A herd of 40 life-sized buffalo puppets has journeyed through Lower Manhattan, tracing the steps of a tragic chapter in US history. The Return of the Buffalo: Tatanka Owe Akupi procession, named after the Lakota term for 'buffalo trail home', has been following the route of 38 Dakota men executed by President Lincoln in 1862. The event, created in collaboration with Lenape and Lakota elders, has seen the puppets pass through landmarks like Bowling Green, Federal Hall, and the World Trade Center, with concurrent performances from Native dance troupes and gospel choirs adding to the spectacle.

Amir Nizar Zuabi, the theatre writer and director behind the project, explains the involvement of community members in shaping the event. 'We just followed the elders’ lead in who they wanted involved, what they wanted to be said,' he says. 'Really letting them shape the conceptual backbone of the work.' The Return of the Buffalo traces the complex history of the buffalo in the US, from the 19th-century slaughter to the modern conservation efforts led by Native activists.

The procession, which will continue its journey through downtown Brooklyn tomorrow, is more than a historical reenactment; it is a living dialogue between the past and the present, reminding us of the deep, sacred relationship the Lenape and Lakota peoples share with the buffalo.