This story began with the Lakota (Sioux) Tribe. Because this story has been handed down to the many generations of tribes, it has many variations. After listening to different renditions, here is my telling of the story.
WHITE BUFFALO CALF MAIDEN |
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| The times were very hard and the food very scarce. Two of the tribe's best hunters were sent out to find and bring back food. They had journeyed far from the village and had come to the top of a ridge when off the the distance, many ridges away, t hey spotted a cloud of dust. As they watched for a time, the dust seemed to be coming their way. In time they noticed a beautiful maiden coming in their direction, the most beautiful beautiful maiden the men had ever seen. One of the hunters ran, his mind fillled with toward her, his mind filled with thoughts of lust and bodily pleasures he would enjoy with such a beautiful maiden. The other hunter watched from his original position on the ridge. He could see that, when the other man reached the spot where the maiden was, a grea t cloud enveloped the couple and all else was obscured. Not understanding what was happening within that cloud the man went to investigate. His heart was pure and did not carry the same thoughts as his fellow hunter. As he came upon the ridge, there stoo d the beautiful maiden. At her feet was the only remains of the first hunter - his skull that which had snakes crawling in and out of the eye sockets. As he looked at the the skull the maiden told him to return to his village and tell the chief and the people to prepare for her coming. When the maiden came, the village was ready. With a bundle in her hand, the maiden approached the chief. When she opened the bundle it contained; a pipe that was in two pieces, bag of herbs and a stone. She told the chie f that this was the Sacred Pipe, a gift to the Red Man from Wakan Tanka. As she presented the pipe she explained its use. The stone had seven circles etched on it that represented the seven ceremonies where the Sacred Pipe will be used. The maiden then described the seven ceremonies, the pipe parts; the bowl, the stem, and the bag of smoking herbs. When she had finished explaining the pipe, she instruct ed them on how to smoke the pipe in the sacred way. She then told all those present that if the Pipe was always used in the sacred way and kept sacred by following her directions, the Red Man would never perish from the face of their Mother Earth. The c hief then told her of the hardship of not having enough food to feed the people who were starviing. The maiden rose and left as the chief and villagers watched. When she had reached the top of the closest ridge to the village, she turned and to face the m. To the surprise to all who watched her she turned to face them. To the surprise to all that watched her, the maiden was transformed into a White Buffalo Calf. She then told the Chief to slay her and use her body to feed the tribe so they would survive . Then she transformed into a normal buffalo and stood there till they had done as she had instructed them to do. |
