The Great Slaughter or bison genocide by European colonizers took place from about 1820 to 1880. Hunting buffalo was a sport, referred to as the “golden goose”. Dignitaries would come from around the world to attend buffalo hunts. The population plummeted from millions of animals to fewer than 1,000 by the 1890s. As Indigenous People's food source dwindled they were forced into government support and sign treaties. Today Indigenous tribes are bringing sacred bison back to ancestral lands. Spearheaded by Indigenous leaders from the InterTribal Buffalo Council, environmental non-profits like the Nature Conservancy and The World Wildlife Fund and the Department of The Interior, The Tribal Buffalo Lifeways Collaboration was announced in July 2024. This powerful alliance will rematriate vital bison in an unprecedented scale to birth right homes like the prairie grassland ecosystems and tribal lands. Bison are a cultural keystone species who are essential to the health and well-being of North America.
Hayes Leekya's grandfather was the late Leekya Deyuse who produced some of the finest carvings in Zuni. A darling burly Bison stands proud a top shoes from turquoise overlaid to local Zuni travertine. Wide set eyes are from rich pen shell, while nostrils are drilled. Horns are from turquoise. Approximately 4 3/4" long, 2" wide and 2 1/2" tall.
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