[R-G] Buffalo

[Hunter Gray]

     Note by Hunter Bear:

      Buffalo [bison] are extremely important to the Plains tribes -- as
well as to others. Most were wiped out by the Anglos. Only slowly are they
now returning.

      The White Buffalo -- very, very rare -- is viewed by many Native
people as a deity.  In 1990, living inside Grand Forks, ND, we came to see
the adjoining Red River of the North as a major flood danger -- and we
bought a nice home far far out on the western edge of town [west of I-29.]
A number of ill wishers mocked us for several years for doing so.  In
April/May 1997, the Great Flood wiped out almost the entire town, forcing
50,000 people into exile.  It missed us by about 300 yards.  [I rescued
Maria and her family and pets in town in the early morning hours -- just
before the Flood arrived in their area.]  Our dry house served as a
headquarters for reporters [including my son, Pete] and as a command center
for various others.  Later we sold the house to a deserving couple at a low
pre-flood price -- they had lost everything -- and bought our present fine
home here in Idaho to which we moved later in the summer of '97.

      Although the Army was helpful,  not far from us out on the western end
of the Grand Forks area was the Buffalo Ranch, whose kind owners provided us
with plenty of water and much other assistance.  We got to know some of the
buffalo pretty well.  In this day and age, buffalo -- friendly animals --do
require much special care and handling.



      Posted on Tue, May. 11, 2004


 Theodore Roosevelt National Park suspends bison transfer to Three
Affiliated Tribes

      Associated Press


      NEW TOWN, N.D. - Bison culled from the Theodore Roosevelt National
Park will not be sent to the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation this year.
[Both the Park and the Res are in North Dakota.]

      Officials of the park and the Three Affiliated Tribes met on Monday
and agreed not to transfer any bison to the reservation during a roundup in
October, said Bruce Kaye, the park's spokesman.

      An agreement that transfers bison to the tribe has been put on
"official hold," he said. The agreement expires in a year.

      Three Affiliated Tribes Chairman Tex Hall said that initially he was
not satisfied with the agreement because the tribe needs revenue from its
bison project.

      "But the bottom line is, we need some rain and we need to give some
pastures a rest," Hall said.

      The tribe plans management changes to help improve the condition of
its pastures over the next year, he said.

      Park Superintendent Valerie Naylor said the tribe already has taken
some steps to reduce its buffalo herd.

      "They sold quite a few recently," she said. "If we send them 200 more
in the fall, that's not going to help them meet their goals of reducing the
herd in order to improve range conditions during this drought situation."

      Next May, park officials will again meet with tribal officials to
assess the condition of the pastures, Naylor said. "We hope well be able to
forge a new agreement at that time," she said.

      Park officials have been investigating complaints that the animals
were starved and mistreated. Tribal officials have denied the allegations.

      "This is not a punitive thing against the tribes," Kaye said of
Monday's decision. "The feeling is that they can't take bison this year ...
they have enough and they're trying to reduce their herd."

      The Three Affiliated Tribes have about 600 bison, including about 56
calves. Last week, about 130 of the animals were sold, officials said.

      A roundup to cull the herd in the park's north unit is planned for
October. Kaye said the roundup will cull about 200 animals from the herd, to
go to other tribes or zoos.

      "The caveat is that they have to have the range and the feed to
support them," Kaye said.

      The south unit of the park is home to about 395 bison. A roundup to
cull that herd is slated next year, Kaye said.

      ---

      Information from: Minot Daily News, http://www.ndweb.com




HUNTER GRAY  [HUNTER BEAR]   Micmac /St. Francis Abenaki/St. Regis Mohawk
www.hunterbear.org
Protected by Na´shdo´i´ba´i´
and Ohkwari'

In our Gray Hole, the ghosts often dance in the junipers and sage, on the
game trails, in the tributary canyons with the thick red maples, and on the
high windy ridges -- and they dance from within the very essence of our own
inner being. They do this especially when the bright night moon shines down
on the clean white snow that covers the valley and its surroundings.  Then
it is as bright as day -- but in an always soft and mysterious and
remembering way. [Hunter Bear]