In the Lakota creation story, beings emerged from the Wind Cave
in South Dakotas Black Hillssome in human form and some
in buffalo form. Theres no difference between people and buffalo
in this worldview.
Were Lakota people and that means were buffalo
people, said Wizipan Little Elk, the CEO of the Rosebud Economic
Development Corporation (REDCO), the economic arm of the Rosebud
Sioux Tribe. Theyve always taken care of us and we need
to take care of them.
And the Rosebud Sioux tribe will do just that with the commitment
of 28,000 acres of native grassland for the creation of a new plains
bison herd. With a capacity to support 1,500 animals, the Wolakota
Buffalo Range will become North Americas largest Native American
owned and managed bison herd.
The project is being advanced by a partnership between REDCO and
WWF with support from Tribal Land Enterprise, the Rosebud Sioux
Tribes land management corporation, and the U.S. Department of the
Interior. Over the next five years, the Department of Interior will
send hundreds of bison over to the newly created space from federally
managed herds. The historic project will increase the overall number
of Native American owned bison by an impressive 7% nationally.
We see it as a point of pride, Wizipan Little Elk said.
That we can have the largest native managed and owned buffalo
herd. We can show that socially impactful, socially responsible
business with multiple bottom lines can work and that it creates
multiple positive impacts locally and globally.
WWF and bison restoration
Over the past five years, WWF has invested more than $2.2 million
in bison restoration efforts with indigenous communities in the
Northern Great Plains. This new opportunity, which aligns strongly
with Lakota foundational values and beliefs, will offer a model
for cultural and ecological restoration efforts by Native American
nations across the US.
This announcement matters for several reasons: it represents
a homecoming for this iconic species, and its also a reunion
with the communities who lived with them for centuries in a symbiotic
relationship, said Carter Roberts, president and CEO of WWF.
We are honored to be partners in this effort with the Rosebud
Economic Development Corporation and the U.S. Department of the
Interior, and we look forward to seeing the bison return to the
Rosebud Reservation later this year.
The first transfer of bison from the Department of Interior herds
will take place in the fall.
A return to history and tradition
I think when we look out and see those
buffalo and their hooves touch the land, its going to
be relatable for everyone.
Wizipan Little Elk
CEO, Rosebud Economic Development Corporation
|
Massive herds of bison once roamed all the Great Plains and much
of North America. Unsustainable western expansion decimated those
populations in a matter of decades, but now projects like this are
helping to bring large herds back. WWFs goal is to restore
5 herds of at least 1,000 bison each in the Northern Great Plains
by 2025.
For Wizipan Little Elk, this is a return to history and traditionnot
only in terms of buffalo, but in terms of Lakota values. Of perseverance
and self-reliance. Of resiliency, community, and family. And the
project meshes well with other new initiatives happening on this
land. Next year, the first native language immersion school on Rosebud
will open. Lakota immersion classrooms will get to visit the buffalo
herd as part of their educationa meaningful interaction that
will link their past and future.
I think when we look out and see those buffalo and their
hooves touch the land, its going to be relatable for everyone,
Wizipan Little Elk said. Especially given our history.
For more information, visit rosebudbuffalo.org.
Learn
more about bison. |