NATIVE: The Prodigies of an Icon | Part 1: Keystone

Native: The Prodigies of an Icon is a multi-part documentary series exploring the American bison not as a symbol or spectacle, but as a living force that has shaped land, culture, and survival across North America.

Rather than beginning with modern management or romanticized history, Keystone answers the fundamental question on which the entire series rests: why the bison is indispensable—then and now.

Part I: Keystone establishes the ecological foundation of the series. It examines why bison matter—how they evolved alongside the continent’s grasslands, how their behavior shaped soil, water, and biodiversity, and why their unique physical and social traits made them one of the most effective land-shaping mammals on Earth. From their historic expansion across the plains to the characteristics that allowed them to endure near-extinction, Keystone explains what makes bison essential to healthy ecosystems.

LOCATION – Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, Westminster, CO

For Directions from the Omni to Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, click here.

Food and Drinks will be available for purchase.

RELEVANCE: AMERICAN BISON & CONSERVATION

• The American bison is a keystone species essential to grassland health, biodiversity, and soil regeneration.
• Restoration efforts today are often led by working landowners and tribal nations.
• Bison stewardship connects wildlife conservation, food systems, cultural heritage, and rural livelihoods.

MISSION

The Native series exists to tell honest stories about land, animals, and people without nostalgia, politics, or spectacle.
The project elevates voices rarely heard and presents conservation as a lived responsibility carried forward by real communities.

The National Buffalo Foundation supported the film Native: Prodigies of an Icon because it presents a powerful narrative highlighting the resilience, beauty, and profound cultural importance of the American buffalo, directly aligning with the organization’s core mission to preserve the history of the American bison and foster their future. 

This support is vital to the foundation’s mission, as the documentary serves as an educational platform to raise public awareness about the bison’s historical and ecological significance, thereby promoting conservation efforts, cultural appreciation, and sustainable practices that ensure the species’ long-term viability in North American ecosystems.

Beyond this film, the National Buffalo Foundation engages in several key projects, such as maintaining the Buffalo Hall of Fame to recognize contemporary and historical honorees who have advanced bison preservation, administering competitive grants programs that have distributed over $300,000 to fund bison research initiatives like herd health studies and parasite control, partnering with the Center of Excellence for Bison Studies at South Dakota State University to support vaccine development and other scientific advancements, and offering funding applications for projects focused on bison heritage, legacy preservation, and public education.