“I thought you were all dead”
Words spoken from a blank canvas
Tainted by their cunning ways
Deception, Death, Despair, Dehumanized
Unrealized; Innocent Ignorance, or is it?
Relatives decimated, to near extinction
What For?
Another’s prosperity
Another’s vanity
eliminate the problem, that’s it!
We are not the problem.
Destruction
Driven by dominance
Real eyes, realize, real lies
What this country is built upon
Chasing paper truths
All for control
Free spirits, humans being
We continue
Reflection unlocks understanding
To heal
One prayer at a time
We rise
We are the Buffalo Nation
We are still here
© Ta Day Dopa Nagi
Regina, Saskatchewan
Photo Credit:
Once at home on the prairies in their millions, buffalo were slaughtered to the point of near extinction to make way for colonization. But buffalo are survivors.
Did you know ..
the Buffalo Treaty is an agreement among First Nations and others to return buffalo to their ancestral lands. “BUFFALO is part of us,” the Treaty says, “and WE are part of BUFFALO culturally, materially, and spiritually.” The restoration of buffalo to Wanuskewin and other lands in Saskatchewan offers healing on many levels.
Author: Ta Day Dopa Nagi
Originally from Zagime Anishinabek First Nation in Treaty Four Territory, Ta Day Dopa Nagi (Lorne Kequahtooway) is dedicated to sharing and preserving his culture with others in Saskatchewan. Ta Day Dopa Nagi is co-founder of Buffalo People Arts Institute where he currently teaches cultural awareness through storytelling and community engagement around an interactive buffalo hide-tanning experience. Read more here.