American Indians rediscovering the long-revered bison
Source: Seattle Times ()
MUSCODA, Wis. — A bison herd bunches up big and dark against the snow-covered prairie as members of the Ho-Chunk Nation in pickup trucks and tractors form a line behind the imposing beasts.
The bison anxiously eye the men and the machines.
But a spiritual connection explains why American Indian and bison have come face-to-face on this cold December day. While trucks and tractors have replaced horses for herding purposes, history is coming full circle.
The roundup and weigh-in of bison last week is intended to ensure the health of the majestic creatures. The Ho-Chunk are reintroducing them to better feed a people plagued by heart disease and diabetes — diseases that accompany high-carb, fast-food diets not native to American Indian culture. American bison, also known as buffalo, for centuries were central to the American Indian diet until herds were slaughtered by settlers and the U.S. military moved tribes onto reservations in the 1800s.
The Ho-Chunk — which vaccinated about 120 bison in last week’s roundup — are among 57 tribes in 19 states working to bring back bison to tribal lands.
“We believe that when the buffalo come back, everything else will come back,” including the health of the people, said Richard Snake, herd manager for the Ho-Chunk’s Muscoda Bison Prairie 1 Ranch along the Wisconsin River bottom in southwestern Wisconsin. Bison meat is lower in fat and calories than beef, pork or chicken, with a flavor similar to beef, only richer and sweeter.
“If you watch old movies, you never see a chubby Indian or a sick Indian,” Snake said matter-of-factly.
In some tribes, half the adults have diabetes, according to the South Dakota-based InterTribal Bison Cooperative, which is coordinating and assisting efforts to return bison to tribal lands across America.
American Indians are more twice as likely to have diabetes as non-Hispanic whites, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease …