Return to your leader and have him set up a council tipi in the center of the village. Behind the fireplace of the tipi, soften the earth and shape it to form a square,behind the square, place a buffalo skull and behind the skull place a small rack, I shall arrive at dawn".When one of the men, struck by her beauty, attempted to seduce her,a clap of thunder was heard and a cloud enveloped them.When the cloud vanished, the woman stood untouched while at her feet lay the skeleton of the foolish one. She bade the remaining scout to return to the village with her message.The scout told the Headman what he had witnessed and gave him the message as he had been instructed.
The people were excited by so mysterious a visitor and all the preparations were made according to her instruction. At daybreak the people gathered to await her arrival.As the sun rose from the East, the woman in white appeared carrying a pipe in her right hand. She entered the council tipi and seated herself in the place of honor. The leader welcomed her, saying how fortunate they were that Wakan Tanka had sent this beautiful woman to be their sister.
Holding the pipe aloft she arose and told them that the Wakan Tanka were greatly
pleased with the Sioux and as a representative of the Buffalo People ,she was
proud to be their sister. Because they had been faithful and reverent and
preserved good over evil and harmony over discord, the Sioux had been chosen
to receive the Pipe on behalf of all mankind. The pipe was a symbol of peace
to be used between men and nations. Smoking the pipe was a bond of good faith
and a Shaman smoking the pipe would be in communion with the Wakan Tanka.
Turning to her sisters she said "You bear great sorrow, yet you comfort others in time of trouble or grief, by bearing children, clothing and feeding them and by being good and faithful wives you maintain the family..the family is blessed in the eyes of the Wakan Tanka. The Wakan Tanka have planned it so and are there with you in your time of need." Then she told the children to respect their parents who love them and make many sacrifices for them. She then reminded the men that all things upon which they depend are gifts from the Earth, Sky and Four Winds and that they were to use the pipe daily for offerings and prayers to the Wakan Tanka for their blessings.She reminded them to be kind and loving to women and children for they are weak, but beloved of Wakan Tanka.Finally she told the leader that through the pipe the nation lived. It was a sacred instrument to be used for prayer and in time of need.
She stayed with them for four days, teaching and visiting,then she told the leader that the Wakan Tanka were pleased with the way that he had conducted the meeting and that she was honored to be his sister. Then taking a buffalo chip she lit the pipe and offered it first to Sky, then to Earth, then to Four Winds,and after they had smoked, she announced that her mission was finished, arose and left the tipi. Walking slowly, she left the village and as everyone watched, she was transformed into a white buffalo calf. All knew her as the Beautiful One, the daughter of the Sun and the Moon..but to the Shamans, she was Whope....The Peace Giver.
As soon as the sun danced, sparkling on the drifted snow, White Star sought council of Standing Otter,
the medicine man. The dream was still so vivid in her mind , she felt drawn to the high place, but was
afraid to go because of the depth of the snow and those howling wolves.
Standing Otter listened intently to her dream and told her after much thought, that if the Wakan Tanka
had called her through one of the Buffalo People, then she must do as she was asked, for not to obey
would surely bring misfortune.
Also, if she was going to go she should go this very night, because the Buffalo had told her to hurry
and had come to her in the night while she slept. Standing Otter promised to make offerings for her
to take with her and to speak of her in his prayers to Wakan Tanka this day.
That evening, White Star slipped out of camp, hugging close to her breast the medicine bundle so
meticulously prepared for her by Standing Otter. The climb to the high place was more difficult than
she had imagined, rocks and branches hidden under the deep snow cover reached out to grab her ankles.
Many times she fell, floundering in the heavy wet snow but each time she fought her way to her feet,
keeping her eyes on the point of the high place, willing her aching body to go on. Strangely, she was not
cold, but the eerie howling of the hungry wolves in the distance was quite frightening, making her shiver
as if she were cold.
Not long after the moon had climbed to it's highest, White Star reached the high place. It had taken
much out of her, but she was finally there. Still gasping for breath in the frozen air, she carefully
unwrapped her offerings and tied them to the branches of a small brush pine, the she stood and sang
prayers to the Wakan Tanka, thanking them for helping her to reach this place in safety.
Suddenly the wind became confused and seemed to blow in all directions at once and looking up,
she watched as the clouds swirled and churned and began to form the shapes of White Buffalo and
Brother Bear among the twinkling stars.
A voice like thunder shook the ground saying.."White Star ! White Star ! We know that your people
have suffered much and we want to tell them that we have not turned our faces from them. "
"We have held council and decided that since you have listened to your dreams, we will ask North Wind
to leave and South Wind to come gently to this place, further, since "The People" have honored us daily
in prayer and offering even though they were suffering, we will cause this great famine to end.
Even as they spoke, the warmth of the South Wind touched her face gently and the snow began to melt
around her feet. "White Star, go now and gather your hunters, tell them to go to the foot of the mountain
in the East, there in it's shadow will they find all that they need." Then, swirling like it came, the vision
vanished.
White Star rushed quickly as she could through the melting snow back towards the camp and reached it
just as the first rays of the sun touched the tops of the tipis. She raced excitedly to see Standing Otter
and told him what she had seen and heard and he quickly sent the hunters to the place that had been
spoken of.
When the hunters returned they were laden with much buffalo meat and went back many times to get
more. There had been an avalanche when the warm spell came, trapping a large herd of buffalo in a
canyon at the foot of the mountain to the East.
Thanks to White Star's vision they would not be hungry any more. From that day on, White Star was
most honored among "The People" for her courage.
