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“Native tribes from the U.S. and Canada signed a treaty Tuesday establishing an inter-tribal alliance to restore bison to areas of the Rocky Mountains and Great Plains where millions of the animals once roamed.
Leaders of 11 tribes from Montana and Alberta signed the pact during a daylong ceremony on Montana’s Blackfeet Reservation, organizers said.
It marks the first treaty among the tribes and First Nations since a series of agreements governing hunting rights in the 1800s. That was when their ancestors still roamed the border region hunting bison, also called buffalo.
The long-term aim of Tuesday’s “Buffalo Treaty” is to allow the free flow of the animals across the international border and restore the bison’s central role in the food, spirituality and economies of many American Indian tribes and First Nations — a Canadian synonym for native tribes.
Such a sweeping vision could take many years to realize, particularly in the face of potential opposition from the livestock industry.
“This is a historic moment that we hope will translate into a conservation movement among Great Plains Tribes,” said Keith Aune, director of bison programs with the Wildlife Conservation Society and chairman of the bison specialist group for the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.
The treaty, signed Tuesday in Blackfeet Territory in Browning, Montana, brought together members of the Blood Tribe, Siksika Nation, Piikani Nation, Tsuu T’ina Nation and several U.S. tribes — including the Blackfeet Nation.”
– CBC News, Bison treaty signed by Alberta, Montana tribes.
“A historic treaty to bring back bison has been signed in Montana by First Nations and tribes on both sides of the Canada-United States border.
The Northern Tribes Buffalo Treaty — the first of its kind in 150 years — will work to establish inter-tribal alliances for the restoration of bison on reserves or co-managed lands within the U.S. and Canada.
“This is a historic moment that we hope will translate into a conservation movement among Great Plains Tribes,” said Keith Aune, director of bison programs with the Wildlife Conservation Society and chairman of the bison specialist group for the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.
The treaty, signed Tuesday in Blackfeet Territory in Browning, Montana, brought together members of the Blood Tribe, Siksika Nation, Piikani Nation, Tsuu T’ina Nation and several U.S. tribes — including the Blackfeet Nation.
It aims to bring back buffalo on their respective lands, which collectively make up more than 2.6 million hectares throughout the U.S. and Canada.”
– Missoula Independent, Historic Buffalo Treaty signed by First Nations to bring back bison .
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Indian Country 52
Indian Country 52 is a weekly project by David Bernie that uses the medium of posters that promote issues and stories in Indian Country.
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This work by David Bernie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. You may download, share, and post the images under the condition that the works are attributed to the artist.
