian trying to sell information to the army, they torture him for two hours, despite Abu Muhammad's assertion he will get a fair trial after the conflict. But Abu Muhammad has greater worries. His group are low on ammunition and believe they can only win through "casualties and a willingness to die". Their current "marriage of convenience" with Islamic fundamentalists also worries him. What will they do if they hijack the revolution? "The real battle for Syria begins after victory. We will fight anyone who tries to turn our country into an extreme Islamic state."

Red Bull Rampage Winning Run - Kurt Sorge 2012

Freeride mountain biking crowned a new king as Canadian Kurt Sorge took the top spot in Red Bull Rampage. France's Antoine Bizet took second and Utah local Logan Binggeli came in third in a thrilling contest that saw huge jumps and flips all over the steep cliffs of Virgin, Utah.

41st Annual Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta