The History of the Buffalo Savior

Environmental.

Critical to Climate

Keystone species, large and highly influential animals such as Buffalo, or Bison, have a disproportionately positive impact on the Land.
Scientific Evidence: Bison Critical to Climate Change
Cattle Compete More With Other Species than Buffalo

Lagomorphs, such as Jackrabbits provide greater competition to cattle than Buffalo do.
Scientific Evidence: Competition on the Range
A New Dawn for Environmental Restoration

$25 million set aside for Inflation Reduction Act set to incorporate Indigenous knowledge and revitalize the iconic Great American Buffalo.
Governmental Shift: Department of Interior Establishes New Front
Fire Management and Renewal

Fire and ungulate grazing have gone hand in hand for millennia, each influencing the other, and determining to a large extent the intensity of fire. Not only does this mean more fertile Lands, but safer communities.
Scientific Evidence: Fire and Bison Grazing in Grasslands Lead to Diversity

Historical.

Significance of Buffalo

Buffalo are entwined in every aspect of many Tribal cultures. The dried and sun-bleached skulls of bulls were ritually painted, and formed a central part of many ceremonies such as the Sun Dance of the Cheyenne. In this ceremony, the skull was set in the middle of an earthen rainbow, into which cherry branches are inserted , representing sacred food.
Scientific Evidence: Cultural Significance
Religious Importance

Buffalo were central to many religious implements and ceremonies to many Tribes, not only in the Great Plains. Pictured here is a lodge’s buffalo hide, used to construct the outside of the tipi. This particular design is the lodge of Is’siwun, the Sacred Buffalo Hat which is said to be the oldest painted tipi and the origin of all others. Note the Buffalo spirits in the four directions.
Commissary Animal

Buffalo were used for food, clothing, tools, weapons, housing, medicine, and religious ceremonies. Their flesh was eaten, their hides were cured, their bones were reshaped, their organs were repurposed. Everything had a use, and everything had a purpose.
Symbol of Self-Determination

In 1875, President Grant refused to sign a bill to protect Buffalo, and by the end of the century, most Buffalo were slaughtered en-mass to exterminate Indigenous populations.
The Atlantic: Every Buffalo Dead Is an Indian Gone

Social and Economic.

Empowerment for Indigenous Communities

Tyson Runningwolf of the Blackfoot Nation poses with harvested Buffalo (pictured above). Their return acts as an economic catalyst.
Tribal News: Rewilding Provides Premium Hunts
Outfitter Business Model: Running Wolf Outdoors
Community Engagement

Local youths prepare for a Buffalo harvest on the Blackfeet Reservation (pictured above.) In locations of economic disparity and cultural oppression, Buffalo can provide opportunities for community engagement in the highest-risk populations such as teenagers.
Growing Economic Viability

Demand for Buffalo meat is growing, and so is the industry.
Scientific Journal: Economic Viability
Mainstream Business Model Example: Wild Idea
Food Security and Economic Opportunities

Rewilding Buffalo has a multitude of opportunities attached to it, and for communities of economically depressed people with the highest food insecurity in North America, it’s a game changer.
News: Economic Benefit to Tribes
Growing Buffalo Business: Tanka Bar

Health.

Buffalo Meat and Cardiovascular Health

Eating unhealthy animals poses a risk to your health, but lean, wild Buffalo meat is a superfood with a positive affect on your heart and general health.
Your Health, Your Choice: Bison Meat Has a Lower Atherogenic Risk than Beef
Nutrition of Buffalo (Bison) Meat

Wild meat, such as Buffalo raised without supplemental feed, is higher in nutrient density, lower in calories, and FULL on flavor.
General: All You Need to Know About Bison Meat
Buffalo Vs. Beef: What’s the difference?
Liver is a Superfood

We know that not all supplements are created equal. Some have little effect, some are worthless, and some are downright dangerous. Buffalo liver has been consumed for thousands of years and has potent health benefits.
Liver is a Superfood: Nutrient-Dense and Highly Bio-available
Free Range v. Factory Farmed

How an animal lives its life obviously influences its health. If we are going to eat meat, why wouldn’t we want to consume the healthiest, most natural, most athletic animals?
A Quality Product: Force of Nature