One hundred years ago, the US government oversaw the slaughter of millions of buffalo in its effort to settle the West.\u00a0That meant separating Indian tribes from their historic dependence on the buffalo, or bison, for food, shelter, and also for their spirituality. American Indians see buffalo and all living things as sacred. Now, in cooperation with Canada, the US government has returned buffalo to the Blackfoot tribes, who say they are celebrating their long-denied sense of feeling whole again.\u00a0Correspondent Lucky Severson reports from northern Montana, where Ervin Carlson, president of the Intertribal Buffalo Council says, \u201cThey\u2019re just a part of our being, our spirituality\u2014not only the buffalo, but all animals are very spiritual to the Indian people.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"