A member of the bison herd on the Fort Belknap Indian Community in Montana. Photo by Bronc Speak Thunder / Facebook

A bill that designates the bison as the official mammal of the United States is set to clear Congress this week, The Washington Post reports.

The House passed H.R.2908, the National Bison Legacy Act, by a voice vote on Tuesday. It's due to pass the Senate later this week, the Post said.

The bill recognizes the efforts of the Intertribal Buffalo Council in restoring bison to tribal homelands. The animal was driven to near extinction by non-Indians and the federal government, partly in an attempt to weaken tribes and force them off their territories.

"Bison roamed across most of North America before nearly being wiped from existence," Rep. Kristi Noem (R-South Dakota), one of the original co-sponsors of the bill, said on the floor yesterday. "Through the efforts of tribes, ranchers, conservationists, and others, the species has survived and can once again be lifted as a literal and cultural example of productivity from which each of us can learn."

YouTube: Rep. Kristi Noem (R-South Dakota) Leads House in Recognizing Bison as National Symbol of Resilience and Native American Heritage

Tribal leaders from South Dakota welcomed passage of the measure. The Lakota word for bison is Tatanka.

“The Ihanktonwan people and the Tatanka Oyate were placed on this earth together and have survived as one, beating tremendous hardships through our resiliency,” Robert Flying Hawk, the chairman of the Yankton Sioux Tribe, said in a press release from Noem's office.

Despite widespread support for the measure, it does not affect federal or state policies that make it difficult for tribes to restore bison on their own lands. Tribes in Montana have faced opposition for relocating bison from the Yellowstone National Park.

Get the Story:
How the bison, once nearing extinction, lived to become America’s national mammal (The Washington Post 4/27)

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