|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
Miracle, The White Buffalo
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
Miracle, The White Buffalo
Kevin's Lecture on Miracle
In the early 1820s a wagon train of white settlers slowly crossed the North
Dakota plains. As they wound their way across the rolling grasslands they
heard a distant rumble that grew louder and louder and louder until it was
deafening. The settlers had to stop their forward travel for four days while
a buffalo herd estimated at two million animals passed on their migration.
It was just one of the many huge herds of bison living on the prairie
grasslands numbering an estimated 80 million animals. Seventy years later,
only about 500 bison were left alive. All the rest had been slaughtered by
the Americans seeking their manifest destiny to conquer the continent from
sea to sea. Many buffalo were killed for sport and many only for their
tongues, which were shipped back east as a delicacy in the civilized
restaurants.
The buffalo was the source of life for the Plains tribes. It provided food,
shelter, clothing, tools, ornamentation, and spiritual strength. As food,
the buffalo provided fresh meat for immediate use and dried meat for the
winter. Choke cherries were pounded into meat and allowed to air dry on
racks. For shelter and clothing, buffalo skins were dried and tanned using
brain tissue to soften the skins. The skins were sewn together in large half
circles to make tipis and tipi liners. Shirts, breechcloths, dresses,
leggings, moccasins, parfleches and arrow quirts were fashioned from the
skins. Sinew from the back legs was used for bindings. Buffalo robes
provided bedding and relief from the brutal winter cold. Bone were used for
tools. Awls were made to puncture the skins for sewing. Shoulder blades made
digging hoes. Large leg bones were used as ground pegs. Thick skins were
stretched and dried to make war shields. Bones were shaped as tools to
flatten porcupine quills used in decoration. Every part of the buffalo was
used. Killing a buffalo was no easy feat, particularly before the horse was
introduced by the Spanish. A favorite method of killing buffalo was to
stampede them over a cliff. The animals would fall breaking their legs and
be easy prey to a bow and arrow or atlatl and spear. Large buffalo jumps
have been found throughout the northern plains where the deep layers of
buffalo bones show the evolution from the extinct Bison antiquis to the
modern Bison bison.
The near extinction of the buffalo aided in the extinction of the Indian way
of life on the plains. Tribes were forced into submission and herded to
reservations. American agents, military, and churches attempted to turn the
migratory tribes into beef-eating subsistence farmers. To imagine what it
must have been like, consider what it would be like for you if aliens landed
tomorrow, killed all the beef, chicken and pork, took away all your weapons,
stole your car, gave you blankets with strange alien diseases, forced you
into a prisoner of war camp and forced you to eat Grade B kwaglex meat. This
will give you an idea of the spiritual and material loss the plains tribes
endured.
Spiritually, the buffalo was a source of great strength to the plains tribes
like the Cheyenne, Dakota, Lakota, Nakota, Arapaho, Crow, Plains Cree,
Pawnee, Hidatsu, Mandan, Arikara, and Kiowa. For the Sioux Nation, the
buffalo was known as Tatanka. Five centuries ago, a beautiful maiden
dressed in white buckskin decorated with dark porcupine quills approached
the Sans Arc band of the Sioux Nation carrying a bundle wrapped in buffalo
skin. White Buffalo Calf Woman brought many important teachings and
introduced the sacred pipe to the people. When she left, with a promise to
return, she turned into a white buffalo and disappeared.
On August 20, 1994 a female buffalo calf with white fur was born in
Janesville, Wisconsin on the ranch of non-Indian ranchers named Dave and
Valerie Heider. She is the first white buffalo known to be born this
century. They named her Miracle. The Heiders are very sensitive people and
have great respect for Indian people. They quickly understood the
significance and importance of the event. They worked to protect Miracle but
allowed people to see her. They did not charge a viewing fee as
entrepreneurs might do. Pilgrimages to view Miracle became an everyday
event. As many as 1200 people per day came. The Heiders turned down offers
of $250,000 for the animal, and turned down a bid from rock and roller Ted
Nugent. The normal price for a yearling bison is $1400.
Miracle is not a true albino. Her eyes are brown and her skin is not
pinkish. As she got older, much of her white fur turned blond. As of this
writing, the Heider Ranch reports that a patch of white fur is returning to
her back. To many Indians, the birth of a female white buffalo was analogous
to the return of Jesus Christ.A prophesy states that the white buffaloes
birth signals a major change in the fate of Indians, a return of the great
buffalo herds, and return to the power of the people and the old ways.
Already we have started to see that. Buffalo meat is becoming more and more
common in supermarkets. The meat is leaner than beef and very tasty. Indian
populations ebbed and are increasing.
