The human species emerged through countless millennia of evolution within a narrow range of environmental conditions. These conditions are rapidly diminishing due to human activity. We start from acknowledging we need help.

Almost two decades ago, the Buffalo Dialogues created spaces for dialogue amongst humans and the Buffalo. An “empty” chair was always held for the Buffalo to be present. Over multiple years and many communities, those conversations led to the creation of the Buffalo Treaty in 2014. Over and over, the Buffalo asked elders, youth, and community members: what would they do differently if it returned? Would the Bison come back to the same behavior that led to their disappearance? Can the old covenant be restored?

Since our official inception in 2021, we honour, recognize, and revitalize the time-immemorial relationship of Indigenous people and the BUFFALO. Our common goal is to welcome back the BUFFALO to live among us once again in safe spaces across their historical homeland, to continue their essential ecological roles, and to lead us in nurturing our land, plants, water, other animals, and our cultures.

IBRI’s main objective is to promote implementation of the Buffalo Treaty and its values of Cooperation, Restoration and Renewal, and to contribute to transformative change towards Buffalo Consciousness, Buffalo Rematriation and ecological and cultural renewal. We support Signatory Nations/Tribes and partners in transferring intergenerational knowledge and sharing amongst Nations.

In the Fall of 2025, IBRI officially recognized Buffalo as our CEO — the first organization to do so. We humbly accept help from more-than-human beings.

Our very being as homo sapiens is deeply intertwined with the totality of the environment — included but not limited to the land, animals, plant life, the observable cosmos, and the spiritual and ecological aspects of the world around us. Through our mutual relationship with this environmental totality, our lifeways — including our metaphysics and paradigms, social and normative values, customs, language and holistic health — have developed in concert with other beings and spirits in that totality in such a way that it shapes and manifests our understanding of what being human is all about.

A new article, co-authored by IBRI's own Dr. Leroy Little Bear, has just been published in Frontiers in Science. The piece is titled 'Native Positive: halting and reversing biodiversity loss toward restoring Earth system stability.'

In the last few years, a new wave of creative Buffalo Storytelling came about. The five films below are either fully Indigenous-led, Singing Back the Buffalo or made through intentional collaborations with IBRI or Signatory Nations/Tribes. The links will bring you to their trailers. They are available for streaming online on CBC GEM, PBS, APTN+, Youtube, etc. Some may need a subscription or ask for a fee.