Bison Symposium: Restoring Relationship, Restoring the Land

The Bison Symposium brings together Indigenous leaders, knowledge keepers, conservationists, and community members to explore the cultural, ecological, and spiritual significance of the bison.

Invited speakers from the Blackfoot Confederacy and other initiatives come together sharing stories, insights, and experiences from ongoing efforts to return buffalo to their traditional territories and restore relationships between people, land, and one of the most important relatives on the Plains.

A keynote address by PhD candidate Paulette Fox, whose work and advocacy have advanced conversations around buffalo restoration and Indigenous-led stewardship, followed by a screening of acclaimed documentary “Bring Them Home | Aiskótáhkapiyaaya”, which chronicles the movement to return buffalo to Indigenous Nations and highlights the transformative impacts of bison repatriation. Attendees will also get the rare opportunity to hear from Elder Tyson Running Wolf of Amskapi Piikani.

Throughout the day, attendees can explore a bison-themed Indigenous Market, featuring Indigenous artists, makers, and entrepreneurs offering artwork, crafts, and products inspired by buffalo culture and teachings.

Join us for a day of learning, connection, and reflection as we celebrate the buffalo's enduring role in Indigenous cultures and the growing movement to bring them home. Together, we will honour the past, support pathways toward reconciliation, and envision a future where buffalo once again thrive on the Prairies.