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The American Buffalo

A journey through more than 10,000 years of North American history and across some of the continent's most iconic landscapes, tracing the mammal's evolution.

Director

N/A

Year

Genre

documentary, history

Awards

1 win

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Announcer: Major funding
for "The American Buffalo" - The American Buffalo

Announcer: Major funding for "The American Buffalo"...

Announcer: Major funding
for "The American Buffalo" - The American Buffalo

Announcer: Major funding for "The American Buffalo"...

FUNDING: The Better Angels
Society is proud to support - The American Buffalo

FUNDING: The Better Angels Society is proud to support

Georgetown has been honored
to work with Ken to encourage - The American Buffalo

Georgetown has been honored to work with Ken to encourage

Funding was also provided
by the Volgenau Foundation - The American Buffalo

Funding was also provided by the Volgenau Foundation

Funding was also provided
by the Volgenau Foundation - The American Buffalo

Funding was also provided by the Volgenau Foundation

In a few moments, - The American Buffalo

In a few moments,

If we're courageous enough
to look, - The American Buffalo

If we're courageous enough to look,

If we're courageous enough
to look, - The American Buffalo

If we're courageous enough to look,

ANNOUNCE: Now here's
the moderator for - The American Buffalo

ANNOUNCE: Now here's the moderator for

WOODRUFF: Hello and welcome
to this PBS special program, - The American Buffalo

WOODRUFF: Hello and welcome to this PBS special program,

Over the next hour, - The American Buffalo

Over the next hour,

Why sacrifice the present
to the future, - The American Buffalo

Why sacrifice the present to the future,

Along the way,
they had encountered - The American Buffalo

Along the way, they had encountered

How did this magnificent
animal contribute to the - The American Buffalo

How did this magnificent animal contribute to the

In Europe we have cities
wealthier and more populous - The American Buffalo

In Europe we have cities wealthier and more populous

How did their numbers
drop from the tens of millions - The American Buffalo

How did their numbers drop from the tens of millions

Wildlife "seemed to be
everywhere"-- - The American Buffalo

Wildlife "seemed to be everywhere"--

You dream of your posterity;
but your posterity will - The American Buffalo

You dream of your posterity; but your posterity will

And what efforts are being
made to preserve and restore the - The American Buffalo

And what efforts are being made to preserve and restore the

Man as Meriwether Lewis:
The whole face of the country - The American Buffalo

Man as Meriwether Lewis: The whole face of the country

To have this conversation, - The American Buffalo

To have this conversation,

The buffalo frequently
approach us - The American Buffalo

The buffalo frequently approach us

An indigenous writer,
and ethnobotanist, - The American Buffalo

An indigenous writer, and ethnobotanist,

Why, then, seek to complete
in a few decades - The American Buffalo

Why, then, seek to complete in a few decades

Narrator: Less than
a century later, in 1887, - The American Buffalo

Narrator: Less than a century later, in 1887,

Why, in your hurry
to subdue and utilize Nature, - The American Buffalo

Why, in your hurry to subdue and utilize Nature,

They hoped to find
some buffaloes to kill - The American Buffalo

They hoped to find some buffaloes to kill

You have opportunities such as
mankind has never had before, - The American Buffalo

You have opportunities such as mankind has never had before,

They searched for three months
without seeing a single one. - The American Buffalo

They searched for three months without seeing a single one.

Let's begin with a look at a
clip from this 4-hour film, - The American Buffalo

Let's begin with a look at a clip from this 4-hour film...

["Way of Life" by Lakota Thunder
playing] - The American Buffalo

["Way of Life" by Lakota Thunder playing]

"Their tepees were made
of buffalo hide, - The American Buffalo

"Their tepees were made of buffalo hide,

RINELLA: If you see one out
grazing, it looks so, "slow." - The American Buffalo

RINELLA: If you see one out grazing, it looks so, "slow...

"They ate buffalo meat. - The American Buffalo

"They ate buffalo meat.

Because I really do think
that they have seen - The American Buffalo

Because I really do think that they have seen

"Most of all, the buffalo
was part of the Kiowa religion. - The American Buffalo

"Most of all, the buffalo was part of the Kiowa religio...

They can jump, - The American Buffalo

"The priests used parts of
the buffalo - The American Buffalo

"The priests used parts of the buffalo

I think that one of
the ways they survive, - The American Buffalo

I think that one of the ways they survive,

They can hit a speed, - The American Buffalo

They can hit a speed,

And you're talking about
something that can get going - The American Buffalo

And you're talking about something that can get going

The buffalo were
the life of the Kiowas." - The American Buffalo

The buffalo were the life of the Kiowas."

