FAQ

What is the Prophecy of White Buffalo and who is White Buffalo Calf Woman?
The Lakota tell how 2,000 years a divine female Spirit named White Buffalo Calf Woman came to present precious cultural and spiritual gifts. She taught that all life is related – mitakuye oyasin – and promised to return at the end of the cosmic era during a great time of planetary transformation.
What is the significance of the four colors in the Prophecy?
When White Buffalo Calf Woman originally came to the Nation, upon her departure she told the People: “I must leave you now, but I will return someday. Then there will be a new life and a new understanding.” She then transformed into a red buffalo calf, into a maiden again, into a yellow calf, into a maiden, into a dark brown calf, into a maiden, then into a white buffalo calf, thus signifying the unity of the races and the coming together of humanity into oneness of heart, mind, and spirit.
What is the Prophecy’s relevance today?
Many Native Americans of various Nations believe the fulfillment of the prophecy began when, in August 1994, a white buffalo calf, a female named Miracle, was born on a farm in the Midwest. Against astronomical odds, a second and then a third white buffalo calf was later born on the same farm. Miracle, as indicated by the prophecy, in fact changed color four times. Since then, other White Buffalos have come to herald a new era on this planet.
How many White Buffalos are there?
There is, perhaps, no definitive answer. We know of the three genetically pure (as opposed to albino) white buffalos who were born in Wisconsin. Then there is Lightning who at one time lived at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort just south of Pittsburgh, PA. In May 2011, Lightning Medicine Cloud was born on the Lakota Ranch in Greenville, Texas. There are reports of a number of other white buffalos in Arizona, Oregon, and other locations. But, there are also selectively-bred animals that cross buffalo and cattle genetics – the so-called ‘beefalo’.
Can an animal that is selectively bred be part of the Prophecy?
Only in the negative sense that there are often stumblingblocks along the path to true understanding. We would quote our friend Hawk, who observed in connection with Lightning: “Those animals were bred by man. He was bred by God!”
What is Turtle Island?
Turtle Island is the name of several Northeastern Woodland Native American peoples, particularly the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois Confederacy), for the continent of North America. It has become commonly used today among many Nations and also in some environmental circles.
What do the Hopi prophecies, the Mayan calendar, and 2012 have to do with the Prophecy of the White Buffalo?
The wonderful synchronicity is that so many indigenous traditions worldwide bear striking similarities. WHITE BUFFALO: An American Prophecy focuses on the prophecies of the Lakota, Hopi/Zuñi, and Mayan/Toltec peoples of the Western hemisphere. The Hopi have uncannily accurate prophecies dating back centuries which refer, for example, to the two world wars, the United Nations, and other modern events. Millennia-old prophecies speak of the culmination in December 2012 of a 26,000-year-long cosmic cycle and the beginning of a new and grand galactic round. They also foretold the coming of the conquerors from across the ocean. Holy centers – colossal pyramids and monoliths similar strikingly similar those of Egypt – were ‘deactivated’ lest their power be misused by the spiritually immature. For the past decade, Toltec and Mayan Elders have been re-consecrating these power sites, drawing hundreds of thousands of pilgrims from every part of the globe to places such as Chichén Itzá, Tikal, Palenque, and Uxmal.
A lot of scary information was broadcast about the Mayan calendar, 2012, and the end of the world. Nothing happened.
We believe that mankind is, in fact, undergoing a quantum leap in consciousness and in all areas of human endeavor. The forces and groups that have controlled society for eons are losing their grip on this planet. However, they do not cheerfully relinquish the power they have exercised for so long. Fear has been one of the primary mechanisms of this control over our lives and well-being. Hence, the continued utilization of scare tactics and even horrific events to frighten and manipulate the population. The ancient Mayans never predicted that 2012 was the end of the world. It was the end of a calendrical cycle. And post-December 2012, itself, was just the beginning of a new epoch. The end of an old and outmoded way of existence was to give way – possibly over many decades – to a new and brilliant chapter in planetary evolution.
How does the journey of the four brothers relate to the subject matter?
Originally (back in 1994!), the film was conceived as a documentary about the significance of the birth of a single white buffalo – Miracle. The project expanded into an exploration of Native American prophecy focusing on the Lakota, Hopi, and Mayan traditions. And, because the subject matter concerns the very survival and transformation of this planet, the film evolved organically into the personal journey of the filmmakers, the four brothers. Their odyssey is emblematic of the human quest for understanding.
What does the Jewish background of the filmmakers have to do with Native American prophecy?

In other words, where do four Jewish dudes get the chutzpah to make a documentary about Native American tradition and culture?!

WHITE BUFFALO: An American Prophecy deals with the pilgrimage of four brothers who happen to be Jewish. In 1994, we read about the birth of Miracle, a pure White Buffalo on the Heider Farm in Janesville, Wisconsin. The film was originally conceived as a documentary about the spiritual significance of a single buffalo calf to Native Americans based on a millennia-old prophetic tradition. The project subsequently expanded into an exploration of prophecy focusing on the traditions of the Lakota, Hopi, and Mayan peoples. As Jews whose family came to these shores only in the last century, we sometimes feel ourselves to be strangers in a strange land. So, in order to understand the meaning of the prophecies, which concern the very survival of this planet, we seek counsel and wisdom from the real Americans – the Indigenous peoples of this hemisphere. The film has evolved organically into the personal journey of the filmmakers, the four brothers, during a time when the divisions among the races and genders and between Man and Mother Earth must be healed.

Where are you going on this adventure?
See the Key Segments and Map sections for a fuller description. But, the voyage has taken us to South Dakota (Lakota), Arizona (Hopi/Zuñi), Colorado, Texas, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and the Pacific Northwest.
How can I help bring about positive change?
WHITE BUFFALO: An American Prophecy endorses the proposition: heal yourself, heal the planet; heal the planet, heal yourself. Any modality, technique, system, activity that you engage in to release biological and emotional trauma benefits the whole. As the Lakota say: mitakuye oyasin: we are all related. In the Resource section we provide references to a number of healing approaches that might be helpful in your personal journey. Thankfully, today there are many available. Find a method that resonates with you, work with it, and persevere. Know that every small step in your own development aids the entire planet and brings us closer to the goal of universal Peace.
Is White Buffalo contributing monetarily to Native American or environmental causes?
Yes, ten per cent (10%) of all profits from the movie are distributed to charities benefiting Native Americans and environmental causes.