Smithsonian’s Bold New Bronze Bison Tribute to America’s Wild Heart for Her 250th Anniversary – RedState
National symbols are reasons for pride for a people. Here in the United States, we have a magnificent one: the bald eagle, a large, powerful, charismatic bird and a fitting symbol for the United States. But it is not our only symbol. The United States also has an official mammal symbol, the American bison (bison bison), and now our American bison is getting some recognition for America’s 250th birthday, in the form of three larger-than-life bronze statues placed on the grounds of the Smithsonian Institute.
Three bison statues cast in bronze are on permanent display outside the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington. The pieces – which are larger than actual bison – made their public debut in the nation’s capital on Friday.
The buffalo gained its official status as the nation’s mammal under a law signed by former President Obama in 2016. Millions of bison once roamed the Great Plains, but nearly became extinct in the 19th century.
“It’s a wonderful story of conservation work, it’s a story of people seeing the need and supporting this to conserve an animal specific to North America,” said Gary Staab, a paleoartist who made the statues.
This bison is specific to North America, although many people are unaware that it has a Eurasian cousin, the European bison (Bison Bonus). Additionally, here in North America, there are two subspecies: Plains Bison (B.b. bison), which once roamed the Great American Plains by the millions, and the wood bison (B.b. athabascae), Northern Forest, of which we have a herd right here in Alaska.
Mr. Staab, the creator of the statutes, created a representation of a family of bison:
Staab designed and sculpted the statues in Kearney, Missouri, where he works full time creating sculptures of animals and historical objects for museums around the world. For the bison, Staab sculpted the life-size statues from foam and clay before casting them in bronze and assembling them at a Colorado foundry. The three statues represent a bull, a cow and a calf.
A fitting tribute and a fitting symbol for our nation.
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And I’m going to express a pet peeve here: these animals are not buffalo. Yes, they are often called that. Yes, “buffalo” has become a vernacular usage. But these are bison, a different kind; they are ruminants, like buffalo, but they are bison. Not a buffalo.
Despite the cognomen, the bison is an appropriate symbol for the United States of America. At the same time, they are formidable. Intimidating, even. But in a united herd, they are unstoppable. In herds, united, they can chase all the other animals of the plains before them. In a herd, united, they protect themselves, they protect their young, they protect the herd.
Bison are magnificent beasts. They are among the last megafauna of the Ice Age. They are survivors and they cannot be stopped. A bit like in the United States. It’s great to see them recognized as part of our 250th anniversary celebrations.
Editor’s note: The 2026 midterm elections will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both houses of Congress.
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