Bring Them Home / Aiskótáhkapiyaaya

Executive Produced and Narrated by Lily Gladstone

Bring Them Home / Aiskótáhkapiyaaya tells the story of a committed group of Blackfoot people and their mission to establish the first wild buffalo herd on their ancestral territory since the species' near-extinction a century ago. Through the process of re-wilding, the tribe seeks to restore the land, re-enliven traditional culture, and bring much needed healing to their community.

A hundred and fifty years ago, the Blackfoot people witnessed the near-extinction of bison at the hands of Westward expansion. It was a deliberate act of colonial violence that nearly destroyed the tribe as bison are one of the most important links to Blackfoot identity, culture, and spirituality. Since this near desolation, the Blackfoot have endured a century-long campaign of oppression and persecution from the United States government — including broken treaties, forced assimilation through boarding schools, and land theft — a brutal and violent experience from which they are only now beginning to heal. Looking to right these historic wrongs, a dedicated group of Blackfoot work to return the wild bison — an environmentally significant keystone species — to their lands, but their mission has been thwarted at every turn by cattle ranchers, internal politics, and the legacy of colonialism. If the opposition is successful, it would be a generational setback for the reinstatement of Blackfoot culture.

Charting the course of the struggle from past to present, Bring Them Home follows the tribal members who have given their lives and hearts to this struggle for the betterment of their people. From the near-annihilation of bison and the Blackfoot people to the origins of the effort to restore wild bison and the present-day threats to their work and culture, the film is an intimate look at the willpower and resilience it takes to survive and thrive in the face of near-continuous hostility, and preserve traditions for future generations.

FILMMAKERS' STATEMENT: "The histories of the Blackfeet and buffalo are a shared experience of near extinction, genocide, and forced removal founded on the everlasting effects of colonization. Blackfeet culture, spirituality, and livelihoods are inextricably connected to buffalo, as are the grasslands. Through a mix of Indigenous and Western storytelling, Bring Them Home shows what it means through the eyes of Indigenous Peoples to live in relationship with animals and with the land, to appreciate buffalo as wildlife, and educates all audiences about the importance of rewilding buffalo and Indigenous-led efforts of conservation.

Bring Them Home focuses on the Blackfeet's Iinnii (Buffalo) Initiative, supported by the Wildlife Conservation Society and the Oakland Zoo, which was created to conserve traditional lands, protect Blackfeet culture, and return the buffalo to their own ancestral lands. Part of the film's goal is to help raise awareness throughout the Blackfoot Confederacy and, in fact, the world about the Iinnii Initiative, and to create long-term financial sustainability for the program.

Buffalo and Blackfeet are not separate in Indigenous worldviews and bringing them home to their original lands is critical to cultural, spiritual, and economic healing. In addition, buffalo are a keystone species in a healthy grassland ecosystem— one does not fully function without the other. The Re-wilding will be difficult, and the tribe faces many obstacles. Our impact campaign follows the Blackfeet Medicine Wheel and is centered on advocacy, reciprocity, action, and education. We envision long-term sustainability for the Blackfeet's Iinnii Initiative."

Preview link available upon request. Contact support@videoproject for more information

A Film by Ivan MacDonald, Ivy MacDonald, and Daniel Glick

85 minutes

Scene Selection • Closed Captioned

Grades 8 - Adult

Item #: BTM-2080

A group of Blackfoot people attempt to establish the first wild buffalo herd on their ancestral territory

Starting at $99

Licensing Options

K-12 Classroom, Public Libraries: DVD - $99 K-12 DVD + Digital File - $149 Colleges & Institutions: DVD - $395 Colleges: DVD with Digital Site License - $495 K-12 School District pricing available. Please inquire at [email protected] Community Screenings: Please Complete 'Host a Screening' Form found on top menu bar

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Reviews and Festivals

"Bring Them Home highlights a crucial story of survival; of Iinnii, our Buffalo; of Blackfoot people and our culture; and of the very land which we call home. Like the Buffalo, our land does not acknowledge fences and nor does our changing climate... Being a part of this essential documentary is one of the most precious collaborations of my life, and I couldn't be more thrilled for the world to see this absolute labor of love come alive."

— Lily Gladstone, Academy-Award nominated actress

"At a time when our planet is on fire, it is critical that we recognize that the climate crisis started with colonialism and that Indigenous storytellers help us confront, acknowledge, and mourn what was lost, as well as to decolonize our imagination around climate solutions."

— Favianna Rodriguez, President, Center for Cultural Power

"Groundbreaking... Bring Them Home shares more than just the incredible community effort to bring bison back. It imparts the crucial message that we are a part of nature, reminding us that we are not just the caretakers of wildlife, we are kin... This beautiful, thoughtfully-crafted documentary will undoubtedly make a positive impact on the restoration of wild bison, respect for Indigenous sovereignty, and advancement of cultural revitalization movements."

— Ashley Sherburne, Communications and Engagement Specialist, Glacier-Two Medicine Alliance

"Lily Gladstone narrates the film, imbuing the story with her love for their people, the land, and the iinnii (buffalo)."

— Tracy Rector, Seattle International Film Festival

"Bring Them Home is a cinematically breathtaking story of hope and healing."

— Wild & Scenic Film Festival

"Authentically tells the story of the decades-long fight to bring back an integral piece of Blackfeet culture... As an audience member, it is hard not to feel moved by the visual momentum of buffalo stampeding as they make their way home across the reservation."

— Braden Harper, MVSKOKE Media

WINNER

Big Sky International Film Festival, Big Sky Award

BlackStar Film Festival, Directing Award for Climate Storytelling

Nevada City Film Festival, Best Score

Weyauwega International Film Festival, Best Documentary

San Diego International Film Festival, Audience Choice Award / Special Indigenous Award

Palm Springs International Film Festival, Best of Fest, Audience Choice

Jackson Wild Media Awards, Honorable Mention

Montana International Film Festival, Best Documentary

OFFICIAL SELECTION

Mill Valley Film Festival

Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival

Red Nation

Seattle International Film Festival

Denver Film

Salem Film Festival

Colorado Environmental Film Festival

Sebastopol Documentary Film Festival

Birrarangga Film Festival

DocUtah International Film Festival

DC Environmental Film Festival

International Wildlife Film Festival

Wyoming International Film Festival

Lawrence Freestate Film Festival

Hollywood Climate Summit

Lethbridge Independent Film Festival

NatiVision Film Festival

Santa Fe Film Festival

Tacoma Film Festival

New Hampshire Film Festival

Winterland Film Festival

Circle Cinema Film Festival

BANFF

Yellowknife Film Festival

Winterland Film Festival

Pocahontas Reframed

Sedona Film Festival

Fargo Film Festival

PortlandEco Film Festival

Flathead Lake International Cinemafest

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