The reported birth of a rare white bison in Yellowstone National Park fulfills a Lakota prophecy that signals better times, according to members of the American Indian tribe who also caution that it signifies the need for greater efforts to protect the earth and its animals.
“The birth of this calf is both a blessing and 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 Bundle.
The sacred calf’s birth follows a harsh winter in 2023 that drove thousands of Yellowstone buffalo, or bison, to lower elevations. More than 1,500 were killed, sent to slaughter, or transferred to tribes reclaiming stewardship over an animal their ancestors lived alongside for millennia.
Erin Braaten of Kalispell photographed the calf shortly after its birth on June 4 in the Lamar Valley in the park’s northeastern corner. Her family was visiting the park when she noticed “something really white” among a bison herd across the Lamar River.
Traffic stopped while bison crossed the road, allowing Braaten to use her camera’s telephoto lens to get a closer look.
“I look and it’s this white bison calf. And I was just totally, totally floored,” she said. After the bison cleared the road, the Braatens parked and watched the calf and its mother for 30 to 45 minutes. “And then she kind of led it through the willows there,” Braaten said. She returned the next two days but didn’t see the white calf again.
Significance of white buffalo calves in Lakota tradition
For the Lakota, the birth of a white buffalo calf with a black nose, eyes, and hooves is comparable to the second coming of Jesus Christ, Looking Horse said. Lakota legend tells that about 2,000 years ago, during a time of scarcity and despair, a White Buffalo Calf Woman appeared, presented a sacred pipe and a bundle to a tribal member, taught them to pray, and said the pipe could bring buffalo to the area for food. As she left, she transformed into a white buffalo calf.
“And someday, when the times are hard again,” Looking Horse said, quoting the legend, “I shall return and stand upon the earth as a white buffalo calf, black nose, black eyes, black hooves.” Last year, Wyoming officials reported a white bison calf born at Bear River State Park, described by the National Bison Association as a 1-in-10-million event. Another white buffalo calf was born in Wisconsin in 1994 and named Miracle, Looking Horse said.
Most sacred living thing on Earth
According to the National Parks Service, a white buffalo calf is “the most sacred living thing on Earth” to many Native American tribes. Troy Heinert, executive director of the South Dakota-based InterTribal Buffalo Council, said the calf in Braaten’s photos appears to be a true white buffalo due to its black nose, hooves, and dark eyes. “From the pictures I’ve seen, that calf seems to have those traits,” said Heinert, who is Lakota. An albino buffalo would have pink eyes. A naming ceremony has been held for the Yellowstone calf, Looking Horse said, though he did not disclose the name. A ceremony celebrating the calf’s birth is set for June 26 at the Buffalo Field Campaign headquarters in West Yellowstone. Other tribes also hold white buffalo in high regard. “Many tribes have their own story of why the white buffalo is so important,” Heinert said. “All stories go back to them being very sacred.”
Heinert and members of the Buffalo Field Campaign said they had never heard of a white buffalo being born in Yellowstone’s wild herds. Park officials have not seen the buffalo yet and could not confirm its birth in the park, having no prior record of a white buffalo born there. Jim Matheson, executive director of the National Bison Association, could not quantify the rarity of the calf. “To my knowledge, no one’s ever tracked the occurrence of white buffalo being born throughout history. So I’m not sure how we can make a determination how often it occurs.”
Bison are the largest mammals in North America
Besides herds on public lands or overseen by conservation groups, about 80 tribes across the U.S. have over 20,000 bison, a figure that has been growing in recent years. In Yellowstone and the surrounding area, the killing or removal of large numbers of bison occurs almost every winter, under an agreement between federal and Montana agencies that has limited the park’s herds to about 5,000 animals. Yellowstone officials recently proposed a slightly larger population of up to 6,000 bison, with a final decision expected next month.
However, Montana ranchers have long opposed increasing the Yellowstone herds or transferring the animals to tribes. Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte has said he would not support a management plan with a population target greater than 3,000 Yellowstone bison. Heinert sees the calf’s birth as a reminder “that we need to live in a good way and treat others with respect.” “I hope that calf is safe and gonna live its best life in Yellowstone National Park, exactly where it was designed to be,” Heinert said.
Bison are the largest mammals in North America, according to the Department of the Interior, and males can weigh up to 2,000 pounds. Their mating season is from mid-July to mid-August, during which they can become more agitated than at other times of the year, park officials said. Earlier this month, an 83-year-old woman was seriously injured when she was gored by a bison in Yellowstone National Park. “Bison are not aggressive animals but will defend their space when threatened,” the park warned. “They are unpredictable and can run three times faster than humans.”