More and more European-Americans are turning to Indian cultures not to
collect the artifacts, but to learn of the old ways. As the American
technology reaps its destruction on the environment, scientists and
concerned people are studying the old Indian ways of living with the land,
not off the land. More and more people are learning that the Earth is our
Mother not our harlot, and the Sky is our Father, not our chemical dump.
Whether or not Miracle is the prophesied white buffalo is not really the
issue. What is important is that a turning point has come and passed
signaling a rebirth of the tribal spirits, anda re-emergence of Americas
indigenous peoples.
The Legend of the White Buffalo
One summer a long time ago, the seven sacred council fires of the Lakota
Sioux came together and camped. The sun was strong and the people were
starving for there was no game.
Two young men went out to hunt. Along the way, the two men met a beautiful
young woman dressed in white who floated as she walked. One man had bad
desires for the woman and tried to touch her, but was consumed by a cloud
and turned into a pile of bones.
The woman spoke to the second young man and said, "Return to your people and
tell them I am coming." This holy woman brought a wrapped bundle to the
people. She unwrapped the bundle giving to the people a sacred pipe and
teaching them how to use it to pray. "With this holy pipe, you will walk
like a living prayer," she said. The holy woman told the Sioux about the
value of the buffalo, the women and the children. "You are from Mother
Earth," she told the women, "What you are doing is as great as the warriors
do."
Before she left, she told the people she would return. As she walked away,
she rolled over four times, turning into a white female buffalo calf. It is
said after that day the Lakota honored their pipe, and buffalo were
plentiful. (from John Lame Deer's telling in 1967).
Many believe that the buffalo calf, Miracle, born August 20, 1994 symbolizes
the coming together of humanity into a oneness of heart, mind, and spirit.
"American Legend is made flesh" No longer mythical White Buffalo a beacon to
Plains tribes......
from the Houston Chronicle, Sept. 24, 1994
Miracle stands in her mothers shadow, her champagne coat, ghostlike against
the chocolate-colored herd. She is a mat of fuzz on a newborn frame. Yet
Miracle is rarely among land-roving beasts. She is the mythical White
Buffalo - symbol of hope, rebirth and unity for the Great Plains tribes.
Searching for Miracle will take you down long gravel path on the Heider
family farm in south central Wisconsin. Three thousand pilgrims made the
walk down the coarse stones earlier this month hoping to catch a glimpse of
Miracle. Every day more come from all corners of the country. One man came
from Ireland.
If all of this sounds a little crazy to you, consider this: The chance of a
white buffalo being born makes your odds of winning the lottery look good,
Miracles likelihood, according to the numbers from the National Buffalo
Association, is somewhere in the range of 6 billion. Consider also that the
only other documented white buffalo this century died in 1959. His name was
Big Medicine. He lived for 36 years.
Now, there is Miracle, the infant calf born to a 1,100 -pound mother and now
deceased father on Dave and Valerie Heiders farm on the banks of the Rock
River. She is a beacon for believers.
"The arrival of the white buffalo is like the second coming of Christ, says
Floyd Hand, a Sioux medicine man from Pine Ridge, S.D., who was one of the
first to make the pilgrimage. It "will bring about purity of mind, body and
spirit, and unify all nations, black, red, yellow, and white."
There are countless stories about the White Buffalo, a different tale for
every tribe.
"Many years ago, says Tony Ironshell of the Rosebud Sioux tribe in South
Dakota, three hunters encountered a white buffalo calf. The white buffalo
turned into a woman and instructed the hunters to return to their village
and prepare for her arrival. When she came four days later, she carried the
sacred pipe. With that pipe she brought Sioux laws, and many things changed.
The pipe from the White Buffalo Calfwoman is still kept in South Dakota.
In their ancient White Buffalo Dance, the Fox Indians of Wisconsin shadow
the vision of a legendary hunter, who could turn himself into a white
buffalo at will after the beast appeared to him in a dream. A white buffalo
with red eyes and horns, says the Fox, gave the hunter the power to
single-handedly turn back an army of attacking Sioux.
Before the white buffalos birth, the Heiders had never known an Indian and
knew little about Indian culture.
Now they are careful to say, "Native American," quickly correcting their
tongues when they slip. And they readily recount the white buffalo stories
they have heard.
"I am told, " says Valerie, "that Miracles birth means the rebirth of the
Native American culture and a new peace with the whites.... I know that you
have never been bear-hugged until youve been bear-hugged by a Native
American."
Susan Shown Harjo cried at her Washington D.C. office when she heard about
the birth of the white buffalo calf. "It filled me with joy that had to
spill over," says Harjo, who is Cheyenne and Muskogee. "The white buffalo is
an important symbol for a lot of Plains Indians because they are messengers
of creation. It is an important sign of well being on the verge of an
awakening."
Harjo, president of the Washington based Morning Star Institute, which works
to preserve native culture, says the birth of Miracle should make "all
people pause the world over."
