1. Depriving Native Americans of their primary food source: Bison were the lifeblood of the Plains tribes. They provided food, clothing, shelter, and tools. The systematic extermination of bison by white settlers and hunters deprived these tribes of their sustenance and economic base.
2. Weakening tribal resistance: The loss of bison made Native Americans more vulnerable and less able to resist the advance of white settlers. It weakened their traditional way of life, leaving them dependent on government rations and susceptible to disease.
3. Government policy: The US government, in its quest to open up the Great Plains for settlement and resource exploitation, actively encouraged the slaughter of bison. The army even issued contracts to hunters to kill them. This policy was designed to break the Plains tribes' spirit and force them onto smaller and less desirable reservations.
4. Deliberate strategy: Some historians argue that the bison slaughter was not just a byproduct of westward expansion but a deliberate strategy of extermination to subdue Native Americans. This theory suggests that the government and the railroad companies saw the bison as a major obstacle to their plans.
5. The impact on Native American culture: The destruction of the bison herds had a profound impact on Native American culture and traditions. It disrupted their spiritual beliefs, social structures, and ways of life.
In summary:
The slaughter of bison was a devastating blow to the Plains tribes and played a critical role in their displacement. It was a key element in the US government's policy of removing Native Americans from their ancestral lands and confining them to reservations. This forced relocation had lasting and detrimental effects on Native American communities, their culture, and their way of life.