Buffalos will be roaming New York\u00a0City this month with a new public art\u00a0installation,\u00a0Return of the Buffalo: Tatanka Owe Akupi, coming September 18\u201319 to Manhattan and Brooklyn.\u00a0Several First Nations tribal members will be participating in the\u00a0events (produced by St. Ann\u2019s Warehouse, The Walk Productions, and KBH Arts)\u00a0featuring 40 life-size buffalo puppets. See photos of the buffalo in the gallery below.<\/p>\n
Created by playwright\u00a0Amir Nizar Zuabi in partnership with Elders from Lenape and Lakota communities, Return of the Buffalo will include a series of events along the routes in Lower Manhattan and Downtown Brooklyn with dozens of acclaimed actors, civic leaders, gospel choirs, dance troupes, marching bands, prominent musicians, and tribal leaders at parks, plazas, squares, and locations of historic significance.<\/p>\n
The First Nations tribal members participating in the walk events include Jason Baldes of Wind River Tribal Buffalo Initiative; John Thomas Delaware, Lenape elder; Eric and Aubree Wensman, Shawnee Tribe; Tokala Two Elk, Lakota Sicuga elder; Sonnie Allen, Cultural Preservation Director, Delaware Nation; and Evelyn Kionute, Cultural Events Coordinator and elder, Delaware Nation.<\/p>\n
Featured artists will\u00a0include Rhiannon Giddens, Laurie Anderson<\/a>, Nathalie Joachim, Dither, Caridad De La Luz, Cannupa Hanska Luger, Native Pride Dancers, Pilobolus, Fogo Azul marching band, Heather Christian<\/a> and the Terce Choir, and Brooklyn United Marching Band. More artists will be announced in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n On September 18, the buffalo herd will march through Lower Manhattan from 5\u20137:30 PM, beginning at Bowling Green Park and ending in Foley Square. On September 19, the herd will march through Downtown Brooklyn from 2\u20134:30 PM, traveling from Abolitionist Place to Brooklyn Bridge Park. There will be\u00a0artistic events popping up along the route both days.<\/p>\n Designed by Cape Town collective Ukwanda Puppets and led by world-renowned puppetry director Craig Leo, the lifelike buffalo are made of recycled and recyclable materials, including plywood, metal, and burlap. <\/p>\n Return of the Buffalo: Tatanka Owe Akupi is conceived in partnership with creative director Bryan Doerries<\/a> (Theater of War Productions\u2019 Artistic Director), music director Adam Shore, Nonesuch Records<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n