The White Buffalo Calf Woman – A Native American Legend
The Lakota tribe in the United States has a prophecy that one day the White Buffalo Calf Woman will return. She is a wakan , a wise and magical woman who will reunite all of Mother Earth’s children with her powers. Her return will also restore our balance with nature, a relationship that is now shattered.
Indian tribes have something truly wonderful. It doesn’t matter how old or young they are, how many centuries have passed or how little we are individually connected to these ethnic roots and cultures. The oral traditions of Native American tribes always offer us great lessons to ponder.
The legend of the White Buffalo Calf Woman is over 2,000 years old. The story originates from the Lakota tribe, in one of the towns on the Turtle Island, the Native American name for North America. This prophecy is therefore also an ode, a call to hope and a desperate prayer for the Lakotas in their current political situation.
More than a year ago, politicians in America started talking about the Dakota Access Pipeline. This project was intended to transport oil from North Dakota to Patoka, Illinois. This megastructure is more than 1,800 kilometers long and crosses several Native American areas.
It is a cultural and environmental tragedy that has sparked a war between the oil barons and the Indians living in this area, who are supported by environmental groups such as Greenpeace.
After Barack Obama stopped the project at the end of his presidency, Donald Trump picked it up again. However, the Indians continue the fight, hoping that the White Buffalo Calf Woman will come and help them…
The White Buffalo Calf Woman, a female power figure
Joseph Chasing Horse is doing his best to spread this great legend. This United Nations ambassador to the Lakota Sioux tribe never misses an opportunity to proclaim this prophecy, a prophecy that unites many different Native American tribes.
As the prophecy goes, the White Buffalo Calf Woman first appeared more than 2,000 years ago, during a period of great famine, war and turmoil between different tribes. Two young Lakota soldiers were looking for something to hunt when suddenly the figure of a woman shrouded in warm light and shimmering mist appeared before them.
The woman was accompanied by a white buffalo. She was tall, slender, and dressed in sacred embroidery. She had a feather in her hair and sage in her hand. Plus, she was incredibly beautiful. So beautiful, in fact, that one of the soldiers approached her lustfully.
Before he could even touch her, however, a dark cloud appeared over his head. He was then temporarily frozen by a flash of lightning.
The other soldier immediately fell to his knees in shock, fearing that the same fate awaited him. However, the beautiful woman ran a hand through his hair and spoke to him in his language. She told him she was a wakan , a holy woman who had come to help them.
A new era of old traditions
The tribe gave the woman a warm welcome. They also built a teepee for her. As soon as she stepped inside, the morning turned to twilight and all areas affected by famine and misery were shrouded in an orange-rosy light.
Regardless of their poverty, the people tried to offer her the very best they had. They gave her roots, insects, dried herbs and fresh water.
Then the White Buffalo Calf Woman taught the Lakota Indians how to smoke a pipe. She offered them tobacco made from the bark of red willow trees and encouraged them to move from tent to tent. This honored the sun, creating a circle of strength and gratitude.
She then taught them a series of spiritual practices that they could use to respect nature, pray with the right words, and complete ancient ancestral rites that the tribe had more or less forgotten.
She invited them to sing with her to please Mother Earth. They sang melodies, verses and incantations in honor of the four cardinal points. She also reminded them of the importance of keeping the peace pipe ceremony. During this ceremony, men and women came together to honor their souls, the community and their unity.
Her return
Then the White Buffalo Calf Woman said goodbye to them again. She told them that she would protect them as long as they would maintain the ceremonies she had taught them and take care of the earth.
Before she left, she drew a large herd of black buffalo from the horizon towards her. There were so many that the mountains turned black and the ground trembled beneath their hooves. The world boomed with the sound of the animals. These buffalo would eventually ensure the survival of the Indians.
The holy woman left them and said, “Toksha ake wacinyanktin ktelo,” or “I will see you again.” The Lakota tribes continue to repeat this message to this day as they dream of her return to purify the world. They hope that she will bring harmony, balance and spirituality to all tribes.
