Wayne Frederick: Returning Buffalo after 125 years
Summary:
Wayne Frederick (Sicangu Lakota) and his wife Alex run Rez Raised on the Rosebud Reservation. For Wayne, Buffalo are more than animals — they’re the presence that carried him through his late teens and early twenties, a force he says saved his life. Now, with a teenage son of his own, he wants him to experience that same guidance. After managing another herd for more than two decades, Wayne stepped away from cattle ranching and began building his own Buffalo herd. Today, Rez Raised is home to 40 Buffalo with room to grow, bringing these relatives back to land that had been without them for over 125 years. The Buffalo continue to teach Wayne patience, balance, and the importance of slowing down.
5 Key Points
Wayne Frederick (Sicangu Lakota) and his wife Alex run Rez Raised Ranch on the Rosebud Reservation.
Buffalo “saved” Wayne’s life as a young man, grounding him during hard years.
He now raises them so his teenage son can have that same guidance.
Rez Raised has 40 Buffalo, with capacity for 65, returning them to land absent of Buffalo for 125+ years.
The Buffalo have taught Wayne to slow down, embrace patience, and live in rhythm with the land.
Read longer story below.
For Wayne Frederick, bringing Buffalo back to his land means a return to the presence that carried him through his late teens and early twenties.
“Buffalo saved my life,” he said.
Now that his son is a late teen himself, Wayne said he wants him to have that opportunity for Buffalo to guide his son the way they guided him.
Wayne (Sicangu Lakota) is a rancher whose life has always been tied to the land. He raises cattle, horses, and now, most importantly, Buffalo. A member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe and a representative on the tribal council, Wayne’s journey into Buffalo ranching was not one he had planned, but one he felt called to. He and his wife Alex run their ranch, called Rez Raised, together on the Rosebud Reservation.
For more than two decades, he had managed another herd on behalf of the tribe. When that chapter ended, he found himself at a crossroads. Rather than return to the familiar rhythms of cattle ranching, Wayne decided it was time to step into something deeper — the Buffalo. Today, their herd is 40 strong with room to grow to 65 on the land he has fenced.
The most rewarding part, he says, is knowing that his work brings the Buffalo back to his property — land that has not felt their hooves for more than 125 years. To Wayne, it’s a homecoming, a long-awaited return, and a promise to restore balance between the Buffalo and the land.
Of course, the work comes with challenges. Winters are the hardest, when snowdrifts pile high and fences must be reinforced. When Buffalo wander, they don’t come back at a call. They require respect, patience, and persistence.
But perhaps the greatest lesson Wayne has learned in this journey is not about the Buffalo alone, but about himself. The herd has taught him to slow down, to move with the seasons instead of rushing through them, and to embrace each experience as it comes.
For Wayne, raising Buffalo is a way of life. Beyond ranching, it’s a return to something deeply personal, and a gift he hopes will carry his family, and his people, forward.
