Bison as Symbols of Hope

In Fall 2024, students in WWU’s ENVS 499D: Readings in Environmental Justice are reading about regenerative agriculture. This post reflects some of the group’s learning and discussion.

By Amaya Krutsinger Swenson, Sam Schmidt and Parker Eckardt

(Herd of Buffalo Grazing on Dry Grass Field, https://freerangestock.com/sample/90161/herd-of-buffalo-grazing-on-dry-grass-field.jpg)

When preparing for our discussion of the first chapter from Healing Grounds: Climate, Justice, and the Deep Roots of Regenerative Farming by Liz Carlisle, we wanted to introduce well-rounded prompts for breakout groups. We offered questions about bison ranching vs cattle ranching (and meat consumption), the inclusion of diverse perspectives within the chapter, and the commodification of land. In these small groups, we found that the discussion tended to flow towards and away from the focus of the chapter for the sake of the questions we were asking, and that brought in many contexts and outside experiences/knowledge related to bison ranching. When we brought the groups back together for a class-wide discussion, however, we noticed something interesting. As people shared their perspectives on the topics we introduced, they were often shared within the context of impossibility, rather than hope for change. This was surprising to us, because the chapter, while focusing on very difficult issues and injustices, was written with a lens of hope and tangible movement in a more regenerative direction. We’re hoping to round off the process of discussing this chapter in a positive and optimistic way, especially given the progress that’s been made since the chapter was written.

As mentioned in Healing Grounds, in 2023 around two dozen bison were released to roam through over 25,000 acres of Blackfoot Territory as well as in Glacier National Park. These bison were chosen specifically because they are direct descendants of the bison that once roamed on Blackfoot land. Currently the herd is up to about 40 total, but in the far future they hope that eventually 30-60 million will once again roam the American West. The repatriation of these bison is part of a larger movement of indigenous food sovereignty, in which many indigenous nations are working to reconnect with and re-introduce traditional methods of food gathering and agriculture to their nations. Another large part of this movement is indigenous seed sovereignty. In the face of seeds being patented, and often sold as F1 hybrids, many indigenous nations are working practice seed saving techniques, and seeking out seeds native to their ancestral lands and diets. Ervin Carlson, the director of the Blackfeet Buffalo Program, after releasing the initial herd says this, “‘It’s like bringing them back to where they belong, bringing them home,’ said Carlson, his voice quiet and his jaw clenched tight. ‘They took care of us for thousands of years. The best way we can take care of them now is by releasing them to their homeland where they originated from.’” Carlson illustrates in this moment the relationship indigenous communities have with their food, and non-human neighbors. It is clear why food sovereignty is such an imperative issue for these communities.

As we previously mentioned, when we had our class discussion, there was often an air of pessimism that large-scale change could ever truly occur. However, the Blackfeet Buffalo program, as well as other forms of indigenous food sovereignty movements and practices are evidence that change can be made, and while large scale goals may not be achieved in one lifetime, having large scale goals and hope for a better world are not unrealistically optimistic. Furthermore, local and small scale environmental justice progress provides case studies and practices that can inspire and provide knowledge for meaningful change elsewhere. As environmental justice students, who will hopefully continue to fight and advocate for environmental justice after their academic career, it is imperative that we continue to have hope for change, even if it feels unrealistic. There are things that we can control, there is change we can make, even on small scales, that can make incredible impacts in our communities. Advocating for environmental justice does not have to be an all or nothing endeavor, and while it can often feel incredibly difficult and impossible to create meaningful change and to have lofty goals, it is important to look around at the progress that is being made, and seeing what can be learned from it and implemented in one’s own community.