White Buffalo

Learn the legend of the white buffalo and how it came to be.

The Native Americans have legends about White buffalo, which are extremely rare. It is said that A white buffalo appeared in the form of a woman who wore white hides. One man was respectful toward her, and the other was not. The one who was not was turned into a pile of bones. She gave the respectful brave a pipe and taught him special music. She also taught him various rituals and said that she would someday return in an era of peace. Many people cling to this legend of White Buffalo as a hope that there will be an end to suffering, whereas others think that it is merely an interesting tale. Many experts find parallels between the white buffalo legend and other religions and traditions.

The buffalo, in general, is a very much respected part of Native American life. Every part of the buffalo was used to provide Native Americans with food, clothing, shelter and weapons. It was considered quite disrespectful to waste any part of the buffalo or to kill it for sport, as many of the white men did. Because of the excessive hunting of white men, the buffalo in North America nearly died out. When President Grover Cleveland made hunting buffalo illegal in 1893, there were only 300 left. 

The Buffalo has re-emerged, and many people eat buffalo steaks and jerky. There was an interesting occurrence in 1997, when white buffalo were born in Arizona. These white buffalo live on a ranch, and many tourists, associating the white buffalo with the legend, come to from all over the world to see the white buffalo. Many see these white buffalo as indicating the peaceful era described in the legend. Others view the birth of the white buffalo as merely an interesting and rare occurrence. Either way, it is certainly worth a visit to Arizona to see the white buffalo.