Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa gift five symbolic white buffalo calves to neighboring tribes 

Tribal leaders hope buffalo calves will usher in time of ‘renewal and healing’

Representatives from five tribes recently gathered at the Sky Dancer Rodeo Arena in Belcourt, North Dakota, for a giveaway of symbolic white bison calves. The rare animals paced in metal pens while the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa hosted a daylong celebration of the gifts to area Native nations.

These calves serve as “living reminders of the sacred path we walk together,” said Turtle Mountain Tribal Chairman Jamie Azure. He told Buffalo’s Fire they are symbols of strength and pride. Receiving the presents were representatives of the Spirit Lake Tribe, Three Affiliated Tribes, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, Red Lake Band of Chippewa and Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate.

Spirit Lake Tribe Chairperson Lonna Jackson-Street wondered: “What gift can you possibly give in exchange for something such as a white buffalo?”

For the tribes and more than 200 people who gathered in Belcourt, it was the gift of songs in their own languages: offerings of star quilts, tobacco, sweetgrass and wild rice. Many tribal representatives and elders who spoke at the event Wednesday, Oct. 16 emphasized this opportunity to share traditional knowledge. 

“Some of us are fortunate enough to carry on some of the traditions we have at home,” said Jason Morsette, special projects coordinator for Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Tourism. “We are fortunate enough to share with you all as well,” he said before offering a prayer song for attendees.

The calves are the embodiment of the White Buffalo Calf Woman, in the creation story for the Lakota, Dakota and Nakota people. A throughline between all the generational tellings is that the White Buffalo Calf Woman taught Indigenous peoples their language, prayer and how to use ceremony in times of need.

Both the Mandan and Hidatsa initiate older women into a White Buffalo Cow Society, a present-day society with deep roots that spread across centuries of cultural practices. Historically, members of this society were known for having supernatural powers over agriculture and hunting. Society members also had bundle rights that they used to call the buffalo in the winter. The leader of the all-woman society wore a white buffalo robe.

As for many First Nations, stories tell of White Buffalo Calf Woman appearing multiple times bringing medicine and teaching reciprocity, Dakota Goodhouse, Native American studies instructor at United Tribes Technical College, told Buffalo’s Fire.

A local elder shared with attendees the story of the White Buffalo Calf Woman as her Lakota relatives told her. In one version, a woman appeared before two hunters. One approached her arrogantly with bad intentions and she turned him to dust instantly. The woman instructed the other hunter to lead her to his people’s camp, where she taught them how to pray, honor the natural world and perform ceremonies. As she left the camp, she rolled in the earth, transforming into a black, red and yellow buffalo with each turn. Finally, her coat became white before she disappeared entirely.

“I can never remember a time [tribes] came together,” united by their commonality as “a spiritual, prayerful people,” local elder Frances “Fatty” Davis told attendees before making a tobacco offering for the community meal.

Turtle Mountain sharing the strength they found from their buffalo

The Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa purchased their first white buffalo bull from a Sioux County, North Dakota rancher in 2021.

Azure said the presence of the white buffalo calf on the Turtle Mountain Reservation provided community members strength during the financial and social hardships of the COVID-19 pandemic. Azure said he hopes the gifts will help other tribal communities kindle a sense of resilience, too.

In the years since introducing the bull to the tribe’s herd, with no specific breeding plan, Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa welcomed multiple white buffalo births.

The genetic chance of a white buffalo birth is “like hitting the lottery,” according to James DeCoteau, cultural liaison for the chairman of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa. Since purchasing the white buffalo bull the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa have won the lottery eight-times over.

DeCoteau recalled the shock of discovering two newly born white calves at once. Realizing the significance of eight white buffalo born within only a three-year span, he and the herd’s manager Murton Gillis approached the Turtle Mountain Tribal Council. Imagining how to share this abundance and joy, they gained support for the idea of building unity among tribal nations. Wednesday’s event, complete with traditional dance and feasting, capped a year of planning to “foster government-to-government relations in the future,” DeCoteau said.

The frequency of buffalo born with white coats is unknown. Only occasionally is one born with brown eyes, which some oral accounts consider most rare. Albino bison have no pigmentation, exhibiting white wool with pinkish eyes and skin. Breeding Charcolais cattle with buffalo produces calves with genes that can give them white coats at birth, which darken with age.

Karena Miller, a manager for Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate’s buffalo herd, told Buffalo’s Fire they plan to test their calf’s genetics to avoid breeding beefalo.

The presence of a white buffalo in tribal herds signifies to Azure that traditional lifeways are returning and the community is entering a place of harmony.

“The buffalo have been our strength,” said Jackson-Street. She told attendees that the presence of the white buffalo will usher in a time of “renewal and healing” for each of the five tribes.

The presence of the white buffalo, “will bring a whole new meaning to our buffalo ranch,” said Cherilyn Spears, project coordinator for Red Lake Nation’s buffalo ranch and farm.

“Each time Ptehíŋchalasaŋ Wí [White Buffalo Calf Woman] appeared to the people it was at [a time of] greatest need,” Goodhouse said. The stories of White Buffalo Calf Woman illustrate that “with each visit the people transformed into a better stronger community,” Goodhouse said. “They learned to recognize and see others outside of their circle as well. I think that is essential to our survival as human beings.”

References:

“The White Bison of Today,” National Bison Association, June 9, 2023, https://bisoncentral.com/the-white-bison-of-today/

The Story of White Buffalo Calf Woman and the Gift of the Pipe, Oct. 7, 2021, Lakota Times, https://www.lakotatimes.com/articles/the-story-of-white-buffalo-calf-woman-and-the-gift-of-the-pipe/

“What the White Buffalo Calf tells us about Indigenous history,” May 11, 2023, https://www.colorado.edu/asmagazine/2023/05/11/what-white-buffalo-calf-tells-us-about-indigenous-history

“White Buffalo Calf Born to Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Tribe,” Native News Online, June. 20, 2022, https://nativenewsonline.net/currents/white-buffalo-born-to-the-turtle-mountain-band-of-chippewa-tribe

“Selfridge rancher gives Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa a rare 1 in 10-million white bison,” KFYR, Apr. 18, 2021, https://www.kfyrtv.com/2021/04/18/selfridge-rancher-gives-turtle-mountain-band-of-chippewa-a-rare-1-in-10-million-white-bison/

Dateline:

BELCOURT, N.D.