By Eileen Iron Cloud | Board Member
Pte Oyate (Buffalo Nation)
The KCBNS leases a 900+ acre pasture from the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) for the period November 2018 – October 2019. This is home to our relatives, the buffalo nation, which includes thirty-one (31) adults and seven (7) new calves. The lease period is for five years with an annual payment due to the BIA every November. KCBNS is currently in its second year in this range unit.
Fencing Project
Since the buffalo can no longer roam freely as in the past, we are responsible for building a fence to keep them within a certain range. There have been and continue to be many challenges to complete the five-mile fencing project. The terrain includes three small canyons which challenges even the most hardy of workers. Approximately 1.5 miles of fencing is yet to be completed. This will be done as weather permits. In addition to the high cost of purchasing fencing supplies (posts, wire, staples, etc.) and transporting it over miles of dirt road, the weather plays a significant role.
During the 20109 winter and spring seasons, the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, as in other states across the Midwest, has experienced severe weather with blizzards, flooding, icy rain and snow. The snow and rain continues during this time. While the buffalo are hardy and know how to survive, it has been very difficult for the caretaker to check on them two to three times per week as in the past. The dirt roads to the pasture have been impassable at times. Many Reservation residents who live in the country, have had to park their vehicles near the paved roads and walk into their homes. At times the snow was so deep and heavy that snowplows could not move. We have been very fortunate that no buffalo lost their lives during this time.
Activities
Activities have been hampered by the severe weather this winter and spring. During a break in the weather, KCBNS board member Ethleen Iron Cloud-Two Dogs provided teachings during a Lakota cultural session in April for a group of ten young girls.
Preparing for the summer activities are underway. These include the cultural summer ceremonies; a summer school session with the tentative dates of June 17 – 28 and July 22 – August 03, and for the annual children’s healing camp. In addition, the fencing project will continue until it is completed.
Knife Chief Buffalo Nation Board of Directors
The current Board of Directors are Eileen H. Iron Cloud, Ethleen Iron Cloud-Two Dogs and Richard Two Dogs. Currently there are two vacancies on the board which the Board hopes to fill by the fall season.
Support
The Knife Chief Buffalo Nation Society acknowledges and sends a message of deep appreciation to the grandfather and grandmother spirits who help us and guide us in the spiritual realm, and to the traditional healers who offer wisdom and prayers; to our relatives who help and offer support and to those who provide physical labor to care for and protect the pte oyate (buffalo nation).
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