Ahead of the premiere of “The American Buffalo” in October, producers Julie Dunfey and Julianna Brannum and Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum Executive Director Andrew Hay gathered for a panel discussion moderated by Panhandle PBS Senior Content Producer Karen Welch. During the discussion, Dunfey and Brannum offered insights to the production of the film, their own connections to buffalo, the Texas Panhandle and more. The discussion can be watched in its entirety now on our YouTube channel or through Panhandle PBS Passport.

Prior to the discussion, Panhandle PBS showed a special preview screening customized with region-specific excerpts of the film. Additionally, Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum celebrated the opening of their new exhibit “The Fall and Rise of an American Icon,” in coordination with the documentary.

The event was presented by Bank of America, Merrill Lynch, Panhandle PBS, Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum and West Texas A&M University.

“The American Buffalo,” a new two-part, four-hour film directed by Ken Burns tells the history of an improbable, shaggy beast that is at the center of many of the country’s most mythic and heartbreaking tales. The series, which was four years in the making, takes viewers on a journey through more than 10,000 years of North American history and across some of the continent’s most iconic landscapes, tracing the national mammal’s evolution, its significance to the Great Plains, and, most importantly, its relationship to the Indigenous People of North America.

The film includes interviews with leading Native American scholars, land experts and Tribal Nation members. Among those interviewed were Gerard Baker (Mandan-Hidatsa), George Horse Capture, Jr. (Aaniiih), Rosalyn LaPier (Blackfeet of Montana and Métis), N. Scott Momaday (Kiowa), Marcia Pablo (Pend d’Oreille and Kootenai), Ron Parker (Comanche), Dustin Tahmahkera (Comanche) and Germaine White (Confederate Salish and Kootenai Tribes). “The American Buffalo” will air from 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. on October 16 and 17 on Panhandle PBS.

Immediately following “The American Buffalo” is the premiere of “Strong Spirit,” a two-part series from Panhandle PBS that explores bison and Native Americans in the Texas Panhandle. Episode one, which will premiere at 9 p.m. on October 16, will feature the Goodnight Herd at Caprock Canyon and how bison impact the ecosystem. Episode two, which will premiere at 9 p.m. on October 17, will explore the way Native Americans use stories to pass down tribal knowledge and traditions.  

Support for “The American Buffalo” and related local content is provided by the Carol K. Engler Foundation, West Texas A&M University and the Jason Roselius Memorial Foundation. 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 following members: The Margaret A. Cargill Foundation fund at the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation; Diane and Hal Brierly; The Keith Campbell Foundation for the Environment; John and Catherine Debs; Kissick Family Foundation; Fred and Donna Seigel; Jacqueline Mars; John and Leslie McQuown; and Mr. and Mrs. Paul Tudor Jones. Funding was also provided by the Volgenau Foundation.