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.

Map of the original bison range in North America

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

Bison vs Buffalo: Scientific and Cultural Roots

For centuries, the largest mammal in North America has been known by two names: bison and Buffalo. This duality reflects the history, culture, and science that surrounds our relative that once roamed the plains in the tens of millions. What is in a name? Can both...

Ancestral Memories: Restoring Ecosystems and Bringing the Buffalo Back Home

Caption for Photo: A herd of buffalo on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming. [Photo credit: Rocío Lower / Bezos Earth Fund]. MARCH 13, 2025 Excerpt from Article by Bezos Earth Fund By Cecilia Martinez For thousands of years, buffalo dominated the grasslands of North...

A Message from Executive Director Jason Baldes

Photo by Albert Mason December 30, 2024 Huuwiihu, Hohou, Thank You As 2024 comes to a close, our team at the Wind River Tribal Buffalo Initiative has been reflecting on the past year of activities – our very first up and running at full capacity as an independent,...

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.