The Bison play a huge in role our culture as they are often referred to as the Walmart of the Great Plains. They provided us everything from housing to a warm meal. Bison are seen as spiritually powerful in many tribes, especially in the Great Plains region; their horns and hides were often used for regalia and ceremonial purposes, and they are viewed as symbols of honor and generosity. In other regions, bison are not considered as sacred as they are to the Plains and Plateau people, but they still play positive roles in most of our teachings, associated with strength, endurance, and protection. They even became apart of our historical economy that the history books don’t teach you about when agreements would allow tribes from other regions to come hunt this great creature. The Columbia plateau tribes would often find themselves in central Montana for this reason. To the Little Shell the Bison means much more. Only this creature would walk directly into a blizzard. Just like so the Little Shell people fought vigorously through legal battles spanning over 100 years. The Bison symbolizes hope for our people as we have had struggles similar to this creature. We too have fought extinction and now we a thriving proud culture. The people of turtle island have risen up just like the Bison.

Display proudly the 4 Directions Bison as we honor our subsistence way of living with this style by Little Shell artist Joshua