08/16/2026
Buffalo are back on Wind River after more than 130 years.
On the Wind River Reservation in western Wyoming, the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho Tribes are rebuilding a relationship with buffalo through Tribal-led conservation, law, and cultural restoration.
The return began in 2016, when 10 genetically intact buffalo were brought back to Tribal lands. Today, the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho herds together number roughly 200 animals. The effort has been supported by the Wind River Tribal Buffalo Initiative, led by Eastern Shoshone ecologist Jason Baldes, along with Tribal buffalo programs and partners including the InterTribal Buffalo Council.
Recently, the Northern Arapaho Tribe passed a resolution designating buffalo as wildlife rather than livestock, joining the Eastern Shoshone Tribe, which passed a similar resolution in April. The distinction gives buffalo protections under Tribal law and recognizes them as a native species with cultural, ecological, and treaty significance.
Buffalo are a keystone species of the Great Plains. Their grazing patterns can support native grasses, help disperse seeds, aerate soil, and create habitat conditions for other wildlife. For many Plains Tribes, buffalo have also long been central to food systems, ceremonies, clothing, tools, stories, and community life.
The near-destruction of buffalo populations in the nineteenth century disrupted both prairie ecosystems and Indigenous lifeways. Their return to Wind River is being shaped by Tribal sovereignty, youth education, food distribution, land restoration, and long-term planning for future generations.
What does buffalo restoration teach us about the connection between land, culture, and community?
Sources: ICT, Wind River Tribal Buffalo Initiative, WyoHistory
