ARLINGTON, Wash. – Leaders of the Stillaguamish Tribe think they have found a natural, beef alternative.

The tribe purchased eight buffalo from the Yakama Indian Nation and has plans to buy seven more. They plan to offer the meat to tribal members with diabetes.

"Well we're hoping that we're able to purchase more land to expand the herd," said Stillaguamish Chairman Shawn Yanity.

KING

Buffalo from the Yakima Nation are now feeding on the rich grasslands of the Stillaguamish Tribe.

Buffalo are not a big part of the Stillaguamish culture. They are people who lived on elk, deer and fish.

But over the years, the tribes have lost access to a lot of those traditional foods. They've turned to other foods, and that has set off a serious health trend.

"Type 2 diabetes in particular is twice as prevalent within the Native American communities as it is in traditional society," said Thomas Ashley, of Stillaguamish Health Services.

Tribal Elders like Lavaun Tatro are living proof. She lives with diabetes. She worries about the youngers, and sees hope in the buffalo.

"I think they're great," she said. "I wish my sister was alive to see it."

It's too late for so many of the tribal members whose health was lost with their traditional diets.

But not for the next generation.

"The buffalo meat is low fat; it is low in cholesterol," Ashley said.

And since they were purchased from the nearby Yakima Tribe, traditional trading partners, of the Stillaguamish, the buffalo seem to fit perfectly into Western Washington's Indian country.

Tribal members will carry on ancient traditions by using all parts of the buffalo for food, clothes, jewelry and crafts.