Author | Lightnews

Tanka Fund

@tankafund.bsky.social

34 followers 13 following 42 posts

Tanka Fund is a 501(c)(3) that is Native American-led and staffed. Since 2014, we have been working to provide animals, grants and technical assistance to Native American owned/operated or managed Buffalo ranches that are family or community based.

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Tanka Fund @tankafund.bsky.social · 18d

For Native producers & Buffalo ranchers, the #GovernmentShutdown comes at a moment when consistency & reliability are most needed to sustain herds & livelihoods. Read: www.tankafund.org/read-our-new... #TankaFund #NativeRanchers

What the Shutdown Means for Native Buffalo Ranchers — TANKA FUND

Relatives and Supporters, The federal government shutdown is already disrupting critical services. For Native producers and Buffalo ranchers, this pause in support comes at a moment when consistency...

www.tankafund.org

Tanka Fund @tankafund.bsky.social · 16h

Tanka Fund launched at the Black Hills Powwow 11 years ago — and we were proud to return this year. “Powwow” comes from pau wau, meaning a sacred gathering. Once misused, now reclaimed — a celebration of resilience, song, and community. 🪶💃🏽 #TradishTuesday #TankaFund

Tanka Fund @tankafund.bsky.social · 1d

Our range ecologist intern, Nicole Cournoyer, shares insights with a student. Tanka Fund’s mission has always been about creating opportunities for the next generation to reconnect w/traditional food systems & continue the work of restoration. For the land, people, & the Buffalo. #TankaFund #Native

1 1

Tanka Fund @tankafund.bsky.social · 12d

If you’re in Rapid City this week, come see us at the Black Hills Powwow!

📍 Stop by our booth, grab our brand new calendar, and don’t forget to snap a photo with our giant Buffalo!

Can't wait to see you tomorrow!

#TankaFund #CulturalRevitalization #Native #Powwow

Tanka Fund @tankafund.bsky.social · 13d

We recently had the opportunity to visit Tanka Fund rancher partners David Wise (Ojibwe) and his wife, Patra, of Native Wise LLC and Dancing Crane Ranch on the Fond du Lac Reservation in Sawyer, MN.

You can support our ranchers at tankafund.org/donate.

#TankaFund #Biodiversity #Bison #Buffalo

Tanka Fund @tankafund.bsky.social · 16d

It’s Monday and a full moon… but at least we’re here for your afternoon funny.

This Buffalo’s just out here chewing through it all — grounded, calm, and unbothered.

What’s on your lunch plate today? 👀

#TankaFund #BuffaloConservation #Bison #BuffaloRanching#Biodiversity #FoodSovereignty #Buffalo

Tanka Fund @tankafund.bsky.social · 18d

What the Shutdown Means for Native Buffalo Ranchers — TANKA FUND

www.tankafund.org

Tanka Fund @tankafund.bsky.social · 20d

#TankaFund is a Native–led nonprofit supporting #Buffalo ranchers. Since 2014, we’ve provided animals, grants & guidance to Native-run herds across the U.S.
Our partners — often veterans & tribal members — care for Buffalo, feed their communities & keep traditions alive.
tankafund.org/donate

Tanka Fund @tankafund.bsky.social · 21d

Most recently, our range ecologist team visited Chuck Jacobs of Tatanka Badlands Enterprise, based on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota.

tankafund.org/technical-assistance-and-training

#TankaFund #SupportNativeRanchers #SustainableRanching #Biodiversity

Tanka Fund @tankafund.bsky.social · 21d

#TradishTuesday: Prairie dogs aren’t pests — they’ve always lived alongside the Buffalo. From keeping grass fresh to creating homes for burrowing owls, they’re still vital partners on the prairie today. #Buffalo #Bison #TankaFund #Biodiversity

Tanka Fund @tankafund.bsky.social · 22d

We send a newsletter on the last Wednesday of every month. We highlighted our visit to the Fort Belknap Indian Community. Read: tankafund.org/read-our-newsletters/our-first-tribal-buffalo-partnership
Sign up for our newsletter: tankafund.org/subscribenewsletter2024

#TankaFund #SupportNativeRanchers

Tanka Fund @tankafund.bsky.social · 25d

It's the last Friday of the month! Are you more 4:59 or 5:00? Either way, your continued support helps Buffalo rise up where they belong...
And keeps them snarky. 😉
Visit: tankafund.org/donate

🦬
#TankaFund #BuffaloConservation #SupportNativeRanchers #Donate #Buffalo #Bison

Reposted by Tanka Fund

AltYellostoneNatPar @altyellonatpark.org · 26d

This little fox tends to hang out with the Bison herd. He lets them stir up the mice for him, easier hunting.

