Buffalo Herd Leads Theatrical Procession Through New York Streets
The performance 'Return of the Buffalo: Tatanka Owe Akupi' featured forty buffalo puppets moving through New York City streets, pausing at historic sites. Lenape elders, Native Pride Dancers, and performers like Rhiannon Giddens and Pilobolus participated. The event felt like a visceral tour of American history, culture, and politics, according to the review.
The procession began at Bowling Green, where Lenape elders and Native Pride Dancers offered a welcome before the herd moved past the National Museum of the American Indian. Later stops included Federal Hall, where Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and actor Wendell Pierce delivered a Frederick Douglass speech with musical backing from Davóne Tines & THE TRUTH, and Zuccotti Park, site of the 2011 Occupy Wall Street protests, featuring the Resistance Revival Chorus. The route continued through City Hall Park to Foley Square, with performances by Pilobolus, Rhiannon Giddens, and an all-women Brazilian drumline. The event repeated in Brooklyn the following day.
This blend of puppetry, live performance, and site-specific history could deepen public engagement with overlooked narratives, particularly Indigenous perspectives and social-justice milestones. By placing art in public spaces, it may reach audiences beyond traditional theatergoers, fostering shared reflection on national identity. However, its impact likely remains temporary unless such events inspire sustained dialogue or institutional programming around the themes they raise.