Wind River students take part in buffalo harvest to honor tradition, feed community

According to WyoFile, students from Arapahoe and Fort Washakie schools joined Northern Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone tribal members for a buffalo harvest this week on the Wind River Reservation. The event, organized by the Wind River Tribal Buffalo Initiative and the Food Bank of Wyoming, aimed to teach Native youth about cultural traditions and food sovereignty.

Jackie White, the Food Bank of Wyoming’s tribal relations specialist and a member of the Northern Arapaho Tribe, told WyoFile that the harvested buffalo will be processed and distributed in November food boxes for Wind River Reservation residents and elders. White said the effort connects generations and honors the buffalo as a sacred relative. “We have so much love and respect for our elders,” she said. “They are our knowledge keepers."