Many of you may be familier with the foregoing; however for those who aren't I felt this was a suitable and very pertinent afterword...

The following is both a Native American Indian legend and a comment on the times we are living in. It can be viewed either way; whichever you choose to view it though it has implications which are very ominous, as you shall see.
According to legend two hunters were out in the Black Hills one day when they came across a beautiful maiden. One of the hunters was overcome with lust whilst the other dropped to his knees and began praying. A black cloud then descended on the first hunter and soon he was nothing but dust. The maiden then turned to the hunter, who was praying, saying that she had been sent by the Creator with gifts for his people. She told him to return home with a promise that she would be back in four days.

Sure enough, four days later a cloud descended from the skies and settled on the hunters village. Out of the mists emerged the maiden with a bundle in her hand. For four days she stayed in the village teaching the villagers sacred ceremonies, some of which are still performed today.
On the fourth day she left but before doing so she made a promise; one day, she pledged, she would return, not as a maiden but as a white Buffalo calf and this she said would signal a new beginning.
According to legend four different white buffalo calves would be born. In each case the sire would die soon after birth and the calves themselves would turn white. With the birth of the fourth calf balance and harmony would be restored to the different races, along with which would begin the healing of Mother earth.

The chances of a white buffalo calf being born are about eight million to one. The first was born in 1933, thereafter three others were born, with the last birth occurring on September 17, 1999, in northern Michigan. To date each calf has changed colour and turned white and the sire of each one has died shortly there after.

Yes, It’s a nice story and it would be really nice if it could end it there but unfortunately it doesn’nt . . . there’s more. . .
In late march this year in Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, Medicine Wheel, one of the four white buffalo calves was shot dead. According to Joe Merrival, who was called to the scene of the shooting: “I just thought, ‘Oh no, it’s the white buffalo.’ I tried to control myself. My mind actually went blank. I didn’t want to say anything wrong, so I just said, it’s the white buffalo”.
At the time of his birth many saw Medicine Wheel as a symbol of great hope.

“For us, this would be like coming to see Jesus lying in the manger,” said Floyd Hand Looks For Buffalo shortly after Medicine Wheel’s birth.
The animal was shot by tribal police after it was spotted running down a road near the Red Cloud community. “We tried to chase it back down the road, but it would put his head down and charge us,” noted a tribal police report.

According to Looks For Buffalo, the animals death is a sign that life for Native American Indians will get worse before it gets better. Indeed we believe this latter point applies to everyone, not just Native Americans; in the short term at least things could well get a lot worse before they get any better.
Sources include Stormwalker and the Lincoln (Nebraska) Journal Star.

First published in The Seeker, available at £3.50 P&P inclusive from: PO Box 458, Devizes, Wiltshire, SN10 1UL, England.