On the Sioux Valley Dakota Nation west of Brandon, Man., schoolchildren are throwing pumpkins into a bison pen, a ceremony and sign of respect to an animal that has deep spiritual significance for Indigenous culture and identity.
Community leaders are also educating a new generation about how the bison, known in these parts as buffalo, has important implications for the future of the Prairies – rehabilitating natural grasslands and conserving water in a time of climate change.
The bisons’ territory, which includes Manitoba, Saskatchewan, parts of Alberta, and stretches down to Mexico, used to be home to tens of millions of them.
But after colonial settlements, the bison were “eliminated, slaughtered off this continent to the point where they almost went extinct,” said Hila Shamon, a research ecologist with the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute who is based in Bozeman, Mont.
Bison are built for extreme cold and heat, which impacts their movement and behaviour and makes them able to survive with less water and shade.
Twenty-five female bison were recently transferred from Grasslands National Park to the festival grounds at Batoche, about 80 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon.
The original article contains 980 words, the summary contains 189 words. Saved 81%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
This is the best summary I could come up with:
On the Sioux Valley Dakota Nation west of Brandon, Man., schoolchildren are throwing pumpkins into a bison pen, a ceremony and sign of respect to an animal that has deep spiritual significance for Indigenous culture and identity.
Community leaders are also educating a new generation about how the bison, known in these parts as buffalo, has important implications for the future of the Prairies – rehabilitating natural grasslands and conserving water in a time of climate change.
The bisons’ territory, which includes Manitoba, Saskatchewan, parts of Alberta, and stretches down to Mexico, used to be home to tens of millions of them.
But after colonial settlements, the bison were “eliminated, slaughtered off this continent to the point where they almost went extinct,” said Hila Shamon, a research ecologist with the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute who is based in Bozeman, Mont.
Bison are built for extreme cold and heat, which impacts their movement and behaviour and makes them able to survive with less water and shade.
Twenty-five female bison were recently transferred from Grasslands National Park to the festival grounds at Batoche, about 80 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon.
The original article contains 980 words, the summary contains 189 words. Saved 81%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!