August: White Buffalo Calf Woman and Lakota Prophecy

The story of White Buffalo Calf Woman, Ptsesan Winyan, is referenced in the panel; she is a primary cultural icon of Lakota tradition.  She brought a sacred medicine bundle to sustain the people, teaching them spiritual laws and practices - the sweat lodge among them - and gifting them with the sacred pipe (canunpa wakan) for use in their ceremonies. 

The basic story is that in a lean time, two young scouts were sent looking for buffalo, and saw a white buffalo calf in the distance. As they got closer, it revealed itself as a beautiful woman dressed in white buckskin. One of the youth perceived her holy nature and was filled with respect and reverence. The other decided to approach her for the purpose of fulfilling his lust. He was struck by a sudden whirlwind of dust (some say a black cloud); when it dissipated, there remained only a pile of his bones on the ground.
I wish all girls had this skill. 

The other youth was terrified, and drew his bow, but the sacred woman explained that he was in no danger, because she could see into his heart. I think most girls DO have this skill. We just have to encourage them to trust their Knowing, to trust their 'gut' (their instincts) and their intuition.

Use of the sacred pipe was, for a time, outlawed by white 'authorities'. The pipe was intentionally constructed in three sections so that it could be broken down; each piece could then be separately and secretly transported, hidden in the clothes and articles of different individuals.

In 1994, a rare white buffalo calf was born on a farm owned by a white family in Janesville, Wisconsin. Even the Dalai Lama honored her by visiting and leaving his white scarf on the fence, with the innumerable offerings made by the tribes and others. This calf was named Miracle, and was heralded as the fulfillment of Lakota prophecy, which states that there will be a proliferation of white animals (not albinos), as a signal to us that we have reached a crucial threshold, a tipping point.

We are now Standing on that threshold. 

Mni Wiconi. Water is Life. I Am Water.