White bison birth in Yellowstone seen as prophecy fulfilment
A white bison calf was born in Yellowstone National Park, America. Native Americans who live in the surrounding areas see it as a sign and fulfillment of prophecy. They emphasize that the birth is "comparable to the second coming of Jesus."
14 June 2024 09:09
- The birth of this calf is both a blessing and warning. We must do more - commented Looking Horse, a spiritual leader of the Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota Oyate Indians and the 19th keeper of the sacred White Buffalo Calf Woman Pipe and Bundle.
The birth of the white bison occurred after the harsh winter of 2023, which forced thousands of bison in Yellowstone Park to move to lower ground. Over 1,500 of them died, and many were marked for slaughter.
Like "the second coming of Jesus Christ"
Looking Horse said that for the Lakota Indians, the birth of the white bison with a black nose, eyes, and hooves (therefore, not an albino) can be compared to the second coming of Jesus Christ.
According to experts and calculations that have appeared online, such an event happens once in 10 million births.
The Woman Who Gave the Pipe
According to the Lakota legend, about 2,000 years ago, when everything was going wrong, food was scarce, and bison were becoming fewer, a woman appeared who gave a pipe to a member of the tribe, taught him how to pray, and said the pipe could be used to bring bison to Lakota lands.
Before leaving, the woman transformed into a white buffalo calf and said: "Some day when the times are hard again,' Looking Horse said in relating the legend, 'I shall return and stand upon the earth as a white buffalo calf, black nose, black eyes, black hooves."
Photographed by a tourist. Name not revealed
The white, newly born buffalo calf was photographed on June 4 at 3:00 PM by an American tourist in the Lamar Valley in the northeastern part of Yellowstone Park.
The Lakota held a ceremony to name the white calf, but Looking Horse did not reveal it. He only mentioned that a similar calf born in Wisconsin in 1994, was named Miracle.
According to an agreement between the federal government and the state of Montana, the bison population in Yellowstone is limited to 5,000 animals. Surplus animals are killed or relocated.
