Birth of rare white buffalo in Yellowstone fulfills Lakota prophecy

The calf was reportedly born in Yellowstone National Park on Tuesday, June 4.

A rare white buffalo born in Yellowstone National Park would fulfill a Lakota prophecy predicting better times ahead and the need to better care for the Earth.

The extremely rare buffalo calf – also called bison – was born on Tuesday, June 4, in the northeast corner of the park and photographed by photographer Erin Braaten, who was visiting the park and saw the calf moments after its birth. Park officials had not yet seen the calf in person as of the publication of the Associated Press report.

They couldn’t quantify how rare the birth of a white calf is, but had no record of one being born in the park before.

The young animal is considered sacred by many Native American tribes and is sometimes called “spirit bison” or “ghost bison,” according to KTVQ.

Related: Bison killed after being ‘disturbed’ by tourist in Yellowstone National Park

According to the legend of the Lakota tribe reported by the AP, 2,2000 years ago, when food was running low in the region and times were bad, a female white buffalo calf appeared to a member of the tribe. , presenting him with a pipe and a fagot. She also taught the person how to pray and explained that the pipe could be used to bring food to the area.

When she left, she turned into a little white buffalo.

“And one day, when times get tough again,” Arvol Looking Horse, the Lakota spiritual leader, told the AP, “I will come back and stand on the earth like a white buffalo calf, with a black nose, black eyes, black hooves.

Based on photographs Braaten posted on Facebook, the calf born June 4 appears to have these exact markings.

“The birth of this calf is both a blessing and a warning. We need to do more,” Looking Horse told the AP. He added that while this means prosperity is coming, it is also a warning to take better care of the earth.

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“I couldn’t believe what I was seeing,” Braaten told KTVQ. “It was so surreal. I just knew it was something special and one of the coolest things I’ve ever photographed.”

According to the AP, in 2023, extreme weather conditions pushed many of Yellowstone’s buffalo that had taken up residence in the park to lower elevations, adding to the rarity of calf births.

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