Bison returns back to land on Poundmaker and Onion Lake Cree Nations

“I’m happy for the community,” he said. “It has lifted up a lot of people’s spirits. In this time of COVID, that is what it was for. It is medicine for the people, and I want it to be good medicine, and that people benefit from it.”

The bison release at Poundmaker Cree Nation. (Submitted video/Priscilla Checkosis)

Battle River Bison Preservation funded the preparations, applied to receive the bison, and then gifted them to Poundmaker Cree Nation.

Favel said having the pure plains bison running on the first nation will be a great source of pride to the community.

Poundmaker Cree Nation Chief Duane Antoine said the nation has not had bison in the community for more than a century so the return is meaningful to the people.

“It’s nice to see the buffalo back home roaming in our home territory…,” he said. “They looked after our ancestors for years. It is time we looked after them. We will take what we need for our own use, but we won’t be hunting them.”

He said the bison can be used as a food source for the community but they will use only what it needs, so the herd can continue to populate and grow.

The animals will be managed in a large quarter-section of land, and released to a larger area by this summer so they remain on the homeland.

Reintroducing the bison to the first nation will also benefit the community on a cultural and educational level.

Battle River Bison Preservation worked with Poundmaker for the past two years on the initiative.

Poundmaker Cree Nation received the bison herd on Feb. 19. Ten more bison will be coming to the community in the future.

The community held a ceremony and prayers to welcome the bison home.

Onion Lake First Nation received 33 bison on Feb. 17.

Plains bison from Elk Island National Park are being sent to several First Nation communities this year, including across the border with 25 going to Frog Lake First Nation and 40 going to Kainai First Nation in Alberta.

In the past five years, 25 wood bison were sent to Saulteaux First Nation near North Battleford in 2018, and 31 plains bison to Flying Dust First Nation in 2019 in the North West Region.

Elk Island National Park ecologist team lead Jonathan DeMoor is glad to see the herds going out again to First Nations.

“It is really great working with all these communities, being able to help to restore and renew these connections between the bison and the people, and the land,” he said. “It’s something we are really excited to be doing.“

Having the bison back on the land also has ecological merits.

“These areas originally had huge herds of bison on them,” DeMoor said. “The ecology really suffers from not having their presence on the land. It is certainly a benefit to get these animals back out there.”

DeMoor said Elk Island National Park has enough surplus animals that it is able to provide some to communities that apply and are ready to receive them.

He hopes the herds keep growing in these communities into the future as well.

“From a conservation perspective, a lot of these communities have the same idea that the more bison that are out there on the land, the better,” DeMoor said.

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angela.brown@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @battlefordsNOW

by Angela Brown

Bison returns back to land on Poundmaker and Onion Lake Cree Nations

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