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White Buffalo Calf Woman – Healer, Teacher, and Inspirational Spirit for the Lakota People

White Buffalo Calf Woman – Healer, Teacher, and Inspirational Spirit for the Lakota People

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Goddess cults have existed in every part of the world. The myths and legends of the Lakota people discuss a powerful female figure in the stories of White Buffalo Calf Woman. She is a supernatural woman who taught the Lakota people their “Seven Sacred Rituals.”

White Buffalo Calf Woman is also known as Pte Ska Win or Ptesanwi. Her story seems to be centered in Lakota mythology, but other Native Americans also have legends about her. She is traditionally known as an individual who brings messages from the ancestors, but she has also been regarded as a healer who comes to help during critical situations. White Buffalo Calf Woman brings inspiration, strength, and the power of creation. Moreover, modern Native Americans provide interesting connections between the legends of White Buffalo Calf Woman and Christianity.

‘White Buffalo Calf Woman.’

‘White Buffalo Calf Woman.’ (nativeheritageproject)

The Sacred Pipe

To understand the cult of White Buffalo Calf Woman it is necessary to examine how generous she was to the Lakota people. In fact, their beliefs say that she gave them their most powerful tools to communicate with deities and improve their lives. Apart from providing them with daily protection and inspiring activity, Lakota mythology says that she taught them much more.

One of the most important tools in Lakota rituals is a sacred pipe - chanunpa. The one who showed them how to use it was White Buffalo Calf Woman. The legends say that she took a pipe and filled it with regional tobacco, then walked around a lodge four times. This is how she showed the people the endless circle - a sacred road of life. She told the Lakota people that the smoke rising from the bowl while she was dancing was the breath of Tunkashila, the living breath of the great Grandfather of Mystery.

A White Buffalo Pipe.

A White Buffalo Pipe. (Barefoot’s World)

She also showed the Lakota people how to pray. Furthermore, White Buffalo Calf Woman taught them how to dance, make special gestures, and gave them the words for prayers to worship their deities. She explained that the people who followed her directions would be heard more easily by the gods.

A Traditional Story

Another traditional story says that there was a time of famine so the leader of the Lakotas sent people to hunt. While searching for animals, two men saw a beautiful young woman dressed in white clothes. One of the men desired this woman and decided to get closer to her. He said to his companion that he wanted to take her as his wife. His friend warned him that she didn’t look like a normal woman, and told him that she could be a sacred one or spirit. When the other man ignored this words, his companion could only watch what happened next.

When the man reached the beautiful woman, a huge white cloud covered them both. As it disappeared, the man vanished too. He was punished for his behavior. The woman explained to the other man that she would not hurt him. She said that she only hurt his friend because he wanted to harm her while she was a buffalo. This story was later connected to the goddess Wohpe (or Wope, Whope) as well.

The White Buffalo Calf Woman meets two men.

The White Buffalo Calf Woman meets two men. (Crystalinks)

White Buffalo Calf Woman Today

The first recorded white buffalo in the USA was killed by Cheyenne during the Leonic Meteor Showers in 1833. The white buffalo is an American bison and is considered a sacred animal in Native American beliefs. Many tribes in North America associate the symbol of a white buffalo with world harmony and rebirth. Legends and myths about the sacred animal and White Buffalo Calf Woman are still very popular with people who identify their origins as Native American.

Big Medicine,’ a sacred white buffalo that lived from 1933-1959 on the National Bison Range, is now on permanent display at the Montana Historical Society.

‘Big Medicine,’ a sacred white buffalo that lived from 1933-1959 on the National Bison Range, is now on permanent display at the Montana Historical Society. (Los Paseos/CC BY SA 2.0)

An article by Shannon Smith published on the University of Nebraska website discusses the modern importance of Native American stories about White Buffalo Calf Woman. Smith writes:

“For many Lakota women, the story represents the solidarity of the culture as its foundation point, but also shows the fluidity of storytelling itself.

No definitive version of the story exists. One should never be defined. The story shifts and shapes itself to the people, it grows and adapts. Through the oral tradition, it was handed down, and the story changed over time and will continue to change. What most versions agree upon though, is that White Buffalo Calf Woman brought the canunpa wakan, the Sacred Pipe. She also brought the sun dance, the inipi (sweat lodge) and the hanblecia (the vision quest), among other rituals.

