Wild bison could be classified as big game wildlife in Colorado at the request of some Native communities. Legislation currently before state lawmakers would give the animal more protection, making it largely illegal to hunt or poach them.
鈥淭hese are more than just animals. They鈥檙e kin, providers, a cornerstone of our very existence,鈥� Andrew Gallegos, a member of the Southern Ute Indian Tribal Council, said in his testimony at the Colorado State Capitol late last week.
Under , Colorado would put wild bison into the same category as other large wild mammals like bighorn sheep, mule deer and elk. State lawmakers voted on party lines to advance the Democratic bill at its first committee hearing. Bison are sacred to some tribes, including the Cheyenne. Lewis TallBull, who was representing , testified about their importance historically, before white settlers nearly eradicated them and destroyed their habitat.
鈥淓verything we needed for life came from the buffalo鈥檚 body,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t was hard to say where the animals ended and where the human began and with every dead buffalo was a dead Indian.鈥�
Democratic Senator Jessie Danielson, one of the bill鈥檚 main sponsors, said the killing of wild bison is not 鈥渁 very prevalent problem鈥� currently, as wild bison or buffalo have a small footprint in Colorado. But the animals sometimes enter from neighboring states, where they are protected, crossing 鈥渁n imaginary line that puts them in Colorado, and they鈥檙e being poached.鈥�
鈥淭his is something that we should just do what we can to stop鈥� I don鈥檛 want to mislead anybody. It鈥檚 a few head a year, if that, I understand. But this is a really important animal to the state of Colorado, our history, our cultural background,鈥� Danielson said.
There have been efforts across the U.S. in recent years to repopulate bison herds, recognizing the legacy of the federally as a way to drive Indigenous people onto reservations and gut their cultures. Several of those who testified, including TallBull, reminded lawmakers of that history.
鈥淭o me, the bison is a victim, a survivor of genocide,鈥� he said.
An to the bill added language to acknowledge the U.S. government鈥檚 role in the 鈥渨asteful and inhumane鈥� operation to mass exterminate the bison, declaring it 鈥渁 calculated effort to undermine the cultural and physical survival of indigenous peoples.鈥�
This legislation to protect the animals from poaching came from the work of a committee designed to pair Indigenous advocates with state lawmakers. The was formed last April with the goal of raising the needs and concerns of Native communities more directly with the legislature.
The bill wouldn鈥檛 apply to bison that are already considered to be livestock by the state, including herds owned by tribes, or those authorized by the rule of the Colorado Parks and Wildlife. However, as testimony tipped toward CPW鈥檚 management of the animal and speculation on what that might look like if a wild bison population is re-established in the state, some asked for lawmakers to not overcomplicate this issue.
Monycka Snowbird, who was involved in the formation of the study committee, said she wants the focus to stay on unregulated poaching of the bison that cross into Colorado and not to try to cover possible future scenarios.
鈥淢any in the Native community are not in favor of this being a way that a hunting license can be sold for a bison,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know how we鈥檝e gotten so far over here on something that should just be 鈥榥o unregulated poaching.鈥� They鈥檙e here. They go home. We don鈥檛 kill them in that process.鈥�
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