White buffalo
Encyclopedia
American Bison
The American bison , also commonly known as the American buffalo, is a North American species of bison that once roamed the grasslands of North America in massive herds...
(American buffalo) that are considered to be sacred
Sacred
Holiness, or sanctity, is in general the state of being holy or sacred...
signs in several Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
s, and thus have great spiritual importance in those cultures and are visited for prayer and other religious ceremonies. Buffalo are normally brown in color; white buffalo can result from one of several physical conditions:
- They may be leucisticLeucisticLeucism is a condition characterized by reduced pigmentation in animals and humans. Unlike albinism, it is caused by a reduction in all types of skin pigment, not just melanin.- Details :...
, with white fur but blue eyes, instead of the pink seen in albinos. - They may have a rare genetic condition which causes a buffalo to be born white, but to become brown within a year or two as it matures.
- They may be albinos, in which case they will remain unpigmented throughout their lives, and may also have hearing and vision problems.
- They may be beefaloBeefaloBeefalo are a fertile hybrid offspring of domestic cattle, Bos taurus, and the American bison, Bison bison...
, a bison-cattleCattleCattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
crossbreed, and thus have inherited the white coloration from their cattle ancestry.
White buffalo are extremely rare; The National Bison Association
National Bison Association
The National Bison Association is a "non-profit association of producers, processors and marketers" of bison. It was formed in 1995 through a merger of two other organizations, the American Bison Association and the National Buffalo Association. Its nearly 1,500 members come from all 50 US states...
has estimated that they only occur in approximately one out of every 10 million births.
Individual white buffalo
- In 1833, a white bison was killed by the CheyenneCheyenneCheyenne are a Native American people of the Great Plains, who are of the Algonquian language family. The Cheyenne Nation is composed of two united tribes, the Só'taeo'o and the Tsétsêhéstâhese .The Cheyenne are thought to have branched off other tribes of Algonquian stock inhabiting lands...
. The skin of this bison is hanging on the wall of Bent's Old FortBent's Old Fort National Historic SiteBent's Old Fort is an 1833 fort located in Otero County in southeastern Colorado, USA. William and Charles Bent, along with Ceran St. Vrain, built the fort to trade with Southern Cheyenne and Arapaho Plains Indians and trappers for buffalo robes...
in Colorado. The Cheyenne killed this white bison during the Leonid Meteor ShowerLeonidsThe Leonids is a prolific meteor shower associated with the comet Tempel-Tuttle. The Leonids get their name from the location of their radiant in the constellation Leo: the meteors appear to radiate from that point in the sky. They tend to peak in November.Earth moves through the meteoroid...
(The Night the Stars Fell) and scribed a peace and trade treaty on its skin. This event was documented by historian Josiah Gregg and other travelers on the Santa Fe Trail.
- On October 7, 1876, a buffalo hunter named J. Wright MooarJ. Wright MooarJ. Wright Mooar was an American buffalo hunter. By the age of twenty, Mooar was hunting buffalo in Kansas, first for meat, and later for hides which he sent to his brother John Mooar in New York. John later quit his job and joined J...
killed a white buffalo in the Deep Creek drainage near Snyder, TexasSnyder, TexasSnyder is a city in and the county seat of Scurry County, Texas, United States. The population was 10,653 at the 2010 census. It is located on Deep Creek, a minor tributary of the Colorado River of Texas. Snyder is approximately 150 km southeast of Lubbock.Located in Snyder is the Scurry County...
. He retained the hide his entire life, despite reports that Teddy Roosevelt offered him $5000 for the hide. White Buffalo Park is presently located near the site of the shooting, and an adjacent ranch is the current resting place of the hide.
- A bison named Big Medicine (1933–1959) was born in the wild on the National Bison RangeNational Bison RangeThe National Bison Range is a National Wildlife Refuge located in western Montana established in 1908 to provide a sanctuary for the American bison. The NBR is one of the oldest National Wildlife Refuges in the United States. The size of the bison herd at the NBR is relatively small, numbering...
on MontanaMontanaMontana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
's Flathead Indian ReservationFlathead Indian ReservationThe Flathead Indian Reservation, located in western Montana on the Flathead River, is home to the Bitterroot Salish, Kootenai, and Pend d'Oreilles Tribes - also known as theConfederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Nation...
. The name "Big Medicine" was chosen due to the sacred power attributed to white bison. Following his death in 1959, his body was preserved and is now displayed at the Montana Historical Society.
- A white buffalo was recorded at the U.S. Army Arctic Testing Center, Fort Greely, AlaskaFort Greely, AlaskaFort Greely is a census-designated place in Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, Alaska, United States. It is home to the Fort Greely military installation. At the 2000 census the population was 461.-Geography:...
. There is a copyrighted photograph of it in Seeing the White Buffalo by Robert Pickering. This buffalo was part of a herd that had been relocated from Montana.
