#TradishTuesday: Buffalo's low grazing style fits perfectly with short grasses. They take only what’s needed & move on, letting the land renew itself. A reminder of how balance & respect keep everything thriving. tankafund.org/donate #TankaFund #Buffalo #Bison #NativeAmerican #Biodiversity

Tanka Fund launched at the Black Hills Powwow 11 years ago — and we were proud to return this year. “Powwow” comes from pau wau, meaning a sacred gathering. Once misused, now reclaimed — a celebration of resilience, song, and community. 🪶💃🏽 #TradishTuesday #TankaFund

Our range ecologist intern, Nicole Cournoyer, shares insights with a student. Tanka Fund’s mission has always been about creating opportunities for the next generation to reconnect w/traditional food systems & continue the work of restoration. For the land, people, & the Buffalo. #TankaFund #Native

If you’re in Rapid City this week, come see us at the Black Hills Powwow! 📍 Stop by our booth, grab our brand new calendar, and don’t forget to snap a photo with our giant Buffalo! Can't wait to see you tomorrow! #TankaFund #CulturalRevitalization #Native #Powwow

We recently had the opportunity to visit Tanka Fund rancher partners David Wise (Ojibwe) and his wife, Patra, of Native Wise LLC and Dancing Crane Ranch on the Fond du Lac Reservation in Sawyer, MN. You can support our ranchers at tankafund.org/donate. #TankaFund #Biodiversity #Bison #Buffalo

It’s Monday and a full moon… but at least we’re here for your afternoon funny. This Buffalo’s just out here chewing through it all — grounded, calm, and unbothered. What’s on your lunch plate today? 👀 #TankaFund #BuffaloConservation #Bison #BuffaloRanching#Biodiversity #FoodSovereignty #Buffalo

For Native producers & Buffalo ranchers, the #GovernmentShutdown comes at a moment when consistency & reliability are most needed to sustain herds & livelihoods. Read: www.tankafund.org/read-our-new... #TankaFund #NativeRanchers

#TankaFund is a Native–led nonprofit supporting #Buffalo ranchers. Since 2014, we’ve provided animals, grants & guidance to Native-run herds across the U.S. Our partners — often veterans & tribal members — care for Buffalo, feed their communities & keep traditions alive. tankafund.org/donate

Most recently, our range ecologist team visited Chuck Jacobs of Tatanka Badlands Enterprise, based on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. tankafund.org/technical-assistance-and-training #TankaFund #SupportNativeRanchers #SustainableRanching #Biodiversity

#TradishTuesday: Prairie dogs aren’t pests — they’ve always lived alongside the Buffalo. From keeping grass fresh to creating homes for burrowing owls, they’re still vital partners on the prairie today. #Buffalo #Bison #TankaFund #Biodiversity

We send a newsletter on the last Wednesday of every month. We highlighted our visit to the Fort Belknap Indian Community. Read: tankafund.org/read-our-newsletters/our-first-tribal-buffalo-partnership Sign up for our newsletter: tankafund.org/subscribenewsletter2024 #TankaFund #SupportNativeRanchers

It's the last Friday of the month! Are you more 4:59 or 5:00? Either way, your continued support helps Buffalo rise up where they belong... And keeps them snarky. 😉 Visit: tankafund.org/donate 🦬 #TankaFund #BuffaloConservation #SupportNativeRanchers #Donate #Buffalo #Bison

This little fox tends to hang out with the Bison herd. He lets them stir up the mice for him, easier hunting.

Jayme Murray, Buffalo herd manager for Cheyenne River Buffalo Company, shared the reality of managing a conservation herd as a private rancher. Every challenge falls on them. Partnerships like Tanka Fund become essential. tankafund.org/donate #TankaFund #BuffaloConservation #SupportNativeRanchers

Video: David & Patra Wise’s Dancing Crane Ranch on the Fond du Lac Reservation. With new fencing complete, their Buffalo now roam the full land made possible through collective effort with NRCS, Duluth Whole Foods Co-op, & community support. #TankaFund #BuffaloConservation #SupportNativeRanchers

David Wise (Ojibwe) with Dancing Crane Ranch, one of our rancher partners, talks about how his land on the Fond du Lac Reservation in Sawyer, MN, has changed since receiving Buffalo. www.tankafund.org/donate. #TankaFund #BuffaloConservation #SupportNativeRanchers #Buffalo #Bison

Since 2014, Tanka Fund has been returning Buffalo to Native lands, lives, and economies. Fencing alone has an estimated cost of $39 a foot. Every donation matters, and recurring gifts go even further. Support at tankafund.org/donate Oh, and in case you didn’t know — it’s #NationalNonprofitDay.

Maybe taking in every bit of the day is better than rushing through it. And as always, you can support returning Buffalo to Native lands, lives, & economies by visiting tankafund.org/donate. #TankaFund #SupportNativeRanchers #BuffaloRanching #Biodiversity #Bison #Buffalo

Indigenous communities have long used fire to shape healthy grasslands. At Tanka Fund, we work w/Buffalo ranchers through prescribed fire education & land health assessments to restore balance & resilience to the prairie. Read more: www.tankafund.org/our-stories/... #BuffaloRestoration #TankaFund

It's #TradishTuesday! The #Lakota word wówačhaŋtognake. Generosity w/o expectation. Buffalo gave everything so the people could live. We honor that teaching by restoring Buffalo to Native lands, lives, & economies. tankafund.org/donate #TankaFund #Tatanka #SupportNativeRanchers #LandsLivesEconomies

#TradishTuesday: Sweetgrass Sweetgrass — peji wacanga in Lakota — is used in ceremony, prayer, & smudging to invite blessings & good energy. At the Buffalo to School Conference recently, a sweetgrass braid was passed like a talking stick. #TankaFund #CommunityEmpowerment #CulturalRevitalization

