They also figured heavily in Indigenous history, culture, and beliefs.
Today, while more stable, the wild bison number is only about 30,000.
One more extra special individual creature was recently added to this number.
Zooming in with her camera, Braaten discovered the speck of white was actually a newborn calf.
Cream-colored with a dark nose and eyes, the calf looked quite different from the standard reddish-brown bison babies.
Since this sighting, no one has seen the elusive rare calf.
It’s possible it did not survive a river crossing, which can happen.
Or perhaps it is just being shy.
The arrival of the white calf, which is likely leucistic.
This condition is similar to albinism, but instead of light eyes the calf has dark eyes and nose.
White calves aresacredto the Sioux, Cherokee, Navajo, Lakota, and Dakota.
The birth of this calf is both a blessing and warning.
The white buffalo woman brought a pipe and bundle, promising better times ahead.
She then rolled several times, transforming into a white buffalo calf.
Bison were soon no longer scarce.
Hence the incredible significance to many Indigenous nations, who have greeted the photographs with amazement and emotion.
