By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
Bison's relocation to Native lands revives a spiritual bond
preview.jpg
A herd of bison grazes during midday at a Cherokee Nation ranch in northeastern Oklahoma on Sept. 27, 2022. Decades after the last bison vanished from their tribal lands, the Cherokee Nation is part of a nationwide resurgence of Indigenous people seeking to reconnect with the humpbacked, shaggy-haired animals that occupy a crucial place in centuries-old tradition and belief. - photo by AP Photo/Audrey Jackson
BULL HOLLOW, Okla. (AP) — Ryan Mackey quietly sang a sacred Cherokee verse as he pulled a handful of tobacco out of a zip-close bag. Reaching over a barbed wire fence, he scattered the leaves onto the pasture where a growing herd of bison — popularly known as American buffalo — grazed in northeastern Oklahoma. The offering represented a reverent act of thanksgiving, the 45-year-old explained, and a desire to forge a divine connection with the animals, his ancestors and the Creator.