The American Buffalo, also known as bison, has always held great meaning for the Aboriginal peoples of Northern plains, also known as Indians.   To the Indian people, buffalo represented their spirit and reminded them of how their lives were onced lived, free and in harmony with nature.   In the 1800's the whiteman recognized the reliance Indian Tribes had on the buffalo.   This begin the systematic destruction of the great buffalo herds in an attempt to genocide the plains Tribes.    The wholesale slaughter of over 60,000,000 buffalo left only a few hundred buffalo remaining.

     Without the Buffalo, the independent life of the Indian people could no longer be maintained.    The Indian spirit, along with that of the buffalo, suffered an enormous loss.   At that time, tribes began to sign treaties with the U. S. Government in an attempt to protect the land and the buffalo for their future generations.   The destruction of buffalo herds and the associated devastation to the tribes disrupted the self-sufficient lifestyle of Indian people more than all other federal polices to date.