While researching images on which to base my design, I found out that bison and buffalo are not actually different names for the same animal (at least, they weren’t originally interchangeable). According to the Encyclopedia Britannica Online, the difference between a bison and a buffalo is that bison are native to North America and parts of Europe, and buffalo are native to south Asia and Africa. Also, physically, bison have shoulder humps, and buffalo do not.

Of course, as colonizer language, both “bison” and “buffalo” post-date indigenous terms like the Lakota word, “tatanka,” which means something akin to “he who owns us.” Bison figure prominently in Native American mythology and folklore. To learn more, check out Spirits of the Earth: A Guide to Native American Nature Symbols, Stories, and Ceremonies, written by a Karuk tribal elder, Bobby Lake-Thom.

-- PATTERN DETAILS --
This is a DOWNLOADABLE CROCHET PATTERN, not a completed product.

LANGUAGE: This pattern is written in ENGLISH and uses US terminology.

DIFFICULTY LEVEL: Easy

YARN: Worsted Weight/Size 4

HOOKS: F/3.75 mm & H/5.00 mm

COMPLETED SIZE:

• Height: 6” (15 cm)
• Width: 9.5” (24 cm)
• Depth: 4.5” (11.5 cm)

STICKERS!
In addition to the crochet pattern file, your purchase includes a hi-res .jpeg file of a Tatanka the Bison sticker template you can use to create your own stickers.

PLUS: Several full-color instructional images!

DON’T FORGET!
10% of profits from sales are donated to the American Indian College Fund, whose purpose is to increase the number of American Indians who hold college degrees. Currently, only 14% of American Indians have a college degree – less than half the national average. Every year, the College Fund empowers more than 4,000 American Indian students to start and stay in school, complete their degrees, and launch careers that benefit us all. Their goal is to double this impact over the next five years. To find out more, visit: https://collegefund.org/ !

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