Over 2,000 Indians from across the U.S. flocked to Lakota Ranch in Greenville, TX, near Dallas, for a big celebration. The reason for this gathering was the birth of a white buffalo which is a very rare occasion.
White buffalo are considered to be sacred signs in Indian religion. The Lakota Sioux believe that Whope, the goddess of peace, once appeared in the form of a white buffalo calf, and the belief is that the goddess will return once four such calves are born. The calf born in Greenville is the third one that has ever been born. To qualify, the calf had to be male, have a black nose, black eyes and a black tipped tail. This one had all the features.
In a ritual naming ceremony, the native Americans named the calf "Lightning Medicine Cloud", as he was born during a thunder storm. At the ceremony Arby Little Soldier, wearing elaborate beading, a feathered headdress, held a spear above his head as he rode his horse into an arena. He then thrust the spear into the dirt declaring it sacred ground. Then a small group of tribal leaders moved to the center, offered a prayer, then smoked a special pipe.
