# 571 - Hunting the Bison

In 2013-2015 the Royal Canadian Mint issued the series "Aboriginal Tradition of Hunting".

This series honors the rich heritage of Aboriginal hunting, from a boy's inaugural hunt (coin one) to the Cree geese hunting in the spring (coin four).

I will show you today the first coin: Hunting the Bison.

It is a 2013 $5 CAD weighting 22.9g (0.736oz) with 99.99% silver purity and Proof finish.
Its mintage was 1,726 units and the issue price was $69.95 CAD.

Bisons have sustained North America’s Native peoples for thousands of years.
For young boys, joining the hunt for the first time was a celebrated milestone and rite of passage.
One can only imagine the excitement they must have felt as they listened to spellbinding stories of hunts past.
Consider their eagerness as they spent hours making arrows, an exercise designed to teach patience and discipline.
Learning this skill would foster the understanding that it takes a carefully crafted arrow and a focused mind and eye to hit the mark.
Finally, nature would signal that the time had come, and with bellies pressed against the ground, the boys’ first hunt would begin.

Designed by Coast Salish First Nation’s artist Darlene Gait, the reverse features a captivating narrative of two young boys surveying a bison herd prior to their first hunt, while their father points to the miraculous and sacred white buffalo.

The obverse shows the effigy of Queen Elizabeth II facing right, designed by Susanna Blunt.

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