Reported Birth of Rare White Buffalo Cub in Yellowstone Park Fulfills Lakota Prophecy | Nation and world

HELEN, Mont. — The reported birth of a rare white buffalo in Yellowstone National Park fulfills a Lakota prophecy that portends better times, according to members of the Native American tribe who warned that it is also a signal that something needs to be done more to protect the earth and its animals.

“The birth of this calf is both a blessing and a warning. We must do more,” said Chief Arvol Looking Horse, spiritual leader of the Lakota, Dakota and Nakota Oyate in South Dakota, and 19th Keeper of the White Buffalo Calf Wife’s Sacred Pipe and Bundle.

The birth of the sacred calf comes after a harsh winter in 2023 pushed thousands of Yellowstone buffalo, also known as bison, to lower elevations. More than 1,500 people have been killed, sent to slaughter or transferred to tribes seeking to reclaim management of an animal their ancestors lived with for millennia.

Erin Braaten of Kalispell took several photos of the calf shortly after it was born June 4 in Lamar Valley in the northeast corner of the park.

Her family was visiting the park when they spotted “something really white” among a herd of bison across the Lamar River.

Traffic eventually stopped as the bison crossed the road, so Braaten took his camera out the window to take a closer look with his telephoto lens.

“I look and it’s this white buffalo calf. And I was totally, totally stunned,” she said.

Once the bison cleared the roadway, the Braatens turned around and found a place to park. They observed the calf and its mother for 30 to 45 minutes.

“And then she kind of led him through the willows,” Braaten said. Although Braaten returned each of the next two days, she did not see the white calf again.

For the Lakota, the birth of a white buffalo with black nose, eyes and hooves is akin to the second coming of Jesus Christ, Looking Horse said.