"I'm Here Because They Survived": A Conversation with Izel G. Lopez on the 2026 Buffalo Harvest
The 2026 TTBP Buffalo Harvest, hosted in collaboration with Indigenous Led's Buffalo Beyond Borders annual event, brought nearly 250 people together on 150 acres of rematriated land in Floresville, Texas. Izel G. Lopez, enrolled member of the Tap Pilam Coahuiltecan Nation, Auteca Paguame, and TTBP Deputy Director, led the harvest shot.
Elena Terry, Executive Chef, Founder of Wild Bearies, and member of the HoChunk Nation, led the butchery. Together, we butchered and harvested Buffalo meat for donation to the San Antonio Equity Network and our Meat for Mamas program. Throughout the day, Tipi Talks featured critical conversations led by the women stewarding the rematriation of Buffalo on the Southern Plains. It was the best energy we have ever felt.
Photos by Bill McCullough
Q: What goes through your mind and spirit in the moments just before you take the shot, and how do you prepare yourself to carry that responsibility?
A: The day before the harvest, I began my fast and found myself in prayer — not only to clear my mind and balance myself, but to thank Creator for all my blessings: my family, my community, and most importantly, our four-legged relative who was giving of himself to bring our Native relatives together again.
I've hunted all my life, but this was my first harvest. It was filled with a lot of emotion and reverence for our people and our Buffalo relative. In the moment before I took the shot, looking through the scope, I felt a deep connection to the bull as he grazed. He looked at me several times, as if we made eye contact. I was grateful to him for what was coming, and I was grateful to my Ancestors for placing me in that moment. If not for their struggles, we wouldn't be here to embrace these teachings. I always remind myself: I'm here because they survived.
Q: As a Native woman, what does it mean to you to be the one who releases the Buffalo, and how does your Nation's relationship with Buffalo inform how you hold that role?
A: For me, it was both a great responsibility and a great gift. In our Nacion, the men have always been our protectors and providers, so to step into that role was a profound honor.
Q: The harvest shot is both an ending and a beginning. How do you hold both of those truths at the same time?
A: I reflect on the circle of life that has been in place since the dawn of time. There is always a beginning, but not necessarily an ending. Creator has provided for us. We have everything we need right here, as long as we do our part in protecting and caring for it.
With the harvest of our Buffalo relative, we provided food to the community so they could keep living. One month after the harvest, Creator provided us with a new calf to take his place. This is how we continue. We have been here since the beginning, and if we do it right, we won't need to look toward an ending.
Q: What has this role taught you about reciprocity — with the Buffalo, with the Land, with your community?
A: It has taught me a great deal, but the most important lesson is this: if you give of yourself, Creator will bless you with more. It is part of our traditions to give back when we receive a gift. And it doesn't have to be something physical. A prayer for someone is a gift.
The Buffalo give themselves so that we can survive. Care, respect, and prayer for them is the greatest gift we can give in return. There is so much to learn from the Buffalo, and giving is probably the best lesson we can carry with us.
Q: What would you want emerging leaders watching you to understand about the weight and the honor of this work — something that cannot be learned from the outside?
A: The most important thing I would want them to understand is that this work is not just about ranching and raising Bison. It is about reconnecting to our traditions. We are part of a bigger picture: Indigenous peoples finding their way back to their culture.
We have been displaced for hundreds of years, and this work will not finish within our lifetime. We are starting it so that the next generation can continue. It is a great responsibility to make sure we leave them a good foundation, and a great honor to pick up where our Ancestors left off.
