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of physically reshaping the ground beneath their heavy bodies creates habitat for an array of prairie species, such as the water-loving organisms that find homes in the puddles created when bison roll or “wallow” in the dirt and rain pools in indentions left behind. TNC deployed the bison as conservation tools to rebuild those connections. And they have been a success. However, it wasn’t until later that partnerships with Indigenous peoples helped TNC understand it was missing a critical part of the story. Tribal nations, often preferring the term “bualo” for the animals, have long held a connection that includes and extends beyond conservation of the land. Bualo are not tools to Native peoples; they are relatives. “The Nature Conservancy began to bring bison back to dierent places we cared about all across the country,” says Corissa Busse, director of TNC’s burgeoning Bualo Restoration Program. “We did it for an ecological reason, but we didn’t understand, at the time, that they are not only a keystone species for thousands of grasslands species; they are a keystone species for people, for Indigenous peoples all across the continent, who have had this deep relationship with bualo since time immemorial.” A New Approach The history of bison in the United States is intertwined with the prolonged physical, economic and cultural assault on Tribal nations. In keeping with U.S. policies in the 1800s, the federal government encouraged the slaughter of bison as part of a campaign to drive out Indigenous peoples who depended on the herds. Millions of animals were killed within a few decades. Fewer than 1,000 remained by 1905, most of them in captivity.
In 2020, TNC partnered with the InterTribal Bualo Council (ITBC) to return bualo to Tribal lands. Every year, TNC herds produce more animals than the preserves holding them can support. In the past, the Conservancy would sell the excess bison to maintain the size and health of its herds. “What we’re working on in the Bualo Restoration Program is exploring, ‘What if we didn’t have to sell the animals on the market?’” Busse says. “‘What if instead, we could explore how to support Tribal nations across the country through our partnership with InterTribal Bualo Council?’ So instead of selling the animals, we’re transferring them, we’re giving them to these Indigenous communities, Tribal nations, and giving the bualo a chance to continue its conservation work.” Formed in 1992, ITBC has grown to a collection of more than 80 tribes in over 20 states. Its members steward more than 25,000 bualo across the country. “The significance of bualo extends beyond their physical presence on the land,” says Troy Heinert,
Sicangu Lakota, ITBC executive director. “They represent a positive force toward spiritual and cultural revitalization, ecological restoration and conservation, food sovereignty, health, economic development and much more as each bualo is brought back home.” The partnership has grown carefully. After first approaching TNC, ITBC’s members initially split on a pair of votes in 2018 about whether to go forward, citing times in the past TNC bought or sold land that was important to Tribes without input from the Tribes. Busse says it has been important to build trust and that TNC is still learning how to best support the work ITBC has been doing for more than 30 years. Bualo have helped serve as a bridge. More recently, the Tanka Fund has also joined the movement, representing Native producers and Native-led nonprofits. “The Lakota word ‘Tanka’ means ‘great’ or ‘large.’ Our vision—to bring bualo back to Native lands and people—is just as big and just as
THIS PAGE A bualo at the top of a ridge at Dunn Ranch Prairie. © Doyle Murphy/TNC
4 MISSOURI : ACTION AND IMPACT
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