In 1997, the IMPACT project joined with the Winnebago Bison Project to help fund work with youth on the Winnebago Indian reservation. Youth from both the summer jobs program and the youth offender program worked on the Winnebago Bison Refuge, tearing down old fences, building new ones, maintaining livestock facilities, and preparing a demonstration garden plot. The project was designed to help the youth see some of their cultural heritage in the buffalo, and to develop responsibility through work with the herd.
Buffalo are being brought back to the Winnebago land to revitalize the spirit, land, and health of the people there. The 200-acre refuge holds the Winnebago bison herd, which was formed in 1994 as part of the Intertribal Bison Cooperative. From an initial herd of 10 animals, the Winnebago herd has grown to over 50.
Another part of the IMPACT project was to start a traditional food garden. During the summer, over an acre of land was fenced and cleared in preparation for raising traditional Winnebago food crops. Few Winnebago families have gardens, and a high-fat "European" diet has led to a high incidence of diabetes among tribal members. Project leaders hope that a restored diet of traditional crops and bison meat will some day help relieve the diabetes problem on the reservation.
Although the Winnebago Bison project was an IMPACT group for only one year, they plan to continue the work they have started. During 1998 they are planning to locate and harvest native plants, videotape the youth activities, and establish native plants and traditional food crops in the refuge.
Contact: Louis LaRose, Winnebago, 402-878-2380