Heider had never even heard of a white buffalo when he went out at 6:00 am
on Aug. 20 (1994) to check the buffalo cow who seemed ready to give birth.
Instead of the reddish-brown calf he expected to find, he had a shock.
"She was white. I couldnt believe it," he says, still shaking his head.
"That kind of thing only happens in fairy tales - and, now I know, in Indian
tales too."
Heider called a journalist friend to tell her he had a cute little story
about a white buffalo being born. He had no idea of the importance of the
White Buffalo in the Indian mythology. The next thing he knew, The
Associated Press picked up the story, and what started as a trickle of
curious visitors became a torrent.
The Heiders, who are about 12 years shy of retirement age, have taken refuge
in their home. The attention has become too much. Still, they have turned
down countless offer to take Miracle off their hands.
"Miracle is going to stay and be with the herd," says Valerie.
They see no end to the crowds, but have no plans to profit from Miracles
birth. Theyve put out a bucket for donations from well-wishers to provide
for security and are awaiting a $4,600 electric gate they hope will give
them week-day peace.
"As far as we know, Miracle will be something people will want to see as
long as she lives," says Dave. "But my life aint gonna stop."
Even as he speaks, two more pilgrims pull up and start to make the long walk
to Miracle.
Buffalo, the Life and Spirit of the American Indian's
The buffalo meant a lot of different things to most of America's Native
People's. They were food and clothing, tools and utensils, and most of all a
Spirit Being blessing the peoples with everything they needed to survive.
Here on this page I will try to give you understanding on just how important
the buffalo were to our Native Americans, first with my dialog and then with
links to other pages on buffalo including place's to buy meat, robes, and
other things of the buffalo.
If God was the creator and overseer of life, if the morning star, the moon,
and Mother Earth combined their talents to give birth and hope to the
Indians, if the sun was dispatcher of wisdom and warmth, then the buffalo
was the tangible and immediate proof of them all, for out of the buffalo
came almost everything necessary to daily life, including his religious use
as an intermediary through which the Great Spirit could be addressed, and by
which the Spirit often spoke to them. In short, the buffalo was life to the
Plains Indians until the white man's goods and ways first eliminated and
then replaced the animal.
Understandably, then a major part of Indian life was oriented in and around
the buffalo herds. They moved with them during all but the winter months.
The buffalo's habits and kinds were studied intensely, and in time the
Indians put virtually every part of the beast to some utilitarian use. In
fact, it is almost astounding to see a graphic breakdown of the uses made of
him, of his hide, of his organs, of his muscles, of his bones, and of his
horns and hoofs. It is slight wonder that the Indians reverenced the
buffalo, related him directly to the Great Creator, and be a natural symbol
for the universe, and no doubt the other tribes accorded him a like honor.
There are several matters of magnitude to be considered about the Indians
and the buffalo:
First, there is the matter of the buffalo's place in the sphere of Indian
religion. Unfortunately, since this function is connected to so many aspects
of the Indians life-way, mention of it must be made in many places, and to
cover the entire subject here might cause a vital connection to be missed in
another chapter. Therefore, the remarks made at this point will include only
what is necessary to round out the total picture.
Second, a visual display of the infinite uses made of the buffalo is
essential, for it shows the true importance of the buffalo, and also helps
to draw a sharper impression of the creative talents of the Plains Indians.
Third, as one ponders the uses made of the bison, he inevitably wants to
know how the Indians themselves were able to make so much of it. The answer
is found in ferreting out what the Indians learned over the years about the
intriguing types and habits of the buffalo. Ultimately it becomes clear that
the buffalo's sex, age, seasons, and varieties offered advantages to the
Indian which were so profuse as to be amazing, to say the least.
Fourth, the buffalo hunting and procurement methods used by the Indians need
to be set forth.
And finally, a summary of hide preparation methods will complete the vital
picture of Indians and buffalo living in what can only be called an
"interdependent" state. After all, the Indians trimmed the excess from the
herds season by season, and thus made it easier for their vast remaining
numbers to exist. The Indians also provided fresh and succulent grass for
the herds by burning off areas of prairie at regular intervals to promote
new growth. New grass was always an inducement to the herds, and it was
common for some of the tribes in the north to burn off certain sections of
the plains each spring.
If a child's name included the word "buffalo" in it, the Indians believed
that the child would be especially strong and would mature quickly. And
though a name in itself is not the guarantee of automatic transformation, a
"buffalo" child usually fulfilled the expectations of others by striving to
accomplish what his name implied. If a warrior was renamed after a vision or
great hunting or war accomplishment, and his new name included the word
"buffalo," it meant that the buffalo was his supernatural helper, or that he
exhibited the strength of a buffalo, or that he was an extraordinary hunter.
In other words, the name described the powers of the man.
