Bison, salmon begin their journey

The long-planned food trade between the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe and the Tulalip Nation is finally moving with trucks carrying bison west to Washington and the first shipment of salmon soon on its way back to South Dakota.
In a previous story in the Moody County Enterprise it was reported about an Intertribal Trade Agreement, signed by FSST President Tony Reider and leaders of the Tulalip Nation.
Flandreau leaders this spring toured the Bernie Kai-Kai Gobin Salmon Hatchery, where Tulalip members raise and release more than 11 million juvenile salmon each year. The hatchery, along with local crab fisheries, provides food and livelihood for Tulalip families just as the bison herds do for Flandreau.
The agreement establishes a historic exchange of traditional foods buffalo meat from South Dakota for wild and farm-raised salmon from the Pacific Northwest.
Just over a month ago, local tribal leaders returned to Tulalip to observe the annual salmon harvest. Shortly after, buffalo harvested locally was sent west.
This past week, the first shipment of buffalo arrived at the Tulalip Nations Elderly Center for distribution, with the Flandreau community now awaiting the return delivery of fresh salmon, said tribal spokesman Francis Wakeman.
The partnership reflects a growing effort among Indigenous nations to restore access to traditional, naturally produced foods and to strengthen tribal sovereignty through nation-to-nation trade. The agreement, Wakeman said, builds on shared values of sustainability, wellness, and respect for the land and water.
Both tribes see the exchange as the start of a deeper cultural and economic connection, one that honors ancestral practices while ensuring healthier futures for generations to come.