The Buffalo Soldiers were a segregated regiment of black cavalry fighters during the American campaign to rid the West of "Indians" so that "civilized" white people could gain the lands used by Native Americans. They were given their name by the Native Americans who called them Buffalo Soldiers because their short & curly hair was like the hair on the back of a buffalo's neck. They were compared with the buffalo's strength and tenacity. Duties were settling railroad disputes, building telegraph lines, repairing and building forts, helping settlers find a place to live and protecting the settlers from Indian attacks.
… I mean it, when I analyze the stench
To me, it makes a lot of sense
How the Dreadlock Rasta was the Buffalo Soldier
And he was taken from Africa, brought to America
Fighting on arrival, fighting for survival3…
The Buffalo Soldiers fought to help with the expansion of our country. They were inspirational figures to other African Americans. They provided protection for settlers, spurring the western movement. If it weren’t for their bravery, we probably wouldn’t have our fifty states. However, they were also involved in what was one of the most immoral acts of ethnic cleansing ever.
The song speaks about the fourteen Buffalo Soldiers who received the Medals of Honor. This was an attempt by the United States government to "justify and glorify" the killing of Native Americans, underlining the United States government’s policy of manifest destiny. The Buffalo Soldiers were used as a tool for the white man’s greed.
The black soldiers were once Africans, and they had been plucked from their homeland only to work on the white man’s behalf. They needed to fight to survive. What Bob Marley is trying to say is that often the black man gets the bad wrap. The white men used the Buffalo Soldiers as a way to cover up the genocide of the Native American people.
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