Blackfeet Nation Buffalo Program

05/29/2026

Last week, our President Ervin Carlson (Blackfeet Nation) stood before the U.S. House Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs to testify in support of HR 7954 the Don Young Doug LaMalfa Indian Buffalo Management Act.

For thousands of years, buffalo sustained our people by providing food, shelter, clothing, and spiritual connection. Their near-extinction was no accident. It was a deliberate strategy to erase our way of life. But we never stopped dreaming of them and their return.

Today, the InterTribal Buffalo Council represents 90 federally recognized Tribes across 23 states and nearly 60 buffalo herds - and we are just getting started!

HR 7954 would formalize the Federal government's commitment to buffalo restoration, and help Tribes build self-sustaining herds that feed our communities, create jobs, and restore our culture.

The buffalo are coming home. 🦬 Stand with us.

05/23/2026

05/23/2026

05/23/2026

🦬 Iinnii Days in Blackfeet Country! 🦬
We're thrilled to share that ITBC team members Bo, CeCe, and Mikiya are in Blackfeet Country this week to celebrate and support the Blackfeet Nation at Iinnii Days!
Iinnii — the Blackfoot word for buffalo — holds deep cultural and spiritual significance for the Blackfoot Confederacy. In 2009, leaders of the four nations that make up the Blackfoot Confederacy, the Blackfeet Nation, Kainai Nation, Piikani Nation, and Siksika Nation, launched the Iinnii Initiative to conserve traditional lands, protect Blackfeet culture, and create a home for the buffalo to return to.
Through remarkable dedication and powerful partnerships with the Oakland Zoo, Wildlife Conservation Society, Inter-Tribal Buffalo Council, Blackfeet Community College, and the American Bison Society, 88 Iinnii were reintroduced to Blackfeet lands in 2016, a historic moment for the Blackfoot people and for buffalo restoration across Turtle Island.
This celebration is a testament to what's possible when Indigenous nations lead the way. We are honored to stand alongside the Blackfeet Nation and witness the continued homecoming of the Iinnii.

05/09/2026

Governor Greg Gianforte today praised the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) final decision to cancel grazing permits authorizing bison grazing previously issued to the American Prairie Reserve (APR).  “This final decision is a victory for the rule of law and the generations of Montanans who h...

05/07/2026

05/02/2026

We are proud to share that our newest short film, Buffalo Spirit, will premiere May 1 on PBS.

Fleeing from a troubled home life, a young Blackfeet woman finds refuge on the buffalo ranch of her Auntie and, in learning to care for the buffalo, begins to heal from the wounds that led her there.

Buffalo Spirit will be presented as a part of First Peoples, First Stories, a series of four short films told across two episodes.

Episode 1 – Cold Nights and Connection
Check your local listings.

04/28/2026

01/27/2026

Our focus is the health and vitality of working lands in the American West. And by supporting the wellbeing of the land itself, we support the people, wildlife, and enterprises that rely upon the land. Since 1998, we’ve worked to improve the ecological and financial performance of more than eight ...