A herd of 50 life-size buffalo puppets is coming to Downtown Brooklyn, Brooklyn Heights and DUMBO! On Saturday, September 19 from 2 to 4.30 pm, Return of the Buffalo: Tatanka Owe Akupi will march from Abolitionist Place to Brooklyn Bridge Park, with live music, poetry and tribal ceremonies at every stop along the way.
Created by Amir Nizar Zuabi — the artist behind Little Amal, the giant puppet that walked the world — in partnership with Elders of the Lenape and Lakota Tribes, the procession marks the buffalo’s return from near extinction. The life-size puppets were built by Ukwanda Puppets of South Africa, and the herd will be joined by Sam Waterston, Laurie Anderson, Rhiannon Giddens, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Pilobolus, the Native Pride Dancers and Brooklyn’s own marching bands. It is one of the largest public art spectacles in the U.S. this year — free, with no tickets needed: just find the herd and walk along.
The Brooklyn route, stop by stop
The herd sets out from Abolitionist Place at 2pm and reaches Brooklyn Bridge Park by 4:30pm, pausing at eight stops:
1. Abolitionist Place
Members of the Delaware Nation and Delaware Tribe (Lenni-Lenape) will welcome the buffalo — and members of the Lakota tribe — to their ancestral homeland, with HONK NYC! among the performers.
2. Brooklyn Borough Hall
Musical performances will greet the herd on the Borough Hall steps, with Rhiannon Giddens and the Resistance Revival Chorus.
3. Montague Street Stoop
Heather Christian and the Terce Choir will perform as the herd moves along Montague Street.
4. Montague St. & Henry St.
The Brooklyn United Marching Band meets the buffalo and steers them toward the Promenade.
5. Brooklyn Heights Promenade
Sam Waterston performs Walt Whitman’s “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry” above the harbor.
6. Columbia Heights
A marching ensemble leads the herd — and everyone walking with it — down the hill to Fulton Ferry Landing and Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Pier 1.
7. Bridge View Lawn, Brooklyn Bridge Park
Lakota elder Tokala Two Elk shares the Prophecy of the White Buffalo as First Nations representatives join the herd.
8. Harbor View Lawn, Brooklyn Bridge Park
The finale: spoken performances of historical texts, music from Laurie Anderson, Rhiannon Giddens, Haley Heynderickx and Max García Conover, and a final blessing from the Lenape and Lakota partners.
The Manhattan day
On Friday, September 18, the herd will march through Lower Manhattan from 5–7:30pm, from Bowling Green Park to Foley Square, with performances popping up along the route.
Good to know
The event is free and non-ticketed — join or leave the procession anywhere along the route. The full route map and the featured artists for each stop are on the St. Ann’s Warehouse page and in the free Bloomberg Connects guide.
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