Description
Buffalo (also known as bison) play an important role in Native American folklore, particularly the folklore of Plains Indian tribes. Buffalo were one of the most important food sources for Plains tribes, but they were hard to hunt in the days before guns and horses, so there were many rituals, dances, and prayers in Plains Indian tribes related to the difficult and dangerous but life-sustaining art of buffalo hunting. In many Plains Indian myths, buffalo gave themselves up willingly as a food source for humans, and therefore have a special position of honor and respect. In other myths, buffalo spirits bring sacred knowledge about medicine or peace pipes to humankind. Southern Plains legends often involve Coyote or another hero releasing buffalo on the earth to help feed the people. There are also many cautionary tales in which buffalo hunts are unsuccessful or result in hunters’ deaths because people have failed to respect the buffalo properly. Buffalo are seen as spiritually powerful in many tribes; their horns and hides were often used for regalia and religious artifacts. In other tribal regions, buffalo are not considered as sacred as they are in Plains and Plateau tribes, but they still play positive roles in most Native American folklore, frequently associated with strength, endurance, and protection.
Buffalo are also used as clan animals in some Native American cultures. Tribes with Buffalo Clans include the Caddo, the Osage, and the Pueblo tribes of New Mexico.
“The Story of the Buffalo Dance” – A Blackfoot Legend
When the buffalo first came to be upon the land, they were not friendly to the people. When the hunters tried to coax them over the cliffs for the good of the villages, they were reluctant to offer themselves up.
They did not relish being turned into blankets and dried flesh for winter rations. They did not want their hooves and horn to become tools and utensils nor did they welcome their sinew being used for sewing.
“No, no,” they said. “We won’t fall into your traps. And we will not fall for your tricks.”
So when the hunters guided them towards the abyss, they would always turn aside at the very last moment. With this lack of cooperation, it seemed the villagers would be hungry and cold and ragged all winter long…
“White Buffalo Calf Woman” – A Brule Sioux Legend
One summer so long ago that nobody knows how long, the Oceti-Sakowin, the seven sacred council fires of the Lakota Oyate, the nation, came together and camped. The sun shone all the time, but there was no game and the people were starving. Every day they sent scouts to look for game, but the scouts found nothing.
Among the bands assembled were the Itazipcho, the Without-Bows, who had their own camp circle under their chief, Standing Hollow Horn.
Early one morning the chief sent two of his young men to hunt for game. They went on foot, because at that time the Sioux didn’t yet have horses.
They searched everywhere but could find nothing. Seeing a high hill, they decided to climb it in order to look over the whole country. Halfway up, they saw something coming toward them from far off, but the figure was floating instead of walking. From this they knew that the person was “wakan”, holy.
At first they could make out only a small moving speck and had to squint to see that it was a human form. But as it came nearer, they realized that it was a beautiful young woman, more beautiful than any they had ever seen, with two round, red dots of face paint on her cheeks.
She wore a wonderful white buckskin outfit, tanned until it shone a long way in the sun. It was embroidered with sacred and marvelous designs of porcupine quill, in radiant colors no ordinary woman could have made.
Human + AI Generated
*.zip (*.png 12 Mb)
**For printing on canvas
***Art for digital screens