It's like a souped-up
hotrod of an animal hiding - The American Buffalo

It's like a souped-up hotrod of an animal hiding

Different man:
They say, in a bad storm, - The American Buffalo

Different man: They say, in a bad storm,

Narrator: They are the national
mammal of the United States, - The American Buffalo

Narrator: They are the national mammal of the United States,

NARRATOR: Fully grown, - The American Buffalo

NARRATOR: Fully grown,

I heard that, that saying,
but as I start - The American Buffalo

I heard that, that saying, but as I start

Like, you're right.
If you don't face the day, - The American Buffalo

Like, you're right. If you don't face the day,

Huge as they are, - The American Buffalo

Huge as they are,

After humans arrived
in North America more - The American Buffalo

After humans arrived in North America more

Man: So much of my blood memory
has to do with buffalo. - The American Buffalo

Man: So much of my blood memory has to do with buffalo.

Their sheer magnificence. - The American Buffalo

Their sheer magnificence.

They're massive, but they
can run 35 miles per hour. - The American Buffalo

They're massive, but they can run 35 miles per hour.

And we are friends.
We are brothers. We are related. - The American Buffalo

And we are friends. We are brothers. We are related.

And, somehow, they're
the symbol of America, - The American Buffalo

And, somehow, they're the symbol of America,

In their place, - The American Buffalo

In their place,

So, I, you know, think of them
in a particular way. - The American Buffalo

So, I, you know, think of them in a particular way.

[Train whistle blowing] - The American Buffalo

[Train whistle blowing]

FLORES: Bison and humans,
in, in a real sense, - The American Buffalo

FLORES: Bison and humans, in, in a real sense,

Sometimes the animals
would ebb and flow. - The American Buffalo

Sometimes the animals would ebb and flow.

In the space of only a decade, - The American Buffalo

In the space of only a decade,

And, so, there was this
wonderful kind of dynamic - The American Buffalo

And, so, there was this wonderful kind of dynamic

LaPIER: They have always
lived with humans. - The American Buffalo

LaPIER: They have always lived with humans.

But we are also
the only species which, - The American Buffalo

But we are also the only species which,

They've always been
hunted by humans; - The American Buffalo

They've always been hunted by humans;

It really is a story of
Indigenous people - The American Buffalo

It really is a story of Indigenous people

PUNKE: And their primary
defense mechanism is to, - The American Buffalo

PUNKE: And their primary defense mechanism is to,

And then enter not just
the Europeans but the Americans. - The American Buffalo

And then enter not just the Europeans but the Americans.

And they have that
skill at a very young age. - The American Buffalo

And they have that skill at a very young age.

A newborn buffalo calf tries
to stand, for the first time, - The American Buffalo

A newborn buffalo calf tries to stand, for the first time,

And that really is
a story of utter destruction. - The American Buffalo

And that really is a story of utter destruction.

And, at seven minutes, - The American Buffalo

And, at seven minutes,

Man: It's not just the story
of this magnificent animal. - The American Buffalo

Man: It's not just the story of this magnificent animal...

Most people
believed the continent's - The American Buffalo

Most people believed the continent's

It takes us - The American Buffalo

NARRATOR Over the centuries, - The American Buffalo

NARRATOR Over the centuries,

During the same time,
Native Americans had been - The American Buffalo

During the same time, Native Americans had been

The types of grasses
that flourished there, - The American Buffalo

The types of grasses that flourished there,

It is a heartbreaking story - The American Buffalo

It is a heartbreaking story

Even when they stopped
and sometimes dug through - The American Buffalo

Even when they stopped and sometimes dug through

Some thought the Indians,
too, had become - The American Buffalo

Some thought the Indians, too, had become

And there's a tragedy at
the very heart of that story. - The American Buffalo

And there's a tragedy at the very heart of that story.

At the same time,
as you follow it - The American Buffalo

At the same time, as you follow it

LaPIER: It's not
just one wallow; - The American Buffalo

LaPIER: It's not just one wallow;

At its most simple and basic,
it's a "dirt bath." - The American Buffalo

At its most simple and basic, it's a "dirt bath.&q...

If it rained, these become
shallow little ponds and pools. - The American Buffalo

If it rained, these become shallow little ponds and pools.

It's unorganized at first,
and, then, slowly, - The American Buffalo

It's unorganized at first, and, then, slowly,

And that, in turn, affected
the landscape, as well. - The American Buffalo

And that, in turn, affected the landscape, as well.

LaPIER: Because it's
also a disturbed area, - The American Buffalo

LaPIER: Because it's also a disturbed area,

The American Buffalo poster

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

A journey through more than 10,000 years of North American history and across some of the continent's most iconic landscapes, tracing the mammal's evolution.

User Rating: 0.0 (0 ratings)

Director: N/A

Writer: Ken Burns

Production:

Genre: documentary, history

Year: 2023

MetaScore: N/A/100

ImdbRating: 8.4

BoxOffice:

Released: 16 Oct 2023

Awards: 1 win

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