In “The Sacred Pipe,” Black Elk lists seven rites given by White Buffalo Calf Woman for proper living. University of Nebraska-Lincoln professor Tom Gannon believes the Lakota practiced more ceremonies originally, but after contact with European settlers, only seven were highlighted to better transition Lakota spiritual belief into the Catholic seven sacraments.”

Ptihn-Tak-Ochatä - Dance of the Mandan Women by Karl Bodmer, 1840–1843.

Ptihn-Tak-Ochatä - Dance of the Mandan Women by Karl Bodmer, 1840–1843. (Public Domain) The White Buffalo Cow Society originated with the Mandan women. This is an all-women’s society which historically performed important buffalo-calling rites.

Nowadays, many Lakota people are Christians, however they didn't get rid of the cult of White Buffalo Calf Woman. Instead, they connected the ancient goddess/spirit with St Mary and the sacred pipe chanunpa has been associated with Jesus.

The Native American people still follow many of their ancient beliefs as well. Currently, White Buffalo Calf Woman still inspires both native and Christian rituals. She remains an icon of the Lakota people and other Native American cultures. Some of them believe that she will come back someday and help them take back the lands which they lost due to European migration.

"The Return of The Bird Tribes" By Ken Carey, from the chapter "White Buffalo Calf Woman."

"The Return of The Bird Tribes" By Ken Careyfrom the chapter "White Buffalo Calf Woman." (Bridge to Alcyone)

Top Image: An image of a woman and white buffalo in the sky. Source: Confederation of Aboriginal People of Quebec

By Natalia Klimczak

References:

White Buffalo Calf Woman, available at:
www.crystalinks.com/buffalocalfwoman.html

White Buffalo Calf Woman’s story serves as a blueprint by Shannon Smith, available at:
http://cojmc.unl.edu/nativedaughters/storytellers/white-buffalo-calf-womans-story-serves-as-a-blueprint

White Buffalo Calf Woman, available at:
www.ilhawaii.net/~stony/dcmyths.html

White Buffalo Calf Woman, available at:
http://www.goddessgift.com/goddess-myths/white_buffalo_calf_woman.htm

 

Comments

The Native American myths are based on memories of God's Word, which were mixed with myths from ancient Babylon and the worship of Isis. The Mysteries of Isis is there origin of witchcraft and Paganism, which became New Age occult religion of today. Many things were copied from what we see in the Bible. This Paganism was brought to America and around the world by people scattered from Babel called the Mysteries of Isis.

The white buffalo is a wild cow. In Babylon and Egypt they worshipped Baal the sun god as a bull. This tradition was a copy of Israelites sacred ritual of the sacrifice of the Red Heifer as part of the sacrificial ritual by the Levites when God organized the Temple worship in the wilderness.

Satanic beings have often appeared as angels of light. This is why their leader was named Lucifer, which means light. And his followers are the Illuminati today.

Pagan traditions are found in our churches today. Healers have always been Pagans. And are associated with contact with spirits who speak through them. To contact Demon spirits sex, rhythmic music, and drugs are used to produce hypnotic altered states. Smoking Peyote is a common method.

God warned in the Ten Commandments to have NO OTHER gods before Him. Witchcraft i.e. Goddess worship is common in all false religions since Babel created by Semiramis wife of Nimrod and mother of the Nephilim.
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God gave the Israelites seven rituals also.

In Satanism/Paganism Polytheism many things were counterfeited by Satan to resemble Christian doctrine in preparation to merge the two religions into a world religion of Antichrist. This is why ignorant Church people think Star Wars and other occult films have Christian doctrine when in fact it is black and white magick or Yin and Yang, black and white "Force be with you." Or they refer to it as a Higher Power.

Natalia

Natalia Klimczak is an historian, journalist and writer and is currently a Ph.D. Candidate at the Faculty of Languages, University of Gdansk. Natalia does research in Narratology, Historiography, History of Galicia (Spain) and Ancient History of Egypt, Rome and Celts. She... Read More

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