- A female named Miracle (not to be confused with Miracle Moon), was born at the family farm of Dave, Valerie, and Corey Heider near Janesville, WisconsinJanesville, WisconsinJanesville is a city in southern Wisconsin, United States. It is the county seat of Rock County and the principal municipality of the Janesville, Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 62,998.-History:...
on August 20, 1994. Her fur fully transitioned to brown as she matured, and she gave birth to four calves of her own before dying of natural causes on September 19, 2004. SiouxSiouxThe Sioux are Native American and First Nations people in North America. The term can refer to any ethnic group within the Great Sioux Nation or any of the nation's many language dialects...
tribal members had continually visited their farm since the birth of Miracle. Additionally, a calf born at the Heider farm died aged 4 days in 1996. A third white calf was born in August 2006 which died after being struck by lightning in November of the same year. Kathleen Buerer wrote a memoir about her 1994 visits to Miracle, "By the Side of the Buffalo Pasture".
- Spirit Mountain Ranch donated the herd of white buffalo to Sacred World Peace Church and Alliance,http://www.sacredworldpeacechurch.com in Flagstaff, ArizonaFlagstaff, ArizonaFlagstaff is a city located in northern Arizona, in the southwestern United States. In 2010, the city's population was 65,870. The population of the Metropolitan Statistical Area was at 134,421 in 2010. It is the county seat of Coconino County...
(now Bend, OregonBend, OregonBend is a city in and the county seat of Deschutes County, Oregon, United States, and the principal city of the Bend, Oregon Metropolitan Statistical Area. Bend is Central Oregon's largest city, and, despite its modest size, is the de facto metropolis of the region, owing to the low population...
) and has successfully bred four generations of white buffalo starting from a single white female, almost all with brown fathers. Their herd includes fourteen white animals as of May 9, 2011:- Miracle Moon (female, born April 30, 1997), calf of Big Momma (brown). Miracle Moon (the first white of this line) has been DNA tested, and is shown to be 100% buffalo, or bison.
- Rainbow Spirit (female, born June 8, 2000, calf of Miracle Moon)
- Mandela Peace Pilgrim (female, born July 18, 2001, calf of Miracle Moon)
- Arizona Spirit (male, born July 1, 2002, calf of Miracle Moon)
- Sunrise Spirit (female, born May 22, 2004, calf of Mandela Peace Pilgrim)
- Spirit Thunder (male, born May 27, 2004, calf of Rainbow Spirit)
- Chief Hiawatha (male, born May 16, 2005, calf of Miracle Moon)
- Our Lucky Star (male, born June 10, 2006, calf of Big Momma)
- White Spirit (male, born June 10, 2007, calf of Sunrise Spirit)
- Happy Spirit (female, born May 4, 2008, calf of Miracle Moon)
- Dena's Pride 'n' Joy (female, born May 15, 2008, calf of Big Momma)
- On June 4, 2006, Miracle Moon gave birth to Little Dream Walker, a snow white baby (albino), sired by Arizona Spirit. This was the first white to white breeding. He died on June 6, 2006, due to albinism.
- J.R. Spirit (female, born May 7, 2011 to Mandala Peace Pilgrim) white calf
- Opal Sunrise Spirit (male, born May 8, 2011 to Sunrise Spirit) non-albino white calf with black eyes and black nose (not pink)
- Silver Spirit (calf born May 9, 2011 to Miracle Moon) male white calf
- Mahpiya Ska ("White Cloud") (Cherokee:ᎤᏁᎬ ᎤᎶᎩᎸ) is an albino white buffalo born July 10, 1996. She has resided since 1997 at the National Buffalo Museum and Cultural Center in Jamestown, North DakotaJamestown, North DakotaAs of the census of 2000, there were 15,527 people, 6,505 households, and 3,798 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,246.7 per square mile . There were 6,970 housing units at an average density of 559.6 per square mile...
. Mahpiya Ska has been certified by the National Bison AssociationNational Bison AssociationThe National Bison Association is a "non-profit association of producers, processors and marketers" of bison. It was formed in 1995 through a merger of two other organizations, the American Bison Association and the National Buffalo Association. Its nearly 1,500 members come from all 50 US states...
as an albino white bison; she is deaf and has impaired vision. She has had four brown calves. On August 31, 2007, she gave birth to a white calf. The calf has yet to be tested, but it is believed to be albino.
- Tupelo Buffalo Park and ZooTupelo Buffalo Park and ZooThe Tupelo Buffalo Park and Zoo is a zoo located in Tupelo, Mississippi. At , it is the largest zoo in the state of Mississippi.-History:The Tupelo Buffalo Park and Zoo was founded by Dan Franklin and located at 2272 North Coley Road.-Buffalo:...
in Tupelo, MississippiTupelo, MississippiTupelo is the largest city in and the county seat of Lee County, Mississippi, United States. It is the seventh largest city in the state of Mississippi, smaller than Meridian, and larger than Greenville. As of the 2000 United States Census, the city's population was 34,211...
