THE GLEANERS
THE GLEANERS
CREDITS
In his series The Gleaners, American photographer Matt Hamon documents a small group of primitive skills practitioners who attend the annual buffalo hunt on the perimeter of Yellowstone National Park in Montana.
Hamon’s images capture the process in which this group field dress, skin, quarter and carry off the buffalo to vehicles for transportation. Here, the group are portrayed as honouring each buffalo through the respectful utilisation of the entire animal and appear to also share the knowledge of the neglected skills associated with the cautious processing of animals whilst doing so.
The management and hunt of the Yellowstone buffalo is often a somewhat heated topic. As we progress through this series, we begin to consider and appreciate the aspects of cultural tradition and conservation; there seems to be a collective effort between the Native American hunters and scavengers to share information, promoting the preservation of the species, and economically harvest the buffalo within maintainable restrictions.
