Buffalo Bulls Fighting 

Editor: So, this watercolor piece is called "Buffalo Bulls Fighting" by Paul Kane, made in 1846. It immediately brings to mind ideas about power and the raw, untamed spirit of the American West. What kind of symbolic significance do you think lies beneath the surface of this territorial clash? Curator: Indeed! Battles carry symbolic weight, don’t they? Think of the buffalo itself: for many Indigenous communities, the buffalo represented sustenance, spirituality, and a connection to the land. So what does it tell us when we see them in conflict? Does this represent a struggle for survival, a clash of old and new ways, or maybe a warning about dwindling resources? Editor: That’s a really interesting perspective. I hadn't thought about it in terms of resource competition so directly, more just instinct and nature. Curator: But instinct is informed by history. Now, Kane painted this during a time of significant westward expansion. Does seeing the raw power of these animals presented to a European audience perhaps shape a certain perception of the ‘wild’ American frontier? And how do you think that image would contrast to Indigenous perceptions of bison? Editor: I guess the European viewers may have seen this painting as almost a justification for settling the West; taming something so primal. And maybe Indigenous communities would see it as something somber, concerning the animal's wellbeing or that their lifestyle would be at stake as well? Curator: Precisely! The symbolic weight shifts depending on the cultural lens through which it is viewed. Editor: I learned that these symbols, such as struggling bison, are far from universal, but evolve based on how different cultures interact with them. Curator: Yes, images speak differently across time and cultures. The real power is in understanding those various languages.