When Buffalo Ran

Grinnell, George Bird, 1849-1938Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.9

Word count: 135K words
Chapters: 14

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.When Buffalo Ran by George Bird GrinnellAuthor: Grinnell, George Bird, 1849-1938,Language: English, Class: E011: History: America: America, Release Date: Feb 27, 2005

Editor's review

When Buffalo Ran is a work compiled by George Bird Grinnell from Native American oral tradition, belonging to the category of American history. Grinnell long devoted attention to Native American culture; the book tells in the first person the coming-of-age experiences of an Indian boy, from the daily life of buffalo hunting to the rituals and rules of tribal life, presenting the central place of the buffalo in the survival of Plains peoples. Its value lies not in grand narrative but in preserving, in plain strokes, a vanishing way of life and oral memory, through which readers can feel the close ties between humanity and nature, tradition and growth. As a public-domain ebook, it is short and plainly written, suitable as an introductory read for those interested in Native American history, frontier culture, or oral history. Read it as a cultural record rather than a novel, and attend to the details and values in the narration.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers interested in Native American culture and history
Students and enthusiasts studying oral tradition and frontier history
Nature and culture readers wishing to understand the relationship between buffalo and Plains tribes
Readers seeking short, plainly written English public-domain reading

Not a good fit for

Readers of adventure novels expecting tight plotting and strong dramatic conflict
Researchers seeking systematic scholarly examination and annotation
Readers uninterested in Native American subjects who want light entertainment

Reading tips

Begin with the preface or publisher's note to understand Grinnell's editorial background and narrative perspective.
Read it as an oral record, attending to the boy's growth through rituals, hunting, and tribal rules.
Read alongside background material on the geography of the North American Plains and buffalo ecology.
After finishing, reflect on the narrator's stance and the relationship between the recorder and the recorded.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book a novel or a historical record?

It is closer to a cultural record based on oral tradition, telling a Native American boy's coming-of-age in the first person. It has narrative qualities, but its core is preserving a way of life and tribal memory; it should not be expected to offer novelistic plotting.

What background knowledge is needed to read this book?

No specialized background is required, though familiarity with Plains tribes and buffalo hunting will make the details easier to follow. General readers can read it directly and look up unfamiliar customs as needed.

How difficult is the English in this book?

As an early public-domain work, the language is generally plain with short sentences, though some vocabulary and expressions bear the marks of their time. Readers with intermediate English can finish it with the help of a dictionary.

Comments

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About the author

Grinnell, George Bird, 1849-1938 Author

George Bird Grinnell (1849–1938) was an American naturalist and writer who devoted long attention to Native American life and the history of the western frontier. Twelve of his works are held here, mostly story collections and historical narratives, including Blackfoot Lodge Tales: The Story of a Prairie People, Blackfeet Indian Stories, and Pawnee Hero Stories and Folk-Tales, which record the legends and hero tales of peoples such as the Blackfoot and the Pawnee. Other titles, among them Beyond the Old Frontier, When Buffalo Ran, and Trails of the Pathfinders, as well as the juvenile-adventure "Jack" series, deal with hunters, fur traders, and western exploration. His writing draws on firsthand experience, with a plain style that combines folkloric record with popular history. Because public information is limited, no conjecture is offered here about the details of his life or honors.