Inhofe champions bill supporting, managing bison

The Indian Buffalo Management Act would create a permanent program within the Department of Interior to support tribal management and utilization of the historical resource.

“The American buffalo is more than the state animal of Oklahoma — it is a respected and honored resource for Native American communities in Oklahoma and across the country,” Inhofe said in a written statement.

Once numbering in the many tens of millions and ranging over most of what is now the continental United States, north into Canada and Alaska and south into northern Mexico, the buffalo were hunted almost to extinction by the late 1800s.

In 1900, only about 300 were known to survive.

Today the American buffalo, also known as the American bison, numbers in the several hundred thousands, including a herd introduced into remote northeast Russia 15 years ago.

Since 1992, a consortium of American Indian groups called the Intertribal Buffalo Council has fostered bison programs to not only grow the herds but reestablish the connections between native people and the buffalo.

ITBC herds currently have about 20,000 head, according to the organization’s web site. Oklahoma ITBC members include the Cherokee, Cheyenne Arapaho, Iowa, Modoc, Osage, Quapaw, Seminole and Tonkawa tribes.

“This is really a great piece of legislation, and we are appreciative that Senator Inhofe has agreed to co-sponsor the bill in the Senate, as we are that Oklahoma Representatives Mullin, Cole, and Bice have in the House,” said Cherokee Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr.

“The Cherokee Nation has reintegrated buffalo into our culture, owning a herd on our reservation for not only food sustainability but also the cultural significance to the Cherokee people, We are dedicated to reestablishing our oral and cultural traditions that were once passed down regularly between generations and we therefore want to ensure that our buffalo herd has long term viability.”

Peoria Tribe of Oklahoma Chief Craig Harper also thanked the lawmakers for supporting the measure and said, “Buffalo were of immense importance to the culture and diet of our people and we strongly support this legislation, which will help tribes establish and enhance such herds.”

Inhofe said the Buffalo Management Act will provide federal funding and expertise for tribal herds and include tribes the Interior Department’s management decisions regarding bison.

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