Now that the Buffalo’s Gone

NOW THAT THE BUFFALO’S GONE

“Now That the Buffalo’s Gone” is the first song from the 1964 album It’s My Way! by Canadian First Nations singer-songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie. The song’s title refers to the near-extinction of the American bison and serves as a metaphor for the cultural genocide inflicted by Europeans. A classic folk protest song, “Now That the Buffalo’s Gone” has a simple arrangement with guitar and vocals by Sainte-Marie and bass played by Art Davis. The song is a lament that addresses the continuous confiscation of Indian lands. In the song, Sainte-Marie contrasts the treatment of post-war Germany, whose people were allowed to keep their land and their dignity, to that of North American Indians. (More from Wikipedia)

The opening track on It’s My Way!, “Now that the Buffalo’s Gone” is one of the most effective protest songs I have ever heard. By the mid-1960’s, the “cowboys vs. Indians” dynamic in decades of Hollywood and television Westerns had been replaced by a growing appreciation for the nobility and dignity of Native Americans. In some quarters, it had become chic to claim some Indian ancestry, even in “polite society”. “Now that the Buffalo’s Gone” is basically a plea by Buffy Sainte-Marie to those people to help Native Americans who were still struggling. The song’s lyrics demonstrate clearly that Native Americans were treated much worse in defeat than Germany was, and also that land grabs and broken promises were not merely centuries-old history but were still occurring today – dramatically and poignantly ending with the lyrics: “It’s here and it’s now / You can help us dear man / Now that the buffalo’s gone”.

Some of the historically inaccurate lyrics have been corrected over the years, and other changes reflect more contemporary matters; for example, “A treaty forever George Washington signed” is a reference to a treaty that was actually signed by Washington’s agent Timothy Pickering – that lyric is now: “A treaty forever your Senators signed”. On Buffy Sainte-Marie’s website, she says of “Now that the Buffalo’s Gone”: “This song was on my first album and I’d have thought it would be obsolete by now. But governments are still breaking promises and stealing indigenous lands, and I still believe that informed people can help make things better.”

(August 2013)