Representative Image of a herd of life-size bison puppets walking through the streets of New York City with performers (AI Generated Image)
For two days in September 2026, a herd of 40 life-size bison walked through New York City. 18 and Downtown Brooklyn on Sept. 19. Each bison was operated by three puppeteers, while more than 100 volunteer puppeteers from around the world were trained to reproduce the animals’ movements. In coverage of the finished puppets, amNewYork reported that more than 100 volunteer puppeteers from around the world had been trained. 18, the herd travelled through Lower Manhattan from Bowling Green Park to Foley Square between 5 and 7:30 p.m. 19, it moved through Downtown Brooklyn from Abolitionist Place to Brooklyn Bridge Park between 2 and 4:30 p.m.
Some of the commands used during training, including instructions such as “gallop,” “gentle stop”, and “regroup,” were given in Xhosa and Arabic, languages connected to members of the production team. The production’s puppetry director, Craig Leo, said the experience of moving through New York as part of an entire herd was a rare opportunity for the volunteer performers. The Walk Productions says it is exploring future appearances for Return of the Buffalo, leaving open the possibility that the life-size herd could eventually walk through other cities.
The animals were puppets, hand-built at St. Ann’s Warehouse in Brooklyn using steel, plywood, burlap and paper, and they moved through Lower Manhattan on Sept. The free public event, Return of the Buffalo: Tatanka Owe Akupi, was presented by St. Ann’s Warehouse, The Walk Productions and KBH Arts and created by Amir Nizar Zuabi in partnership with Elders from the Lenape and Lakota tribes. The event combined the giant puppets with music, poetry, ceremonies, dance and other performances at locations across the city. Three puppeteers operated each bison. One worked at the rear and controlled the back legs, another worked at the front to move the head, and a third performer stayed outside to support the head and relay information to the puppeteers inside, who had limited visibility. The performers spent days learning how to make the bison walk, breathe and move together as a herd. The project also involved a substantial volunteer-training effort. The procession was accompanied by a wide range of artists and performers. St. Ann’s official list included Sam Waterston, Susan Sarandon, Rosario Dawson, Laurie Anderson, Rhiannon Giddens, Nathalie Joachim and Talie Cerin, Davóne Tines & The Truth, Resistance Revival Chorus, Dither, Caridad De La Luz, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Cannupa Hanska Luger, Native Pride Dancers, Chaske Spencer, Pilobolus Dance Company, Fogo Azul marching band, Heather Christian and the Terce Choir, and Brooklyn United Marching Band. The herd stopped at locations of historical significance along the routes, with live music, readings, dance, ceremonies and other performances taking place around the bison. Coverage of the Manhattan procession also described a stop outside the New York Stock Exchange, where heavy-metal guitarists performed. The event was designed as a public spectacle that people could watch without buying a ticket. Instead of remaining inside a theatre, the performers and puppets moved through streets, parks and public spaces, bringing the production directly into the city. The Lakota subtitle, Tatanka Owe Akupi, was used alongside the English title Return of the Buffalo. Rather than relying on differing English translations of the Lakota phrase, the production itself presents the two titles together. For the artists behind the project, the bison’s near disappearance and recovery provided a way to explore themes of loss, renewal and the relationship between people, animals and land. St. Ann’s artistic director Susan Feldman described the buffalo’s history as a story of both near extinction and a later effort to restore the species. Karen Brooks Hopkins, founder and producer of KBH Arts, described the production as “the largest public art spectacle in America. That is the organiser’s characterisation rather than an independently established record. The New York performances have now ended, but the project may not be finished.
On Friday, Sept. On Saturday, Sept.