How a Manitoba First Nation is working to help grow bison herds in the province

A First Nation in western Manitoba is working to revitalize the grasslands by returning them to their natural state – a step to help bring bison herds back to their former glory.

Cheyenne Ironman has been contracted by Sioux Valley Dakota Nation to tackle this project and said increasing the bison population is integral to their culture.

"The Dakota people are also known as the buffalo people…A lot of our ceremonies and teachings kind of derived from the bison…our people depended on them," said Ironman.

When settlers first came to the area, Ironman said the bison were impacted greatly, nearing the point of extinction.

"Everything was derived from the bison and so, part of settling the west, settling on these lands, required first the bison are dealt with and then the Indigenous people. And so an attack on the bison was an attack on our people and a deliberate attempt to kind of eradicate both at the same time."

Part of settling in the prairies was converting the grasslands into agricultural land to grow crops said Ironman. This led to the main food source for the bison being stripped away.

Now as part of the new project, it is something the nation is trying to take back.

Around 60 per cent of the area is grasslands and 35 per cent is farmland, Ironman said. Now, the First Nation is not renewing the leases for the farmland so that they can eventually be reconverted to prairie grasslands.

"That soil hasn't been given rest," she said. " It's going to take time…it could take decades to restore it, but at least by taking these steps we can at least know we've made the attempt."

By helping the bison thrive, Ironman said it will also help the Dakota people thrive, as they can return to bison being part of their diet – something that was a staple for hundreds of years – and can become more self-sustaining in the future.

Along with helping the First Nation and the bison, Ironman noted this project will also help the ecosystem as a whole, helping a number of species return to their natural habitat.

"A lot of these different species have certain habitats that they prefer and if things are disturbed, they're going to go elsewhere to look for a habitat that's preferable to them," she said.

Having natural plants will also help regulate moisture Ironman said, meaning there won't be extreme flooding and when there is a lack of moisture it won't create drought conditions.