Buffalo dance | 1894 | Short, Nonfiction

Title: Buffalo dance | 1894 | Short, Nonfiction Director: William K.L. Dickson Studio: Edison Manufacturing Co. Starring: Hair Coat, Last Horse, Parts His Hair, Pine, Strong Talker Runtime: 0.25 Format: 35 mm, black-and-white, silent; 20 fps; 1 reel; shot at Edison's Black Maria studio, West Orange, New Jersey Country: United States Language: Silent Genres: Nonfiction, Short, Dance --- Chapters: 00:00:00 Dancers take position 00:00:03 Drums commence 00:00:07 Circular steps 00:00:11 Rhythm builds 00:00:14 Final pose --- Summary: Three performers from the Sioux Nation execute a buffalo dance inside the Black Maria studio while two drummers maintain the beat. The film presents the dance in a single, static view, emphasizing movement, costume, and rhythm over narrative. As an actuality from the Edison Manufacturing Company, the piece functions as an ethnographic record and an early screen depiction of Native American performers for Kinetoscope-era audiences. --- Background: Filmed on September 24, 1894, at Edison's Black Maria in West Orange, New Jersey, Buffalo dance was photographed by William Heise and produced by W.K.L. Dickson. The performers were members of Buffalo Bill's Wild West show, and the film is among the earliest motion pictures to feature Native Americans, produced during the Kinetoscope period alongside related titles such as Sioux Ghost Dance. --- Trivia: The Library of Congress catalog records the duration as 0:15 at 20 frames per second. The three dancers are identified as Hair Coat, Last Horse, and Parts His Hair, with drummers Pine and Strong Talker. Cinematography is credited to William Heise, a frequent collaborator with Dickson on early Edison actualities. The film was shot at the Black Maria, a purpose-built studio designed to supply short subjects for the Kinetoscope. It was produced in the same period as Sioux Ghost Dance, another Edison short featuring Native American performers. --- Public Domain / Rights: Original Studio / Distributor: Edison Manufacturing Co. Copyright Status: Public Domain Renewal: Unknown --- Hashtags: BuffaloDance 1894 PublicDomain Edison SilentFilm EarlyCinema NativeAmerican LibraryOfCongress ShortFilm WilliamKLDickson Source page: https: //www.loc.gov/item/00694114/ Direct media URL: https: //tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/mbrs/ntscrm/00183862/00183862.mp4