St. Ann’s and The Walk to Unleash Herd of Buffalo Puppets in Return of the Buffalo: Tatanka Owe Akupi

St. Ann’s Warehouse and The Walk Productions are presenting Return of the Buffalo: Tatanka Owe Akupi, a work of public art created by Amir Nizar Zuabi in partnership with Elders from Lenape and Lakota Tribes.

The piece follows in the footsteps of Little Amal, a 12-foot-tall puppet of a refugee girl from war-torn Syria, who, in 2022, was welcomed at 50+ events throughout New York City. Return of the Buffalo: Tatanka Owe Akupi will feature a herd of 50 life-size buffalo puppets that will take over the streets of New York City for two historic walks September 19-20.

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. 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, actors, civic leaders, gospel choirs, dance troupes, marching bands, musicians, and tribal ceremonies will animate parks, plazas, and squares with live performances and public events.

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,” says creator Amir Nizar Zuabi. “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.”