The Heart of the Herd: Indigenous Women Leading the Way
Written and photographed by Julysa Sosa for TTBP
As day broke over the horizon, a thick plume of fog began to roll out across the ranch, camouflaging the Buffalo herd with low visibility and bringing with it, the deafening silence of prayer, responsibility, and love for our relatives.
The morning was neither sad nor quite happy; instead, the reverence of this year’s Buffalo Harvest clung to the cool mist in the air, dampening the sounds of footsteps and hooves alike.
Although Isaac Eaglebear, this year’s shooter, had carefully prepared and pre-identified which Buffalo would be chosen for the harvest, the herd had other plans.
In the moments leading up to the hunt, the Buffalo — who live in a matriarchal society — seemed to move with a collective purpose, as if they had decided together which one would be chosen. As the fog shifted, with a quiet step of defiance, she made herself known — clear in her stance.
In that instant, Eaglebear took the shot.
“I was reminded that this isn’t about a trophy. It’s not about personal gain, pride, or ego. This is for my people,”
Eaglebear said.
With that action, the third annual Buffalo Harvest was initiated, and, serendipitously, the fog cleared, giving way to a beautiful, sun-soaked day.
By midmorning, more than 300 people began arriving, flowing steadily throughout the day.
Tribal nations and communities from around Turtle Island gathered at the new Texas Tribal Buffalo Project Ranch location in Floresville, Texas.
This 150-acre plot, recently re-matriated and returned to Texas Indigenous Lineal Descendants, was made possible through the acquisition of land from The Conservation Fund.
Bison on the Plains, circa 1906. Library of Congress.
Roots in the Buffalo Plains
The Lipan Apache’s connection to the Buffalo spans millennia. Before colonization, their ancestors ranged across the southern plains, participating in trade networks. As mounted hunters, they later became stewards of the Buffalo’s southern range.
Settler-colonial policies nearly eradicated both Lipan people and bison: and by 1889, fewer than 1,000 Buffalo remained from the millions that once roamed the great plains of Turtle Island. Today, the Texas Tribal Buffalo Project (TTBP) joins tribes across Turtle Island in restoring these relatives, managing herds on re-matriated lands.
“Physically, to ingest the Buffalo into our bodies once again activates our own Indigenous DNA,”
said Lucille Contreras, founder and CEO of TTBP.
While Texas has prospered and grown into an agricultural powerhouse, generating $32.2 billion in agricultural product sales as of 2022 (Texas Department of Agriculture), its Native descendants have suffered, been forced off their land, relocated, and subjected to massacres and trauma — just as the Buffalo have been displaced from their southern ranges.
In this way, and many others, the Lipan Apache and Buffalo are inseparably intertwined.
Lipan Apache encampment in the Texas hill country, as depicted by artist George Nelson. Image courtesy of the Institute of Texan Cultures, University of Texas at San Antonio.
The Honorable Harvest in Action
This year’s harvest was a record-breaking event for TTBP, but it also marked the first time the public was invited to join, witness, and participate on the recently acquired Floresville Iyane'e Ranch.
As the Buffalo arrived on-site, prayers, songs, and words were shared within the circle of attendees. Soon after, Chef Elena Terry of Wild Bearies began leading the butchering, as the community stepped in, moving in a unified flow to prepare the meat for distribution to take home.
Chef Elena Terry of Wild Bearies leading the community in the butchering process.
“Our lives depend on the Buffalo for sustenance, shelter, tools, wisdom, and examples of governance,”
Contreras said.
TTBP is an Indigenous, women-owned and founded organization, the first of its kind in Texas working within agriculture.
This year’s Buffalo relative also happened to be a mother, carrying a calf.
This occasionally happens, and there is no way of knowing beforehand, but the symbolism of this year’s central theme became especially poignant. The event highlighted the re-matriation and the development of women and femme leadership, which took center stage at this year’s harvest.
Tipi Talks: Matriarchs Leading the Way
(Center) Denise Lozano, TTBP Ranch Manager, co-leading a discussion on Land and Bison Restoration.
Around the grounds, three tipi tents were set up, each hosting a Tipi Talk led by guest speakers. These conversations focused on three central themes: Food Sovereignty, Land & Bison Restoration, and Indigenous Roots & DNA.
These discussions, organized by and for Indigenous women, sparked meaningful dialogue and action. The tents quickly filled with women and femmes, while the men gathered outside in solidarity to listen.
“Women are the core; we are the foundation of our communities, of our nations, of everything. It’s important that we continue to hold that space and have leadership in that space.”
Contreras said.
As the day progressed, groups of community members took turns butchering, cleaning, weighing, and packaging the meat. Meanwhile, tucked in the corner of the grounds, Chef Angel Bunch prepared bison stew and fry bread for all to enjoy.
“This is what our people did,” said Denise Lozano, TTBP Ranch Manager.
“The hunters would return with their kill, and they’d have the meat, feeding the people. And that’s what we get to do today: feed the people, feed the kids, educate — all those things that we all yearn for.”
And that hunger for food, knowledge, and medicine was palpable. The energy from the day was infectious, and connections were made seamlessly as strangers became community.
“Our ancestors didn’t just live in nature; they were nature. We need to respect all life, walk with reverence, and, most importantly, love ourselves and each other,”
said Eaglebear.
A Legacy Reborn
As the sun sank lower in the sky, the day’s events culminated in a quiet reflection. With the final steps complete and the line forming to receive meat, individually given by Contreras, there was a quiet knowing that what had begun was just the start of something much more profound.
“Historically, women led in our communities, and I believe we’re now returning to that, which is what we’ve been praying for in these recent generations,”
said guest Tipi Talk speaker, Chef Reb Mari, Co-CEO of Sana Roots Co, during a discussion on Food Sovereignty.
As the echoes spread across Turtle Island and beyond, they pave the way for a future where Indigenous communities continue to reclaim their sovereignty, culture, and deep connection to the Buffalo and the Land.
The symbolism of the Buffalo herd’s actions that morning became increasingly clear. What had begun as a quiet, self-determined act of reverence, transformed into a powerful statement: matriarchal leadership is alive and well in Indigenous communities.
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