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"Tatanka:"
the Spirit Animal
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Fossil
evidence suggests some 30-60 million bison once lived
in North America. |
In
1991, representatives from 19 tribes pooled their resources
to establish the Intertribal Bison Cooperative. Today, more
than 50 tribes in 16 states belong to the ITBC, which provides
reservations with bison from state and national parks.
The
ITBC helps tribes prepare for and manage the animals, but
once a bison arrives on a reservation, its destiny is entirely
in the hands of the recipient tribe. Often, the lower fat,
lower calorie meat goes to school systems, health programs
for the elderly or those with diabetes- an increasing problem
on reservations as elsewhere in the U.S.
"Today, when we want something, we go to the mall."
says Quinn. "For our ancestors, the buffalo was the mall."
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The
Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux Tribe of South Dakota, for example,
retains all its bison by-products for tribal use, including
traditional ceremonies like sun dances or powwows. In 1992,
the ITBC helped the tribe establish a herd of buffalo on its
lands in South Dakota. The 16 heifers and 24 bulls from Wind
Cave National Park came free; maintaining them, however, would
prove to be a costly endeavor. The effort required a $36,000
tractor, an $18,000 baler and myriad other expenses. All of
the money came from the ITBC.
"We
like to say we're one of the ITBC's great success stories,"
says Alvah Quinn, who has managed the Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux
Tribe's herd since 1992. "Without financial assistance from
the ITBC, none of this would be possible."
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ITBC President Louis LaRose helps
to manage the 66 bison owned by his tribe, the Winnebagos
of Nebraska |
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Today,
the tribe has about 280 bison on 1,400 fenced-in acres. Quinn
thinks the tribe will reach its goal of 350 animals in the
spring with the next calf crop. Two or three years from now,
estimates Quinn, up to 75 bison per year will be available
for sale on the mass market after tribal needs are met. Still,
Quinn sees the bison as much more than an economic asset.
A greater, if less tangible part of the ITBC's mission is
to help Indian communities reconnect with the past.
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"No one remembers how to tan the hides in the traditional
way," says LaRose. "We need to have a college course,
Tanning 101."
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By
keeping the bison, says Quinn, "we realize what the buffalo
meant to our ancestors. Today, when we want something, we
go to the mall. For our ancestors, the buffalo was the mall.
Everything they wanted came from the buffalo. They help us
remember what life must have been like." The
Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux, like many tribes, process the bison
in traditional ways; the hair is made into ropes, the skulls
used as prayer altars. But not every tradition has survived.
"No
one remembers how to tan the hides in the traditional way,"
says Louis LaRose, ITBC President and a member of the Winnebago
Tribe of Nebraska. "We need to have a college course, Tanning
101. It's a big problem."
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| Native
Americans used every bison part, making items like this
hide robe. |
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LaRose
is half-joking, but Quinn hopes to preserve remaining traditions
by passing them on to the next generation when school groups
come by the busload to visit the bison each fall.
"We
lure the buffalo over to buses with range cake," says Quinn.
"You can see the kids' faces light up."
Quinn
himself is not immune to the excitement. "I'm still learning
about buffalo," he says. "Every day, I learn something new."
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pages: | 1 | 2 | 3
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Photo:
Esther Pullman, Hamilton School, Chicago Ill
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