Killing the buffalo: more than a health issue to Native people

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Since time immemorial, the buffalo has roamed free on the Prairies.

At that time, the buffalo was valued by Indian people because it provided such daily necessities as meat, pemmican and clothing.

The buffalo was intricately tied to the everyday survival of Plains Indians for a very long time.

Today, the buffalo is still important, in many respects.

It's a art of Indian folklore and for generations, it has represented so much about what it means to be Indian, about a nomadic life long gone but still in the hearts and minds of Indian people.

Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump in southern Alberta, the largest and most well-known buffalo jump display in the world, was built as a shrine to this great beast, whose history is intertwined with the history of Alberta's Indian people.

So, it's no wonder that Indian people are concerned that the last remaining buffalo on the Prairies could become extinct if a plan to destroy them goes ahead.

And it's no wonder they're angry.

>From 1925 to 1928, 6,000 diseased buffalo with tuberculosis and brucellosis were moved from Wainwright to Wood Buffalo National Park against every recommendation that such a move would prove disastrous in the future.

Since then, according to government figures, over 800,000 diseased head of cattle have been destroyed.

It's clearly a very serious health concern.

Eradicating the buffalo to prevent the whole herd from becoming diseased is an option under very serious scrutiny now.

Agriculture Canada, which is proposing the buffalo kill, is also interested in saving costs and killing the buffalo they say is apparently the most cost-effective way of eliminating the problem -- saving dollars on controlling the disease and prevention.

But the question that remains unanswered is why the government did not do a more effective job over the years in treating the diseased buffalo in the park.

Eliminating the buffalo is a quick and simple solution to a long-standing problem. It's a very drastic step and Indian people deserve to have more input into the fate of the bison.

They want more time to study the issue, not because they do not recognize the health concern.

But because for Indian people, the buffalo represents much more to their lives over the last century than to any other group of Albertans.

The buffalo is their link to a vibrant past and history, which many Indian people still hold dear.

It is also a link to this province's colorful history, of which there has been so little recognition accored to Alberta's Indians.

Perhaps, because of this shared past, everyone has an interest in trying to find answers to allow the buffalo to continue to roam free in Alberta.