More Bison Returning to Native American Lands
2022-11-27
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1Native American tribes are leading efforts to bring back bison across North America where they were once hunted to near extinction in the late 19th century.
2Tens of millions of bison, also known as American buffalo, once lived on the Great Plains of the United States and Canada.
3Many Native American tribes needed the animal to survive.
4They ate the bison's meat, used its bones for tools and weapons, and made clothing and housing, called teepees, from its hide.
5European settlers turned killing bison into an industry.
6They used animal parts in machinery, fertilizer and clothing.
7By 1889, few bison remained: about 800 animals in the wild and 250 in zoos and private ownership.
8U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland is the first Native American to serve in the cabinet.
9She told the Associated Press, "We wanted to populate the western half of the United States because there were so many people in the East."
10The thinking at the time, she added, was "if we kill off the buffalo, the Indians will die. They won't have anything to eat."
11Now 82 tribes across the U.S. have more than 20,000 bison in 65 herds.
12And that number has been growing along with the desire among Native Americans to look after the animal that their ancestors depended upon for thousands of years.
13The long-term dream for some Native Americans is to return bison to the large numbers that once shaped the landscape itself.
14Troy Heinert is a South Dakota state senator and director of the InterTribal Buffalo Council.
15His goal is to get bison to tribes that want them, whether two or 200.
16This autumn, Heinert's group has moved 2,041 bison to 22 tribes in 10 states.
17He said, "All of these tribes relied on them at some point, whether that was for food or shelter or ceremonies."
18Others have greater desires.
19The Blackfeet in the American state of Montana and tribes in Alberta, Canada want to establish a herd that crosses the two nation's borders near Glacier National Park.
20Other tribes propose a "buffalo commons" on federal lands in central Montana where tribes in the area could harvest the animals.
21"What would it look like to have 30 million buffalo in North America again?" said Cristina Mormorunni, a Métis Indian who has worked with the Blackfeet to bring back the bison.
22Haaland said there is no going back completely - too many fences and houses.
23But her agency has become a primary bison source, transferring more than 20,000 to tribes and tribal organizations over 20 years.
24Some cattle farmers are against the plan to move bison.
25They worry the animals carry diseases and compete for grass.
26But bison demand from the tribes is growing, and Haaland said transfers will continue.
27About 1,000 bison were transferred this year from Badlands, Grand Canyon National Park and several national wildlife refuges.
28Some tribes are reintroducing traditional ways of harvesting bison. But today few people have the skills to harvest them.
29In South Dakota, this October, Katrina Fuller helped guide a group to harvest bison by cutting one into smaller pieces.
30She dreams of teaching others so more communities can harvest the animals.
31Tribal elder Duane Hollow Horn Bear is 73.
32He said the harvest brings back what was almost totally taken away - his people's culture, economy, and social connection.
33"It's like coming home to a way of life," he said.
34I'm Andrew Smith.
1Native American tribes are leading efforts to bring back bison across North America where they were once hunted to near extinction in the late 19th century. 2Tens of millions of bison, also known as American buffalo, once lived on the Great Plains of the United States and Canada. 3Many Native American tribes needed the animal to survive. They ate the bison's meat, used its bones for tools and weapons, and made clothing and housing, called teepees, from its hide. 4European settlers turned killing bison into an industry. They used animal parts in machinery, fertilizer and clothing. By 1889, few bison remained: about 800 animals in the wild and 250 in zoos and private ownership. 5U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland is the first Native American to serve in the cabinet. She told the Associated Press, "We wanted to populate the western half of the United States because there were so many people in the East." 6The thinking at the time, she added, was "if we kill off the buffalo, the Indians will die. They won't have anything to eat." 7Long-term dream for Native Americans 8Now 82 tribes across the U.S. have more than 20,000 bison in 65 herds. And that number has been growing along with the desire among Native Americans to look after the animal that their ancestors depended upon for thousands of years. 9The long-term dream for some Native Americans is to return bison to the large numbers that once shaped the landscape itself. 10Troy Heinert is a South Dakota state senator and director of the InterTribal Buffalo Council. His goal is to get bison to tribes that want them, whether two or 200. This autumn, Heinert's group has moved 2,041 bison to 22 tribes in 10 states. 11He said, "All of these tribes relied on them at some point, whether that was for food or shelter or ceremonies." 12Others have greater desires. 13The Blackfeet in the American state of Montana and tribes in Alberta, Canada want to establish a herd that crosses the two nation's borders near Glacier National Park. Other tribes propose a "buffalo commons" on federal lands in central Montana where tribes in the area could harvest the animals. 14"What would it look like to have 30 million buffalo in North America again?" said Cristina Mormorunni, a Métis Indian who has worked with the Blackfeet to bring back the bison. 15Haaland said there is no going back completely - too many fences and houses. But her agency has become a primary bison source, transferring more than 20,000 to tribes and tribal organizations over 20 years. 16Some cattle farmers are against the plan to move bison. They worry the animals carry diseases and compete for grass. But bison demand from the tribes is growing, and Haaland said transfers will continue. About 1,000 bison were transferred this year from Badlands, Grand Canyon National Park and several national wildlife refuges. 17Some tribes are reintroducing traditional ways of harvesting bison. But today few people have the skills to harvest them. 18In South Dakota, this October, Katrina Fuller helped guide a group to harvest bison by cutting one into smaller pieces. She dreams of teaching others so more communities can harvest the animals. 19Tribal elder Duane Hollow Horn Bear is 73. He said the harvest brings back what was almost totally taken away - his people's culture, economy, and social connection. 20"It's like coming home to a way of life," he said. 21I'm Andrew Smith. 22Matthew Brown wrote this story for the Associated Press. Andrew Smith adapted it for VOA Learning English. 23_____________________________________________________________ 24Words in This Story 25extinction -n. the end of the existence of a species of plant or animal 26teepee -n. a cone-shaped shelter used by Native Americans, usually made from the skins of animals. 27hide -n. the skin of an animal 28herd -n. a large group of grazing animals such as cows, sheep, and the like 29rely on -v. to depend on or need something or someone's help 30transfer -v. to move something from one place to another 31cattle -n. bovine mammals, especially cows and bulls 32______________________________________________________________ 33We want to hear from you. 34We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 35Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.