Shelley Buffalo
Amplifying Narratives of Connection

About Shelley: 

Shelley Buffalo lives on the Meskwaki Settlement with her two sons. The Meskwaki Settlement is Shelley’s home and community.  “Wherever I may wander, my path winds back home to my community along the Iowa River.  I’m drawn back again and again because this is where I belong and who I belong to.  The Meskwaki culture formed me into who I am today.  Some of that formation was harsh and some was loving.  I may be middle aged now, yet I am still a child when it comes to my cultural education.  Yet if there is one thing that I can do in my lifetime that is meaningful, it is to interrupt colonization by staying committed to my own Meskwaki cultural development. Everything I do and say is measured by what my elders have taught and continue to teach me.”

The Meskwaki are unique in that their land based community is a settlement, not a reservation. Established in 1857 with the purchase of 80 acres near Tama, Iowa, the Meskwaki Settlement has grown to over 8,600 acres.  Here’s a link to learn more about the Meskwaki.

​

Connect with Shelley and find out more about her work: