The Circle of Understanding

Circle thinking means that human beings are not above anything but a part of it. This type of thinking will heal the land and our communities. Eastern Shoshone Buffalo Restoration Manager Jason Baldes believes that through buffalo restoration tribes can heal the land and in return heal themselves. Colonization was the goal of the United States government. Negotiations and agreements were made that did not benefit tribes and future generations. Land was confiscated from Native landowners when it was not used or farmed in a manner deemed appropriate by the colonizers. This land was then sold to settlers for almost nothing. Through buffalo restoration, Jason Baldes envisions the circle healing the land and in return healing the people who have been affected the most by colonization.