In this March 2018 photo, provided by The Buffalo Hunt LLC, Beldine White Eyes sits in her home following a traditional buffalo hunt on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. “The Buffalo Hunt,” a new documentary on the homeland of the Oglala Lakota, attempts to shun clich s around Pine Ridge and instead focuses on traditions around the human condition. (Philip Di Fiore/Phillip O’Leary The Buffalo Hunt LLC via AP)
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) – “The Buffalo Hunt,” a new documentary on the homeland of the Oglala Lakota, attempts to shun clichés around the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota involving poverty and addiction and instead focus on traditions around the Native American tribe.
Directed by Philip Di Fiore, the film lets the Lakota Sioux people of today speak without narration as they work to save customs passed down by the elders through the buffalo hunt – a sacred act which extends to all aspects of life. There, in the hunt, elders share stories on how previous generations used the animal’s gifts and prepared hunters for the world before them. Young members watch and participate.
The year-long project on Pine Ridge began after producer Phillip O’Leary took part in the 2016 protests at Standing Rock over the proposed Dakota Access Pipeline over concerns the local drinking water would be polluted. O’Leary originally wanted to dive into a documentary around the Standing Rock protests until he met Pine Ridge members, Di Fiore said. The Lakota Sioux men, like members of other Native American tribes from New Mexico to Oklahoma, had come to Standing Rock in solitary.
“Phillip was captivated by their stories so the focus of the project changed,” Di Fiore said.
But would it fall victim of other stereotypical portrayals?