Societies named after the buffalo had the animal as their patron. The
founder's vision would have featured the buffalo in a prominent way, and
quite probably, all or most of the society members would also have seen
buffalo in their dreams or visions.
Holy men who saw buffalo in the vision during which they were called to the
practice of medicine would seek thereafter to commune with the Great Spirit
through the buffalo. This might be done by prayers spoken to living buffalo,
and thus sent through them to God. or by the ritualistic use of buffalo
parts such as the skull. Then too, their medicine bundles would always
feature parts of the buffalo and or stones associated in the mind of the
holy man with the buffalo.
Buffalo calling was a constant and essential practice on the Plains. Since
the Indians believed that the buffalo existed for their particular use, it
followed that the migrations of the herds were according to a divinely
controlled pattern. Whenever, then, the season came for the great herds to
approach their area, the Indians of each band sought to assist the process
by "calling" the buffalo. Any delay in their appearance would, of course,
intensify the calling procedures and amplify the medicine rites.
Buffalo often licked themselves, and in the process swallowed some of the
hair. Over the years the years the hair sometimes formed itself into a
perfectly round ball two inches or more in diameter. Such a ball was a great
find, and it immediately became a buffalo calling item for ritual use.
The Blackfeet had special mystic rites for calling buffalo herds into their
area. The medicine person employing the rites had the good fortune to own
one or more of the unusual stones called "buffalo stones." These were small
reddish-brown rocks from two to four inches long, and naturally shaped
something like a buffalo. At least, to an Indian, they looked more like a
buffalo than they did anything else. The stones were very rare, and the few
that existed were only discovered now and then in the stream beds by
searchers.
All that is known about the rites themselves is that the owner of a stone
would invite a group of renowned hunters to his tipi to participate in the
calling ceremony. There was no dancing in the preliminary rite, but the
group did dance in thanksgiving at the conclusion of a successful hunt.
All the Plains tribes had special songs which they believed would make the
buffalo approach their camp areas. And all the tribes had Dreamers and
Holymen who would conduct secret rites and then prophesy where the buffalo
were most plentiful. The Mandans. after completing a meal, would present a
bowl of food to a mounted buffalo head in belief that it would send out
messages to living animals, telling them of the Indians' generosity, and
thus inducing them to come closer. They also prayed constantly to the Great
Spirit to send them meat, and sometimes pleaded with a mystic "Spiritual
Great Bull of the Prairie" to come to them with his cow, and with the herd
close behind, naturally!
The Holymen of the Sioux, Assiniboines, and Pawnees used buffalo skulls in
rituals designed to entice the herds, and the carcass of the first animal
slain in a large hunt was always sacrificed to God. On occasion, Comanche
hunters would find a horned toad and ask it where the buffalo were. They
believed the toad would scamper off in the direction of the nearest herd. Or
the same hunters would watch a raven flying in a circle over their camp and
caw to it, thinking it would answer by flying off toward the animals closest
to them. They also held a nighttime hunting dance before the men left the
main camp to look for buffalo. After the hunt there was a buffalo-tongue
ritual and feast which they celebrated as a thanksgiving ceremony. Some of
the tribes had a unique hoop game which "called" the buffalo as it was
played.
In a time of great scarcity, the Mandan White Buffalo Cow Woman Society held
a special dance to draw the herds near the village.
George Catlin gives a vivid description of the buffalo calling dance of the
Mandan men. The dance lasted three days, with new dancers constantly taking
the places of those who became exhausted. About fifteen men danced at a time,
each wearing a huge mask made of an entire buffalo's head, the only change
being the insertion of wooden eyes and nosepieces with slits in them to
admit air to the dancer. Painted bodies and a buffalo tail tied at the back
to a belt completed the costume. Each dancer imitated a buffalo, and when
exhausted, sank to the ground. In moments another dancer took his place
while he was dragged from the circle of dancers by the bystanders, and
ceremonially skinned and butchered.
The Hidatsa tribe had a calling dance in which six elderly men played the
parts of buffalo bulls. After dancing for a time in imitation of the bulls,
they tasted dishes of boiled corn and beans. Following this, empty bowls
were given to them, and each man acted as though he was eating the wonderful
buffalo meat which would shortly fill the bowls when the buffalo responded
to the rite and came into hunting range.
Speaking generally, when considering the energy put into buffalo calling, it
should be recognized that there were many reasons to want the buffalo herds
to come close to the camps. First, the transportation problems was a
monumental one, since the enormous quantities of meat and heavy hides were
not easy to carry from the hunting areas to the camp sites. Second, it was
much safer to hunt in one's own domain. In particular, the penetration of
enemy territory or even of contested areas was extremely hazardous. A Ponca
spokesman, in describing the plight of his tribe to George Catlin, tearfully
stated that the Ponca warriors, who were few in number, were being cut to
pieces by the more numerous Sioux because they had to go into Sioux
territory to obtain buffalo. And third, without the ever present buffalo all
the Indians could not have survived, at least on the Great Plains.
