The American Buffalo
Spirit of a people. A story of resilience.
Overview
The dramatic story of America's national mammal, which sustained the lives of Native people for untold generations, being driven to the brink of extinction, before an unlikely collection of people rescues it from disappearing forever. Ken Burns recounts the tragic collision of two opposing views of the natural world—and the unforgettable characters who pointed the nation in a different direction.
Key Crew
Producer: Julie A. Dunfey, Ken Burns
Top Cast
N. Scott Momaday
Narrator (voice)
Peter Coyote
Narrator (voice)
Adam Arkin
(voice)
Tantoo Cardinal
(voice)
Tim Clark
(voice)
Tokala Black Elk
(voice)
Jeff Daniels
(voice)
Hope Davis
(voice)
Seasons
Season 0 (2023)
No overview available.
2 episodes
Episodes
Episode 1: The American Buffalo: A Story of Resilience
2023-08-14Judy Woodruff moderates a one-hour conversation with filmmaker Ken Burns and three experts: Jason Baldes, Rosalyn LaPier, and Dan Flores. The discussion explores lessons from the film - the early history and special relationship between native American people and the buffalo; its relation to the larger grassland and prairie ecosystems; and Tribal contributions to restoration of the buffalo today.
Runtime: 57 minEpisode 2: Homecoming
2023-08-14Homecoming chronicles the efforts of those working to rebuild Native American communities’ enduring relationship to the buffalo. At the turn of the last century, Yellowstone National Park helped to save the nation’s buffalo population from extinction. Now, in the 21st century, their Bison Conservation and Transfer Program is supporting buffalo restoration to the Plains and to the Indigenous people whose lives, spiritually and physically, were inextricably linked to the bison for thousands of years.
Runtime: 19 min
Season 1 (2023)
No overview available.
2 episodes
Episodes
Episode 1: Blood Memory
2023-10-16For untold generations, America's national mammal sustained the lives of Native people, whose cultures were intertwined with the animal. Newcomers to the continent bring a different view of the natural world, and the buffalo are driven to the brink of extinction.
Runtime: 117 minEpisode 2: Into the Storm
2023-10-17By the late 1880s, the buffalo that once numbered in the tens of millions is teetering on the brink of extinction. But a diverse and unlikely collection of Americans start a movement that rescues the national mammal from disappearing forever.
Runtime: 120 minVideos
Official Trailer
