WEST YELLOWSTONE, Montana — On Wednesday, June 26th, numerous Native American tribes gathered in West Yellowstone, Montana to honor and name a white buffalo calf born June 4th in Yellowstone National Park’s Lamar Valley.
Chief Albor Looking Horse, a Lakota leader and the 19th custodian of the sacred white buffalo calf’s pipe and bundle, presided over the ceremony and named the white buffalo calf Wakan Guri, which means “sacred return” or “sacred coming.”
The event was covered by national media, and the Tribal Council, tribal representatives, and over 500 people attended to honor the sacred calf and Buffalo Tribe customs. Tribal leaders sang and danced during the ceremony, which took place at the Buffalo Field Campaign (BFC) headquarters in Shoshone-Bannock territory. During the ceremony, an altar was created with three buffalo pelts and three buffalo skulls. The fourth buffalo skull was hung on a peace pole, representing the World Day of Peace and Prayer, which is held annually on June 21.
White buffalo are considered extremely rare in the wild and, according to Yellowstone National Park (YNP), had never been sighted in YNP prior to its birth on June 4. Tribal nations consider the white calf sacred to Native Americans across the United States.
“We’re not going to let the people down,” said J. Dallas Gudgel, a member of the Yankton Lakota Tribes of Fort Peck, Assyboine and Sioux. Back rail During the ceremony, six tribes spoke about what the buffalo means to their people, and Gudgel said many in the audience were moved, highlighting the significance of the white calf’s appearance at this time in history.
According to Lakota prophecy, the white buffalo calf is both a sign of better times to come and a warning that people must do more to protect the planet and its animals. Back rail Lakota philosophy is based on the story of a white buffalo calf woman who visited her people in times of trouble and taught them the importance of living in harmony with one another and with the natural world. According to the story, she left, promising to return as a four-legged white buffalo in times of trouble, division and violence.
“She stood her ground and appeared before us,” Gudgel said. “The meaning of this blessing and warning is that we, as two-legged humans, have an opportunity to change the way we live and to make right relationships with the natural environment and with all relationships, with all living things. We have been out of balance and there has been a lot of disrespect. The Western mind is transactional and focused on profit rather than relationship-oriented. Profit continues to lead us down a path of destruction. We were all Indigenous once. We still have an opportunity to make better choices.”
Gudgel says the prophecy is telling humanity to pause to recognize that this moment is a turning point.
“As Chief Albor says, Mother Earth is sick and has a fever,” Gudgel said. “The climate crisis is real. The fires, floods and hatred are some of the ways Mother Earth is telling us we are on the wrong path. We are out of balance because we, her children, have turned our backs on her and are in confusion and conflict. The birth of the White Calf tells us that now is the time, or else we will continue on our path of destruction. This is our opportunity to bring everything back into balance. It is time for a spiritual awakening.”
