Lucille Contreras discovered her Lipan Apache roots as a young adult. After working in IT for many years, she founded the Texas Tribal Buffalo Project as a way of bringing together the Lipan diaspora, cultivating healthy land and food, rescuing the language, and honoring the co-existence of people and buffalo on their native lands.
1’21 who are the Lipan Apache
2’46 state but not federal recognition of Lipan tribe
4’15 thinking about the buffalo as “relatives”
6’01 the work and vision of the Texas Tribal Buffalo Project
7’48 discovering and reclaiming the Lipan Apache language and culture
9’46 the process of reconnecting with other tribal members
11’54 what it was like to reconnect with the buffalo
15’33 the buffalo in the clouds photo
17’58 how she founded the Texas Tribal Buffalo project http://texastribalbuffaloproject.org
19’15 working for Winona LaDuke
20’46 short and longer term plans for buffalo meat, environment, and culture
22’30 changing her own eating habits as a result of this work
24’02 coming together with other Lipan Apaches
26’10 moving toward sovereignty
26’54 moving toward having a buffalo reservation
28’55 reclaiming language–how it can be done when it’s not your native language
30’53 saying YES and receiving vision and guidance
32’19 happy to help others going through the USDA process
33’13 working with other native tribes
34’19 Mexican Lipan Apaches
35’07 buffalo as wildlife
38’45 using high-tech tools to return to indigenous roots and healthy land
39’25 photograph of Buffalo cloud
40’24 connecting with Quivira
