Peaceful as the Buffalo is the second collaboration between The Buffalo Unity Project, a program created by Poplar Middle School on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation in Montana, and MAPS Media Institute. The continued goal of The Buffalo Unity Project is to connect students to the importance of the buffalo for the Dakota and Nakoda people. This project aims to teach students that communities thrive when they are united in a common purpose.

Re-connecting youth to their culture keeps it alive to bring hope, healing, and unity to future generations. In this film, educators and students explore the importance of culture, where they came from, the role of the buffalo in their heritage, and the ways they can stay connected to each other and their community.

Written and filmed by the students of Poplar Middle School, this film was produced in collaboration with MAPS Media Institute as part of their statewide educational outreach program, the MAPS Media Lab. Students learned to conduct interviews, record sound, and operate cameras and lights during this one week intensive filmmaking workshop in the Spring of 2021.

This project was made possible with generous support from the Fort Peck Community College CHANTE Project, Poplar Middle School, Greater Montana Foundation, and MAPS.