Youth from the Northern Cheyenne Tribe of Montana participated in the reintroduction of the rare black-footed ferret on the reservation.
The students named the eight ferrets, which were released at a prairie dog colony. Elder Gilbert Whitedirt said a prayer and sang for the animals, which are considered sacred.
"It's pretty important for the tribe," Allen Clubfoot, the director of the tribe's Natural Resources Department, told The Billings Gazette. "The main part is educating the community, especially the younger generation."
Black-footed ferrets were last documented on the reservation in the 1920s.
Scientist thought they were extinct until a colony was found in Wyoming.
The tribe hopes to restore the ferret and increase the size of the prairie dog colonies on the reservation. Prairie dogs are also important in tribal culture.
Get the Story:Rare black-footed variety reintroduced on tribal land (The Billings Gazette 1/25) $rl Northern Cheyenne Nation - http://www.cheyennenation.com
