Against all odds, Native peoples around the world have managed to carry on their culture and traditions to a large degree. Broken but not beaten, their rich wisdom of how to live on the Earth is still available. Are we ready to listen? Modern “progress” has created an escalating loss of insect, plant, animal and human life. As a result of poison and pollution the planet is heating up to an unsustainable degree. People have created this catastrophe – can we the people change course in time?
The disastrous consequences of our ignorance are obvious these days – heat waves, fires, floods, powerful hurricanes and plagues. Believing humans to be the superior species on the planet, we have operated in a vacuum – not understanding the connectedness of all things. Seeking material wealth we have become disconnected from our emotions, our bodies, and ultimately our spiritual source.
A sign of hope and urgency came earlier this month when a sacred white buffalo calf was born in Yellowstone Park. This week the Buffalo Field Campaign hosted a ceremony acknowledging this fortuitous event on the sovereign land of the Shoshone-Bannock, led by Chief Arvol Looking Horse (19th Generation Keeper of the Sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe and Bundle.)
The birth of the white buffalo calf in Yellowstone has captivated the world. This historic event holds a unique significance for many Indigenous nations. A Lakota elder, Chief Looking Horse reminds the world that it marks the return of the White Buffalo Calf Woman, the one who presented the first bowl pipe and bundle to the Lakota, teaching them how to live and pray.
As a Spiritual Leader of the Lakota, Looking Horse explains the implications of this occurrence, reciting the words of the White Buffalo Calf Woman:
“Someday when the times are hard again, I shall return and stand upon the earth as a white buffalo calf, black nose, black eyes, black hooves.”
This birth is a blessing, but also serves as a warning of coming changes to the earth. it is critical for us to listen. The arrival of the white buffalo calf is connected to the appearance of the White Buffalo Calf Woman almost 2,000 years ago, when food was scarce and the buffalo were disappearing. It is a sign calling for cooperation among peoples of the earth. Humans must come together globally to protect the well-being of Grandmother Earth.
“It is time for Tribal Nations to come together to honor each of our traditional lifeways…our shared traditional ecological knowledge (can) be a guide to a sustainable future… in harmony and balance with the principles of coexistence, respect, responsibility, restoration, reciprocity, and humility.” - J. Dallas Gudgell, Vice President of the Buffalo Field Campaign Board.
Are we ready to embrace the Native understanding of our relationship to all life to prevent a climate catastrophe? On a personal level we can start by doing no harm – not polluting or poisoning our bodies, homes or backyards. Proactively we can join with others in a holistic response to a favored “cause” (below is a link to the Buffalo Field Campaign.) As always, a spiritual practice to recognize the sanctity and connectedness of all does make a difference!
Peace, Love and Healing -
Bear
Support the wild buffalo - they are here to support humankind! https://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org/
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