Return of the Buffalo: Tatanka Owe Akupi

St. Ann’s Warehouse and The Walk Productions present Return of the Buffalo: Tatanka Owe Akupi in association with Theater of War Productions and KBH Arts, created by Amir Nizar Zuabi and Lenape and Lakota Elders An Epic Public Art Spectacle, 40 Life-Size Buffalo Puppets to Roam, Graze, and Run Wild Through The Streets of Downtown Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan, September 18–19

St. Ann’s Warehouse and The Walk Productions are presenting Return of the Buffalo: Tatanka Owe Akupi, one of the largest and most unique public art spectacles taking place in the U.S. this year, created by Amir Nizar Zuabi in partnership with Elders from Lenape and Lakota Tribes. The buffalo, intimately connected to North America’s original people, is a symbol of survival and resilience and our country’s national mammal.

In 2022, St. Ann’s, The Walk, and KBH Arts teamed up to walk Little Amal, a 12-foot-tall puppet of a refugee girl from war-torn Syria, across New York City, where she was welcomed at 50+ events produced in collaboration with artists and cultural and community organizations from all five boroughs. Now, St. Ann’s and The Walk, joined by Theater of War Productions, KBH Arts/Karen Brooks Hopkins and others, present a work of even greater proportions: a herd of 40 life-size buffalo puppets will take over the streets of New York City for two historic walks.

Centered around reckoning and renewal, Return of the Buffalo: Tatanka Owe Akupi acknowledges the complexity of the United States at 250 by sharing the story of the national mammal, which was brought to the brink of extinction in the late 19th century and, thanks largely to conservationists and Native peoples have seen a revival. “The land that we call America today has been here for far more than 250 years, and this production memorializes that,” said Amir Nizar Zuabi, Artistic Director of The Walk Productions and creator of Return of the Buffalo: Tatanka Owe Akupi. “The United States presents great hope, promise, and potential, as well as a history of destruction and loss. In this moment, we have a civic duty to come together as a community of global citizens to usher in a new chapter in America’s history, one that learns from its past, with empathy and respect for the land and all humans living on it.”

Return of the Buffalo: Tatanka Owe Akupi is conceived in partnership with Creative Director Bryan Doerries (Theater of War Productions’ Artistic Director), Music Director Adam Shore, Nonesuch Records President David Bither, and Immediate Medium Artistic Director JJ Lind. The Puppetry Design is by Ukwanda Puppets of South Africa, and the Puppetry Director is Craig Leo.

The artistic team will curate a series of events in Downtown Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan that will bring the life-size buffalo into the streets, at times roaming, grazing and running wild amongst everyday New Yorkers. As the buffalo herd moves along the routes, stopping at locations of historic significance, dozens of acclaimed actors, civic leaders, gospel choirs, dance troupes, marching bands, prominent musicians, and tribal ceremonies will animate parks, plazas, and squares with live performances and inspiring public events.