Liz Carlisle posts Latrice Tatsey work of reintroducing bison back to grazing the land, as opposed to fenced in pastures with cows. Tatsey an ecologist and a member of the Blackfeet nation supports this showing that bison grazing increases organic soil matter and increase carbon soil content This increases soil quality and fights against climate change. She relates ecological restoration with cultural restoration by reengaging indigenous peoples back to their ancestral land and better soil restorative practices. Highlighting Blackfoot community in reclaiming their right to manage and define their own food systems, guided by cultural and ecological labor.
The removal of bison, a primary food source was a core colonial strategy to control the indigenous populations, Black, Latino, and Asian American communities have a long history of regenerative agriculture. Their more natural soil regenerative ideas have been established long before industrial activities disrupted them. These original concepts have a more holistic way of managing our environment demands to increase a natural production.
Racial violence inflicted on the indigenous people by land dispossession, labor exploitation, loss of food sovereignty suppressed these proven traditional ecological ways.
Bison restoration encompasses restoring tribal decision making, developing a community involvement, with the use of cultural protocols, providing a goal of long-term stewardship. Her thoughts on rebuilding bison herds leads us to ecological healing that leads up political healing. Producing cleaner indigenous knowledge uses, combating climate effects. Focus on not just sustainable but providing food sovereignty.
2 comments:
This practice of having bison "unfenced" means that there needs to be a level of trust in the natural movement of the animals, which most people are terrified of. However, data from carbon sequestration shows that this is better for the Earth.
I found the most profound thing from the chapter to be the connection between ecological healing and political healing. You cannot fix the trauma to the soil by ignoring the trauma of those who belong to the soil. You cannot have a healthy planet without healthy human communities.
We also need to ensure that the people who come up with a technique are properly credited for it. Too often do scientists "discover" something that indigenous groups have been doing for years. By supporting Tatsey's work, you must acknowledge that the Blackfeet Nation was the lead investigators in their own landscape rather than participants in a study.
It makes more sense when you put the systematic eradication of buffalo as a means to control the Native American population. I just took it as gross oversight due to a combination of overharvesting, restricting travel paths with fencing and introduction of cattle which were assisted in outcompeting natural buffalo populations. I don't understand why bringing back buffalo populations isn't a high priority since it's even stated that cattle are struggling to thrive in hotter, drier climates, climates that buffalo would thrive in.
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