The birth of a white buffalo calf with a black nose, eyes, and hooves could be the fulfillment of Lakota prophecy. A stunned visitor caught a picture of the calf in Yellowstone National Park in Montana soon after it was born.
“I look and it’s this white bison calf. And I was just totally, totally floored,” said Erin Braaten, who was visiting with family.
Such a prophecy is an extremely powerful spiritual sign for many. For many Native American tribes, they are “the most sacred creature on earth.” But for those without such beliefs, seeing one is still a cause for great wonder and contemplation.
What could this sign mean for the world?
The White Buffalo Calf: Both a Blessing and a Warning
For Chief Arvol Looking Horse, the calf is “both a blessing and a warning” to protect animals and the earth.
“The birth of this calf is both a blessing and warning. We must do more,” Looking Horse said.
Here Comes the Green Wave
One way to do more to protect Mother Nature is by allowing the wild buffalo to create “green waves,” as researchers call it. As the bison herds graze over large distances, they nurture spring-like plant growth into the heat of late summer. Thus, they nurture the whole ecosystem with their mere presence.
Video by AP News:
Previous White Buffalo Calf Births
As you might remember, this calf isn’t the first white buffalo birth, but it follows at least two others from North Dakota. While Indigenous people were enduring hard times with the pandemic, two white buffalos brought much hope in 2021 and 2022. Another calf named Miracle was also born in Wisconsin on a small farm in 1994. News stations described the arrival of all these calves as fulfilling the Lakota prophecy. None were albinos, having black eyes, noses, and hooves.
But the one born most recently is different in that it is the first documented white buffalo calf born in Yellowstone National Park. Thus far, the park remains the only continuously wild buffalo population in the United States.
How Rare Are White Buffalo Calves?
Just how rare is this white buffalo calf? It’s a rarity that’s hard to fathom, with one estimate suggesting a mere one in every 10 million buffalo. This staggering rarity only adds to the awe and wonder of its birth. And yet, there have been more than one would expect in recent years.
Of course, the birth is already drawing tourists to see the calf. One hopes that people give these animals the distance and respect they deserve, which they have not in the recent past. In the not-too-distant past, our government sponsored driving bison nearly to extinction in the name of depriving Native Americans of their primary food source. Surely, we all have some atoning to do, to each other and to the natural world.
Resistance to the Buffalo’s Return
Sadly, AP News reports that ranchers in Montana “have long opposed increasing the Yellowstone herds or transferring the animals to tribes.” Have we not learned our lessons as a culture yet? If not, there are many specific Native American prophecies about what happens next, such as those by the Hopi elders.
For example, a Dine Navajo elder once predicted next year, 2025, marks “the point of no return for humanity.” Yet with hope, the return of the buffalo and a mystical prophecy also marks a turning point to eventually bring us into a more loving and environmentally just, balanced world (more about the prophecy next).
Video by KTVQ News, which is worth viewing on YouTube.
White Buffalo Calf Woman’s Return
Chief Arvol Looking Horse is the the spiritual leader of the Lakota, Dakota and the Nakota Oyate in South Dakota. And he is the 19th keeper of the sacred White Buffalo Calf Woman Pipe and Bundle. As such, he compared the arrival of the calf to “the second coming of Jesus Christ” in a spiritual sense.
Yet the 2,000-year-old prophecy points to the return of another spiritual leader, the White Buffalo Calf Woman. Last seen when the bison were disappearing, and food was scarce, she appeared out of nowhere with the sacred pipe and bundle. As she taught them, the tribe could use the pipe and pray, and the buffalo would return. As she departed, she changed shape, turning into the white buffalo calf.
Before leaving, she said she’d return one day when times were hard again. As we know, times are certainly hard for so many reasons in the United States in 2024.
“I shall return and stand upon the earth as a white buffalo calf, black nose, black eyes, black hooves,” Looking Horse said.
The Lady By Many Names
If you look into the White Buffalo Calf Woman, there are many deeply spiritual sayings attributed to her which are profound.
Some say she is also “The Lady” who takes different forms across the planet in different time periods. For example, the “Little Lady of Fátima” or the Lady of Guadalupe. Some may associate her divine feminine energy with Mary Magdalene. In the earliest Christian Gnostic beliefs, she’s Sophia.
Others call her “The Lady,” otherwise known as the Egyptian Hathor, who is associated with the Four Cardinal Directions, the Bull of Osiris, and Seven Goddess Cows (similar to chakras).
Another name for Her is the Earth goddess, Pachamama, whose name roughly translates to “Mother Earth.”
Perhaps it’s a coincidence, but could they all be the same spiritual being of light telling us similar things? Is her return indicating a time for a spiritual and environmental revolution?
Honoring the Four Directions on the Summer Solstice
After Miracle’s birth in 1994, Looking Horse says he “was directed to honor the Four Directions with a ceremony.” (see video below). The ceremony marked the Summer Solstice on June 21. Today is also, by coincidence, June 21, 2024, telling synchronicity for the writer!
“According to Lakota prophecy, the birth of ‘Miracle,’ a female white buffalo, signaled a time of Earth changes and the coming of The Mending of the Hoop of all Nations. The Summer Solstice is said to be a powerful time to pray for peace and harmony among all Living Beings,” shared StoneTree Productions. “Chief Looking Horse believes that this day of collective prayer will create an energy shift to heal the earth and achieve a universal consciousness toward obtaining peace. He believes that it is time all people understand Mother Earth is the Source of life, not a resource.”
See Looking Horse in the video below by StoneTree Productions:
Wakan Gli: Sacred Return or Comes Holy
There was a sacred ceremony in West Yellowstone on June 26 when numerous tribes honored the “second coming of the white buffalo calf.” During the ceremony, they revealed the name of the sacred animal: Wakan Gli, meaning ‘Sacred Return’ or ‘Comes Holy.’
“An altar was created with three buffalo robes and three buffalo skulls. A fourth buffalo skull hung on the peace pole representing World Peace and Prayer Day held June 21st every year,” shared the Buffalo Field Campaign.
Chief Looking Horse once more took a moment to speak about the potential warning for people following the momentous birth.
“Mother Earth is going to be sick and has a fever. And that’s happening right now as we speak,” said Chief Arvol Looking Horse.
We Are At a Crossroads
As he sees it, the fulfilled prophecy is a warning of that we have come to a crossroads as a species. Now, people have to step up in their role as stewards of Grandmother Earth.
“The prophecy of the white buffalo calf woman says we are at the crossroads and it’s up to each and every one of us to make it happen. For the future of our children, we must come together and bring that good energy back,” said Looking Horse.
The ceremony also honored the late Rosalie Little Thunder, a Lakota activist who worked to stop the slaughter of buffalo in Yellowstone. After witnessing the slaughter in 1997, she founded Buffalo Nations, which later became the Buffalo Field Campaign to protect the animals.
Video by WBNS 10TV: