Amethyst First Rider Iitspinnimaki is a member of the Kainai Nation, Blackfoot Confederacy, Alberta, Canada and married to Leroy Little Bear. She is a leader in the performing arts community for more that 20 years, producing and directing plays depicting Aboriginal stories and culture. Her experience in the arts has included dance productions, consulting for the University of California, Berkeley’s planetarium, as well as narration and production in the National Film Board’s documentary: Kainayssini Imanistaiswa, The People Go On.

She co-conceived Iniskim an immersive puppet lantern performance celebrating the reintegration of Bison into the natural ecosystem of Banff National Park. She is central to the development and success of The Buffalo: A Treaty of Cooperation, Renewal and Restoration signed by over 30 First Nations and Tribes in Canada and the USA. It is the biggest modern Treaty amongst First Nations. Its purpose is to “one again welcome the Buffalo to live among us” and it recognizes “Buffalo as a wild free-ranging animal and as an important part of the ecological ecosystem.”

She is also a co-founding member and advisor to the Kainai Ecosystem Protection Association. Amethyst is also Co-Chair of Niitsitapi Pod, Abundant Intelligence Program, a global Indigenous AI Research Program at the University of Lethbridge. Amethyst also serves Elder/Advisor for Blackfoot Language: Rematriation of Culture and Identity, an Indigenous-led Blackfoot language program at the University of Lethbridge.

Katira Crow Shoe is a member of the Kainai Nation of the Blackfoot Confederacy and grew up on the Blood Reserve with her siblings and parents. Many of Katira’s childhood memories were on the land with her family, which established the deep connection and responsibility she feels to nature.

Katira joined the International Buffalo Relations Institute in 2023 and has been Buffalo’ing since. Katira enjoys being part of the Buffalo world and implementing the Buffalo Treaty.

In her free time, Katira loves watching Buffalo move on the land with her husband, David. She appreciates witnessing her children, nephews and nieces build relationships and connection with the earth, and she knows she is helping raise the next generation of advocates and supporters for Nature and Buffalo Consciousness.

Marie-Eve Marchand moved west in 2009 with a shared dream with the Eleanor Luxton Historical Foundation of returning Bison in Banff National Park by coordinating the Bison Belong initiative before their re-introduction by Parks Canada in 2017 and led week-long Indigenous women backcountry hikes to renew relationships. The Bison Belong joined energies with the Buffalo Treaty, where she attended the first signing in 2014 and supported successive meetings coordination. She was also the Associate Producer on Singing Back the Buffalo film and is a founding member of the International Buffalo Relations Institute and has helped the development of performance and exhibits. 

She has received the King Charles III medals for her contributions to reintroduce a keystone species in Banff National Park. Before leaving Quebec for the West, she received the National Golden Leaf Award for her work with CPAWS Quebec and Ottawa Valley to protect the last undammed river in Southern Quebec, the Dumoine River and actively participated in including the protection and conservation of at least 50% of Northern Quebec (north of the 49th).

Marie-Eve’s roots are in the blueberry region of Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean, Quebec and she feels privileged to call the mountains of Banff National Park home with her husband Harvey Locke.

Cody Spencer is a buffalo caretaker born and raised on Blackfoot Territory in Southern Alberta. He grew up on a farm near Áísínai'pi (Writing-On-Stone), where the prairie landscape and the Indigenous cultures rooted in it shaped who he became. He is of Northern Métis descent.

His path toward buffalo began with a book, Wes Olson's “Portraits of the Bison” which sparked a commitment he has honored ever since. In 2014, Cody founded Sweetgrass Bison, supplying grass-fed bison to his local community and building the hands-on knowledge that would carry him further. Today, he manages six distinct buffalo herds across 15,000 acres spanning Southern Alberta and Central Texas, and extends that expertise continent-wide through consulting work that supports herd managers and landowners across North America.

Cody brings that same depth of experience to the work of rematriation — walking alongside nations as they bring buffalo home to restore not just landscapes, both culture and the human spirit.

He lives with his wife and two sons in the Foothills of the Rockies near Pincher Creek, Alberta.

Kristian Obey-Derocher is Plains Cree from Flying Dust First Nation in Treaty 6 territory, in what is now known as Saskatchewan. He is currently based in Southern Alberta.

Joining IBRI opened a new world for Kristian. Working alongside communities and grassroots members, learning about their efforts to return bison to their homelands, sparked a deep appreciation for the remarkable work happening across Canada and the United States. He hopes his work in design and marketing helps those efforts reach the audiences they deserve.

Ninaakii (Head Chief Woman) Low Horn is a member of Siksika Nation of the Blackfoot Confederacy. Descendant of Eagle Rib, Low Horn and Duck Chief they were raised on Nation and proud to be a Kipitaipooka to their grandparents; Frank and Therese Stevens.

Ninaakii's background and education are in communications, public relations, marketing, and butchery. They also hold knowledge and great interest in Indigenous food sovereignty, native plants/water systems, ecology/environmentalism, etc.

They describe themselves as a creative, hands-on, a storyteller and adept communicator with analytic skills. In their free time, Ninaakii supports the arts, the Indigenous community, connection with their culture, among many other interests.

Stasi Many Bears is a member of the Blackfoot Confederacy from the Kainai Nation in southern Alberta. Belonging to the Tall Peoples clan, she maintains a strong connection to her community.

Stasi is deeply passionate about working with and advocating for the buffalo and Buffalo education. The buffalo is a keystone species central to her community's cultural well-being and vital to the ecology of the surrounding land. She actively contributes to the implementation of the Buffalo Treaty Curriculum and believes that meaningful learning about the Buffalo fosters greater respect, responsibility, and understanding among all people.

Stasi earned her Bachelor of Education from the University of Alberta, where she developed the knowledge and skills to support culturally grounded and land-based education. Through her work, she continues to connect with the land, honor Indigenous knowledge systems, and recognize the vital relationships that sustain life.

Juli Ohsada is a second-generation Japanese immigrant, born and raised on Treaty 7 territory in Châ Ûpchîchîyen Kudebi ("shooting little spruce tree" in Îyârhe Nakoda), in Canmore, Alberta. She is an educator and collaborator with experience supporting community-based initiatives through curriculum design, facilitation, and project coordination.

Juli’s approach to learning design is grounded in the understanding that education is relational, between people, land, and future generations. She holds a Bachelor of Education and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, with a minor in Environmental Studies, from the University of Victoria. This interdisciplinary background informs her work with IBRI’s curricula, supporting efforts to restore Buffalo Consciousness in meaningful and sustainable ways. 

Outside of her professional work, Juli enjoys outdoor adventures and is an avid Ultimate Frisbee athlete.