Stoney Nakoda Nation says traditional knowledge key to success for Banff bison

The report was released earlier this month. It was funded by the Canadian Mountain Network, a non-profit that supports research on the resilience and health of Canada’s mountain people and places.

Snow, who’s the lead investigator, said a team from the Stoney Nakoda Nation worked with elders, knowledge keepers and youth to get a better understanding of bison habitat, behaviour, and practices from an Indigenous perspective.

“It was not only a learning process about bison, it was a learning process about ourselves as Indigenous people returning and going back to the traditional lands,” he said. “Being able to travel and to experience some of these areas has been really important … for our own cultural well-being.”

Snow said it has helped the Stoney Nakoda reconnect to their traditional lands, migration routes, camping sites, and hunting and gathering areas within Mînî Rhpa Mâkoche, now known as Banff National Park.

The report, which has been shared with park officials, includes 11 recommendations to ensure the continued success of the reintroduction and for co-operative management of the bison herd.

The suggestions include continuing the program once the pilot project is finished, holding a ceremony with First Nations at the start of each new phase and allowing cultural monitoring fieldwork to continue. They also urge expansion of the reintroduction zone to include the rest of the park and allowing First Nations to harvest animals once the herd grows too large.

The project is to be reviewed this year.

Wild bison disappeared from Banff National Park before it was created in 1885. They were reintroduced to determine whether bison could be a long-term fixture in the park.

Parks Canada said in a statement that it recognizes the connection between Indigenous culture and bison.

“During the project, Indigenous Peoples have shared their traditional knowledge of plains bison and participated in stewardship, management and celebration opportunities,” says the statement. “Parks Canada has also collaborated with Indigenous communities and organizations in various on-the-ground conservation activities.”

The statement said Parks Canada supported the Stoney Nakoda study and will consider it in the pilot project’s final report.

“Results from all engagement have and will inform future decisions regarding the feasibility of managing a wild bison herd in Banff National Park over the long term.”

The Stoney Nakoda report noted that projects such as the bison reintroduction are an important part of truth and reconciliation. It suggested traditional ecological knowledge can be used alongside western science for a more holistic approach to park management.

“At the end of the day, we are not just writing a report to write a report,” said Snow. “We want to change how bison management is done.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 24,2022.

Colette Derworiz, The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

Stoney Nakoda Nation says traditional knowledge key to success for Banff bison

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