Wind River Bison Skull

This cow bison skull belonged to one of the early embryo recipients of the Laramie Foothills Conservation Herd.  Her calves were some of the first members of this herd.  Several individuals from the herd were gifted to the Wind River Reservation in Laramie, WY, a designation determined by the Intertribal Buffalo Council.  I was honored to be invited to the ceremony to welcome the bison to the herd.  It was one of the most remarkable experiences of my life. 

During the drum circle and the blessing from the Shaman, several bison came close and stood at attention as if to receive the blessing.  Upon the end of the blessing, they dropped their heads and walked off.  It was a spiritual experience.  There was an associated Pow Wow attended by members of many different tribes from across the US and Canada.  The decorated hide outfits of two women in particular caught my attention and the design on this skull is a reproduction of the bead patterns on their beautiful clothing. 

Like the Phoenix Bison, the Wind River Bison was a member of the Laramie Foothills Bison Conservation Herd. Please visit this link to learn more.

The Impact: A portion of the sale of this piece of art will go directly to support the Laramie Foothills Bison Conservation Herd.  Other skulls in this collection are the Phoenix Bison and the Turquoise River Bison.

The Inspiration: Did you know there is a very special bison herd on the Soapstone Prairie north of Fort Collins?  This particular bison was a member Laramie Foothills Bison Conservation Herd created by the Colorado State University faculty member Dr. Jennifer Barfield and her team. Jennifer is a reproductive physiologist and has pioneered a method to create bison embryos from pure Yellowstone genetics, the closest genetic relations to the original herd of millions that once roamed the United States.  Additionally, she has developed a process to “wash” the embryos rendering them free of brucellosis, an infectious agent that can be passed from bison to cattle causing them to spontaneously abort their calves. Brucellosis is this reason that bison who leave the protection of Yellowstone National Park are slaughtered in an effort to reduce the spread of this disease to cattle. This particular bison was one of the early bulls created through her work and was able to pass his genetics onto his offspring.