No one knows how many buffalo there were in North America before the White
men came. Most estimates for peak period of Plains Indian occupation range
from sixty to seventy-five million head. As late as 1830, White hunters
guessed that forty million were left.
Although the larger herds lived on the Plains, smaller ones also ranged from
northern Georgia to Hudson Bay and from the Appalachians to the Rockies and
beyond.
The buffalo of North America were not all the same color or size. The Plains
type, with which everyone is familiar, was not the largest. The wood
buffalo, found in small herds in the eastern parts of the United States and
Canada, which some called the Pennsylvania buffalo, was slightly larger.
Although it grazed on the open prairies in the summer, it generally sought
the protection of the woods in the winter. Another type was the less common
mountain buffalo of the Rockies and Pacific coast region. It was smaller,
but more fleet than the Plains bison. Unfortunately, both the wood and the
mountain buffalo became extinct before scientists could learn much about
them.
The need for grass and water kept the buffalo on the move most of the time.
After a herd had consumed the grass on one part of the range, it was forced
to move on to fresh forage. With luck, about every third day the animals
would come to water, and did their drinking mostly at night. hunters said
that when a herd left a river and started up a canyon, the sound was like
distant thunder and often could be heard for miles.
Some eery explorers believed that the herds made long seasonal migrations,
moving from south to north in the spring and returning in the fall. Others
maintained that the herd movements were more local. George Catlin, who went
west in 1832 to study and paint the indians, decided that the buffalo seemed
to enjoy travel, but were not truly migratory. "They graze in immense herds
and almost incredible numbers at times," he wrote. "They roam over vast
tracts of country, from east to west and from west to east as often as from
north to south."
A early writer named J.A.Allen supported Catlin's view. He noted that, while
most of the buffalo abandoned the hot Texas plains in the summer for those
farther north, "it is improbable that the buffalos of Saskatchewan ever
wintered in Texas. Doubtless the same individuals never moved more than a
few hundred miles in a north and south direction, the annual migration being
merely a moderate swaying northward and southward of the whole mass with the
changes of the season."
Apparently, there were at least two, and probably three, herds moving in
smaller circles within their own areas, north, south, and central. This took
some of them in and out of each tribal area more than once during the year,
whereas if the single herd idea applied they would have passed through many
tribal domains but once.
Ordinarily the herd moved at a leisurely pace, with each animal nibbling at
tufts of grass as it went along. Yet the buffalo was easily frightened, and
sudden movement, sound, or unusual odor could cause a terrifying and
crushing stampede. A wind-blown leaf, the bark of a prairie dog, or the
passing shadow of a cloud could put the entire herd into a headlong flight.
Even a small grass fire could send them running for many miles. The smell or
sight of man would do the same, and for this reason the Indians evolved some
careful and strict regulations to govern the great annual hunts.
The size, appearance, and grazing habits of the buffalo help us to understand
why early explorers referred to it as a cow. To them, its only difference
from cattle lay in its having a hump on its back, a larger head and front
legs, and a mat of purple shaggy hair over its foreparts.
The color of the buffalo's coat varied with its age, and from one
geographical area to another. Some southern buffalo were tawny, and others
were almost black. Farther north, one might find an occasional blue or mouse
colored buffalo, or even a pied or spotted one. Rarest of all was the
albino, of which few existed, and even they varied from dirty gray to pale
cream.
The Indian warriors set a high value on a white buffalo robe and were
reluctant to part with one. A certain Cheyenne war chief wore a white robe
when he led his warriors into battle, and believed that it would shield him
from all harm. Some of the holy men used white robes in their medical curing
rituals.
To a unschooled person, all buffalo in a herd looked alike. But there were
many kinds and sizes, and their hide qualities varied considerably with the
seasons. In fact, one had to know a great deal about them to utilize their
fullest capabilities.
Mating time was in July. Throughout the winter the bachelor breeding bulls,
grouped in small and large herds, roamed peacefully by themselves. But
about mid-july, when the running season began, they joined the cows. During
this period the bull buffalo became exceedingly vicious toward one another,
and toward any Indians foolish enough to approach them. Any cow in breeding
condition would be closely followed by a pugnacious bull, and "tending"
pairs would be a common sight on the outskirts of every band until late
August.
Whenever bulls contend with each other for the right to a cow, the rest of
the herd circled restlessly around the two antagonists. Other bulls would be
pawing dirt and bellowing deep down in their throats, while the cows looked
on as avid spectators. Battles were often to the death, and the larger and
stronger animals were usually the victors. Bulls fought forehead to forehead,
roaring, heaving, and seeking to push each other backward. Much of the
fighting was ritual, but the moment one gave up the jousting and turned away
he was promptly gored. A swift move and quick turn of the head, left a long,
deep gash in his side. The intestines immediately came out, and the loser
died. The victor paid no attention to the victim after the fatal hook was
made, and the cow in question was calmly escorted away. Such battles were so
intense while they were going, though, that bulls would ignore human beings.
