More than 30 bison stood lackadaisically in the falling Golden snow, patiently waiting to be driven through the storm to their new homes. The City and County of Denver transferred 34 yearling bison to American Indian tribes and organizations — including the Northern Cheyenne Tribe, Buffalo First, Navajo Nation and Tall Bull Memorial Council — on Friday at Genesee Park in Golden. “The buffalo is a great symbol of the American west,” Denver Mayor Mike Johnston said, surrounded by Native Americans performing prayer and healing drum songs. Johnston pointed to the destruction and near extinction of buffalo in the 19th century due to white settlers hunting them for both sport and to decrease Indigenous food sources, including settlers from Denver. The population was estimated to be around 30 to 60 million in the early 1800s, according to the National Park Service. By 1900, fewer than 1,000 bison remained. “Now, there are more than 30,000 buffalo roaming the west, not just because of the...