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THE BISON PARTY is a new, political party first introduced on October 24, 2024 at River Valley Ranch's Old Thompson Barn in Carbondale, Colorado. Although this group has yet to be formally established, it is a growing idea that there can either be a completely new, independent, and vibrant Third Party or a coalition that eventually becomes absorbed by one of the two largest political parties in the United States of America, currently: the Republican Party (whose mascot is the Elephant) and the Democratic Party (whose mascot is the Donkey). Our mascot and party name are one and the same, representing Unity and Redemption, the Natural Environment and its Inhabitants, Regeneration and Health, all while honoring the Individual Rights of each human to remain Sovereign, Conscious and Fully-Realized in a Peaceful, Prosperous and Protected Nation. 

We must each become the best versions of ourselves in order for our country to become the best version of itself. As such, we must all feel connected to Nature and realize that we have a symbiotic, biological, undeniable relationship with it. 

Among ourselves, we agree that there exists a Higher Power, a Divine Spirit, One that guides us, which is, by definition: Good, Loving, Kind, Generous, Honest, Pure, True, Full of Grace and Mercy, for each and every one of us, regardless of who and what we call God.  We are not alone on this planet nor in the infinite universe. We are not in full control of our lives. We must submit a part of our ego in order to discover True Greatness, for our greatest gifts are indeed Gifts, granted by our Creator, and we must each leverage our unique gifts and attributes for their Greatest Good for we are all connected. And we are all One. 

The idea for The Bison Party began at a high school reunion in New York City on October 19, 2024. It became obvious through some key conversations that evening that there could be a unifying party that spoke to the majority of US citizens from all backgrounds and walks of life. The history and massive regenerative potential of the bison (to restore not only the grasslands thereby sequestering carbon, but also of the heart and soul of the people of the United States of America) make them the central figures in an equitable reparation plan. 

The Bison Party's advocates are members of a Hoop that has no hierarchy;  its headquarters are based outside of La Jara, Colorado in the San Luis Valley where a handful of bison will also live in the near future. 

As the home and hearth of this property is under construction (still in need of muscle and money), the Oniya Bison Rewilding Project will be a place of both personal and land regeneration. Individuals and groups will come to this almost 40-acre property to connect on a spiritual, creative and/or political level, but first and foremost, as friends in a profound relationship with one another, a friendship imbued with love, forgiveness, openness, grace and care. 

Oniya is bordered by 40,000 acres managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Once the classification for the bison on these acres are modified at the state and federal levels to include "wildlife" (not just as "livestock" or "exotic" animals), we can begin reintroducing the bison to thrive on the land as free beings. We will develop ways to separate the bison from people at their synthetic borders, allowing both species to remain safe. 

However, there will be many people who do - and will - choose to live among the bison. We envision a mandate that bison may be used sacrificially for individual families to use for their daily sustenance while at a regulated rate for larger commercial uses, as meat in particular. We envision the bison becoming a central part of our new economy, however, we recognize that we must honor and be grateful for every single one of the bison for this fated chance at peaceful co-existence among all life on this great land of ours.

During the 1800s, people looking for new opportunities and places to live discovered the magnificence of the bison of the Great Plains. At first, the Explorers were in awe of the bison. But soon enough, Hunters started to destroy them. Homesteaders and Ranchers quickly understood that if they wanted the land to - and for - themselves only, they would have to remove the Indigenous People; the quickest way to do so was to eradicate the Indigenous People's main source of survival, which were the bison. 

The bison provided every aspect of an Indigenous Person / Native American's life and livelihood: food, shelter, transportation (as boats), clothing, ceremony, music - even toothpaste and companionship. Entrepreneurs discovered these economic benefits of the different parts of the bison and therefore killed and manufactured their hides and bones into lucrative products that could be sold in large urban centers, like Kansas City, Saint Louis, Chicago, and New York through the burgeoning railroad system. 

In just 30 years, by the end of the 1800s, the number of bison in the United States went from between 60-100 million to 1,000; only .0001% remained from the height of their population. The bison were quickly nearing extinction until a few people with various intentions saved the species. Although the bison still exist now, their numbers have yet to surpass 60,000 (less than half of which are wild), which is about what the population is today. The world had never - and has never since - experienced this level of conscious wildlife destruction in its entire history. 

Approximately 30-40 years later, alongside the boom of the Agricultural Industrialization during the turn of the previous century, the country faced the devastating Dust Bowl, which was directly correlated to the weakened nature of the soil in the Great Plains. The rampart poverty from the massive environmental damage ultimately led to the Great Depression, which some could argue, contributed to World War Two. As a result, our soil has became increasingly thin and degraded as argricultural processes have become more technological and unnatural. Cancer rates have skyrocketed, as have diabetes, multiple sclerosis, autism and other chronic illnesses / disorders. 

At this point in time, the soil in the United States is dangerously (and almost completely) depleted of nutrients and microorganisms. Our food is often poisoned before we eat it. Our food isn't always even food anymore; many grocery store items are merely chemicals developed to taste like real food, which often are addictive-forming and carcinogenic. Individual and corporate fortunes have been made from this poisoning hand-in-hand with the pharmaceutical companies' prescriptions. 

We take medications upon medications to compensate for being poisoned. Those who are in charge of our food systems are poisoning our children for economic gain. The Scientists, Economists, and Merchants say it's the only way to feed all the people in this country. There are simply too many people to feed in a healthy, sustainable and economical way, they argue. 

The Bison Party doesn't believe this. The Bison Party believes we can return to a more natural, agrarian and conscious way of life, as inspired by the indigenous people, while also respecting the best of what technology has brought us: mass communication tools, which offer an opportunity for authentic democracy like no other time in history. Every technological advance has led us to this truly miraculous vantage point.

As an added bonus, the tall grasslands and biodiversity will surely return because of the bison and their natural, regenerative ways as the rich soil with deep roots store (or sequester) carbon from the atmosphere - one of the keys to cooling down the rapid heat of the planet, potentially reversing such dramatic climate change. You see, the Bison are always a gift to us, created by the Creator for our ultimate survival. 

We must all honor our creative and loving gifts and why we are here. Whether that's by making music or art, engineering, drawing, dancing, accounting, building, designing, serving, healing, teaching, community organizing, farming, caregiving, developing, restructuring, securing, gardening, canvasing, fixing, communicating, computer programming, whatever it is, that is for you to discover and perform (to DO!) at the very best of your abilities. That is your own divine superpower. We believe it is your obligation as a contribution to society to share your inherent gifts with the world towards the collective responsibility of keeping our species vibrant and alive. 

This is the New Gift Economy. This is The Bison Party. 2028. Join our Hoop...and Let's Party!

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If you'd like to support any of our bison-related partners and/or projects, please let us know! 

Email: bison@theserioustype.org to start the conversation...

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To learn more about our Work, see under: Released Projects and In the News and our Blog.

To learn more about our Herd, see under: Leadership and Contributors and ONIYA.

To Join our Herd, email nikki@theserioustype.org  in order to be published on our website on one or more of the pages: 

• • • Your Comments 

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To Contribute an in-kind donation or complementary service, email: nikki@theserioustype.org 

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• Make a check payable to: The Serious Type and mail to: The Serious Type, 105 Ash Lane, Carbondale, Colorado  81623

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• EIN: 85-2411897

*Artificial Intelligence (AI) image of The Bison Party generated by and courtesy of Raj Dev

Banner Design: Photograph by Nikki Beinstein of the Old Thompson Barn