New equipment services program to help ranchers
Tanka Fund announces Equipment Services Program
Tanka Fund is excited to announce that we will be launching an Equipment Services Program for our Buffalo rancher partners later this year. The program is designed to provide essential equipment and services to our ranchers to aid in the management and care of Buffalo during harvesting, roundups, and with other needs as they arise. Thanks to a generous grant from the Native American Agriculture Fund, we are acquiring several pieces of equipment, including a portable corral, four-wheelers, a Bobcat loader (as seen in the images above and below), and a portable chute.
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND TRAINING
Youth drum group Stampede Jrs. records songs in honor of Tanka Fund’s 10th year
Delaney Apple leads a drum group of students for a recording of Lakota songs. As part of our celebration of our 10th anniversary at Tanka Fund, we have been working with a film crew over the past few months to document several of our rancher partners. To provide music for the upcoming video, we enlisted the help of Delaney Apple, an Oglala Lakota in Rapid City, SD, who formed a youth drum group after his 11-year-old son Wasumaza expressed an interest in having a group of his own. Read more about Delaney and the Stampede Jrs. drum group at the link below.
“Tatanka” film brings awareness to Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls
In "Tatanka," director Eric Nazarian transports audiences into the heart of the Native landscape, where the landscapes are as vast as the challenges faced by Indigenous communities. Through the lens of Arnell, a devoted member of the Tanka Fund team, the film explores the harrowing realities of the Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) movement. Arnell, portrayed with unwavering commitment, embodies the resilience and solidarity of those fighting against the tide of injustice. Against a backdrop of sweeping plains and rugged terrain, "Tatanka" unearths the hidden truths and silenced voices of Indigenous women and girls who have been victims of violence.
Learn more and watch the short film at the link below.
Rancher Focus: Chuck Jacobs
Tanka Fund rancher partner Chuck Jacobs, of Tatanka Badlands Enterprise, is based on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. He is working to convert his ranch from cattle to Buffalo. Tanka Fund team members visited with Chuck recently and brought along videographers Kevin Campbell and Amber Wyatt to film some footage for an upcoming video about Tanka Fund’s 10 years of work in Buffalo restoration. Funded by ButcherBox, the video will be released in June.
Davina Jim wins 2nd Tanka Fund Limited Edition Blanket
Davina Jim of Washington state recently won our 2nd Tanka Fund Limited Edition Blanket at the 13th Annual National Tribal Land Association Conference (NTLA) last month. During the conference, which is co-hosted by the Indian Land Tenure Foundation, Tanka Fund team members Arnell D. Abold, Zintkala Eiring and Janét Moore gathered names for a drawing for the blanket.
12th World Wilderness Symposium
Tanka Fund has been invited to present at the 12th World Wilderness Symposium, Aug. 29-31, in Rapid City, SD. Our team will be presenting “Restoring Buffalo to Native Land” as part of the symposium’s program called Global Gathering on Knowledge, Wisdom, and Ways of Knowing.
FUNDER SPOTLIGHT: First Nations Development Institute
Tanka Fund funding partner First Nations Development Institute works to uplift and sustain the life, ways, and economies of Native communities through advocacy, financial support, and knowledge sharing. Founded in 1980, First Nations began its national grantmaking program in 1993. The institute has supported Tanka Fund programs focused on Native Agriculture and Food Systems Initiative and on Ecological Stewardship.
DID YOU KNOW?
The hump of a buffalo is composed of strong muscles that assist this larger-than-life mammal in running — helping their front legs reach out farther for a longer and more efficient running stride. This hump also holds up the buffalo’s very large head. The hair or fur on the buffalo’s head, shoulders, and front legs is also key to their survival. “The thick fur on the front end keeps flies and other biting insects away because the fur and skin is too thick. The tail and back legs accomplish the same thing at the back end. The short, thinner hair at the hind end helps keep the bison cool during hot, shadeless prairie days.”
Information for this quick fact is from the South Dakota Game, Fish And Parks website.
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