Written and directed by Tasha Hubbard, Indigenous visionaries, scientists and communities are rematriating the buffalo to the heart of the North American plains they once defined, signalling a turning point for Indigenous nations, the ecosystem, and our collective survival.
An element that you find in almost every documentary following Native American communities is their respect and deep admiration for their land and the natural world that lives within it. Singing Back the Buffalo is a wonderful example of that attitude, showing how they put so much dedication and effort into nurturing and protecting the land and its rightful inhabitants. It’s always so refreshing to watch as compared with many other societies in the world, it’s a remarkably, and almost unprecedently, healthy, aware and generous culture. Especially in how Tasha Hubbard portrays the longevity of it, how these practices are taught to the generations following, so that they can live on.
Unsurprisingly for a film that is exploring a picturesque region and majestic, if formidable, animals, the visuals are incredible. It’s a genuinely enjoyable experience to watch these sweeping landscapes go by and the buffalo command their environment. That’s then mixed with talking heads to discuss the logistics and years of hard work that go into rematriating the buffalo. It’s interesting to learn the obstacles that they face and the opposition to their plans, when on the face of it, it’s hard to imagine why people would have a problem with allowing animals to live in their natural environment, but we do live in a greedy, selfish world.
There are many elements of Singing Back the Buffalo that work very well but there’s perhaps one that works too well, and that’s the narration. Initially it taps strongly into that serene, graceful tone to reflect its subjects but as time goes on, it becomes overly consistent. It’s hitting that quiet, even toned style so much that it becomes hard to lock in, and to retain the information as it feels like you’re drifting away from it. It would have been good to see it bring the passion of the subjects more strongly into the tone, embracing the excitement and enthusiasm for the project.
Singing Back the Buffalo is excellently shot and captures the beauty of the rolling landscapes featured all throughout the documentary. The story is one filled with a love of nature and a respect for the history of the land and the animals. The sheer dedication and time that goes into pulling off a project like this is impressive. It’s a lovely show of different communities coming together, thinking of the future and conservation of the plains. It simply needed a bit bigger energy injected into its narration to vary the tone and hold onto your attention more effectively.
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