A ceremony to unveil a majestic bison bull shoulder mount took place in the caucus meeting room of the Saskatchewan Legislative Building. The caucus meeting room is likely the most important meeting room in the Legislature, used daily by the Premier and his caucus. From now on a bison bull will oversee the important decisions made in that room.

The mount was a gift from the Saskatchewan Bison Association to the people of Saskatchewan on behalf of all ranchers, First Nations, parks, universities and conservation organizations who raise bison in the province. The National Circle for Indigenous Agriculture and Food (NCIAF) played a supporting role in the donation.

A 16 year old bull was harvested at Wigness Bison ranch in December 2023. Elders from the Nekaneet First Nation came out to the ranch to do a pipe ceremony and smudge the rifle on the day of the harvest. Orion Taxidermy in Moose Jaw did an excellent job of the taxidermy.

The day of the unveiling, another pipe ceremony was led by Larry Oakes from the Nekaneet tribe. The pipe ceremony was invitation only with no media allowed, attended by representatives of the SBA, NCIAF and Hon. Eric Schmalz the minister of Government Relations, Hon. Darryl Harrison minister of Agriculture and MLA Blain Mcleod. There was a great turnout at the main event reflecting the power of the bison to bring together bison ranchers, First Nation partners, MLA’s, conservationists and other bison enthusiasts in the audience. The MC for the event was Murray Fiest, who played an important role in making the donation happen. Merek Wigness spoke on behalf of the SBA. Kalley Wood spoke on behalf of NCIAF. The Honorable Scott Moe, premier of Saskatchewan, spoke on behalf of the government.

Media attended the ceremony and several stories came out including one by CTV which is on the internet. The general feedback from attendees was very positive, with people saying there was a welcoming atmosphere in the room and ample opportunities to chat and network.
In Merek Wigness’s speech he said “Bison are an environmental keystone, the cultural bedrock of the First Nations and an economic driver in Saskatchewan. These are only a few of the reasons it is symbolically significant to have this bison in the legislative building.”

To everyone, when you get an opportunity to visit Regina, take the time to visit the caucus meeting room in the Saskatchewan Legislative Building. The shoulder mount will give bison producers and bison enthusiasts a sense of pride with this iconic animal majestically looking over the activities in the caucus room.