Best of: Ken Burns on ‘The American Buffalo’
Ken Burns' latest documentary explores the natural and cultural history of "The American Buffalo." Provided by PBS: Bison by Craig Mellish, Ken Burns by Steve Holmes Photography
The historian Stephen Ambrose once said, “More Americans get their history from Ken Burns than any other source.” Now he's turned his lens on North America's last remaining megafauna: The American Buffalo.
The buffalo sustained Native Americans for hundreds of generations — until they were hunted to near extinction in the 1800s. The film, like all of Burns’ work, premiered on PBS, spanning four hours over two nights this fall. The film has Burns’ usual mix of beautiful nature footage, archival photographs, and deep interviews with experts — many of whom are Native Americans. Later on in the program, we’ll hear from one of them — University of Illinois history professor Rosalyn LaPier.
Guest:
Ken Burns
Director, The American Buffalo
A version of this conversation was first broadcast October 16, 2023.