![\"buffalo](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/MixCollage-30-Jul-2026-02-52-PM-9257.jpg\" "\\"Herd")
The life-size puppets will tell the story of the U.S. national mammal.Photos courtesy of St. Ann\u2019s Warehouse<\/p>\nA piece of performance art arriving in Brooklyn this fall explores the complex history and hopeful future of the U.S. through the story of its national mammal, the American buffalo.\u00a0<\/p>\n
On Sept. 19 and 20, a herd of 50 life-size buffalo puppets will roam the streets of Downtown Brooklyn and Manhattan, running amongst New Yorkers and tourists as they visit historic sites and public parks and plazas.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Along the way, the herd \u2014 operated by a team of 150 volunteer puppeteers \u2014 will be joined by actors, civic leaders and marching bands for live music and dance performances and Native American tribal ceremonies.<\/p>\n
The life-size puppets will tell the story of the U.S. national mammal.Photos courtesy of St. Ann\u2019s Warehouse<\/p>\n
\u201cReturn of the Buffalo: Tatanka Owe Akupi<\/a>,\u201d created by artist Amir Nizar Zuabi and elders from the Lakota and Lenape tribes, was inspired by the \u201cincredible return\u201d of the massive animals.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe are inviting New Yorkers to reflect and appreciate nature, our land, and our power to heal and renew,\u201d said Susan Feldman, founder of St. Ann\u2019s Warehouse. \u201cThe story of the American buffalo reminds us of the near extinction of a majestic creature, and it acknowledges a magnificent human effort to rewild them. It represents the worst of us and the best of us.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Centuries ago, an estimated 100 million buffalo roamed the U.S. They shaped the landscape and the lives of Native American tribes, especially on the Great Plains. The animals were a source of food, their hides were turned into clothing and shelter, their fat into soap.\u00a0<\/p>\n Settlers slaughtered tens of millions of the animals in the 19th century. After the Civil War, the new American government encouraged<\/a> the mass killing<\/a> of buffalo to deprive Native Americans of food and resources and force them to move onto reservations.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n By the late 1800s, the population of buffalo in the U.S., which had once been as high as 100 million, had been cut down to less than 1,000.\u00a0<\/p>\n Massive conservation efforts saved the species from the brink of extinction, and today, there are more than 500,000 buffalo<\/a> in the U.S. Native American tribes are reclaiming stewardship<\/a> of the animals, overseeing herds as they return to their native lands.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe land that we call America today has been here for far more than 250 years, and this production memorializes that,\u201d said Zuabi. \u201cThe 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\u2019s history, one that learns from its past, with empathy and respect for the land and all humans living on it.\u201d<\/p>\n The volunteer puppeteers, recruited from around New York City, will train together at St. Ann\u2019s Warehouse in August. The puppets themselves, designed by Ukwanda Puppets, will be fabricated and assembled at St. Ann\u2019s, too.<\/p>\n![\"bison](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/6f0cd533-16d1-41f2-867d-afbb666c136fHiResProxy.jpg\" "\\"Herd")
Buffalo populations in the U.S. are rising thanks to a dedicated conservation effort. Photo courtesy of NPS\/Diane Renkin <\/p>\n![\"buffalo](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1785439279_189_Copy-of-26-06-12-bison-2800.jpg\" "\\"Herd")
The puppets will be fabricated in Brooklyn and operated by a team of volunteers. Photo courtesy of St. Ann\u2019s Warehouse<\/p>\n