Iniskim
Iniskim follows a young woman’s journey to recovery by reconnecting with the buffalo.
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Iniskim
Clip: Special | 9m 30sVideo has Closed Captions
Iniskim follows a young woman’s journey to recovery by reconnecting with the buffalo.
Shot on the real-life Blackfeet buffalo drive and inspired by a true story, Iniskim follows a young woman’s journey from trauma to recovery. By reconnecting with the ancient power of the buffalo, the timeless landscape of her ancestors, and the wisdom of her culture, her life is changed forever.
From
Corporate funding for The American Buffalo was provided by Bank of America. Major funding was provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and by The Better Angels Society and its...
Iniskim
Clip: Special | 9m 30sVideo has Closed Captions
Shot on the real-life Blackfeet buffalo drive and inspired by a true story, Iniskim follows a young woman’s journey from trauma to recovery. By reconnecting with the ancient power of the buffalo, the timeless landscape of her ancestors, and the wisdom of her culture, her life is changed forever.
From
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorship♪ ♪ (drumming) HEAVYRUNNER: When the buffalo was wiped out, they didn't just leave the land.
They left us.
When they disappeared, a storm came and fell on our spirits.
A cold that's been here ever since.
♪ ♪ When my cousin dropped me off at the Buffalo Drive, I was pissed.
He said it would be good for me to be around the buffalo, that the buffalo spirit is medicine.
But I didn't believe him.
This whole thing was crazy.
These people giving their lives to a big, dumb animal?
But my cousin told me, "You have a soul wound and the buffalo can heal you.
You don't even know that you're looking for help.
But they're here to help you."
I thought it was stupid and I didn't trust any of it.
So I found a horse and just got out of the way.
♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Seeing the buffalo run was like nothing else.
The animals was like a magnet, pulling me.
Couldn't stop watching them, following them.
It was like I was part of the herd.
Whatever they did, I did.
♪ ♪ It's hard to describe but the buffalo woke something up in me.
Part of me that I didn't even know was there.
And this new thing started doing stuff on its own, and led me to the camp.
♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ That night, something happened.
(speaking in native language).
(speaking in native language).
(speaking in native language).
(singing in native language).
(singing in native language).
(singing in native language).
HEAVYRUNNER: Hearing that song opened something.
Something that I've been pushing away and trying to run from.
The buffalo and the people, it was like they set fire to me.
Burning the old me.
But as the flames and smoke faded...
I saw the sky again.
♪ ♪ (singing in native language).
(singing in native language).
HEAVYRUNNER: We have a story from another time that the buffalo disappeared.
It was deep winter and a young girl from our people found a sacred stone, what we call an iniskim, a buffalo stone.
That stone and the songs that it taught us, brought the buffalo back.
(singing in native language).
HEAVYRUNNER: An elder gave me one at the end of the drive.
He told me the meaning of the iniskim is different today.
That there's many meanings.
Now, it's protection.
It's community.
It's healing.
And for me, it's a reminder.
(singing in native language).
(singing in native language).
(music plays through credits) ♪ ♪
Video has Closed Captions
An intimate look at the only indigenous tribal-led buffalo drive in North America. (18m 44s)
Video has Closed Captions
The Rosebud Indian Reservations Wolakota Project aims to bring the buffalo home. (5m 51s)
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Corporate funding for The American Buffalo was provided by Bank of America. Major funding was provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and by The Better Angels Society and its...