Knowledge Share Description
What can the bison teach us about bringing our dreams from the unseen into the living world? In this knowledge share, the bison serves as our guide through the interconnected dimensions of time, memory, spirit, and place, revealing how ancestral wisdom can help transform vision into reality.
Together, we will explore how reconnecting with our histories, cultures, spiritual traditions, and ancestral lineages can help us navigate the past, present, and future as a continuous relationship rather than separate moments in time. Through stories, reflection, and Indigenous ways of knowing, we will consider how our ancestors understood creation as both a spiritual and material practice.
Having walked through eras of transformation, the bison carries teachings of resilience, reciprocity, and right relationship with the Earth. By following its rhythm, we will reflect on how collective dreams are nurtured through ceremony, responsibility, and action. Rather than viewing manifestation as an individual pursuit, this session offers a vision of creation rooted in community, ancestral guidance, and our shared commitment to restoring balance with one another and the living world.
Date: Wednesday November 4, 2026
Time: 5:00pm – 7:00PM EST
Cost: FREE for Living Library hbc members | Sliding Scale $45, $65, $90 for Non-members
We will explore:
The bison as an ancestral teacher of resilience, reciprocity, and collective stewardship.
How Indigenous understandings of time invite us to move between past, present, and future as one living continuum.
Manifestation as an ancestral practice rooted in ceremony, relationship, and responsibility rather than individual achievement.
The role of history, culture, and spiritual lineage in bringing visions from the unseen into material reality.
How collective dreaming becomes a pathway for restoring our relationships with the Earth, our ancestors, and one another.
A deeper trust in their dreams, intuition, and spiritual experiences as meaningful sources of ancestral guidance and knowledge.
An understanding of time as a living continuum, where past, present, and future are connected through story, memory, ceremony, and practice.
A renewed sense of responsibility to future generations and how the choices we make today shape the worlds to come.
A deeper relationship with the bison as a teacher of resilience, reciprocity, and collective movement, and an understanding of how buffalo restoration is connected to cultural, spiritual, ecological, and community healing.
An expanded understanding that culture, spirituality, and ancestral teachings are not separate from organizing or planning for the future—they are the foundation from which collective vision and lasting transformation emerge.
Who this Knowledge Share is For
Those interested in learning from Indigenous teachings about the buffalo/bison as a relative and teacher of reciprocity, resilience, responsibility, and relationship with the land.
People seeking to deepen their understanding of the cultural, spiritual, and ecological relationships many Indigenous nations hold with buffalo/bison.
Those curious about how buffalo restoration movements are connected to Indigenous sovereignty, cultural revitalization, ecological healing, and community wellbeing.
Organizers, educators, healers, artists, and land stewards exploring Indigenous knowledge systems and more reciprocal relationships with the natural world.
People interested in exploring how ancestral teachings, ceremony, story, and relationship with place can guide collective visions for the future.
Anyone seeking to expand their understanding of knowledge beyond Western frameworks
Participants will leave with
A deeper understanding of buffalo/bison as a relative and teacher within many Indigenous knowledge systems, carrying teachings of reciprocity, resilience, responsibility, and relationship with the land.
Greater awareness of the cultural, spiritual, and ecological significance of buffalo/bison and their role in Indigenous-led movements for restoration and healing.
An expanded understanding of time, memory, and ancestry as interconnected relationships that shape how we move through the present and imagine the future.
A renewed trust in dreams, intuition, story, and ancestral knowledge as meaningful ways of understanding and relating to the world.
A deeper sense of responsibility toward future generations and the choices we make in relationship with the Earth and our communities.
A broader understanding of how Indigenous ways of knowing, ceremony, and cultural teachings can inform collective organizing, healing, and visions for a more reciprocal future.
Cost
$45 - community
$65 - standard
$90 - pay-it-forward (if you have financial abundance, this is our pay-it-forward option to fund our full tuition scholarships)
For more information on sliding scale please check out this amazing work!
The zoom link will be sent upon registration. Recording will be available for 30 days.
Please apply here for a scholarship.
or access this knowledge share for free by enrolling as a member of the Living Library
Living Library HBC
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Accessibility Information
Virtual Gathering
*ASR (automated) captioning provided
The knowledge share zoom link will be sent out immediately upon purchase, along with any other necessary information.
Wednesday November 4, 2026
5:00pm - 7:00pm Eastern Standard Time
Class will be recorded and available for 30 days. This means you can join from anywhere in the world.
Facilitator
Lucille Contreras is the CEO and founder of the Texas Tribal Buffalo Project, an organization dedicated to buffalo conservation, regenerative agriculture, and reconnecting Texas lineal descendants to their heritage. As a trailblazer in the field, Lucille leads the only known women-led bison ranching operation in Texas and is committed to preserving Indigenous foodways and community sovereignty. A graduate of the University of Colorado, Boulder with an Arts Degree, Lucille brings a unique blend of academic and artistic insight and hands-on experience to her work. She is also a James Beard Fellow, a professional development program for emerging food suppliers that helps fellows gain skills and visibility. In addition to her agricultural expertise, Lucille is self-taught in IT, a skill that has allowed her to enhance the organization's operations and outreach. A proud Lipan Apache and Mexica descendant, Lucille is also an Aztec dancer with Grupo Tlaloc, an Aztec dance group based in Denver, Colorado, further reflecting her dedication to preserving and honoring Indigenous traditions. She is also a signatory of the Buffalo Treaty, a historic agreement that unites Tribes and First Nations in the U.S. and Canada to restore and protect buffalo populations and strengthen cultural and spiritual relationships. Under her leadership, the Texas Tribal Buffalo Project has developed innovative programs such as "Meat for Mamas," which provides nutrient-rich bison meat to expecting mothers, ensuring baby and mama stay healthy. The organization is also proud to be the only bison producer that accepts EBT, ensuring access to healthy, traditional food while shipping bison products across Turtle Island. Lucille's visionary approach continues to shape the future of Indigenous-led agriculture, fostering sustainability and community empowerment through every initiative.