RESOURCES
DOCUMENTARIES
American Prairie: Restoring bison to northern Montana with a patchwork nature reserve
60 Minutes, 2023, 13:16
"In one of the most remote parts of the country, a nonprofit is working to create the largest nature reserve in the contiguous United States with hopes of restoring several species of wildlife." Founded in 2001, the foundation has created reserve currently covering 527,068 acres in central Montana and has set an initial goal of restoring 5,000 buffalo to the land.
Boy-zshan Bi-den (Buffalo Return)
Colin Ruggiero, 2017, 8:48
Bison were nearly exterminated across North America. Thanks to the Shoshone tribe, the National Wildlife Federation and the coordinated efforts of a host of other individuals and organizations, bison have finally been brought back the Wind River Indian Reservation and a landscape that they once defined.
For more information, please visit: www.nwf.org/tribalbison
Bring Them Home / Aiskótáhkapiyaaya
Well Beings, 2024, 18:52
"Bring Them Home / Aiskótáhkapiyaaya is an intimate documentary about the only indigenous tribal-led buffalo drive in North America. It tells the story of a small group of Blackfoot people in Northern Montana and their mission to establish the first wild buffalo herd on their ancestral territory since the species’ near-extinction a century ago, an act that would restore the land, re-enliven traditional culture and bring much needed healing to their community. Narrated by Academy Award-nominated Blackfeet / Nez Perce actor, Lily Gladstone."
Home Coming/Buffalo Return to Indigenous Lands
PBS, 2023, 19:01
"Follow Jason Baldes, an Eastern Shoshone and a member of the InterTribal Buffalo Council, as he leads historic transfers of bison to Indigenous communities which will maintain their herds to supply a healthy food source and cultural touchstone for their tribal citizens.
The film explores what living among the bison once again means for Native people—today and for future generations."
Honoring the Buffalo Treaty
Smoke Signal Studio, 2021, 46:56
In 2012, a genetically pure herd of buffalo from Yellowstone NP were spared from being slaughtered and were instead transferred to the Fort Peck Reservation in Montana, which marked the first time genetically pure buffalo had roamed the region in over 100 years.
This film takes a look at how this historic event took place: from the near extinction of the buffalo to the political fight it was to bring them to the Fort Peck Reservation. It also highlights all the ways in which Fort Peck is honoring and upholding THE BUFFALO TREATY—an agreement between various tribes that seek the renewal and restoration of the buffalo to their ancestral lands.at Fort Peck.
Iinnii Initiative: The Return of the Buffalo
Wildlife Conservation Society, 2013, 9:41
The American buffalo, bison, or "iinnii," as the animals are called by members of the Blackfoot Confederacy, gave strength to the tribes, providing lodging, clothing, food, and the foundation of spiritual and social relationships.
Now, the Blackfeet and the Wildlife Conservation Society are working to restore buffalo for the sake of their children and the landscape itself.
Keystone Species
RE: TV, 2022, 6 mins
Kainai knowledge-keeper Leroy Little Bear was the founding director of the Harvard University Native American Program, and in 2014 led the drafting of the historic "Northern Tribes Buffalo Treaty", which called for the return of wild bison to tribal lands to fulfill the animal’s ecological, cultural, and spiritual role, and led to their return to their former home among the Blackfoot.
He explains that the buffalo is a "keystone species": an eco-engineer which regenerates the soil, creating the conditions for other species like birds, insects and plants to develop in a rich, interconnected and biodiverse environment. The Kanai value the buffalo not as a resource to be exploited, but as a member of an extended family - known as "all my relations" - which must be cared for alongside all the different aspects of the environment."
Ted Turner's nature preserves: A carefully curated "Heaven on Earth"
CBS Sunday Morning, 2024, 8:27
"As one of the largest landholders in America, media mogul and philanthropist Ted Turner has over decades restored struggling species like the American Bison and rebuilt biodiversity on his two million acres.
Now, Turner is opening some of his land to visitors, creating almost overnight what amounts to a private national park system. Correspondent Lee Cowan reports."
Texas Tribal Buffalo Project, Buffalo Ranch Short Film with Lucille Contreras
Texas Tribal Buffalo Project, 2022, 7:03
"Meet Lucille Contreras, an Apache woman reintroducing bison to Texas as a way to revive traditional Native culture."
Experiencias de restauración ambiental en México y en Chile, Dr. Rurik List/ Dra. Aurora Gaxiola*
Biodiversidada Mexicana, 2021, 47:00
Dr. Rurik List of the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Lerma presents the history of the buffalo in Northern Mexico, including archaeological and historical evidence, the importance of the buffalo to the ecosystem, the threat the US-Mexico border wall poses to biodiversity and binational conservation, as well as current efforts to restore the species in the area.
Dr. Aurora Gaxiola also presents on the restoration of a Mediterranean climate in central Chile.
*in Spanish, with auto-translate option available for other languages
Where the Buffalo Roamed: Restoring the American Serengeti
Princeton Conservation Society, 2018, 47:00
"A look at the American Prairie Reserve's efforts to restore the Great Plains to their former grandeur and the Native history of the area."
American Prairie buys private land and open it to the public while we simultaneously work to restore biodiversity on each property. They prioritize properties that connect existing public land to meet their goal of connecting 3.2 million acres - enough to support a healthy prairie ecosystem. They also have community engagement and rewilding programs, and a goal of restoring 5,000 buffalo to the land.
Clymer Meadow Preserve Protecting Blackland Prairie
The Nature Conservancy, 2021, 2:10
"Clymer Meadow Preserve contains some of the largest and most diverse remnants of the Blackland Prairie—the Texas version of the tallgrass prairie that once stretched from near the Texas Coast to southern Manitoba. Learn about this critical conservation area and how TNC is working with local partners and volunteers to steward it."