Menominee Buffalo Initiative
A Dream to Reality
Motivated by our mission to empower the youth, the Menominee Buffalo Initiative was created to restore our relationship with our relatives pesāēhkiw (buffalo).
On Saturday, November 12, 2022, the Menominee Buffalo Initiative (MBI) in partnership with The Nature Conservancy and Inter-Tribal Buffalo Council achieved a huge milestone by receiving our first herd to begin the process of reconnection with our relatives.
Our Connection
Historically the buffalo roamed the central to western edge of Wisconsin through our Menominee ancestral land. New territory maps designed by archeological information indicated that Menominee occupied over 10 million acres around the Great Lakes region.
Chief Oshkosh was our last known Menominee chief who conducted buffalo ceremonies with songs and dances on our reservation in the mid 1800s.
Our Vision
Continuing to build on our mission for cultural restoration and youth empowerment the Menominee Buffalo Initiative is striving to shift tribal buffalo restoration from the ranch, livestock, and farming practices and demonstrate community impact through intergenerational reconnection.
