I would like to start this blog by saying that I am incredibly hesitant to write it. With the current situation around the Americas regarding indigenous children and Colonial schools, the term sensitive topic does not begin to cover it. Without being too political I will say, my heart hurts for those that were murdered, and those that survived, but had their lives stripped from them in every other sense.
For this month, I drew a card from my Goddess power oracle deck. To be honest, my heart sank when I saw the card. I was filled with an "oh no...." But, I think this card came out for this month for a reason. Now, I will say... I do not like "white-washing" culture (any of it), so I will try my best to honor this Goddess/spirit in a way that I can without treading too far into indigenous culture. That belongs to them, and as a pagan struggling to recover cultures buried by christianity, my goal is to NOT further the problem of appropriation. With all that being said, Let's dive in to this beautiful Goddess.
The White Buffalo Calf Woman comes from the Lakota Peoples of South Dakota. The story states that during a famine, she appeared to two hunters. While the first hunter had impure intentions (and was pretty much devoured by her, leaving only bones), the second man was pure of heart. He was instructed to return to his tribe and prepare a feast for the Deity. The Goddess then taught the tribe the seven sacred ceremonies and left with them the sacred Pipe.
Our Oracle deck states that White Buffalo Calf Woman represents Reverence. The card asks us to view the world through a lens of peace, harmony, and reconciliation. It asks us to negotiate from a desire that everyone benefits, and to take a humble and grounded approach to life. The following "alignment" message is the reason I decided (along with some encouragement of close friends) to continue with using this Goddess for inspiration. It states: "Difficult feelings are part of the journey of discovery. You may have been conditioned to suppress what makes you uncomfortable in order to survive. You might have found yourself in a temporarily awkward place... White Buffalo Calf Woman offers you this alignment task: Make the discomfort, awkwardness, and the uncomfortable sacred. Think of what would happen if you made what you considered a flaw, loss, or failure a beautiful, integral part of the art of your life."
So, it is my hope that by continuing with this sacred woman as inspiration for this month's earrings, I can help bring awareness not only to indigenous culture, but to the hardships they are facing. Now, and in previous generations.
You can Check out earrings for this Goddess and future Goddesses HERE
Image of White Buffalo Calf Woman at the Sioux Spiritual Center in Howes, South Dakota- Borrowed from the Wikipedia page.
Sources: Wikipedia, Goddess power oracle deck, http://www.thepeoplespaths.net/lit/bufwoman.htm
Reference for further research and support of Indigenous culture:
https://www.nativewomenswilderness.org/mmiw
https://sicangucdc.org/story
https://sioux-chef.com/
https://indigenousfoundations.arts.ubc.ca/the_residential_school_system/