Homecoming follows 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. Explore more about The American Buffalo 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. (On-demand through 10/15/30)
Native Americans
The American Buffalo: A Story of Resilience Discussion On-Demand
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 The American Buffalo 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. (On-demand through 11/30/29)
Native America PBS Playlist
Season 2 of Native America. is a groundbreaking portrait of contemporary Indian Country. This four-part Native directed series reveals the beauty and power of today’s Indigenous world. Smashing stereotypes, it follows the brilliant engineers, bold politicians, and cutting-edge artists who draw upon Native tradition to build a better 21st century.
Resources from the program include:
The Native America PBS Film Website
Native America PBS Player Series
Explore an Interactive to Listen to Native American Voices
Explore the PBS LearningMedia Collection
Also See: Native America in the Classroom
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The American Buffalo: Into the Storm • WXXI-TV
This Ken Burns film traces the near demise – and ultimate return – of the U.S. national mammal while examining the species’ connection to indigenous communities and the land.
The American Buffalo: Into the Storm, part two of two, airs Friday, January 12 at 8:30 p.m. on WXXI-TV.
For 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.
Illustration “The Last of the Buffalo” by Albert Bierstadt, 1888 l Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC.
American Buffalo PBS LearningMedia Collection
The American Buffalo PBS LearningMedia Collection is created from the two-part, four-hour film takes viewers on a journey through more than 10,000 years of North American history and across some of the continent’s most iconic landscapes, tracing the American buffalo’s evolution, its significance to the Indigenous people and landscape of the Great Plains, its near extinction, and the efforts to bring the magnificent mammals back from the brink.
To support conversation and instruction, WXXI Education has pulled together a list of educational resources available through PBS LearningMedia:
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Native Way Forward: Roadtrip Nation On-Demand
For too long, TV and film have depicted Native American experiences in the past tense. It’s time to shine a light on the present-day lives of Native young adults, and explore what’s possible for their futures. In this Roadtrip Nation’s documentary—led by director Ryan RedCorn—Native leaders are telling their stories in their own words, and illuminating the path for Native youth everywhere.
Urban Rez: On-Demand
Urban Rez explores the controversial legacy & modern-day effects of the US Government’s assimilation policy to dismantle the Indian Reservation system by relocating American Indians from their rural homelands to urban areas. Stories from many tribal nations speak to the challenges of maintaining one’s own culture within the dominant society.
Urban Rez explores the repercussions of the Urban Relocation Program (1952-1973), the greatest voluntary upheaval of Native Americans during the 20th century. During the documentary, dozens of American Indians representing tribal groups from across the West recall their first-hand experiences with relocation, including the early hardships, struggles with isolation and racism.
Interviewees also speak about the challenges of maintaining one’s own tribal traditions — from language to hunting — while assimilating into the larger society. Actor, musician and Oglala Lakota member Moses Brings Plenty narrates this insightful film about this seldom-told chapter in American history.
Warrior Tradition On-Demand
The Warrior Tradition, tells the astonishing, heartbreaking, inspiring, and largely-untold story of Native Americans in the United States military. Why would Indian men and women put their lives on the line for the very government that took their homelands? The film relates the stories of Native American warriors from their own points of view – stories of service and pain, of courage and fear. This WNED PBS production premiered in November 2019.