When a white buffalo was born during the fall at the Woodland Zoo in Farmington, Fayette County, its arrival was immediately heralded by the American Indian community.
The birth of the male calf on Nov. 12 was a rare occurrence, zoo owners Sonny and Jill Herring quickly learned.
"It's a very recessive gene that every now and then will pop up," Jill Herring said.
White buffaloes hold a place of reverence among American Indians, especially the Cheyenne, Sioux and other nomadic tribes of the Northern Plains.
On Saturday, the buffalo named Kenahkihinen (Lenape for "watch over us") will be blessed by a delegation of the Lakota tribe, including Native American Spiritual Leader David Swallow, of South Dakota. Swallow also will discuss the buffalo's significance.
Swallow was born and raised on the Pine Ridge Ogala Lakota Sioux Reservation in South Dakota. He is a member of Teton Lakota Nation, band of Crazy Horse, and is a Sundance chief and a headman of the Lakota Nation.
According to a version of an American Indian legend, a white buffalo, disguised as a woman wearing white hides, appeared to two men.
One man treated her with dignity; the other did not. She turned the disrespectful man into a pile of bones and gave the respectful one a chanunpa, or pipe, and taught his people rituals and music. She then changed colors, from black to red to yellow, before reassuming the color and shape of a white buffalo.
"When a white buffalo is born," Jill Herring said, "it is meant to signify peace and harmony between all men ... to unite all colors."
Michael "Haw" Spisak, a local sundancer, is arranging Swallow's visit.
"David is my chief," said Spisak, a member of the Athabascan tribe who lives in Scottdale.
Spisak was present at Kenahkihinen's naming ceremony in December.
"David Swallow was interested in bringing a delegation here for the white buffalo," he said. "It's important to every living human being on the face of the planet. It (the white buffalo) is extremely rare."
He called Swallow's visit "historic."
"These are not people you get to see or meet," Spisak said. "They don't leave the reservation."
Swallow's 1-4 p.m. visit to the zoo's amphitheater on Saturday is open to the public on a donation basis, Jill Herring said.
Larger text
Smaller text
Print this article
E-mail this article
