WEST YELLOWSTONE, Mont. — A number of Indigenous Tribal Nations gathered in West Yellowstone, Montana, on Wednesday, June 26, to honor and name the white buffalo calf that was born in Yellowstone National Park’s Lamar Valley on June 4.
Chief Arvol Looking Horse, Leader of the Lakota and 19th Generation Keeper of the Sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe and Bundle, presided over the ceremonious event and named the white buffalo calf Wakan Gli, which translates to “Sacred Return” or “Comes Holy.”
The event drew national media coverage with Tribal Council, Tribal representatives and over 500 people in attendance to honor the sacred calf and the ways of the buffalo people. Tribal leaders sang songs and danced in the ceremony, which was held at Buffalo Field Campaign (BFC) headquarters on the territory of the Shoshone-Bannock. During the ceremony, 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 on June 21 every year.
White buffalo in the wild are considered extremely rare, and none have been observed in Yellowstone National Park (YNP) previous to the June 4 birth, according to YNP. Tribal Nations consider the white calf to be sacred to Indigenous Tribes all across the United States.
Yankton Lakota Member of Fort Peck and Assiboine and Sioux Tribes J. Dallas Gudgell told Buckrail that during the ceremony half a dozen Tribes spoke about what the buffalo means to their people. According to Gudgell, many audience members were filled with emotion and highlighted the significance of the white calf appearing at this time in history.
According to the Lakota prophecy, a white buffalo calf is a sign of better times ahead, as well as a warning that people must do more to protect the earth and its animals. Gudgell explained to Buckrail that the Lakota philosophy is based on the story of the White Buffalo Calf Woman who came to the people in hard times in order to teach them the importance of getting along with each other and their natural world. As the story goes, she left saying that she would return again as a four-legged white buffalo during hard times of polarization and violence.
“She has stood on the ground and showed herself to us,” Gudgell said. “The implications of this blessing and warning is that we have an opportunity as two-legged’s to change our ways and get in a right relationship with our natural surroundings and all our relations, all creatures. We’ve been out of balance and there’s been a lot of disrespect. The Western mind is transactional and focused on the bottom line instead of being relationally oriented. The bottom line will continue to take us down a path of destruction. We were all Indigenous at one point. We still have an opportunity to make better choices.”
Gudgell says that the prophecy is telling humans to take a pause to recognize that this moment in time is a turning point.
“As Chief Arvol says, Mother Earth is sick and has a fever,” Gudgell said. “The climate crisis is real. Fire, floods and the hate is one of the ways that Mother Earth is telling us that we are on the wrong path. We are so out of balance because as children of Mother Earth we have turned on her, which has led us to be confused and conflicted. The birth of the white calf tells us that the time is now or we will continue to walk down the path of destruction. This is an opportunity to get back into balance with all things. This is a time of spiritual awakening.”
