蜜芽传媒

The buffalo was an important part of the culture of the indigenous Lipan Apache people of Texas - allowing them to feed themselves and stay independent. But in the 19th century millions of animals were slaughtered - in part because of a systematic policy to contain and control Native American population people. At the turn of the century, only hundreds of the animals remained.

Now one Lipan Apache woman, Lucille Contreras, is trying to reintroduce the animals into the community's daily life through the Texas Tribal Buffalo Project. She says the idea came during the pandemic - when she received a loan to buy land and animals and moved back to her homeland.

She says the animal represents her people's autonomy as well as their culture.

"The buffalo is everything to us in life. Traditionally it was food and shelter as well as spiritual strength, and so today we try to use every part of the buffalo just as we used to use it before."

(Photo: A bison in Texas. Credit: Getty Images.)