Restoring Buffalo to the Dakota Plains::

Origins of the Lakota from the Pte Nation

The wakan relationship that exists between the Lakota and the buffalo goes all the way back to creation. Whether the story evolved out of the transformations to Plains culture brought about by the horse in the 17th and 18th centuries, or whether it had its roots far back in ancient time, it cannot be doubted that the Lakota story of creation expresses a highly spiritual relationship between the people and the buffalo - one that has existed from the beginning of time. It is clear from the story that the relationship is based on biological kinship. What follows is an account of creation by the late Sidney Keith from the Cheyenne River reservation. Here, Keith focuses on the origins of the buffalo:

"In the beginning of the New Earth (planet) the Great Spirit sent a family from the Star Nation to live underground to await the completion of creation. Upon their arrival into a cave which is now called Wind Cave, the Star people changed themselves into 'Pte' (bison) people. Before, they were invisible and they were semi-divine people. They could disappear at will. After a century or more the Pte People became very old, the Great Spirit told the Sacred Star Maiden that they will have to die of old age. He was to make place for them in heaven where their spirits can return to him and they will live with him forever. At that time there was an 'Iktomi' (Trickster) who lost his job to the Sacred Bear. The Trickster was to wander around with no friends. The Iktomi tricked some wolf spirits to take some 'wasna' (pemmican) and clothing he made to the Pte people, they were to go down the tunnel at Wind Cave. They made the perilous journey and introduced the wasna and clothing to the first people. They liked it. First seven people of a 'tiyospaye' (tribe or family) followed the wolves up to the new world. They saw it was a beautiful place but the Great Spirit told them they came up too early. They lost their semi-divineness. They were no longer semi-divine but they could communicate with the spirits dwelling in the East because the Sun made a 'kola' (friend) to the people. Today they are the first to greet the Sun every morning. The Bison offered themselves to the 'Ikce Wicasa' (Common People). Every part of their body was useful to them" (courtesy of the InterTribal Bison Cooperative).

Variations of this story are still remembered and told and re-told today by the young and the old. One boy, in his teens, told me about the "people who once lived under the [Black] Hills - lots of them - and they did all these magical things - flew around, even. They had a lot of power back then." When asked who these people were, he replied, "The buffalo… and us." When asked how he had known this, he said, "My grandmother told me when I was growing up" (1998). The Pte Nation reside under the earth and live as a highly-stratified community with leaders and spiritual healers. Either soon after or just before they had been tricked out of the underworld by Iktomi, the Pte Nation became the Lakota Nation. For this reason, the buffalo and the Lakota have been biological and spiritual relatives - from the beginning of time.

Since that time, the buffalo have remained close to the Lakota: they have continuously offered themselves up to the Lakota whenever the latter have found themselves to be hungry. Moreover, spiritual and cultural hunger have been satisfied also, in the form of the White Buffalo Calf Woman who appeared to the Lakota and gave them their most treasured ceremonies and traditional values.

Lakota prophecies state that when the last hair of the last buffalo is gone, the last Lakota will be gone also. This is why it is important for the Lakota to keep the buffalo alive. Thus it is that the buffalo and Lakota are connected from birth to death.

Next>>>>