Bison puppets to roam New York City honoring Indigenous history

This weekend, 150 performers will guide 40 life-size bison puppets through Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn to celebrate Indigenous history and the bison’s recovery from near extinction.

The art spectacle, titled “Return of the Buffalo: Tatanka Owe Akupi,” acknowledges the close relationship between the bison and Indigenous communities who have cared for the animals for generations. The event’s creator, Amir Nizar Zuabi, stated the production memorializes the history of the land before and after the founding of the United States.

The two-day exhibition will combine the puppet procession with poetry readings, music, ceremonies, and dancing at over a dozen locations. Elders from the Lenape and Lakota tribes will begin the event with a performance at the National Museum of the American Indian. Celebrities including Sam Waterston, Rosario Dawson, and Susan Sarandon will join tribal members and community leaders in the walks, sharing stories and knowledge with the public.

Each bison puppet requires three puppeteers to operate, two inside controlling the legs and head, and one outside acting as the eyes. Ukwanda Puppets, a South American company, designed the puppets, which were then constructed in New York City. The movements of the bison were carefully choreographed, using commands in Xhosa and Arabic, the native languages of the event’s creators. Organizers hope the event will encourage reflection on the relationship between people, land, and the potential for healing.

The event draws attention to the bison’s decline from tens of millions in the mid-1800s to fewer than 1,000 by the 1890s.