, owns a white buffalo bull named Tukota ("Too-ko-ta")
- A male white buffalo named Spirit of Peace was born on April 17, 2005, on the Blatz Bison Ranch in Fort St. John, British ColumbiaFort St. John, British ColumbiaThe City of Fort St. John is a city in northeastern British Columbia, Canada. A member municipality of the Peace River Regional District, the city covers an area of about 22 km² with 22,000 residents . Located at Mile 47, it is one of the largest cities along the Alaska Highway. Originally...
. Spirit of Peace died on June 1 of the same year, probably as a result of his premature birth.
- A female White Buffalo calf was born in Shelbyville, KentuckyShelbyville, KentuckyAs of the census of 2000, there were 10,085 people, 3,822 households, and 2,549 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,333.5 people per square mile . There were 4,117 housing units at an average density of 544.4 per square mile...
on June 3, 2005 at Buffalo Crossing, a buffalo ranch and tourist facility. She was named Cante Pejute (Medicine Heart in the Lakota language) in a traditional ceremony led by Steve McCullough, a Lakota/Shawnee from Indiana.
- A male named Blizzard was born in March 2006 on the farm of an anonymous rancher, who arranged to have the calf transported to Assiniboine Park ZooAssiniboine Park ZooAssiniboine Park Zoo is a zoo that was established in 1904 at the West end of Assiniboine Park in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The Zoological Society of Manitoba was formed in 1956 to provide the vision and funding for the zoo....
in WinnipegWinnipegWinnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
, ManitobaManitobaManitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
in recognition of his spiritual significance to aboriginal people.
- A third white buffalo was born on the Heider farm (see "Miracle" above) on August 25, 2006. The male calf was named Miracle's Second Chance and was unrelated to Miracle. The Heiders planned to breed the male with the descendants of Miracle, but during a thunderstorm late November 26, 2006, five buffalo on the Heider farm were killed in a lightning strike, including Miracle's Second Chance.
- LightningLightningLightning is an atmospheric electrostatic discharge accompanied by thunder, which typically occurs during thunderstorms, and sometimes during volcanic eruptions or dust storms...
, formerly known as KenahkihinénKenahkihinénKenahkihinén is a male white buffalo born at The Woodland Zoo & More in Farmington, Pennsylvania and now residing at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort in Farmington. Born under extremely unusual circumstances, he is unlike any other white buffalo born previously...
(Kĕ-Nah‛-Ki-Nĕn, from the Lenape languageLenape languageThe Delaware languages, also known as the Lenape languages, are Munsee and Unami, two closely related languages of the Eastern Algonquian subgroup of the Algonquian language family...
meaning 'Watch Over Us'), a male white buffalo, was born November 12, 2006, at Woodland Zoo in Farmington, PennsylvaniaFarmington, PennsylvaniaFarmington is an unincorporated community in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, United States along the National Road. It is situated about 50 miles southeast of Pittsburgh, and is the closest settlement to Fort Necessity...
.
- On May 31, 2008, a third white calf was born to a normal brown two-year-old at the National Buffalo Museum, Jamestown, North DakotaJamestown, North DakotaAs of the census of 2000, there were 15,527 people, 6,505 households, and 3,798 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,246.7 per square mile . There were 6,970 housing units at an average density of 559.6 per square mile...
.
- On May 12, 2011, a white male buffalo calf named Wakinya Pejuta Mahpiya which means Lightning Medicine Cloud in Lakota was born near Greenville, Texas during a thunderstorm on the ranch of Arby Little Soldier.
In popular culture
- A white silhouette of a bison is featured in the flag of the state of WyomingWyomingWyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
. The bison is the state mammal; it is branded with the Great Seal of Wyoming. White represents purity, uprightness and one of the colors of the United States flag. - A charging white buffalo over crossed swords is used as the logo for the NHL team, the Buffalo SabresBuffalo SabresThe Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League .-Founding and early success: 1970-71—1980-81:...
. A white buffalo head was used from 1996-2006.
Further reading
- Pickering, Robert B., Seeing the White Buffalo. Denver Museum of Natural History & Johnson Books. 146 pgs. (hb & pb)., 1997.
External links
- Miracle, the Sacred White Buffalo
- White bison calf born on May 22, 2004 outside of Flagstaff
- White bison calf born on April 17, 2005 in Fort Saint John, British Columbia
- Tupelo Buffalo Park and Zoo in Tupelo, Mississippi
- Video of White Cloud and her calf
- George and Darril Fosty Documentary film
- Yvnvssv Hetke dies at Perryman Ranch, 2011