Posted 2/14/2015 15:24 (#4385634 - in reply to #4385301) Subject: RE: How did the settlers/Indians not freeze too death?
S.E. Sask.
canadianeh? - 2/14/2015 10:37
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Palliser in the 1870;s bailed out the indians on many occasions as he came across them emaciated and starving, and this was pre-bison disappearance. He also noted that the indians would INTENTIONALLY burn the prairies, as some kind of a "cultish cleansing", and wonder where the meat animals had gone... .
Burning the dead grass in spring does clean up the ground and encourage new growth. I had a wildfire go through some of my land about 25 years ago (started by a white man). The resulting regrowth of poplars and prairie was amazing but I would not want to try it again. We still see it practiced on some of the reserves these days and it gets a little concerning for farms and communities around the edges of those areas. My grandparents came here from England 116 years ago and found the winter quite a shock. Living in an 10x12 log shack. They could not afford the trip back to England so stuck it out on the homestead. Winter is not so bad if you have some trees around. Its the guys out on the treeless plains that I feel sorry for. No protection from the relentless wind chill.
How did the settlers/Indians not freeze too death?
