[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 105 (Monday, June 26, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9031-S9032]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        A TRIBUTE TO FRED DuBRAY

  Mr. PRESSLER. Mr. President, I rise today to extend my 
congratulations to Fred DuBray, an exceptional South Dakotan, who 
recently was awarded a Newsweek Achievement Award. Fred DuBray was 
recognized by the weekly magazine Newsweek for his vision and 
commitment to reviving the bison population in South Dakota and across 
the country.
  Mr. DuBray is a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, and is 
founder and president of the InterTribal Bison Cooperative [ITBC].
  Bison always have held a special place in the hearts of many Native 
Americans, and in the history of the American continent. Often referred 
to as buffalo, bison play a significant role in tribal ceremonies and 
in other traditional customs of the Native Americans. Knowing what the 
bison mean to the Native American culture, Fred DuBray came up with the 
idea of reviving the bison population--and encouraging reservations to 
reap the economic benefits.
  The InterTribal Bison Cooperative [ITBC], headquartered in Rapid 
City, SD, has proven to be a great success. It has brought economic 
development to Native American tribes across the country, where other 
economic projects had previously failed. In 1991, when it was founded, 
the ITBC consisted of only seven Indian tribes. Since then, it has 
expanded to include 36 tribes from 15 different States across the 
country.
  Under Mr. DuBray's leadership, the ITBC has created more than 500 new 
jobs through the production and distribution of bison meat and bison 
by-products. The number of consumers purchasing bison products has 
increased dramatically over the past 4 years.
  In my home State of South Dakota, rising bison has proven to be a 
profitable venture for the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. In fact, the 
Cheyenne River Sioux recently received Federal assistance from the U.S. 
Department of Agriculture for the purchase of a mobile meat processor.
  This state-of-the-art technology will allow the tribe to slaughter 
bison in a traditional manner, while processing and packaging the meat 
on the spot. The tribe also intends to allow other nearby tribes and 
private ranchers to benefit from the use of the mobile bison meat 
processor.
  Fred's ingenuity is an inspiration to all Native Americans who, 
through creativity and hard work, are striving to achieve self-
sufficiency, rather than dependency on Federal Government assistance. I 
am very proud of Fred DuBray's achievements, and I am very happy to see 
that he is receiving well-earned recognition from Newsweek magazine.
  My wife, Harriet, and I extend our congratulations to Fred DuBray for 
his accomplishments thus far, and wish

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him continued success in his future efforts.

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