The appearance of White Buffalo Calf Woman, as she is called in English, is perhaps the single most significant event in Lakota spiritual history. She brought the sacred pipe to the people and taught them how to use it. The pipe is used in all Lakota ceremonies. She also gave the people the seven sacred rites; The Inipi, or sacred Purification (sweat lodge) The Hanblecheyapi, or Vision Quest The Wiwanyag Wachipi, or Sun Dance Ceremony Hunkapi, or Making of Relatives Ishnata Awicalowan or the sacred rite of Preparing a Girl for Womanhood (puberty rite) Tapa Wakan Yap, or the Throwing of the Ball Yuwipi, or Spirit Calling Ceremony It is because of Ptecincala Ska Wakan Winan that the Lakota must have a woman to open all ceremonies...not only to represent her, but to represent all women, Mother Earth, the givers of life. To refer to White Buffalo Calf Woman as a Legend or Myth is very bad manners, indeed. She is spiritual truth, as Christ is truth to the Christians.

This is her story...........

Long ago, the Lakota tribes came together for their midsummer celebration at the Soltice. That year, however, buffalo was nowhere to be found, and the people were starving. Among the 7 tribes were the Sans Arc. Chief Standing Hollow Horn chose 2 men to look for game. They searched far and wide with no luck. They were about to give up when one said "Brother, I see a buffalo coming!" As they watched it coming closer, the other warrior exclaimed "This is not a buffalo approaching, but a woman." It was a woman indeed - a woman more beautiful that words can describe. Her face was radiant, and she seemed to float rather than walk. She was dressed in white fringed deerskin and her hair was hanging loose. Tied to it on the left side was a fringe of buffalo hair.
One of the warriors had thoughts to violate her, but the other said "Brother, do not do this!" But the other would not heed him and reached his hand out to touch her. At once a cloud descended upon him and when it lifted, all that was left of him was a pile of bones. The woman said to the living warrior "Your friend had impure thoughts. For his lack of humility, he was punished.

I have been sent by the Buffalo Nation to bring a message to your people, a most important message. Return to your tribe. Tell your chief and people what has happened here. "I shall come tomorrow at sunrise to visit your camp. Tell the people to prepare everything for my coming. Tell them to erect a special tipi. It's door shall face toward the setting sun. Have the ground strewn with the sacred herb Sage.Make a rack of 3 sticks - 2 upright and 1 across. In front of this, place a buffalo skull. Make also a square of carefully smoothed Earth. Make everything holy, brother. Now go to your camp without looking back."
The young Warrior did as he was told and the people worked hard to prepare for the coming of this Wakan Winan (holy woman). At the first light of dawn, the Holy Maiden appeared. She held in her hands the Ptehinchala Huhu Chanunpa, the Most Sacred Pipe, made from a buffalo calf's leg bone. This pipe was not fashioned by human hands, but by Wakan Tanka, The Great Mystery.White Buffalo Calf Woman walked over the sage as she sang in the most beautiful voice the people had ever heard.....
Niya taninyan
With visible breath
Mawani ye
I am walking
Oyate le
This Buffalo Nation
Imawani
Toward it I walk
Na And Hotaninyan.
I am walking
Niya taninyan
With visible breath
Mawani ye
I am walking
Waluta le
This red sacred thing
Imawani ye
I am walking

White Buffalo Calf Woman entered the lodge that had been prepared for her and sat in the place of Honor. She sang' "Take this sacred pipe to the center. Pray to Wakan Tanka, the Creator. This Pipe Wakan Tanka gave to you." She faced the West, whose color is black, and lifted the Pipe: "I offer this to the Wakinyan, The Winged Ones. I pray to them." Then she turned to the North, whose color is red, and lifted the Pipe: "To the Whirlwind and to all that moves in a circle, to the Wind and the Sacred Four Directions, I offer this." Then she turned to the East, whose color is yellow, presenting the Pipe: "The Sun is rising, giving us a new day, giving thanks for all that lives." Then she turned to the South, whose clor is white, praying, "I give thanks to the Spirit World, the world beyond." She completed the circle, then lifted the Pipe up to the sky and said "I am your sister. We are one people and one spirit. We are the Buffalo Nation."
Then she sang ;
I give you this Earth On which you will walk In a sacred manner You will walk in balance with Unchi, The Grandmother Earth. I give you this Sacred Pipe. With it you will pray For all living things- For those who walk Who fly, who swim And who crawl. She then told the people, "I will return again someday, and then it will be forever. Then there will be a new life and a new understanding."
Chief Standing Hollow Horn then said to the Buffalo Maiden; "Sister, you have come to console us in our time of great need. It is our custom to prepare a feast for our guests, but we have nothing to give you but water." So saying, he dipped a braid of wachanga(sweetgrass) into a buffalo horn filled with rainwater and offered it to her. She thanked him and said "This is better than any feast you could have prepared for me." She then showed the people how to load the pipe with sacred tobacco, how to light it with a glowing buffalo chip, and how to smoke it in a ceremonial matter. Then she taught the people of the Seven Sacred Rites. For four days, she instructed the people how to behave as human beings. She taught them everything they needed to know. When her work was done she told the people "I must leave you, but follow me to the top of that hill, and you shall no longer be hungry."
And the Holy Woman walked toward the East. The people followed, and when she reached the top of the hill, she transformed into a white buffalo calf and slowly disappeared. As the people came to the hilltop, they found before them, on the far side, a herd of buffalo waiting to give their flesh so that the Nation could live.


