Buffalo Nations: History and Revitalization of the American Bison

FAIN: BH-288078-22

Fort Peck Community College (Poplar, MT 59255-7819)
Sierra Rose Atkinson (Project Director: February 2022 to October 2022)
Roxann Smith (Project Director: October 2022 to present)
Christine Rogers Stanton (Co Project Director: August 2022 to present)

Two week-long workshops for 72 K-12 educators to learn the histories, geographies, and contemporary knowledges of the Buffalo Nations.

This project will prepare 72 K-12 educators from across the U.S. to implement curriculum focusing on the sovereign signatories of the landmark InterTribal Buffalo Treaty. These Buffalo Nations are leading culturally restorative buffalo conservation efforts – especially with bison being culled from Yellowstone National Park (YNP). Teachers will participate in on-site workshops at YNP – with visits to noted landmark sites, followed by virtual learning. The project is led by educators from Fort Peck Community College, Montana State University, and Ecology Project International. Presenters from the Fort Peck Assiniboine & Sioux as well as Crow, Blackfeet and Eastern Shoshone Nations will join the Project Team in sharing knowledge and facilitating lesson development pertaining to historical, ecological, political/economic, and cultural literacies. The program will be rooted in the principles of Recognition, Relationships, Responsibility, Respect, Relevance and Reciprocity.

Associated Products

“It Opened my Mind and my Heart”: Co-Learning during the NEH Buffalo Nations Landmarks Workshops (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: “It Opened my Mind and my Heart”: Co-Learning during the NEH Buffalo Nations Landmarks Workshops
Author: Roxann Smith
Author: Christine Stanton
Abstract: In Summer 2023, educators from across the U.S. participated in "Buffalo Nations" workshops in Yellowstone National Park. The workshops, funded by a National Endowment for the Humanities Landmarks of American History and Culture grant, focused on 9 Rs (recognition, relationships, responsibility, relevance, resilience, respect, reciprocity, reflection, and revitalization) as situated within place-relational and culturally revitalizing education. Facilitators and presenters included leaders from Indigenous Nations with historical and contemporary ties to the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and buffalo, as well as teacher educators, scholars, park administrators, wildlife biologists, and Native foods experts. This presentation will provide an overview of the program's content, share lessons learned by facilitators, and describe resources used in and created during the workshops. Session submission accepted for March 2024 conference.
Date: 03/08/2024
Conference Name: March 2024 Montana Indian Education for All Best Practices conference in Billings, Montana

NEH Buffalo Nations Landmarks Program Resources (Course or Curricular Material)
Title: NEH Buffalo Nations Landmarks Program Resources
Author: Christine Stanton
Abstract: Educator Frameworks and Background 4 Rs (Kirkness & Barnhardt) Buffalo Nations Landmarks Program Website Culturally Sustaining and Revitalizing Education Honor Native Land guide Indian Education for All Framework for Implementation Manifesting Destiny: Re/Presentations of Indigenous Peoples in K-12 U.S. History Standards Maslow’s Hierarchy and Blackfoot Knowledge Systems    Place-Conscious Education Guidance for Review of Resources American Indian Library Association American Indians in Children’s Literature Birchbark Books (various filters to search) Social Justice Books about American Indians General Curriculum Development Resources Canada's Truth & Reconciliation curriculum Finding Our Roots: Indigenous Foods and the Food Sovereignty Movement in the United States Indian Land Tenure Fund Resources Montana Tribes Montana’s Indian Education for All Native Knowledge 360 Interactive Teaching Resources Oregon’s Tribal History/Shared History Washington’s Since Time Immemorial Wyoming’s Indian Education for All Lesson Plans and Teacher Guides Affirming Indigenous Sovereignty: A Civics Inquiry  Art of Storytelling resources (wintercount lessons)   Bison Restoration Lesson Dawnland Teacher’s Guide Example Integrated Lessons Finding our Roots: Indigenous Foods and the Food Sovereignty Movement in the U.S. Harvest of the Month Home from School Educational Toolkit Honouring the Buffalo Teaching Guide Lessons of Our Land Montana Tribal Histories Montana: A History of Our Home Playing “Indian”: Manifest Destiny, Whiteness, and the Depiction of Native Americans Project Archaeology Lessons and Resources Rethinking Columbus Rethinking Thanksgiving Celebrations in Schools Standing Rock Syllabus Teaching about Settler Colonialism Teaching Critically about Lewis and Clark Pedagogical Resources Digital Storytelling overview Digital Storywork article (Christine and co-authors)
Year: 2023
Audience: K - 12

Buffalo Nations Landmarks program website (Web Resource)
Title: Buffalo Nations Landmarks program website
Author: Roxann Smith
Author: Elizabeth Bird
Abstract: The Buffalo Nations Landmarks program will prepare two groups of K-12 educators from across the U.S. to implement curriculum focusing on the history and revitalization of the American Bison.
Year: 2022
Primary URL: https://www.buffalonationslandmarks.org/
Primary URL Description: Program website.

---