Native Tribes Reclaim 18,000 Acres of Land in Montana
In Northwest Montana, a bison range sits on 18,000 acres of undeveloped land that the US Government stole from the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes in the early 1900s. In 2020, Congress passed a law that transitioned management of the land back to the Native tribes, who today celebrate the restoration of the region and its bison herds. “When our Indigenous ancestors lived on this land alongside the plethora of animals,” says US Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, “they each respected their place and the balance of nature.” The rematriation of the land also comes with a corrected representation of the Native history at the bison range’s visitor center, which features new exhibitions that honor how the Confederated Salish and Kootenai peoples conserved the bisons and were later discriminated against. Learn more about this historic improvement at NPR.
Image courtesy of Freddy Monares/Montana Public Radio
Via npr.org link opens in a new window
