By the spring of 2022 and after calving season, the herd is expected to be over 1,000, making it the largest Tribally managed buffalo herd in the world. The buffalo herd is now approximately 375 strong, and expected to be up to 900 by January. This model will spread across the land and many more will be able to adapt it to their people, places and programs.” We are catching a glimpse into the future of Native Nations that promote healthy food systems and permanent job creation for a thriving community. “First the financing was obtained, then the land was purchased, and finally the buffalo were sourced and brought here. “This didn’t happen overnight,” said Pate. “The Wolakota Regenerative Buffalo Range is a model for resilient regeneration done right,” said Kim Pate, Vice President of NDN Collective. NDN Fund is providing financing for Wolakota through the Moving Beyond Covid Small Business and SEEDing Infrastructure loan programs.
That’s the generational work we’re supporting.” “They’re back and we’re all coming back with them. “Being here today was so much more than being a funding partner, but as a Dakota, to hear that thundering sound of the Buffalo as they ran past us onto the lands and the new home made for them, that was powerful,” said Gaby Strong, Managing Director of NDN Foundation. NDN Foundation provided a total of $200,000 in funding to REDCO over the past two years in three different funding streams: a Community Renewable Energy Grant, a Community Action Grant, and a COVID Phase 2 Transition and Resilience Grant. NDN Collective supported the Wolakota Regenerative Buffalo Range and Wildlife sanctuary with a combination of grants and loans. They looked after us for thousands of years, and right now, it’s our turn to look after them.” Photo by Team The Tatanka Oyate (Buffalo Nation), we wouldn’t exist without them. “We do this partly for ourselves, and partly for them.
“They were here before us, and they will be here after us,” said Little Elk. But it wasn’t just our land, it was also the buffalo’s land,” said Wizipan Little Elk of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe during the event. “Our ancestors roamed this area and it had everything we needed. After the range is fully stocked in 5 years, buffalo will be sold wholesale to provide working capital and jobs, pay leases on the land, and reclaim the link between the Tribe’s identity and the health of buffalo living on their territory. The Wolakota Buffalo Range, a project of the Rosebud Economic Development Corporation (REDCO), the economic development arm of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, is the largest Native owned and managed buffalo range in the world. So today, we’re fulfilling a dream and a vision.” Nick Tilsen with Sicangu Lakota students from Rosebud.
“Our ancestors dreamed of moments like this for us. “It’s a momentous day and an honor to witness the buffalo return to Sicangu Lakota lands,” said Tilsen. Today, 60 buffalo from Wind Cave National Park were released onto the land, joining an existing herd on the Wolakota Buffalo Range and Wildlife Sanctuary. The group gathered to speak about Rosebud’s land usage and regeneration efforts, the Tribal bison restoration effort that began last year, and the spiritual and cultural significance of Wolakota (to live the Lakota way of life).
“Now, coming full circle, we have reclaimed these lands and we’ve put the tatanka (buffalo) back on the land.” “Not long ago, settlers attempted to kill off the buffalo as a mechanism to steal our land, and they tried to steal our land as a mechanism to colonize our people and assimilate and destroy us– but they couldn’t,” said Nick Tilsen, President and CEO of NDN Collective. Pictured: Duane Hollow Horn Bear, Sicangu Spiritual Leader and Jillian Waln, Community Engagement Coordinator for REDCO and Sicangu CDC. 2 of 60 Buffalo that were released onto Sicangu Tribal Lands.