Grant to help Ponca Tribe treat bison cases | Community

Today, the Ponca Tribe is using a $4.8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to build a buffalo processing plant near Niobrara, according to a news release.

The tribe will harvest, process, manufacture and store buffalo meat. The proceeds will help feed 5,800 members across the country, in accordance with sacred tribal traditions.

According to Larry Wright Sr., director of the tribal buffalo programs, the processing plant has been a goal for about 30 years. The herd has grown over the years to as many as 250 buffalo, he said.

“We started the Buffalo project in 1996 and I’ve been working on it since 2000,” he told the Press & Dakotan. “We’d been talking about it for a while, but we were talking about a small packing plant that wouldn’t have offered a lot of quality space.”

As a result, the tribe used the nearby Kreycik elk and bison ranch for slaughter and processing.

Construction on the processing plant is expected to begin this fall and be completed by next spring, according to tribal officials. In addition to providing an important source of food, the plant will create jobs for tribal members.

The tribal council will make decisions about the facility, but plans call for an all-steel structure, Wright said.

The planned site has special significance, according to Courtney Chavez, executive director of Tribal Affairs. The area represents the traditional territory of the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska and will be located near the tribe’s bison herd, she said in a news release.

The proposed site of the facility also plays an important role for the tribe, Wright said.

“The pasture (for the herd) is located southwest of Niobrara,” he said. “We’re about three miles (from town) where the community building and cemetery are. It used to be part of the reservation. That’s where the facility will be.”

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack recently announced the grants in Cherokee, North Carolina, at the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) Midyear Conference and Marketplace.

The USDA grant supports the tribe’s ongoing work to sustainably harvest the herd’s bison to feed tribal members across the country, according to tribal Chairwoman Candace Schmidt.

The Ponca Tribe of Nebraska was reestablished in 1990, but it does not have a physical reservation. However, the Ponca Tribe Restoration Act reestablished a service delivery area in 15 counties across Nebraska, Iowa, and South Dakota.

“This grant will help our tribe advance our mission of providing services, support and nutrition to our tribal members, whether or not they live in our tribal service area,” she said.

Bison is an important source of protein, Wright said. “We have a diabetes program and the meat is used for the beneficiaries,” he said, referring to the higher incidence of the disease among Native Americans.

The Ponca Tribe’s bison project began in 1994 with the help of the Intertribal Bison Cooperative (ITBC), according to the Ponca website.

ITBC is helping Native American tribes restore bison to their lands. The organization awarded a $30,000 grant to the Ponca Tribe to install a “bison-proof” fence around the 155 acres adjacent to the Ponca Community Building and powwow grounds.

Two years later, the tribe released 11 bison onto the hills and grasslands that were once the center of the North Ponca Reservation.

Before introducing a second herd, the tribe purchased an additional 320 acres that included a one-acre forest home to wild turkeys, deer and other small game.

With another ITBC grant, the tribe fenced about two-thirds of that property for bison grazing. By 2002, the two herds numbered more than 90 bison, with 20 to 25 new calves born each spring.

The tribe used additional grants to purchase pens and a containment corridor. Other grants were used for transportation of bison from national park reserves, veterinary services, and an all-terrain vehicle, tractor and feed.

As bison manager, Wright oversees the repair, maintenance, land management and general upkeep of both herds.

“My role is to take care of the herd and make sure everything is going well,” he said. “We have some pasture, but it’s not enough to get the bison through the winter. We have a conservation reserve program (CRP) and pasture on other lands, and we buy hay.”

The thunderous Ponca herd expanded last January when 14 bison from Yellowstone National Park were transported to join the Ponca Tribe’s herd.

In response to the popularity of a video showing the arrival of the bison, the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska has released more information about the program.

“Each year, federal parks analyze their grazing capacity and decide whether to reduce their herd size based on those results. There are several areas in the United States where bison can be sourced during surplus distributions,” the tribe said.

“This time, they’re from Yellowstone National Park. When a herd needs a reduction in numbers, tribes that partner with the ITBC, or the Intertribal Bison Council, can apply for surplus bison. The Ponca Tribe is a partner with the ITBC and was allocated 14 bison during the application process in the fall.

“When we receive new buffalo, they are placed in a separate field, then moved alongside the other buffalo until their scent is recognized, and they are introduced to the rest of the herd.”

As bison manager, Wright and his staff monitor the herd’s quality of life and look for signs of injury or illness, in which case the tribe works with a veterinarian or administers medication.

The bison roam several pastures and are rotated to avoid overgrazing. The largest herd covers more than 900 acres, while the smallest has more than 300.

“The buffalo are first located on the west bank of the Niobrara River and then moved to the east bank, where we have two pastures for these beef animals,” Wright said.

The new processing plant will increase demand for more bison, Wright said.

“It will take a lot of bison to keep running,” he noted.

To help cover program expenses, the Ponca Tribe offers the opportunity to “adopt” a buffalo, Wright said. The program is open to tribal members and non-members.

“For $25, you get a picture of a calf or a yearling calf with a certificate,” he said. “For $50, you can get a picture of the herd and a certificate. For $100, you get a picture of the entire herd, a certificate and pictures.”

Bison played a crucial role throughout Ponca history. Hunts in the spring/early summer and fall provided food, especially in winter, and many aspects of daily life, such as clothing and shelter.

For many Native Americans, the bison also played an important role in religious and spiritual life.

And now, Ponca tribal members view their buffalo — and responsible harvesting and processing — as part of respecting and managing the herd, Wright said.

“When you think back to the time of our ancestors, the buffalo took care of the people,” he said. “Today, it’s the people who take care of the animal.”

Follow @RDockendorf on “X”