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"the white buffalo prophesies"
by darlene
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Native Americans of the Sioux nations have a legend that 2,000 years ago they were visited by a white buffalo calf who transformed into a beautiful Indian girl and taught the tribes seven sacred rituals. When she departed, she foretold of her return that was to be heralded by the birth of a white buffalo. The buffalo would change colors four times, black, red, yellow, and white (which she has since done - she is now the typical buffalo brown), to signify all of the peoples of the world that would be united in peace and harmony. In 1994, a white buffalo calf named Miracle was born on the Heider farm in Wisconsin, prompting over 20,000 visitors (including the Dalai Lama) of all races to make the pilgrimage to visit with the miraculous calf.
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The Heiders don't charge admission. They aren't trying to make a fortune exploiting the calf. On the contrary, they are letting thousands of strangers visit their home and small ranch without asking anything in return. They have refused to sell Miracle, even though they have been offered millions of dollars for her. They see their white buffalo as a miracle that should be shared with the world, and their selflessness might be the most promising sign of them all.
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However, white buffalos are not as rare as the news stories on Miracle would lead you to believe. Even though the buffalo were nearly wiped out by the expansion of settlers, nearly devastating their gene pool, the chances of a white buffalo being born is one in 15,000. In the current US population of buffalo of 150,000, there should be at least 10 white buffalo alive today. Even assuming that the white buffalo were born healthy in the wild and lived to be a year old, their coats would have darkened like Miracle's has and would soon be indistinguishable from the rest of the herd. Because Miracle was born in captivity on a small ranch of only 13 head of buffalo, she was instantly noticed as opposed to one being born in the wild or on an enormous free-range ranch. While the hype surrounding Miracle claims that the last living white buffalo died in 1959 and the chances of one being born is less than one in ten million, six other living white buffalo were tracked down by researchers. In a current population, there are seven living white buffalo in a population of 150,000, just shy of the expected amount.
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Yes, white buffalo are rare, but does this buffalo in Wisconsin fulfill a 2,000 year old prophesy? Is there any harm in believing that the birth of Miracle is a sign of peace on earth and goodwill towards mankind? People trek thousands of miles to witness images of the Virgin Mary projected in a pane of glass and to revisit places of great power like Fatima and Stonehenge. Whether it is crop circles, bleeding statues, or white buffalos, people have an overwhelming need to believe in good omens and a higher power. If this white buffalo does in fact have the power to unite all races and all peoples of earth in harmony, she is the most rare and precious gift to the nations. But even if her only purpose is to bring a spark of hope into the world, she truly is a Miracle.
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