Zona Loans Arrow
Zona Loans Arrow:
The Last Buffalo Hunt
with Zona Loans Arrow
Zona Loans Arrow:
Before they go on a buffalo hunt, they go to sweats and they pray. They cleanse themselves and purify themselves with sage.
Music:
Two Spirits, One Song
Koljademo
Visions and Rhythms, Volume 2
Natural Visions
Arlie Neskahi:
Vast herds of millions of buffalo once grazed the north American prairie and formed the basis of the culture, economy and spirituality of the plains Indians. In less than a hundred years after Lewis and Clark, indiscriminant killing reduced the buffalo to near extinction. Today, on Turtle Island Storytellers, Zona Loans Arrow shares the tale of her grandfather, Joseph No Two Horn, who went on one of the last buffalo hunts of the Hunkpapa band of the Teton nation.
Loans Arrow:
As they went, they found the buffalo. And so, as he went, he rode up to this one buffalo and he shot him as he was running, as the buffalo ran, he point at his heart area and let go and the arrow went piercing through him. This wounded buffalo turned on him and his horse, and he gored his horse in the side. And his horse went, and went over, overhead and my grandfather was thrown. And how long he laid there, he don’t remember, because he was knocked out.
When he came to, he could hear the thunder was gone from the hooves of the buffalo as they went beyond his hearing. He looked and he saw this huge buffalo coming towards him. He was wounded, too. And he thought, “Well, I’ll give up because this buffalo is going to kill me. He’s going to gore me and I will be put to death, too.” So he prayed. My grandfather, prayed, and he said, “Tunkasila. Unsimalayo. Tunkasila. Unsimalayo,” he said.
Us Indians, we pray all the time. We don’t let go of our Creator. We always pray for everything. And that’s what grandpa did.
Music:
Echoes
Mary Youngblood
Heartbeat, Vol. 2: More Voices of 1st Nations Women
Smithsonian/Folkways
Arlie Neskahi, Zona Loans Arrow and William Ward. Photo courtesy of Anne Morin.
And he had faith, so he laid still and this buffalo was coming, grunting and the ground shook above him. The buffalo talked to him. And the buffalo said, “Takoja, he miye elo. Tunkasila, he miye elo.” He said, “Grandson! Grandson, this is me, your grandfather.” The buffalo called him White Butterfly. He said, “Grandson, White Butterfly, this is me, your grandfather.” He said, “After I leave you, grandson, I’m going into the spirit world now. You see all these buffaloes,” He said. “Them are your people. Them were my people. I ruled them. I taught them. I provided for them. I guarded them. But now I am going to leave you, grandson, White Butterfly. But from now on, after I leave you, your name is going to be No Two Horn. Remember that.”
And he said, “When I fall ahead of you and leave you,” he said, “stand up and look towards the east. And there you will find a medicine, which is the wiohiyanpatahan,” he said, “the east, which is the life, new life. And wiohiyanpatahan, the south, that means new life and healing. You’ll find another root, another medicine there. I’m giving these to you to use. And then when you turn to the west, wiohpeyatahan, you’ll find another medicine. You take the root and you use it.
He said, “you’ll be living a long time, and long life for you teach the people how to live. cut : and to have a long life.
He said, “Grandson, I had a long life. That’s why I don’t have no horns,” he said, “and I’m glad that I’m going to leave you. But you turn to the north, there you’ll find another medicine. Take the root, because that’s for strength for your life. Use these four roots and them are your medicines for life.”
And he also knew about that horse that was gored. He said, “The water that you carry on your side,” he said, “take that root, the new life,” He said, “Take that root and chew it. Take the water from your side,” he said, “and wash your animal that was gored. Wash it off and put all the insides back in there. And chew up that life, that healing, chew that up and blow it onto that horse, and it will heal your horse. And the new life, blow that into his nostrils. And blow the strength from the north and blow that into his nostrils and rub him with long life, and your horse will be all right. That’s the first miracle to show you that I’ll be with you all your life.”
“Your people are depending upon you, grandson. So take this and other miracles. You’re going to find out that you are from the tatanka oyate. You are going to be the first of the tatanka oyate. When any trouble comes, we’re going to come and help you. We will be with you,” he said. And then he gave up the spirit and left.
So my grandfather did just what he told him. I live for what my grandfather said was the truth. And many things have happened to me to show me that I am from the buffalo people. And my grandfather, he lived to be over a hundred years old. Everything he did was good for the benefit of his people. Thank you. Hau.
Music:
Echoes
Mary Youngblood
Heartbeat, Vol. 2: More Voices of 1st Nations Women
Smithsonian/Folkways
Neskahi:
An example to younger generations, Zona Loans Arrow is a respected elder who lives on the Standing Rock Indian reservation in Fort Yates, North Dakota.