It's only Wednesday, but we've already had enough news about gloom and doom around the world for an entire week. So how about some good news for a change? You may be pleased to learn that no matter how badly things seem to have been going recently, big improvements are on the way. Conditions should turn around and there will be prosperity and better times for all. Or at least that's what the Indigenous Lakota people believe. The reason for this optimism is the fact that a very rare white buffalo calf has been born in Yellowstone National Park. This is a sign that fulfills a Lakota prophecy of positive changes being around the corner. Before you simply dismiss this as some sort of folklore, keep in mind that these Native Americans have been observing such rituals and passing on this knowledge from generation to generation for a very long time indeed. (Associated Press)

The reported birth of a rare white buffalo in Yellowstone National Park fulfills a Lakota prophecy that portends better times, according to members of the American Indian tribe who cautioned that it’s also a signal that more must be done to protect the earth and its animals.

“The birth of this calf is both a blessing and warning. We must do more,” said Chief Arvol Looking Horse, the spiritual leader of the Lakota, Dakota and the Nakota Oyate in South Dakota, and the 19th keeper of the sacred White Buffalo Calf Woman Pipe and Bundle.

The birth of the sacred calf comes as after a severe winter in 2023 drove thousands of Yellowstone buffalo, also known as bison, to lower elevations.

You can see a photograph of the rare calf at the link above. And it should go without saying that it's completely adorable. But is it truly an animal of prophecy and destiny? The Lakota clearly believe that it is. Their leader, Chief Arvol Looking Horse, equated the birth of a white buffalo calf with a black nose, eyes, and hooves to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. 

This belief is rooted in a story that has been passed down as part of the tribe's oral history for longer than anyone can remember. During a time of famine roughly 2,000 years ago when buffalo were disappearing, White Buffalo Calf Woman appeared. She presented a tribe member with a bowl pipe and a bundle. She taught them how to pray and said that the pipe could be used to attract more buffalo to the area. As she departed, she transformed into a white buffalo calf. And the buffalo indeed returned.

Both the tribe and zoologists point out the importance of the black eyes of the calf. If this were an albino, the eyes would be pink, so this is a true white buffalo. They are extremely rare, but not unknown. A similar calf was born in Wisconsin in 1994 and was named "Miracle." Now that I come to think of it, the second half of the 90s really did turn out to be a time of increasing prosperity. Unemployment fell considerably while Bill Clinton was working with the GOP majority to reduce taxes and crime rates. Perhaps there is something to this legend after all. Then again, after six years of pretty good times, we ran smack into 9/11, so perhaps the prosperity brought by the white buffalo calf isn't all that durable. But the typical lifespan of the American Bison in the wild is 10-20 years, though not all of them make it that far. Perhaps the prosperity only lasts as long as the buffalo does.

For the record, Yellowstone Park officials said that they have no record of a white buffalo being born in the park previously. The herds inside the park are monitored very closely and they are the subjects of countless documentaries. If there had been one wandering around in recent memory, someone surely would have noticed. Perhaps we shouldn't write this happy tale off as nothing but a fantasy so quickly. Keep your fingers crossed. We could use all of the good omens we can find at this point.