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Where The Buffaloes Begin

Author	Olaf Baker
Illustrator	Stephen Gammell
Cover artist	Gammell
Language	English
Genre	Picture book
Publisher	Penguin Books
Publication date	1981
Publication place	United States
Media type	Hardcover
Pages	48 pp
ISBN	9780723261957

Where The Buffaloes Begin written by Olaf Baker was originally published in St. Nicholas Magazine in 1915 and later published by Penguin Books Publishing Group in 1981 in a hardcover, accompanied by illustrations done by Stephen Gammell. Where The Buffaloes Begin was a Caldecott Medal Honor Book in 1982, and is a great book for children and adults alike based on Native American lore, specifically the Assiniboine peoples and the Blackfoot Confederacy.

Plot Summary

In this picture book beautifully illustrated by American illustrator Stephen Gammell, Olaf Baker recounts an old Blackfoot tribe tale of wisdom and great adventure, embodying the prowess, age, and strength of the Native American people. He writes of an old wise-man named Nawa, who recites the stories of the lands great, roaming beast, the buffalo. Nawa recites the old Indian legend as the tribes elder, and tells of the buffaloes who have their beginnings beneath the water of the strange lake to the South. If you were to arrive at a precise time at a certain night, one would be able to witness the beauty of the water-birth of the great buffalo. Baker then introduces the young, brave boy Little Wolf, who was fascinated by both the magnificent beasts, and their legendary origins. His fascination and curiosity finally catch up to the boy, and he makes the decision to sneak out one early morning in search of the mystical lake to the south. He ventures out to find his horse, calls for him, and they go off into the early morning in search of the lake. On journey, Little Wolf mentions that he must be weary of his tribes enemies, the Assiniboine, for if they discover him, they will scalp him.