Heath White is a tribal member, originally from Miami, Ok. Heath has worked for the tribe for the last 8 years working in Public Works and maintenance for the tribe.

His responsibilities include mowing, installation of water lines, and tribal office maintenance. One of the most unique aspects of his role is his attendance to the needs of our tribal buffalo. At the time of this writing, the Seneca-Cayuga Nation has 28 buffalo that roam the tribal property between two pastures covering over 160 acres of our tribal land. 

They are known as Plains Bison, or bison which prosper in the climate and plains of the Oklahoma terrain. On a daily basis, White and his team check in on the buffalo, visit the pastures, and  attend  to their daily needs.

White explained the rigorous protocol which takes place on behalf of the nations’ buffalo: “We distribute the hay across the fields, feed them range protein cubes as well as molasses which includes copper and zinc within a lick tub. A lick tub is a plastic barrel that weighs approximately 250 pounds and is chocked full of vitamins for the animals. We also have salt, mineral and sulfur blocks, which go into the feed troughs as well. This covers all of their basic nutritional needs. In addition, the buffalo must be wormed once every ninety days. Currently, the buffalo are watered from the ponds in the center of the pasture. However, our next project is the development of 3-4 fresh water tanks which will tap into the main water line, leading out to all the pastures.”

The buffalo originally came to Seneca-Cayuga 12 years ago through an inter-tribal committee grant award to supplement the AOA and members of the Seneca-Cayuga Nation. This program provided our nation access to the Plains Buffalo common to other Oklahoma-based Indian Nations.

When asked what the buffalo are used for White explained: “Some of the buffalo are used for breeding new stock every single year. Others are used for buffalo meat, and distributed to tribal member families around ceremonies each year. The buffalo meat is also used throughout the year, to feed the elders at the AOA which is distributed at our tribal complex.”

William Tarrant, Cultural and Preservation Director for the tribe, recounted the history of buffalo: “The original plains tribes used to follow the herds of buffalo, as they were dependent on them for their food, weapons, housing and clothing needs. Our tribe was originally rooted  in upstate New York. As a result, we were not dependent on buffalo. However, we are at our roots, agricultural farmers and animal caretakers. The history and tradition of buffalo is more accurately correlated to the tribes native to the Oklahoma plains. As Seneca-Cayuga, we appreciate the buffalo as a resource and use them to carry on the tradition of feeding and caring for our members.”