On Friday of last week Interior Secretary Deb Halland, a member of the Laguna Pueblo tribe, announced that federal efforts to restore the bison to the American West will focus on indigenous groups. The large herbivore, which is the center of culture and religious practices of Native Americans, once roamed the North American continent in the tens of millions before European settlers came. Removing buffalo was a means adopted by the government to end the nomadic life of plains tribes and clear the land for agriculture. Consequently, the policy was a form of genocide as many natives died of starvation. The buffalo was nearly eradicated by the turn of the century. A few hundred remained on ranches. Indigenous peoples now manage about 20,000 bison in 65 herds.
Twenty-five million dollars was appropriated for bison conservation as part of last year's climate bill. The money is scheduled to be used for creating new herds, transferring excess animals to tribal lands, and establishing new management agreements with tribal authorities. Sec. Haaland noted in her remarks that the buffalo is "functionally extinct" despite their increasing numbers, and that more conservation work needs to be done to restore its grassland steppe habitat. She said that tribes are in the best position as the original stewards to know, "how best to care for it". A Rosebud Sioux representative said,“They are not just a number or a commodity; this is returning a relative to its rightful place.”
