Buffalo Treaty demonstrates collaboration for bison conservation
In October, I had the great honor of attending and participating in the 2019 Buffalo Treaty Convention in Pray, MT where American Indian and First Nations of Canada tribes met to discuss and expand the number of signatories to what is known as the Buffalo Treaty. The Buffalo Treaty was developed and first signed in 2014 to recognize and elevate the cultural importance of bison to Native American people and create an intertribal alliance to restore bison to 6.3 million acres of tribal and appropriate non-tribal lands between the United States and Canada.
The Greater Yellowstone Coalition’s Wildlife Program Associate Shana Drimal signs the Buffalo Treaty. (Photo Louise Johns)
The Treaty Convention, hosted by the Samson Cree Nation of Alberta, Canada and National Parks Conservation Association, began with a traditional tobacco and drumming ceremony followed by the treaty signing inside a 65 x 30-foot tepee lodge. Both Caroline Byrd, GYC’s Executive Director, and I had the great honor of signing the treaty following the tribal signatories. By signing the Buffalo Treaty we made a commitment to “Cooperation, Renewal, and Restoration” of the buffalo and buffalo way of life.
The Treaty was born out of the recognition that the loss of bison across the Great Plains has resulted in an immense loss of culture, including connection between tribal youth and the buffalo, diminished health of Native Americans, and a significant deterioration of grassland ecosystems. The Treaty also recognizes that bringing a unified voice among the buffalo nations and tribes in partnership with governments, researchers, and conservation groups is essential to achieve its vision.
Tribal representatives shared stories about their deep spiritual connections to bison, also referred to as “buffalo” by the tribes, and spoke of the importance of this Treaty to bring a unified voice to this bison conservation initiative. The treaty signing was followed by more drumming, buffalo songs, and stories before attendees gathered for another two days to discuss the future of tribal bison conservation, opportunities for expanded collaboration with conservation organizations, and bison management at Yellowstone National Park.
There is great interest among tribal nations in using Yellowstone’s genetically pure wild bison to restore tribal herds. This highlights the importance of our work to help implement and expand Yellowstone National Park’s newly established quarantine program. Expansion of this program would serve as a viable alternative to shipping Yellowstone bison to slaughter to manage bison numbers. It would also contribute to the restoration of bison to portions of its native range on tribal and public lands, support and restore the culture and nutrition of Native Americans, and help preserve the unique Yellowstone bison genome.
In addition to signing the Buffalo Treaty, I left the convention as a signatory to a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and a participant in a new working group meant to bring together conservation groups and tribes, formalizing our collective commitment to work together on improving Yellowstone bison management and restoring bison to tribal and non-tribal lands in North America. But more than this, I came away with a sense of gratitude, hope, and revitalization. I am grateful for the tribal leaders and our conservation friends that started this movement, and those that hosted last week’s event. I am thankful for new connections made during those rich two days together filled with song, dance, and the sharing of stories and meals.
Participants at the 2019 Buffalo Treaty Convention gather outside a teepee. (Photo GYC/Shana Drimal.)
The experience was more than powerful. I was completely awestruck by the beauty, patience, wisdom, deep spirituality, tradition, and even humor that - the tribal participants evoked. I was also incredibly moved by their warmth and kind spirits despite the depth of grief they all carry for their loss of land, loss of bison herds, and genocide of their people. I realized I have so much to learn about the rich history, culture, spirituality, and way of life of native people, about their indescribably expansive connection to the land and to buffalo – who they consider their relative and life force for thousands of years. I felt an overwhelming sense of grief for what my ancestors did to them. A visceral mourning and sense of shame so deep it left me speechless. And though nothing could ever make right what has been done, I knew I, personally, could do more – I would do everything in my power to help native people reunite with the buffalo. And I would do everything I can to connect with them and learn about their cultures, stories, histories, and lives.
“We are all here to do something bigger than ourselves”, as one tribal representative stated. It may not be in my lifetime, but someday if we work together and keep pushing on, Yellowstone bison will truly roam free and be revered as the native wildlife that they are well beyond Park boundaries. Through a successful quarantine program, disease-free Yellowstone bison will restore lost herds on both tribal and non-tribal lands throughout their native habitat. The spiritual and cultural connections between tribal people and the buffalo will be renewed and their health and livelihoods will thrive as a result. Grassland ecosystems and all its inhabitants will thrive, and the buffalo will once again roam.
-Shana Drimal, Wildlife Program Associate
