Film: Singing Back the Buffalo
Tasha Hubbard’s 2024 documentary Singing Back the Buffalo explores Indigenous-led efforts to restore buffalo to the North American plains after their near extinction. The film follows the animals’ journey across the Northern Plains during 2022, highlighting how their return is deeply connected to ecological renewal and cultural revitalization for many Indigenous nations. Hubbard weaves together history, land-based knowledge, and community activism to show how rematriation of the buffalo signals a turning point for both ecosystems and Indigenous sovereignty.
The film also reflects Hubbard’s longstanding commitment to telling Indigenous stories from Indigenous perspectives. After pausing the project to create her award‑winning documentary on the Colten Boushie case, she returned to this story because it brought her joy and honored a decades‑long personal and academic journey connected to “Buffalo Consciousness.” The result is a visually rich and emotionally grounded documentary that not only chronicles restoration efforts, but also calls viewers to recognize the buffalo as kin, as history, and as a vital part of a sustainable future.