Buffalo Treaty celebrates 10 year anniversary on revitalization of the sacred animal
CBC
A treaty between 71 First Nations in Canada and the U.S. is working to return buffalo to Indigenous communities.
Indigenous communities who sign onto the treaty must ensure a safe space for the buffalo to live and co-habitat on the land. Signatories must also promote buffalo's place in culture, conservation, health, education and research.
Peepeekisis Cree Nation, near Balcarres Sask., is one of the nations who have signed the treaty. Back in 2014, it released a herd of 22 buffalo on band-owned lands.
Since then, the community has shared that same growing herd with Zagime Anishinabek, a Saulteaux First Nation.
Headman Alan Bird, from Peepeekisis, was there when the buffalo came back in 2014 and he's been closely involved with the animals ever since.
Bird said the community expanded their pasture and watering areas over the last 10 years, and volunteers are coming to help out.
"It's a good relationship. It's always a good feeling and it's a good healthy way to carry out a day," said Bird.
Bird's son-in-law and two other men approached chief and council 10 years ago because they knew of a man in Alberta — Ron Steckley — who owned buffalo and wanted to bring them to Saskatchewan.
"We started off discussions and we were a little bit weary at first because we wondered why these people would want to bring Buffalo for free to our nation," Bird said.
Bird said Steckley and his producers wanted to do a paper contract of the deal, but they told Steckley they wanted to do it in the ceremonial way.
"After we were done, we took that paper and threw it away and said 'No, we will shake hands, we will honour your words, you will honour our words,'" said Bird.
"That ceremony we just finished, that's more than that paper."
Bird recently attended a Buffalo Treaty signing at Brokenhead Ojibway Nation in Manitoba and helped move some of Peepeekisis's herd to their new homes.
"It's our paying it forward of the buffalo returning to the land of our First Nation," said Bird.
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