Bring Them Home / Aiskótáhkapiyaaya
Bring Them Home / Aiskótáhkapiyaaya
Documentary Feature – 85 min
Produced by Thunderheart Films & The Redford Center
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Synopsis
Bring Them Home / Aiskótáhkapiyaaya follows the powerful, decades-long effort of the Blackfoot Confederacy to bring wild buffalo (iinnii) back to the Blackfeet Reservation.
For the Blackfeet, buffalo are more than animals — they are relatives, central to heritage, spirituality, and survival. Their return means ecological restoration, cultural reconnection, and community healing.
As the Blackfeet work to restore wild herds to their ancestral lands, they face opposition from ranchers and the long shadow of colonization. Yet, through resilience and collaboration with conservation partners, they continue to rewild the buffalo — a journey of renewal for both land and people.
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About the Film
Directed by Ervin Carlson and Paulette Fox, the film documents the Iinnii (Buffalo) Initiative, a partnership with the Wildlife Conservation Society and Oakland Zoo to conserve traditional lands, protect Blackfeet culture, and return buffalo to their natural range.
Through Indigenous and Western storytelling, Bring Them Home illuminates what it means to live in relationship with animals and the land — and the shared healing that comes from rewilding and Indigenous-led conservation.