Even though the main herd fled at the approach of a mounted Indian, the
titanic gladiators fought on. So Indian onlookers frequently saw these
herculean contest at close range, and were able to tell about them later on.
Strangely enough, old bulls mated with young cows, and young bulls with the
matured cows. In the early part of the mating season, perhaps to avoid
fighting, a bull with one or more cows would stay in deep coulees which were
some distance from the large part of the herd.
From late summer to early fall, the buffalo grouped together in small and
large herds. Bull fights at this time were rare. With grass at its plentiful
best, the buffalo became fat and robust. Long lines made their leisurely way
to water and back again to the feeding grounds. Usually they traveled single
file, and the primary buffalo trails became three or more feet deep in
places.
In late summer the animals were at ease. As the heat of the day increased
they would lie down a great deal. The hunting days of the Indians tribe had
not yet come, and the warriors only disturbed them on rare occasions for a
supply of fresh meat.
When a herd crossed a large river, such as the Missouri, they swam in small
groups, one group after the other. Because of the vast size of the herds,
the leaders were already across and on their way to new feeding grounds
before the last of the groups had moved up to the river. Often several hours
had passed before the last group was across. When buffalo were swimming they
occasionally blew water through their nostrils. This made a peculiar noise
which could be heard underwater for amazing distances. The bellowing of the
bulls was itself a sound which could be heard for as much as ten miles!
By October of a good year, all the buffalo were fat and the bulls were still
moving with the herds, and it was the best time for tribal hunting. The
first days of the hunt were devoted to obtaining all the meat needed for the
winter. The chase for robes came later.
In November the bulls left the herds. They gathered in small groups and
remained away from the cows until breeding time. During this period the
hides from four year old cows were taken. The hair was not prime, but the
hides were just right for new lodges.
Buffalo calves, weighing from twenty five to forty pounds at birth, started
to drop about April, and continued to appear till May. As far as is known
there were no twins, but a Assiniboine named Crazy Bull claimed he saw a two
headed unborn calf while butchering a cow which he killed in March. In a
chase, calves never ran close to their mothers. All of them fell to the
rear, so even if there were twins, they were not discernible as such by the
Indians.
The hair of the calves was of a yellowish or reddish color, and remained so
until they were from three months to a year old, when they shed this wool
and assumed the darker color of the adult buffalo. Calves were called Little
Yellow Buffalo. Robes for children were made from these beautiful skins, and
they were always tanned with the hair intact.
After an early fall hunt, a large number of motherless and deserted calves
were left on the hunting ground. Cows always abandoned their calves as soon
as hunters gave chase, and usually they were in the lead of a stampeding
herd. The bulls ran just behind the cows and the yearlings and calves
brought up the rear. Some hunters claimed that the cows could run faster
than any of the other buffalo in the herd, and for this reason were always
in the lead. Others said the bulls ran just behind the cows to protect them,
and so were behind by choice. They always were right at the heels of the
cows.
If a chase took place near a camp and calves were left, boys mounted on
yearling ponies and using their small bows and arrows staged exciting
miniature chases, to the delight of the warriors who looked on. Very young
calves left motherless or deserted after a chase were even known to follow
the hunters back to camp.
By fall a healthy buffalo youngster would have increased in size to four
hundred pounds, and its coat was long, shaggy, and thickened with heavy wool
against the rigors of the cold season soon to come.
The coat of a year old calf turned from its yellowish color to a dark shade.
By now he was so fuffy that he looked big for his age. The Assinboines
called them "Little Black-haired Ones", or "Fluffed-haired Ones."
Two year old buffalo were called "Two Teeth," having two full teeth at that
age. Just before they reached the second year, Their horns emerged beyond
their thick hair and commenced to curve. At that age the tips of the horns
were blunt, so they were also called "Blunt Horns."
As they passed the second year, their horns continued to curve, and three
year olds were known as "Curved Horns," because of the short, small, curved
horns.
"Small-built Buffalo" was the usual name applied to the four year olds, but
they were also called "Four Teeth." Robes taken from these in January and
February were considered the best of all hides. They were not too thick, and
the hair was fluffed out, silky, and thick.
Boys were taught that when the robe hunters rode into a herd, they were to
look in particular for the "Small-built Ones," both males and females, with
trim and neat bodies, whose coats of hair were like fine fur.
