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The Metis buffalo hunt were highly organized hunts held twice a year by the Métis of the Red River settlements during the North American fur trade. The Métis of St. Boniface, situated on the banks of the Red River of the North in what is now the city of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, formed the largest contingent of these hunts; composed of a summer hunt and an autumn hunt. From St. Boniface, the Métis, after sowing their fields in the spring, set out with their wives and children leaving a few behind to take care of the crops.〔 Made up largely of French Métis they would leave for the summer buffalo hunt around the middle of June and returned in the middle of August with their pemmican, bales of dried meat and buffalo tongues. In 1840 the settlement had over 4800 people of which 1,630 took part in the summer hunt〔 and headed south on the prairie. Often harassed by the Sioux the Métis from the various settlements of Red River travelled in large groups for protection. Another smaller portion of the population would join the York boat brigades including the Portage La Loche Brigade heading north. The autumn hunt started in August and ended in late October or early November.〔 When the hunters returned about half of the pemmican and dried meat was kept for their winter provision and the rest sold to the Hudson's Bay Company at Fort Garry. The hunters also had some fresh meat (preserved by the cold).〔 This hunt was smaller than the summer hunt as many of the hunters, the ''hivernants'' or winterers, who had taken part of the summer hunt leave the settlements to pass the winter on the Prairies with their families to trap and hunt.〔〔 Some of the products of these hunts, especially prime buffalo robes taken from November to February,〔 also found their way by the Red River Trails to the American Fur Company at Fort Snelling and exchanged for dry goods such as sugar, tea and ammunition.〔 In 1879 the hunters on the prairies of Canada reported that only a few buffalo were left of the great herds and two years later the last of the buffalo herds in the Montana Territory were also gone. Paul Kane, an Irish-born Canadian painter, witnessed and participated in the Métis buffalo hunt of 1846.〔Harper, J. R.: ''(Paul Kane )''. Dictionary of Canadian Biography, University of Toronto Press; Toronto, 1971. URL accessed 2013-12-29.〕 Several of his paintings depict scenes of this hunt in the Sioux lands of the Dakota Territory in the United States. ==Summer hunts== The summer hunts increased in size from 540 Red River carts in the 1820 summer hunt, 689 carts in 1825, 820 in 1830, 970 in 1835 and 1210 carts in 1840.〔 In 1823 William H. Keating described a group of buffalo hunters he encountered at Pembina by the Red River. The group had a total of 300 people and consisted of 115 Red River carts and at least 200 horses. These men, he wrote, are ''Gens libres'' or freemen and are not ''Engagés'' or servants who are employed by the Hudson's Bay Company. The Métis among them are called ''Bois brulés''.〔 Their horses are from the southern prairies or from New Spain having been traded and re-traded until they come into their possession.〔 The buffalo runner, a horse bred for speed and intelligence, was used principally for the hunt. Often its saddle and trappings were decorated with beads and porcupine quills〔(【引用サイトリンク】 work = Lawrence J. Barkwell )〕 and for the hunt its mane and tail were intertwined with multicoloured ribbons. Leaving Fort Garry on June 15, 1840 were 1210 Red river carts, 620 hunters, 650 women, 360 boys and girls, 403 buffalo runners (horses), 655 cart horses, 586 draught oxen and 542 dogs in the hunting expedition. In three days they reached their rendezvous at Pembina to the south and set up a tent city. The carts were set up to form a solid defensive circle with forks facing out. Within the circle the tents were set up in rows on one side and, facing the tents, the animals on the other side. The animals are kept outside when deemed safe. At Pembina a count was taken of those taking part (1,630 in 1840), a general council was held and leaders were chosen. Ten captains were chosen in 1840 Jean Baptiste Wilkie〔(【引用サイトリンク】 work = Barkwell, Lawrence J. (Louis Riel Institute) )〕 being chosen as the war chief and the president of the camp. Each captain had ten soldiers under them. Ten guides were also chosen. A smaller council of the leaders was also held to lay down the rules or laws of the hunt.〔 Leaving Pembina on June 21 the group travelled southwest reaching the Sheyenne River nine days later. On July 3, sighting buffalo further, 400 mounted hunters killed about 1,000.〔 In carts the women then arrived to cut up the meat and haul the pieces back to the camp. It took the women several days to prepare the dried meat. The camp then moved on to another site.〔 That year the hunting group returned to Fort Garry with about of buffalo meat per cart or in all〔 or the dried meat of between 10,000 to 10,500 buffalo. In 1849 there were two summer hunts from the Red River. The St. Francois Xavier (White Horse Plain) group alone numbered 700 Métis, 200 Indians, 603 carts, 600 horses, 200 oxen and 400 dogs. Isaac Stevens of the US Pacific Railroad Surveys (1853-1854) who camped near the Red River hunters near Devil's Lake, North Dakota in 1853 (July 16) provided a description of the 1853 summer hunt.〔 The hunt was led by Jean Baptiste Wilkie and had 1,300 people, 1,200 animals and 824 carts. The camp consisted of 104 tepees, most shared by two families, arranged within a circle of carts which covered in skins provided additional sleeping quarters. The animals are driven into the circle at night and 36 men stand guard on the sleeping camp.〔 Six days later Stevens group encountered another hunting group led by Urbain Delorme of St. Francois Xavier. Delorme led this group, that averaged 500 carts, for 25 consecutive years.〔(【引用サイトリンク】 work =Metis Culture &Heritage Resource Centre Inc. )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Métis buffalo hunt」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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