Chapter 3

The Bison Story

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The Bison Story
L’histoire du bison
L’istwerre di boflô
Come here, my little bison! Come and listen to Grandma Bison’s story. It’s not just a story; it’s our story. The bison story.
Long, long ago, the plains were full of bison. Thousands, even millions of bison! Sometimes they came to hunt us with pointy rocks and sticks.
They hunt for a living, the two-legged ones. But they are respectful. They say thank you. They appreciate us.
If it wasn’t them, it would be the wolves and the bears, you know.
But the wolves don’t have guns… Well, guns have made hunting a little too easy. And it’s not just for their own survival, it’s for making money. They sell us for pemmican!
[sound of the train] Oh, do you hear that? That’s the train. The railway, that’s the beginning of the end for the bison.
I didn’t say it was a happy story! But it is our story. It is a monster these machines called “trains”.
The two-legged shout: “Get off the track!” What for? This is our prairie. But there are more and more of them with two legs.
And now, they can sit comfortably in their train and shoot at us with their rifles! Worse than that, they have fun doing that!
I’m almost finished with my story. Agriculture! With the help of the horses, the two-legged ones plowed the fields and destroyed the natural grasses that we ate.
Yes, that’s sad.
You didn’t notice! Answer me this: If all the bison disappeared, how do I, you little ones, your moms and dads, exist today?
Well, we live on a farm now. I know it’s not free like in the old days, but we have enough to eat and drink. And, every time we have the chance, we break the fence! [sound of running hooves]
V’ni isitte, mi pchi boflô! V’ni ikouti l’istwerre di memérre Boflô.
Spâ yeink ein istwerre; si notte istwerre, l’istwerre di boflô.
Y lâ bein, bein lontan, li shan l’ita plein di boflô. Di milyé pi di milyé pi mêm di milyon di boflô! Di fwè, sa v’na nô shassi avek di bâton pi di rosh pweinchu.
Li deu pat y shass pour vive. Pi y l’ava dju respa. Y djize marsi. Pi y nô z’emme.
Si sta pâ d’izôt, sa s’ra li lou, tsé. Mé, li lou pi li z’ours l’on pâ d’fizi… li fizi la randju la shass ein pchi brein trô fasil.
Pi lâ, spâ jusse pour viv, s’pour ferre d’l’arjan. Sa nô van kom dju pemmikan!
Ohh, sa l’antan tchu sâ? Si l’trein. Ipi, la trak, si la fein dju boflô ke komans.
Eille, jâ pâ dji ke sta enne belle istwerre! Mé, si notte istwerre. Si mashinne-lâ ksa l’appel di « trein », l’ita di monstre.
Liz’êt a deu-pattes y djize : « Ôti-vô d’la trak! » Pourkwè? Si notte préri. Mé, y n’â bein pluss d’izôt a deu patte.
Pi asteur, sa peu s’assir bein konfortab dan leu trein pi chirri su nouzôt avek leu fizi. Pi l’pire, si k’y’onva dju fonne a ferre sâ.
Ja kizman fini mon istwerre. L’agrikulchur! Li deu-patte l’onva labouri leu shan avek l’éde di sh’fal pi sa lâ ditrwi l’erb nachurel ke nouzôt sa manja.
Wè. Si trisse.
(A ri) Sa lâ pâ r’marki! Danni mwé enne ripons a sâ : Si toutte li boflô lâ djisparu, koman sa s’fa ke mwé, vouzôt li pchi,
vô papa pi vô Mâman sa ixiste ankorre ojordjwi? Bein asteur, sa vi su enne farme. Shé, spâ êt libe kom avan mé, sa lâ kechôze a manji pi a bwerre…
Pi, shak fwè ksa peu, sa kâsse la klôchur.