”If I could learn that every buffalo in the northern herd were killed I would be glad. The destruction of this herd would do more to keep the indian quiet than anything else that could happen. Since the destruction of the southern herd (…), the Indians in that section have given us no trouble.”
General Phil Sheridan, 1881
“The four leggeds came before the two leggeds. They are our older brother, we came from them. Before them, we were the root people. We came from them. We are the same thing. That is why we are spiritually related to them. We call them in our language “Tatanka,” which means “He Who Owns Us.” We cannot say that we own the buffalo because he owns us.1
Lakota elder Birgil Kills Straight
“The history of the Buffalo Nation and the Lakota Nation is so intertwined as to be almost indistinguishable.”
Karlene Hunter, Oglala Lakota
"We told them that where the buffalo ranged, that was our country. We told them the country of the buffalo was the country of the Lakota. We told them that the buffalo must have their country and the Lakota must have the buffalo."
Red Cloud in his last public address to the Oglala people, 1903
Autumn 2016. A wild herd of buffalo appearing during a police operation against native americans at Standing Rock, reminds us of the intimate historic bond between this animal, their land, and the first humans inhabiting the north American prairie. Today, we see them all returning.
The bison and the American indian are as close as your arm to your shoulder, and their history on American soil is intimately connected. In their strive to eliminate the First Nations during the 19th century, the US government deployed an army of hunters - to exterminate the buffalo. In the 1870´s, more buffalo were killed than in any other decade in history. The North America buffalo population, which had historically exceeded 30 million, was under 500 individuals by the end of the 19th century. At this same point, the Indian population had plummeted to approxmately 250 000, from several million by the time of Columbus. Those remaining, were put into reserves. Animals and humans seperately. The war on the grazing animal and the native human was completed by the implementation of agriculural practicies that were, in their essence, a war against the prairie itself. Some of the world's richest, deepest soils were tilled repeatedly, resulting in the tragedy known as the Oklahoma Dust Bowl – with the heart of North America by the time of the 1930:s turned into a dead zone where nothing could grow. Now, we can see this happening all over the world. Nature and natives are not supposed to be standing in the way of Progress. We see ourselves today in the midst of mass extinction of all the natural kingdoms including the soil on which we all depend for survival.
But we can also see the opposite trend emerging.
Among the amazing news from across the globe of people recovering the grasslands, greening the deserts, and native people hands down succeeding in protecting their lands and their biosphere, we also note the fact of the bison returning. Thanks to the dedicated work of the First Nations but also conservationists, environmentalists, and ranchers, North America is today blessed with roughly 400 000 bison. The reintroduction of the Bison to the prairie landscapes has been an important part of the efforts to regenerate those landscapes and their ecosystems. The First Nations play a significant role in this work. Today, more than 60 tribes are involved in bison restoration in places like South Dakota, Montana, Oklahoma and New Mexico. Along the border between US and Canada, native tribes manage about 6.3 million acres of prairie and grassland habitats. In September 2014, native groups from Canada and the United States signed a historic agreement to support the restoration of bison on Tribes and First Nation reserves within both countries with the support of WCS (the Wildlife Conservation Society). Partnering with them, a greater movement of consumers, chefs, and nutritionist is emerging. The demand for buffalo meat exceeds supply and last year, Forbes Magazine predicted Bison as one of the major food trends of 2016.
During one of the police operations against the now famous native water protectors at Standing Rock, a herd of thousands of buffalo appeared. The police then retreated into their vehicles. Buffalo appearing is something that, in native tradition, symbolizes strength, stability, blessing, and abundance.
”Many Indian people see the return of buffalo as a positive sign. According to Lakota leader and prophet Black Elk (1863-1950), when the buffalo return, the “Sacred Hoop” will be mended and Indian nations will become strong again.”