The Seven Gifts that Accompanied the Pipe
The seven gifts that White Buffalo Calf Maiden brought to "The People" (Lakota) were the ceremonies that incorporated the use of the Sacred Pipe.

The Keeping of Souls The first ceremony is for purification of the Soul of the deceased loved one. The purification is necessary to enable the soul to return to Wakan Tanka, and includes the ceremony that takes place as far as one year from the departed Soul's death when the Soul is released to travel to the Great Creator.

The Rite of Purification The Sweat Lodge Ceremony, or Inipi, is known as a cleansing and predatory ceremony. Before embarking on any important event in a person's life, that person must first prepare for this event by cleansing himself or herself in the Sweat Lodge. At this is the time, their lifeblood {sweat} is mixed with the lifeblood of all their brothers and sisters present in the lodge with them. The ceremony releases all impurities and is sent forth from the Lodge on the four winds. This ceremony binds a person to Mother Earth.

The Vision Quest
The Vision Quest is an individual's private ceremony and requires considerable preparation. It is strictly a connection between the individual and the Great Creator. This significant very important ceremony marks the coming of age of the young adolescent Native Americans. It is preformed by an individual who wishes to seek their own relationship to the Great Creator, and is looking for the part they desire to play in this life's Walk.

The Sun Dance

The Sun Dance Ceremony {Wiwanyag Wachipi} is the coming together of the tribe to offer thanks, and to honor and show devotion to the Great Mystery for the bounty of the past year. This ceremony was banned by the White Man after he had confined the Native Americans to reservations. The reason for the ban was due to the practice of Native Americans who pierced their skins with wooden pegs that were attached to the Sun Dance Pole. Once secured to the pegs, they danced around the pole while at the same time pulling against the pegs until their skins ripped to release the wooden pegs. Native Americans sacrificed themselves in this manner to prove their faith to the Great Mystery not just for themselves but for their tribe. In the past couple of decades, however, this ceremony has been revived on some reservations.

Making Relatives

The Hunkapi Ceremony is to establish a relationship between two people who become closer than kinship. It is likened to the adoption ceremony of someone. Once this ceremony has taken place, the participants become responsible for each other.

The Preparation of Womanhood

The Ishnata Awicalowan Ritual is one that every girl shares when she experiences her first moon time, or menstruation. It is an important teaching that is handed down to her as a young woman who is now able to bear children. She becomes like Mother Earth - a link to the preservation of the tribe. In Native American Culture, it is the woman who is held in high regard and who sets in the place of honor at the Spirit-calling Ceremony. This ceremony is spiritually uplifting to participants and all other w omen of the tribe. A woman was the first pipe carrier to "The People." Women are considered the peace seekers in time of great disasters.

Throwing the Ball

Tapa Wanka Yap is the ritual that expressed and grounded the belief of Wakan Tanka as a part of all things. All participants of this rite hold a ball each that represents the Great Creator. These balls are thrown in the directions of the four quarters of the Universe, and establish the relationship between people and the Universe, or Wakan Tanka, who is everything.

The Pipe's Bowl

The bowl of the Sacred Pipe is traditionally carved from the sacred red stone known by the White Man as Catlinite, but as Pipestone by the Red Man. Pipestone is sacred, and found mainly in Minnesota. This area is very venerable to Native Americans. The sacredness of the stone lies in it's red color, the most sacred color of all because it is the color of life, blood, the rising sun, Mother Earth, and the skin of the Red Man. The bowl is carved with great precision and prayers. During its shaping, the bowl becomes the representation of Mother Earth and all female life, for the bowl represents the womb in which life begins and is nurtured till birth. While many pipe bowls are carved in different shapes, some are left unadorned. The more intricately carved pipe bowls are usually representative of a person's individual medicine pipe or prayer pipe, rather than a tribal or community pipe.

The Pipe's Stem

The Stem of the pipe is carved from wood, and can either be round or flat. This wooden stem represents the spine which reaches from Mother Earth to Sky Father just like tree do. It is the symbol of all male life form, and represents the absolute unchanging aspect of life. The stem of a pipe may be adorned in different ways. Most Stems will have an Eagle feather attached to it. Animal fur, seashells, feathers, etc., will be seen, each of these items honor the type of life form where it came. Kinnikinnick Kinnikinnick is more than the tobacco used in the Sacred Pipe; it is the sacred material that is for almost all offerings to the Great Spirit.

Whenever a Native American took something he always left an offering of tobacco to the spirit of that which he took. If he killed a deer or rabbit for food he would always leave a pinch of tobacco for the animals spirit along with a prayer of thanks to the animal for giving his life to allow for the good of his people. When gathering plants for food, medicine, crafts, etc. a pinch of tobacco was always left with thanks for the plants sacrifice. Kinnikinnick, this is the blend of plant material that is smoked in the Sacred Pipe.
Most written material will refer to Kinnikinnick as being the plant Bearberry (Uva Ursa). In fact Kinnikinnick is a blend of plants. Different tribes used different blends. You use the plants that are grown with in your area. These blends contain plants like the Bearberry, Red Willow, Sage, Black tobacco, Native Tobacco, or what ever the Great Spirit had provided. Much of the tobacco that is used is that which has been presented to the Pipe Carrier for doing special ceremonies of healing or honoring. No person visited the Medicine Man or Pipe Carrier with out a gift of tobacco. If they were asking for something in exchange, whether it is a ceremony, or just advice.

Oglala Lakota
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