09/10/2026
The story of the buffalo cannot be separated from the history of Indigenous Peoples on this continent.
In the 19th century, the great herds that had sustained Indigenous Nations for generations were reduced from tens of millions to a tiny remnant. Their destruction occurred alongside policies that dispossessed Native peoples of their lands and sought to dismantle Indigenous food systems, economies, cultures, and independence.
That history is part of what makes the return of buffalo so profound.
Today, Tribal Nations across the Plains are rebuilding herds and renewing relationships that colonization attempted to sever. Buffalo restoration supports food sovereignty and cultural connection while returning an ecologically important species to the grasslands it helped shape.
That is also why a recent federal grazing dispute in Montana reaches beyond the fate of one herd.
Earlier this year, the Bureau of Land Management revoked permits allowing American Prairie’s bison to graze on federal lands, relying on a new interpretation that grazing permits should be tied to “production-oriented” purposes. Tribal governments and organizations warned that the interpretation could have consequences for Tribal buffalo programs as well.
Now, a federal court has temporarily paused the removal.
On September 4, Judge Brian Morris issued a preliminary injunction allowing more than 900 bison to remain on three federal grazing allotments while the lawsuit proceeds. The ruling is not a final decision on the legality of BLM’s action, but the court found that American Prairie had shown a likelihood of succeeding on its claims.
For now, the buffalo stay.
And across Indian Country, the larger work of bringing buffalo home continues.
