Is it bison or buffalo?
Per Nachusa Grasslands’ FAQ, bison is the correct term. The actual genus and species name for the bison
that’s
indigenous to North America is Bison bison .
“American Buffalo” is also acceptable, but "buffalo" all by itself is not.
Early settlers can be blamed for the mix-up, referring to bison as "buffalo," mistaking them for Water
Buffalo
or Cape Buffalo, native to Africa and Asia.
The filmmakers decided to call the film The American Buffalo because "buffalo" is the common name in
the
United States.
The American Buffalo: A Story of Resilience
Behind the Scenes | Making The American Buffalo
Sitting Bull and the Wounded Knee Massacre
George Bird Grinnell and Early Conservation Efforts
The Buffalo Nickel and Bison Facts Today
Buffalo Bill and His Wild West Show
Why Is Destruction Part of Our Story?
Surprising Facts About the Buffalo
A Legacy of Broken Promises
Industrial Expansion West and Its Impact
Joseph H. Williams Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, Pawhuska,
Osage
County, Oklahoma, July 2021. Credit: Harvey Payne
Blessing Ceremony in Norman, Oklahoma, October 22, 2021.
Credit:
Jared Ames
Ben Masters films in the Joseph H. Williams Tallgrass Prairie
Preserve. Pawhuska, Osage County, Oklahoma, May 2021. Credit: Harvey Payne
Wild Idea, Conata Ranches, Rapid City, South Dakota,
February, 2020.
Credit: Craig Mellish
Research for American Buffalo in Cody, Wyoming, September 29,
2021.
Credit: Susan Shumaker
History Colorado Center, Denver, Colorado, July 22, 2022.
Credit:
Emily Mosher
Dayton Duncan on camera in Fort Benton, Montana, June 16,
2021.
Credit: Jared Ames
Dayton Duncan, Julie Dunfey, Buddy Squires, and Wil Duncan at
the
American Prairie Reserve, Montana, June 18, 2021. Credit: Jared Ames
The crew of American Buffalo at the American Prairie Reserve,
Montana, June 19, 2021. Credit: Jared Ames
The crew of American Buffalo at the American Prairie Reserve,
Montana, June 19, 2021. Credit: Jared Ames
Julie Dunfey and Buddy Squires at the Flying D Ranch in
Gallatin
Gateway, Montana, June 22, 2021. Credit: Jared Ames
Julie Dunfey and Buddy Squires at the Flying D Ranch in
Gallatin
Gateway, Montana, June 22, 2021. Credit: Jared Ames
An interview in Charlo, Montana, June 24, 2021. Credit: Jared
Ames
Filming of American Buffalo at National Bison Range, Montana,
June
24, 2021. Credit: Jared Ames
Filming of American Buffalo at National Bison Range, Montana,
June
24, 2021. Credit: Jared Ames
Filming of American Buffalo at Yellowstone, Montana, February
10,
2022. Credit: Jared Ames
Dan White at the Montana Historical Society, Helena, Montana,
December 14, 2022. Credit: Susan Shumaker
“The Rocky Mountain, Lander’s Peak” by Albert Bierstadt,
1863.
Credit: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
“Buffalo Chase with Bows and Lances” by George Catlin,
1832-1833.
Credit: Smithsonian American Art Museum
“Buffalo Hunt under the Wolf-skin Mask” by George Catlin,
1832-1833.
Credit: Smithsonian American Art Museum
“Buffalo Chase in Winter, Indians on Snowshoes” by George
Catlin,
1832-1833. Credit: Smithsonian American Art Museum
“The Last of the Buffalo” by Albert Bierstadt, 1888. Credit:
Courtesy
National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC
Poster advertising Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show, c. 1900.
Credit:
Library of Congress
Theodore Roosevelt c. 1910. Credit: Library of Congress
The railroad pushes west, c. 1862-1867. Credit: Stanford
University
Libraries. Photo by Alfred A. Hart
William T. Hornaday’s bison exhibit at the Smithsonian, 1902.
Credit:
Smithsonian Institution Archives
Early depiction of a bison in a Spanish history book, 1554.
Credit:
Courtesy of the John Carter Brown Library
The railroad unites the east and west coasts. Cartoon printed
in
Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper, 1869. Credit: Library of Congress
“Pawnee Running Buffalo” by Alfred Jacob Miller, 1858-1860.
Credit:
The Walters Art Museum
Theodore Roosevelt, Quanah Parker, and others on a hunt in
1905.
Credit: Library of Congress. Photo by Alexander Lambert
Bison in South Dakota, September 2019. Credit: Craig Mellish
Lone bison at Theodore Roosevelt National Park, October 2022.
Credit:
Craig Mellish
Bison at Theodore Roosevelt National Park, October 2022.
Credit:
Craig Mellish
Bison in Montana, September 2019. Credit: Craig Mellish
Thanks to our sponsors
The WTTW presentation of The American
Buffalo is made possible, in part, by Rita and John Canning, Denny and Sandy
Cummings, Marshall Field, Alicia and Peter Pond, The Bobolink Foundation, TAWANI Property Management, Barbara Malott Kizziah
and Keith Kizziah, David and Amanda Mabie, and WTTW Members.