This video uncovers the deeper history behind the Buffalo Soldiers — not just what they were, but what they did — and why many Indigenous descendants today don’t celebrate them.
While mainstream history paints them as brave Black soldiers who fought for freedom, the truth is more complex: these were government-backed men used to help colonize the West, hunt down Indigenous tribes, protect settlers, and suppress the same people whose blood they shared. Many of them were used to push Native people off their own land in exchange for military pay and citizenship.
When Beyoncé wore that Buffalo Soldiers t-shirt, it opened up old wounds for many of us. Whether she knew it or not, the shirt represented a group that helped enforce policies of removal, erasure, and violence — often against our Indigenous families. This video respectfully challenges how we view legacy, symbolism, and who really fought for us versus who was used against us.
It’s time to reclaim the full story — not just the one they taught in school.