At the age of six, cows were known as "Big Females," which meant they were
mature animals. The bulls of this vintage were called "Horns Not Cracked"
because of their fine polished horns, which resulted from hours spent in
polishing them by rubbing against low cut banks or trees. Sometimes the
bulls pawed down the upper sides of washouts and used the newly exposed and
harder surface as a polishing material.
Bull hides were skinned only to the shoulders and cut off, leaving behind
the parts that covered the humps. To skin a mature bull, the Assiniboine boy
learned how to lay the animal in a prone position and then make an incision
along the back, starting a little above and between the tips of the shoulder
blades and ending at the tail. When this method of skinning was completed,
the hide was in two pieces.
In the more usual way of removing the buffalo hide, and a task ordinarily
carried out by the women, the cow buffalo was placed on its side. Shoshone
women sliced them along the back from the head to tail. Then they ripped
them down the belly and took off the top half of the hide, cutting away all
the meat on that side from the bones. After this they would tie ropes to the
feet of the carcass and turned it over with their ponies, proceeding then to
strip off the skin and flesh from the other side in the same way.
The heavier bull, being more difficult to move, was sometimes heaved onto
his belly, with his legs spread. The women would slash him across the
brisket and the neck and then fold the hide back so they could cut out the
forequarters at the joints. To complete the removal they would split the
hide down the middle.
Fat from matured animals, when rendered, was soft and yellowish in color.
The tallow from young buffalo was always hard and white.
When buffalo became old, some living beyond the age of thirty years, they
shrank in size. The horns, especially those of the bulls, were cracked,
craggy, and homely. Old bulls congregated in lonely groups. They remained
away from the main herds and usually died of natural causes because no one
cared for their meat or hides.
There were some unusual buffalo, and the strange kinds which were noticed
during the hunt were the source of animated discussions at gatherings
afterward.
As stated previously, the color of the hair on all calves was yellowish, and
by the end of the first year had turned almost black. However, a few
retained their original color through their lifetime. They were called
"yellow ones," and most of them were females. They were natural size buffalo
with an odd color. Robes made from the yellow ones were rare, and a hunter
was proud to be able to present one to a prominent person.
White or albino buffalo were rare, and the number taken by different bands
was so few it became a matter of historical record to be handed down from
generation to generation. Only three were known by the Assinibonie tribe.
The hide of one was brought back by a war party, but the heirs did not know
whether the party killed the animal or took it from an enemy tribe in a
raid. Another was owned by a northern band, who, whenever a momentous
occasion arose, used a piece of it to fashion a sacred buffalo horn
headdress for a new headman. The third, a heifer, was only seen by several
hunters who were returning to camp after a chase. Their horses were tired
and no attempt was made to chase it. However, one of their number, whose
name was Growing Thunder, followed the herd for some time but finally
returned to the group and told how the herd seemed to guard the white one.
He tried to get within shooting range of the animal but was unsuccessful. It
remained at all times in the middle of the large herd.
Another kind, known as "spotted ones," had white spots on the underside and
on the flanks. Some had small white spots on one or both hind legs, usually
near the hoofs. Only females were marked in this way.
The "small-heads" were also females. They were of ordinary size, but had
small heads and very short horns.
"Curved-horns" were both male and female. The bulls of this variety had
short horns with accentuated curves, while the cow horns were thin, long and
curved. The tips, which curved out of sight into the hair, made curved-horn
cows look as if they wore earrings.
A certain old buffalo group was called "narrow-cows," because of the
narrow-built bodies. From the side they looked like the rest of the females,
but in a chase one was easily detected. In spite of their shape they were
usually healthy and the meat was good.
Some females had forelocks, and sometimes hair around the horns, which were
short and looked shorn. Since they resembled Indian women who had their hair
short in mourning, they were known as "mourning-cows." These cows were more
vicious than other kinds for some reason, and would charge mounted hunters
if they came too close. Their meat was good, but it was seldom eaten because
of a belief that if anyone who knew the facts ate the meat from a
mourning-cow, there would be a death in the family.
End part One
The Legend of the White Buffalo
One summer a long time ago, the seven sacred council fires of the Lakota
Sioux came together and camped. The sun was strong and the people were
starving for there was no game.
Two young men went out to hunt. Along the way, the two men met a beautiful
young woman dressed in white who floated as she walked. One man had bad
desires for the woman and tried to touch her, but was consumed by a cloud
and turned into a pile of bones.
The woman spoke to the second young man and said, "Return to your people and
tell them I am coming." This holy woman brought a wrapped bundle to the
people. She unwrapped the bundle giving to the people a sacred pipe and
teaching them how to use it to pray. "With this holy pipe, you will walk
like a living prayer," she said. The holy woman told the Sioux about the
value of the buffalo, the women and the children. "You are from Mother
Earth," she told the women, "What you are doing is as great as the warriors
do."
