Birth of rare white buffalo calf fulfills Lakota prophecy

HElena, Mont. — The reported birth of a rare white buffalo in Yellowstone National Park fulfills a Lakota prophecy that portends better times, according to members of the the American Indian tribe who warned that it is also a sign that more needs to be done to protect the Earth and its animals.

“The birth of this calf is both a blessing and a warning. We must do more,” said Chief Arvol Looking Horse, the spiritual leader of the Lakota, Dakota and Nakota Oyate in South Dakota, and the 19th keeper of the sacred White Buffalo Calf Woman Pipe and Packet.

The birth of the sacred calf comes after a harsh winter in 2023 that drove thousands of Yellowstone buffalo, also known as bison, to lower elevations. More than 1,500 were killed, sent to slaughter or transferred to tribes seeking to regain control of an animal from their ancestors. They lived side by side for millennia.

Erin Braaten of Kalispell took several photos of the calf shortly after its birth on June 4 in Lamar Valley in the northeast corner of the park.

Her family was visiting the park when she spotted “something really white” among a herd of bison on the other side of the Lamar River.

Traffic eventually stopped as the bison crossed the road, so Braaten put the camera out the window to get a closer look with its telephoto lens.

“I look and it’s a white bison calf. And I was totally, totally shocked,” she said.

After the bison left the road, the Braatens turned the vehicle around and found a place to park. They observed the calf and its mother for 30 to 45 minutes.

“And then she kind of drove through the willows,” Braaten said. Although Braaten returned over the next two days, she did not see the white calf again.

For the Lakota, the birth of a white buffalo calf with a black nose, eyes and hooves is similar to the second coming of Jesus Christ, Looking Horse said.

Lakota legend says that about 2,000 years ago – when all was well, food was running out and bison were disappearing – the White Buffalo Calf Woman appeared, presented a pipe and bundle to a member of the tribe, taught them to pray and said the pipe could be used to bring buffalo to the area for food. As she left, she transformed into a white buffalo calf.

“And someday, when times are hard again,” said Looking Horse in recounting the legend, “I will return and stand on the earth like a white buffalo calf, black nose, black eyes, black hooves.”

A similar white buffalo calf was born in Wisconsin in 1994 and was named Miracle, he said.

Troy Heinert, executive director of the South Dakota-based InterTribal Buffalo Council, said the calf in Braaten’s photos looks like a real white buffalo because it has a black nose, black hooves and dark eyes.

“From the photos I saw, that calf appears to have these characteristics,” said Heinert, who is Lakota. An albino buffalo would have pink eyes.

A naming ceremony was held for the Yellowstone calf, Looking Horse said, although he declined to reveal the name. A ceremony celebrating the calf’s birth is scheduled for June 26 at the Buffalo Field Campaign headquarters in West Yellowstone.

Other tribes also revere the white buffalo.

“Many tribes have their own story about why the white buffalo is so important,” Heinert said. “The stories all go back to them being very sacred.”

Heinert and several members of the Buffalo Field Campaign say they have never heard of a white buffalo born in Yellowstone, which has wild herds. Park officials had not yet seen the buffalo and could not confirm its birth in the park, and have no record of a white buffalo being born in the park previously.

Jim Matheson, executive director of the National Bison Association, was unable to quantify how rare the calf is.

“To my knowledge, no one has ever tracked the occurrence of white buffalo births throughout history. So I’m not sure how we can determine how often this occurs.”

In addition to herds of animals on public lands or overseen by conservation groups, about 80 tribes in the U.S. have more than 20,000 bison, a number that has increased in recent years.

In and around Yellowstone, the killing or removal of large numbers of bison occurs almost every winter, under an agreement between federal and Montana agencies that limited the size of the park’s herds to about 5,000 animals. Yellowstone officials last week proposed a slightly larger population of up to 6,000 bison, with a final decision expected next month.

But Montana ranchers have long opposed expanding Yellowstone’s herds or transferring the animals to tribes. Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte said he would not support any management plan with a target population greater than 3,000 Yellowstone bison.

Heinert sees the birth of the calf as a reminder “that we need to live well and treat others with respect.”

“I hope this calf is safe and living the best life possible in Yellowstone National Park, exactly where he was designed to be,” Heinert said.