What started as a work assignment turned into something much deeper for David Wise (Ojibwe). He discovered a powerful connection to Chief Buffalo — an iconic 19th-century Ojibwe leader. Read more: www.tankafund.org/our-stories/... #TankaFund #SupportNativeRanchers #WildlifePreservation

On Juneteenth, we remember: freedom came late and not for all. Black Freedmen in Indian Territory waited even longer. This Buffalo, standing strong in TX heat, reminds us: Survival is strength. 📸 GP Ranch in Sulphur Springs, TX. #Juneteenth #TankaFund #Buffalo #Bison

We’re honored to be named a 2025 Wildseeds Fund grantee. Wildseeds uplifts frontline stories and backs those reclaiming food, land, and culture through justice-centered organizing. #TankaFund #BuffaloConservation #SupportNativeRanchers #WildlifePreservation #Biodiversity #FoodSovereignty

The movement of Buffalo gives Native grasses time to regrow. Their hooves press seeds into the soil. Their dung feeds it. Grasses like big bluestem, switchgrass, and Indian grass evolved with them. This is land with memory — and Buffalo are the ones who remember. #BuffaloRestoration #TankaFund

Ohhhh those "red dogs" sure are beautiful! It's the best when they get the zoomies. Won't be long now! 🤭

The eye of the Buffalo carries memory. Of warriors. Of ancestors. Of protectors. On #MemorialDay we honor those who gave it all in service — not just in uniform, but in defense of land, kin, & future generations. We remember. We keep going. 📸 at @TexasTribalBuffaloProject #TankaFund #NativeAmerican

🦬 Still Hump Day? Buffalo don’t stop. That hump? It’s all muscle — lets them plow through snow to find food. You’re almost through too. #TankaFund #BuffaloConservation #SupportNativeRanchers #SustainableRanching #BuffaloRanching #CulturalRevitalization #Biodiversity #FoodSovereignty

Even as the sun sets on #NativeNonprofitDay, the mission continues. At Tanka Fund, we are restoring Buffalo to Native lands & reconnecting Native communities with this powerful relative. tankafund.org/donate #TankaFund #BuffaloRestoration #SupportNativeLedWork #IndigenousLeadership

Tanka Fund will host a booth at the Regional Buffalo to School Conference in Rapid City, SD, happening June 22–24. Stop by to learn more about our work, explore resources, and see how we’re supporting Tribal #foodsovereignty. #TankaFund #Buffalo #Bison regionalbuffalotoschoolsconference.com

Buffalo aren’t livestock. They were central to Plains tribes’ spiritual practices and economies. We have been working to provide animals, grants & technical assistance to Native American Buffalo caretakers: tankafund.org/donate. #TankaFund #SupportNativeRanchers #NativeAmericanHeritage

Calving season is one of the most important and symbolic times of year for Buffalo herds and for the communities working to restore them. Read more at www.tankafund.org/our-stories/... #TankaFund #BuffaloConservation #SupportNativeRanchers #WildlifePreservation #NativeAmericanHeritage

May is Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) Awareness Month. We honor this month by amplifying “Tatanka,” a short film directed by Eric Nazarian, which brings us deep into the heart of Indian Country. www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgBw... #Tatanka #MMIWG2SR #MMIWG #MMIWG2

Late #EarthDay share but these are such lovely photos.

Good morning from @altyellonatpark.org

Bison at Dusk, Yellowstone 2024 #photography #naturephotography #wildlifephotography #bison #yellowstone #wyoming #nationalparks

Good morning from @altyellonatpark.org

‼️ LAKOTA SACRED SITE IN DANGER ‼️ Pete Lien & Sons recently proposed a project that would involve exploratory drilling for graphite within the protected boundaries of Pe’sla, a sacred site which has been used for ceremonial gatherings of Lakota, Dakota, and other nations for thousands of years.

For Gail Uses The Knife is a Lakota woman from the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, Gail is one of Tanka Fund’s newest rancher partners.This is the first time in 200 years Buffalo have lived on her land. Read: tankafund.org/ranchers #TankaFund #SupportNativeRanchers #FoodSovereignty

We work to return Buffalo to their homelands, honoring the cultural and spiritual significance of the Buffalo Nation to Indigenous communities. Buffalo were never meant to be a memory. You can donate at tankafund.org/donate. #TankaFund #Biodiversity #FoodSovereignty youtu.be/zw7TQ1rF3Pw

Theda Pogue (Muscogee Creek Nation) & her husband, Chris, joined Tanka Fund as rancher partners in 2023, receiving Buffalo through our partnership with The Nature Conservancy. In this clip, Chris shares the emotional & logistical challenges of bringing home their first Buffalo. youtu.be/DwvixLVeWxQ

It's calving season! Usually between mid-April thru July. Some of our rancher partners are getting calves already! This pic comes from Brendan Siers of Double S Ranch on the #RosebudRez in SD. #TankaFund #BuffaloConservation #SupportNativeRanchers #WildlifePreservation #Sustainability #Biodiversity

Missed #EarthDay here yesterday but it's STILL #EarthMonth! 😏 Buffalo restore land, revive Native grasses & reconnect people to ancestral stewardship. This Earth Month, support their return: tankafund.org/donate 🦬🌱 #TankaFund #TheReturn #NativeAmerican #Indigenous #SustainableRanching #Biodiversity

We'd like to introduce ourselves! We restore Buffalo to Native lands and empower Native caretakers. Since 2014, Tanka Fund has funded and supported family- and community-owned herds, helping ranchers return to traditional caretaking, while restoring land. #BuffaloRestoration Visit: tankafund.org