11 57 670

Tanka Fund @tankafund.bsky.social · Sep 5

Jayme Murray, Buffalo herd manager for Cheyenne River Buffalo Company, shared the reality of managing a conservation herd as a private rancher. Every challenge falls on them. Partnerships like Tanka Fund become essential.
tankafund.org/donate
#TankaFund #BuffaloConservation #SupportNativeRanchers

2 1

Tanka Fund @tankafund.bsky.social · Aug 29

Video: David & Patra Wise’s Dancing Crane Ranch on the Fond du Lac Reservation. With new fencing complete, their Buffalo now roam the full land made possible through collective effort with NRCS, Duluth Whole Foods Co-op, & community support. #TankaFund #BuffaloConservation #SupportNativeRanchers

3 3

Tanka Fund @tankafund.bsky.social · Aug 20

David Wise (Ojibwe) with Dancing Crane Ranch, one of our rancher partners, talks about how his land on the Fond du Lac Reservation in Sawyer, MN, has changed since receiving Buffalo.

www.tankafund.org/donate.

#TankaFund #BuffaloConservation #SupportNativeRanchers #Buffalo #Bison

1 2

Tanka Fund @tankafund.bsky.social · Aug 18

Since 2014, Tanka Fund has been returning Buffalo to Native lands, lives, and economies. Fencing alone has an estimated cost of $39 a foot. Every donation matters, and recurring gifts go even further. Support at tankafund.org/donate
Oh, and in case you didn’t know — it’s #NationalNonprofitDay.

1 2

Tanka Fund @tankafund.bsky.social · Aug 14

Maybe taking in every bit of the day is better than rushing through it. And as always, you can support returning Buffalo to Native lands, lives, & economies by visiting tankafund.org/donate.

#TankaFund #SupportNativeRanchers #BuffaloRanching #Biodiversity #Bison #Buffalo

Tanka Fund @tankafund.bsky.social · Aug 5

Indigenous communities have long used fire to shape healthy grasslands. At Tanka Fund, we work w/Buffalo ranchers through prescribed fire education & land health assessments to restore balance & resilience to the prairie.

Read more: www.tankafund.org/our-stories/...
#BuffaloRestoration #TankaFund

Burning with purpose: Restoring grasslands the traditional way — TANKA FUND

Prescribed fire has long been used by Indigenous communities to renew grasslands and support the animals and people who depend on them. At Tanka Fund, Range Ecologist Janét Moore works with ranchers...

www.tankafund.org

1 5

Tanka Fund @tankafund.bsky.social · Jul 30

It's #TradishTuesday! The #Lakota word wówačhaŋtognake. Generosity w/o expectation. Buffalo gave everything so the people could live. We honor that teaching by restoring Buffalo to Native lands, lives, & economies. tankafund.org/donate

#TankaFund #Tatanka #SupportNativeRanchers #LandsLivesEconomies

3 5

Tanka Fund @tankafund.bsky.social · Jul 1

#TradishTuesday: Sweetgrass
Sweetgrass — peji wacanga in Lakota — is used in ceremony, prayer, & smudging to invite blessings & good energy. At the Buffalo to School Conference recently, a sweetgrass braid was passed like a talking stick.

#TankaFund #CommunityEmpowerment #CulturalRevitalization

Tanka Fund @tankafund.bsky.social · Jun 26

What started as a work assignment turned into something much deeper for David Wise (Ojibwe). He discovered a powerful connection to Chief Buffalo — an iconic 19th-century Ojibwe leader. Read more: www.tankafund.org/our-stories/...

#TankaFund #SupportNativeRanchers #WildlifePreservation

Our Rancher Partners: Patra and David Wise — TANKA FUND

David Wise (Ojibwe), co-owner of Native Wise LLC, discovered his ancestral connection to Chief Buffalo during a work project that became a personal calling. Guided by a dream, he and his wife Patra be...

www.tankafund.org

Tanka Fund @tankafund.bsky.social · Jun 19

On Juneteenth, we remember: freedom came late and not for all. Black Freedmen in Indian Territory waited even longer.
This Buffalo, standing strong in TX heat, reminds us: Survival is strength.

📸 GP Ranch in Sulphur Springs, TX.

#Juneteenth #TankaFund #Buffalo #Bison

Tanka Fund @tankafund.bsky.social · Jun 6

We’re honored to be named a 2025 Wildseeds Fund grantee.
Wildseeds uplifts frontline stories and backs those reclaiming food, land, and culture through justice-centered organizing.

#TankaFund #BuffaloConservation #SupportNativeRanchers #WildlifePreservation #Biodiversity #FoodSovereignty

1 1

Tanka Fund @tankafund.bsky.social · Jun 3

The movement of Buffalo gives Native grasses time to regrow. Their hooves press seeds into the soil. Their dung feeds it. Grasses like big bluestem, switchgrass, and Indian grass evolved with them. This is land with memory — and Buffalo are the ones who remember.

#BuffaloRestoration #TankaFund

Tanka Fund @tankafund.bsky.social · Jun 3

I see a red dog in mid-zoomie!