Hello everyone, imagine taking a casual drive through Yellowstone National Park, expecting to see the usual stunning wildlife, and then coming across something truly extraordinary. That’s exactly what happened to Erin Braaten, a photographer from Kalispell, Montana. During a visit to the park, she spotted a rare and potentially sacred sight: a white bison calf.
Erin, who runs Dancing Aspens Photography and is a mom of eight, shared this incredible moment with Fox News Digital. She recounted how her family was driving through the Lamar Valley section of the park when she noticed something unusual. “We came around the corner, and there was a bison down in the river in front of us.
Behind us, there was this kind of white light critter out there, and I thought maybe it was a coyote,” she explained. But when she lifted her camera, she realized it was not a coyote at all—it was a white bison calf.
Erin and her family, including her husband and their three youngest children, navigated through the traffic to get a better look. Capturing this rare sight was something Erin never expected but always dreamed of. “It’s like one of those things you kind of daydream about and think, ‘Oh, that would be kind of cool to take a picture of,’ but never really expected to get a chance,” she said.
What makes this sighting even more fascinating is its significance to the Lakota tribe. The birth of a white bison is seen as a powerful symbol. Chief Arvol Looking Horse, the spiritual leader of the Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota Oyate, shared that such a birth is both a blessing and a warning. He linked the white bison calf’s birth to better times ahead but also emphasized the need for more action and awareness.
Chief Looking Horse, who is the 19th keeper of the sacred White Buffalo Calf Woman Pipe and Bundle, compared the birth to the second coming of Jesus. According to Lakota legend, the White Buffalo Calf Woman appeared around 2,000 years ago, during a time of great need, and brought with her the knowledge of prayer and survival. When she left, she transformed into a white buffalo calf, promising to return in times of hardship.
Erin’s sighting of the white bison calf, with its distinctive black nose, black eyes, and black hooves, aligns with this prophecy, indicating it is a true white bison and not an albino, which would have pink eyes and discolored hooves.
The rarity of this event adds to its significance. There’s no official tracking of white bison births, making this sighting all the more special. Erin knew she had witnessed something extraordinary. “That’s why we turned around so fast because it was like, ‘Wow.’ You just don’t see this every day,” she said.
The birth of the white bison calf has captivated the hearts of nature enthusiasts and photographers alike. Erin described the experience as surreal and mind-blowing. “I think we were all kind of freaking out a little bit. It was just so neat to have my kids there and my husband…It was quite a moment, that’s for sure,” she shared.
This rare sighting at Yellowstone National Park is not just a moment of awe but a reminder of the deep connections between nature, spirituality, and cultural heritage.
