How indigenous communities revived the American bison

By creating special reserves, and using husbandry techniques passed on by word of mouth from generation to generation, indigenous communities have rescued the endangered American bison, also known as the buffalo. Not only does this mark a famous achievement in species conservation, but it’s helping combat climate change and recovering a unique cultural identity.

The bison is one of the most beautiful and imposing mammals alive. It can weigh anything between 400 and 1,200 kg (similar to a bull) and is herbivorous, reaching a height of two meters and a width that can exceed three meters. The American bison, or buffalo, is known for its remarkable hump and dark brown, bulky fur, and lives in herds led by females.

 

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Prior to European colonization, it is estimated that there were between 30 and 60 million bison in North America. A herd would take days to leave an indigenous settlement. But European expansion to the west, and easy and intensive hunting by settlers with rifles, as well as lawlessness and a systematic campaign promoted by the US government to eliminate the species, and thus debilitate indigenous communities by depriving them of their means of living (meat for food, fur to combat the cold, bones to make their tools out of), reduced the bison population to around 500, half of which were in captivity. You may have seen the horrendous photograph, taken at Michigan Carbon Works, a bone processing factory, at the end of the 19th Century, of a white man in a suit and hat lording it over a mountain of bison skulls.

The enormous efforts of indigenous peoples, however, made the bison’s recovery possible, representing one of the most emblematic successes in conservation thanks to tribes like those at Fort Peck (Sioux and Assiniboine) and Fort Belknalp, among others.

Prior to European colonization, it’s estimated that there were between 30 and 60 million bison in North America - at the end of the 19th Century, just 500 survived.

Reservations like Wind River, administered by the Shoshone and Arapaho peoples, care for the future of a small herd that roams over 121 hectares of land. In 2016, there were just 10 bison. Today that has increased to 28. The aim is to continue increasing the herd to qualify for wild species, rather than livestock, protection (the bison differs from large cattle, in that cattle tend to concentrate in specific areas, whereas buffalo are continuously moving around).

 

The Sicangu Lakota, an indigenous people of the North American Great Plains and one of the seven Lakota nations, manage the Rosebud Reservation, the largest of its kind in the country, with 1,500 bison. The reservation, supported by the US State Department and WWF, maintains the 6-km-long Buffalo Connections Trail, from which the animals can be seen and which also has various facilities and information panels explaining their importance.

The bison can be described as “an engineer of the ecosystem”. That’s what scientists have remarked after observing habits of the wild herd living over almost 10,000 square km in Yellowstone, the world’s first national park, where around 5,000 are looked after by the Lakota.

 

Although each bison needs some 4,500 kg of dry matter, they do not overgraze, which would be bad for the environment. On the contrary, their movement (accompanied by urine, dung and seeds) improves the soil, contributing vital nutrients such as nitrogen, the great natural fertilizer. As well as feeding, it stimulates the resurgence of plants and strengthens their roots. Indeed, the presence of the buffalo ensures the preservation of the prairies and makes them 150% more nutritive than before.

Back in the 19th Century, it is worth recording that there were almost 700,000 km2 of pasture on the Great Plains, whereas today just 4% of that is left. Maintaining this grassland is positive for water quality, since it helps filter pollutants and prevent soil erosion.

 

But the bison’s recovery also represents the restoration of a culture, reconnecting native communities with their natural heritage. It has been found that, in just one generation, the average height of indigenous people depending on the bison, deprived of the food from it, fell by an inch (2.5 cm) - and infant mortality increased by 16%. Such is the symbiosis between human and animal.

 

All this effort by the different communities has converged into the Tribal Buffalo Lifeways Collaboration alliance, made up of the InterTribal Buffalo Council (which supports 83 tribes in caring for over 25,000 buffalo in 22 states), Native Americans in Philanthropy, The Nature Conservancy, and WWF, with the support of the US State and Agriculture Departments, all of whom are contributing to the consolidation of the species.

 

The bison, aka the buffalo, is essential for ensuring biodiversity, combating climate change and maintaining food security. The buffalo is also a symbol of identity, reconnecting indigenous peoples with the land, in the interests of their mental health, and strengthening bonds in communities.

Their movement, accompanied by urine, dung and seeds, contributes nutrients to the soil, some of them vital, such as nitrogen, the great natural fertilizer.

Toda esta labor de las distintas comunidades ha convergido en la alianza Tribal Buffalo Lifeways Collaboration, participada por InterTribal Buffalo Council (que apoya a 83 tribus en el cuidado de más de 25.000 bisontes en 22 estados), Native Americans in Philanthropy, The Nature Conservancy y WWF, apoyada por el Departamento de Interior y el de Agricultura estadounidenses, que contribuye a la consolidación de esta especie.

 

El bisonte es esencial para garantizar la biodiversidad, combatir el cambio climático y mantener la seguridad alimentaria. Pero también es un símbolo de identidad, que religa a los indígenas con la tierra, favoreciendo su salud mental y fortaleciendo los lazos comunitarios.  

Esther Peñas Domingo is a graduate of Complutense University (Spain) and works for different outlets, such as Ethic, Turia, CTXT, Cermi.es, Oxi-Nobstante and Graphic Classics. She has published several books of interviews, various essays (such as ‘Amazon Heritage’, which appeared in Wunderkamer, and ‘The Oddities Springing Up’ in Ediciones Cinca), as well as books of miscellany (‘Deviations’, published by Kaótica) and several collection of poems (‘The Story of Rain’ in Chamán) and novels (‘The Tara and the Don’ for Adeshoras).

 

Sustainability is understood as the development that meets the present needs without compromising the capacities of future generations, ensuring the balance between economic growth, environmental care and social welfare. In Sustainability we promote the awareness and difussion of good practices that allow to combine economic and social development with the preservation of natural resources.

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