Before she left, she told the people she would return. As she walked away,
she rolled over four times, turning into a white female buffalo calf. It is
said after that day the Lakota honored their pipe, and buffalo were
plentiful. (from John Lame Deer's telling in 1967).
Many believe that the buffalo calf, Miracle, born August 20, 1994 symbolizes
the coming together of humanity into a oneness of heart, mind, and spirit.
"American Legend is made flesh" No longer mythical White Buffalo a beacon to
Plains tribes......
from the Houston Chronicle, Sept. 24, 1994
Miracle stands in her mothers shadow, her champagne coat, ghostlike against
the chocolate-colored herd. She is a mat of fuzz on a newborn frame. Yet
Miracle is rarely among land-roving beasts. She is the mythical White
Buffalo - symbol of hope, rebirth and unity for the Great Plains tribes.
Searching for Miracle will take you down long gravel path on the Heider
family farm in south central Wisconsin. Three thousand pilgrims made the
walk down the coarse stones earlier this month hoping to catch a glimpse of
Miracle. Every day more come from all corners of the country. One man came
from Ireland.
If all of this sounds a little crazy to you, consider this: The chance of a
white buffalo being born makes your odds of winning the lottery look good,
Miracles likelihood, according to the numbers from the National Buffalo
Association, is somewhere in the range of 6 billion. Consider also that the
only other documented white buffalo this century died in 1959. His name was
Big Medicine. He lived for 36 years.
Now, there is Miracle, the infant calf born to a 1,100 -pound mother and now
deceased father on Dave and Valerie Heiders farm on the banks of the Rock
River. She is a beacon for believers.
"The arrival of the white buffalo is like the second coming of Christ, says
Floyd Hand, a Sioux medicine man from Pine Ridge, S.D., who was one of the
first to make the pilgrimage. It "will bring about purity of mind, body and
spirit, and unify all nations, black, red, yellow, and white."
There are countless stories about the White Buffalo, a different tale for
every tribe.
"Many years ago, says Tony Ironshell of the Rosebud Sioux tribe in South
Dakota, three hunters encountered a white buffalo calf. The white buffalo
turned into a woman and instructed the hunters to return to their village
and prepare for her arrival. When she came four days later, she carried the
sacred pipe. With that pipe she brought Sioux laws, and many things changed.
The pipe from the White Buffalo Calfwoman is still kept in South Dakota.
In their ancient White Buffalo Dance, the Fox Indians of Wisconsin shadow
the vision of a legendary hunter, who could turn himself into a white
buffalo at will after the beast appeared to him in a dream. A white buffalo
with red eyes and horns, says the Fox, gave the hunter the power to
single-handedly turn back an army of attacking Sioux.
Before the white buffalos birth, the Heiders had never known an Indian and
knew little about Indian culture.
Now they are careful to say, "Native American," quickly correcting their
tongues when they slip. And they readily recount the white buffalo stories
they have heard.
"I am told, " says Valerie, "that Miracles birth means the rebirth of the
Native American culture and a new peace with the whites.... I know that you
have never been bear-hugged until youve been bear-hugged by a Native
American."
Susan Shown Harjo cried at her Washington D.C. office when she heard about
the birth of the white buffalo calf. "It filled me with joy that had to
spill over," says Harjo, who is Cheyenne and Muskogee. "The white buffalo is
an important symbol for a lot of Plains Indians because they are messengers
of creation. It is an important sign of well being on the verge of an
awakening."
Harjo, president of the Washington based Morning Star Institute, which works
to preserve native culture, says the birth of Miracle should make "all
people pause the world over."
Heider had never even heard of a white buffalo when he went out at 6:00 am
on Aug. 20 (1994) to check the buffalo cow who seemed ready to give birth.
Instead of the reddish-brown calf he expected to find, he had a shock.
"She was white. I couldnt believe it," he says, still shaking his head.
"That kind of thing only happens in fairy tales - and, now I know, in Indian
tales too."
Heider called a journalist friend to tell her he had a cute little story
about a white buffalo being born. He had no idea of the importance of the
White Buffalo in the Indian mythology. The next thing he knew, The
Associated Press picked up the story, and what started as a trickle of
curious visitors became a torrent.
The Heiders, who are about 12 years shy of retirement age, have taken refuge
in their home. The attention has become too much. Still, they have turned
down countless offer to take Miracle off their hands.
"Miracle is going to stay and be with the herd," says Valerie.
They see no end to the crowds, but have no plans to profit from Miracles
birth. Theyve put out a bucket for donations from well-wishers to provide
for security and are awaiting a $4,600 electric gate they hope will give
them week-day peace.
"As far as we know, Miracle will be something people will want to see as
long as she lives," says Dave. "But my life aint gonna stop."
Even as he speaks, two more pilgrims pull up and start to make the long walk
to Miracle. |
|
|
|
|
|
Native American Nations
