‘The Buffalo Hunt’ seeks to show tribe in a new light
The Associated Press - June 8, 2019 9:21 am
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) – A new documentary on the Oglala Lakota focuses on a tribal buffalo hunt to tell stories about traditions of the Native American people.
“The Buffalo Hunt” seeks to avoid clichés around the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota that involve poverty and addiction. Instead, it lets its subjects talk as they work to save customs passed down by elders.
The year-long project on Pine Ridge began after producer Phillip O’Leary participated in the 2016 protests at Standing Rock over the proposed Dakota Access Pipeline.
Director Philip Di Fiore says that’s where the producer met Pine Ridge members who invited him to their homeland. He says the film intentionally tries to tell the tribe’s story on its own terms.
The film will be released on Amazon Prime on June 24th.