Guided by matriarchs

An estimated 30-60 million bison once thundered across the Great Plains, shaping the land and sustaining the peoples who called the region home. The mighty grazer’s near-eradication in the 19th century —an intentional act to suppress Indigenous Nations —was one of the most devastating losses in North America’s ecological and cultural history. Yet today, despite incredible challenges, both bison and the Native communities who revere them continue to stand strong.

“There is probably not a stronger story of resurgence in the world,” says Heather Dawn Thompson, WWF's Vice President, Native Nations Conservation and Food Systems. “These are resilient, strong animals—and we need them as much as they need us.”

WWF works to support the vision of Native Nations across the Northern Great Plains to help restore bison to their ancestral homelands. These efforts go far beyond ecology. While bison are keystone species—shaping grasslands with their grazing, creating habitat for birds, pollinators, and countless other species—they also hold deep spiritual and cultural meaning for Indigenous peoples. WWF’s approach honors both: supporting ecological health while recognizing that the return of bison is inseparable from the revival of Indigenous lifeways.

Among bison, matriarchs lead. The same has been true for generations of many Indigenous Nations, including the Lakota, whose culture is based on their long-held relationship with the species. They carry the wisdom of the landscape—the knowledge of grasses, water, and movement—passed down from mothers to daughters for generations. “The matriarch is the protector and the wisdom holder,” explains Monica Rattling Hawk, WWF’s Tribal Liaison. “They’ve learned it from their mother and the mother before that.”

As bison return to the prairie, they are helping to heal both land and people. Native grasses are returning. Wildlife long absent now follows in their path. Families who once dreamed of bringing the bison home stand together in awe, knowing what that return means.

“They have us now,” says Alex Romero-Federick, Monica’s daughter and co-owner of Rez Raised Ranch. “We belong to them. It’s like a completion. I’m okay now, because they’re here.”