Water, Soil, Buffalo. In That Order.
Open Letter by Lucille Contreras, Founder & CEO, Texas Tribal Buffalo Project
I am going to be very vulnerable with you. Since I started the Texas Tribal Buffalo Project in 2020, it has not been easy. When people talk about starting something from zero, we were quite literally in the negative. But I had a prayer and an obligation to fulfill, so I pushed forward.
This work is heavy, and sometimes I can calculate the next move precisely, and other times I miss. Although I walk in this life with the presence and pride of those who came before me, this walk can feel very lonely at times. Sometimes, I am triggered, exhausted, and beyond burnt out. Yesterday was one of those days.
So, I packed up a small bag, bundled some tobacco, and hit the road until I saw the water on the horizon. For many years, Port Lavaca has been my refuge. Originally a port where the Spanish arrived and saw bison for the first time (cow-like animals they didn't have a word for), they named the port Lavaca, literally "the cow." I giggled to myself thinking about how intertwined our histories are, how this port probably should be renamed to Port Bisonte.
Once I settled down on the beach and set up my camp, I made my way down to the water. I sat down, made my offerings, and spoke out loud what was troubling me deeply. And this is the reply I received from the water: "It is impossible to separate repairing your DNA from repairing the Land." There are not many instances that leave me speechless, but I can truly say that this was one of those occasions.
Water is memory, water is survival, it is what we all return to. Buffalo know this. They gather at water sources, shape the landscape around water, and their presence restores hydrological cycles that industrial agriculture destroyed. Buffalo hooves loosen compacted soil like natural aerators, spread native grass seeds, and help bring back species lost to industrial farming. And in turn, they offer nutritious, dense, lean protein that combats epidemic ailments like diabetes in our community. Bison are keystone species for that reason: they help balance and heal ecosystems. Their sheer existence is healing.
Right now, people are beginning to consider the origins of their food and the people who benefit from their decisions. That is a good instinct, and one you should keep unearthing. This moment matters because food sovereignty has always been a political issue, even if you’ve never realized it before.
Making the shift from industrial beef to bison goes beyond a simple consumer decision. It is fundamental. Bringing Buffalo back to the Southern Plains is not just a slogan. Our work is not centered on a product to sell and market. For us, selling bison meat is simply the easiest mainstream entry point, but the heart of our work is the stewardship of water, soil, and bison. In that order.
We have always operated with minimal funds, and we have experienced the ups and downs caused by governments whose views do not align with ours. Nevertheless, it is you, our expanding community, who have enabled us to keep this work going and grow it. For that, I remain eternally thankful. By supporting TTBP you are supporting our basic ecological and restoration efforts. We are not in business for the purpose of making a profit or for growth's own sake. Your decision to support TTBP is support for an approach which links the health of your community, the healing of the land, and Indigenous sovereignty for both two-legged and four-legged relatives.
So here's what I'm asking: repair your DNA by repairing the Land. Support the work that restores water, soil, and Buffalo to the Southern Plains. Every choice you make to invest in TTBP is a choice to heal yourself and the earth at the same time. It's not separate work; it is one and the same.
In Kinship,
Lucille R. Contreras
Founder & CEO
Texas Tribal Buffalo Project
