Bison to roam tribal land near Shakopee this fall
SHAKOPEE, Minn. -- More bison will soon make Scott County home as the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community announced Thursday plans to reintroduce the animal on its tribal lands.
This fall, the community will welcome a herd of up to 15 bison from the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate in South Dakota.
The bison will live on a 165-acre plot located southeast of the junction of County Road 83 and Eagle Creek Boulevard in Shakopee.
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The SMSC says fencing is being installed at the site, where bison will roam freely within the enclosure and graze native prairie plants.
The Dakota people say they consider pte -- bison -- a relative and want to bring it back to its lands in a "sustainable, safe and ecologically beneficial way."
Bison were violently removed from the area during colonization, the SMSC says.
"Reintroducing bison to our homelands will allow us to bring back traditional ceremonies and food and medicine important to our people," said SMSC Chairman Keith Anderson.
Over the past 20 years, the SMSC has restored over 1,000 acres of prairie, which the bison will help to maintain.