Buffalo is the New Buffalo

Stories

New!

Powerful stories of "Metis futurism" that envision a world without violence, capitalism, or colonization.

"Education is the new buffalo" is a metaphor widely used among Indigenous peoples in Canada to signify the importance of education to their survival and ability to support themselves, as once Plains nations supported themselves as buffalo peoples. The assumption is that many of the pre-Contact ways of living are forever gone, so adaptation is necessary. But Chelsea Vowel asks, "Instead of accepting that the buffalo, and our ancestral ways, will never come back, what if we simply ensure that they do?"

Inspired by classic and contemporary speculative fiction, Buffalo Is the New Buffalo explores science fiction tropes through a Metis lens: a Two-Spirit rougarou (shapeshifter) in the nineteenth century tries to solve a murder in her community and joins the nehiyaw-pwat (Iron Confederacy) in order to successfully stop Canadian colonial expansion into the West. A Metis man is gored by a radioactive bison, gaining super strength, but losing the ability to be remembered by anyone not related to him by blood. Nanites babble to babies in Cree, virtual reality teaches transformation, foxes take human form and wreak havoc on hearts, buffalo roam free, and beings grapple with the thorny problem of healing from colonialism.

Indigenous futurisms seek to discover the impact of colonization, remove its psychological baggage, and recover ancestral traditions. These eight short stories of "Metis futurism" explore Indigenous existence and resistance through the specific lens of being Metis. Expansive and eye-opening, Buffalo Is the New Buffalo rewrites our shared history in provocative and exciting ways.

Contributors

Chelsea Vowel

Chelsea Vowel is Métis from manitow-sâkahikan (Lac Ste. Anne), Alberta, currently residing in amiskwacîwâskihikan (Edmonton). Mother to six children, she has a BEd, an LLB, and an MA and is a Cree language instructor. Chelsea is a public intellectual, writer, and educator whose work intersects language, gender, Métis self-determination, and resurgence. Cohost of Indigenous feminist sci-fi podcast Métis in Space, cofounder of the Métis in Space Land Trust, and author of Indigenous Writes: A Guide to First Nations, Métis & Inuit Issues in Canada, Chelsea blogs at apihtawikosisan.com and makes legendary bannock.
Chapter Title Contents Contributors Pages Year Price

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The author Chelsea Vowel locates herself in her identity, particularly her Métis heritage, her connection to the land in Northern Alberta, relationship with the colonial settler state, and more. 4 $0.40

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In the Preface Vowel explains the concepts of Indigenous futurisms, Métis futurisms, and Indigeneity that are used throughout the book. 8 $0.80

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The Introduction provides a synopsis for each story. 3 $0.30

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A work of historical speculative fiction, “Buffalo Bird” is set in the midtolate nineteenth century, before Canada violently colonized the Plains. Following the life of Angelique … 55 $5.50

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Set in the mid-twentieth century, this is a story about a Métis superhero, Franky Callihoo, who is gored by a radioactive bison and granted super strength. However, he is also plagued by The … 29 $2.90

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Informed by Métis metaphysics, “Dirty Wings” occurs in the hazy present and asserts Métis reality in a time when our otipêyimisow-itâpisiniwina (Métis … 12 $1.20

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Told in the first person and set in Edmonton, our protagonist literally stumbles into a fox who has taken human form and falls deeply in love. The fox is headed for a showdown with Elder Brother, … 39 $3.90

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Pandemic isolation dulls the senses and drains hope. Facing the possibility of having her consciousness uploaded into a digital space where she is the only human being present, a queer Métis … 28 $2.80

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A work of science fiction set in the near future, “âniskôhôcikan” challenges the notion that Métis are anti-technology, demonstrating how we will continue to … 14 $1.40

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When Gus returns to her home community for her cousin Angie’s wake, she discovers that her cousin’s consciousness was nonconsensually uploaded before her death. The community believes … 60 $6.00

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To solve the global energy crisis, a technique is developed to induce deep hibernation in humans, with small teams rotating to ensure critical infrastructure continues running. A group of … 46 $4.60

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Vowel reflects on Indigenous futurism as a movement that includes a variety of forms of cultural production by Indigenous peoples, shaped by Indigenous epistemologies, that in some way push back … 2 $0.20