The American Buffalo

Synopsis

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.

First Air Date: 2023-10-16

Last Air Date: 2023-10-17

Number of Seasons: 1

Number of Episodes: 2

Networks: PBS

View Technical Specifications on IMDb

Top Cast

N. Scott Momaday as Narrator (voice)
Peter Coyote as Narrator (voice)
Adam Arkin as (voice)
Tantoo Cardinal as (voice)
Tim Clark as (voice)
Tokala Black Elk as (voice)
Jeff Daniels as (voice)
Hope Davis as (voice)
Paul Giamatti as (voice)
Murphy Guyer as (voice)

Seasons

Specials (2023)

No overview available for this season.

Episodes:

Ep. 1: The American Buffalo: A Story of Resilience (2023-08-14)

Judy 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.
Ep. 2: Homecoming (2023-08-14)

Homecoming 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.