The Gleaners

[TRS_Montana]

Interesting (and short) article in CNN about some people who supposedly live off the land. The article focuses on them scavenging bison carcasses outside of Yellowstone. They look like modern day Pioneers. I'd never heard of these people (nicknamed "Gleaners"). Anybody have any info or heard of them before? I'd heard of the "Rainbow People" a few years back, making their way around Montana and developing a not-so-great reputation for trashing any piece of land they stayed on.
It seems like, at first glance, these people are doing a good thing by making use of the wastefulness that I've heard is commonly associated with the bison slaughters. Anyway, anyone know anything about them?


http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/27/world/cnnphotos-the-gleaners/index.html?ref=yfp

 

[noharleyyet]

Interesting article..off grid organized subsistence. Dressed rather well in the pic.Liver and sweet potato pate doesn't sound too hippy'fied.

 

[Northwoods Labs]

I saw this and it struck my curiosity as well. At first I thought they might be folks squatting on public lands, but looking at the photos this doesn't appear to be the case.

 

[Big Fin]

I read it and my first thought was, "Doesn't their ability to glean so much meat from a bison carcass taken by Native Americans run seem strange in terms of utilization of an animal taken?"

I suspect some of the images are staged. I see some full quarters, what looks like a strip of loins, and some other images that if left in the field raise a serious question about the effort given by these bison hunters to salvage all they can.

My thoughts are probably an off-topic tangent, but when I am done with a carcass, a family of "gleaners" is gonna go hungry.

 

[whiskeydog]

There was an article about them in the Billings Gazette a month or so back. Seemed to me like there were people who lead normal lives who chose to go do this for a month or two, and that it was a different group of people each year...but I wasn't exactly sure? The part I remember is that one couple had a 3-month old baby named "Baby Boy" because they hadn't named him yet

 

[Deleted member 18333]

I read it and my first thought was, "Doesn't their ability to glean so much meat from a bison carcass taken by Native Americans run seem strange in terms of utilization of an animal taken?"

I suspect some of the images are staged. I see some full quarters, what looks like a strip of loins, and some other images that if left in the field raise a serious question about the effort given by these bison hunters to salvage all they can.

My thoughts are probably an off-topic tangent, but when I am done with a carcass, a family of "gleaners" is gonna go hungry.

I thought the same thing, but if you read the caption of the photo showing the quarters in the truck it says that they are loaded in the truck of one of the Native American hunters not the gleaners truck. I suspect they are allowed to pick through the gutpiles in exchange for butchering and hauling the meat.

Still, not exactly the picture of keeping with traditional ways that I had in my mind.

 

[Nameless Range]

The article in the Gazette is less fantastical and more in depth,

http://billingsgazette.com/lifestyl...cle_47b63a26-fefc-570c-bbfd-011affe57aac.html

Their group also has a facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/oldwaysbuffalo

Also an article in the Missoula Independent from last year about em.

http://missoulanews.bigskypress.com/missoula/the-scavengers/Content?oid=2124542

The gal who runs the joint also has a business based on being a wild woman.

http://wilderbabe.com/Welcome.html



Interesting temporary lifestyle choice that doesn't harm anything and seems kinda cool in a way. I don't know if it is just a cultural thing, but if you had a child many months ago, and you haven't named it yet, I'll name it for you.....Now there's a business model..

 

[TRS_Montana]

I read it and my first thought was, "Doesn't their ability to glean so much meat from a bison carcass taken by Native Americans run seem strange in terms of utilization of an animal taken?"

I suspect some of the images are staged. I see some full quarters, what looks like a strip of loins, and some other images that if left in the field raise a serious question about the effort given by these bison hunters to salvage all they can.

My thoughts are probably an off-topic tangent, but when I am done with a carcass, a family of "gleaners" is gonna go hungry.

Yeah, some of the photos seemed a bit suspicious. I got the impression, though, that some of the photos were of them processing the animals for the Natives. Some of the captions said something along the lines of "Loading quarters into a Native American hunter's truck.", and there was an image of two of them elbows deep in a nearly untouched bison. So I don't think they were solely scavenging. Maybe they got paid in meat.

Anyway, my wife is a human geographer, so learning about societal anomalies (not to dehumanize them or anything) is always fascinating to us.

Thanks for the links, Nameless!

 

[hank4elk]

I'm kinda like BF...even the yotes don't like the skimpy servings I leave. They got back at me & took last years buck head that was drying in a Juniper....
Not even a hide is left from my kills, usually.

Off center of topic,I am on G&F phone list for roadkill or confiscated animals. Got 2 elk last year that were fresh kills.One hit in head by car and one a spike shot during a cow hunt on accident. $20 for both. + One clean hide.
No one nearby goes hungry,every freezer has meat.
When my senior neighbors take an animal I do the heavy lifting/proccessing for them.