Wind River Tribal Buffalo Initiative

The return of

The Buffalo

(Boy-zhan Bi-den)

The Wind River Tribal Buffalo Initiative is

Restoring our Connection with the Buffalo

Healing the Land, Healing Ourselves

Millions of Buffalo once roamed the Great Plains of America. They were integral to the ecosystem of prairies and the Native peoples who long called them home.

Buffalo provided food, clothing, and shelter, and were essential in the spiritual ceremonies of Tribes. Nearly every part of the animal was used, including horns, meat, and tail hairs.

As we work to restore the Buffalo, a process of renewal and healing begins that balances human, animal, and environmental health.

Our mission

Buffalo Territory

Before 1800, it is estimated that 60 million Buffalo roamed the plains of North America. By 1900, there were fewer than two dozen left in Yellowstone.

Notes from Sage Country

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“The Buffalo was part of us, his flesh and blood being absorbed by us until it became our own flesh and blood. Our clothing, our tipis, everything we needed for life came from the buffalo’s body. It was hard to say where the animals ended and the human began.”

– John (Fire) Lame Deer, Lame Deer Seeker of Visions

BUFFALO USES

Meet Jason Baldes

Founder of Wind River Tribal Buffalo Initiative

“The Buffalo have helped me, personally. I know that as the Buffalo heal and are restored to this land, our people will also be healed and restored. Because, we have a connection with them. We are people of the Buffalo.”

OUR FOUNDER

The Story of the Buffalo

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News & Stories

Denver Donates 30 Bison to Tribal Nations

On March 15, 2023, 29 Buffalo were transported from Genesee to the Wind River Indian Reservation. This year’s transfer includes 17 bison to the Northern Arapaho Tribe and 12 to the Eastern Shoshone Tribe. This momentous occasion has created a buzz locally, nationally,...

Yellowstone Revealed: Land rematriation through buffalo restoration

The 150-year celebration of Yellowstone includes local Indigenous voices on the importance of Buffalo to our communities. Patti Baldes's "REMATRIATE" group includes community members from the Wind River Reservation in an exhibition celebrating song and dance. From...

We are Here, and Buffalo are our History and Future

The history of the land on which we walk is engraved in the earth, as people have been here for thousands of years. Whether it is the high-elevation mountains, the driest deserts, fastest flowing streams and everywhere in between, Indigenous people were there. Within...

Reaching Our Goal

We are restoring the Wind River Indian Reservation with conservation Buffalo, free of cattle genetics and protected under Tribal law. Our goal is to have 1,000 or more.