‘Show up with a good heart’ | Behind the preparations for Seattle’s Indigenous People’s Day celebration [Video]

USK, Wash. — As the sun rises over Pend Orielle County, near the Idaho border, the Kalispel tribal lands hides in the fog something precious.

A herd of buffalo eye Mark Colson cautiously as he approaches them. The buffalo are majestic, especially in the mist.

“It’s just the spiritual part of it…” Colson trails off, admiring the buffalo. Something triggers the herd and they stampede away from Colson. He watches them pass. 

“That’s so cool,” he whispered. 

The buffalo are actually a rare sight in Washington. They aren’t native to our state at all, but this herd has roamed Kalispel lands since 1973. The buffalo were transferred over from the Niobrara Preserve in Nebraska to the Kalispel tribe in partnership with the InterTribal Buffalo Council and the Nature Conservancy. The transfer of the herd signified a recognition of …