The White Buffalo Cow Society ( hid, Ptī′take Ō′xat'e)Lowie, Robert Harr
''Societies of the Crow, Hidatsa and Mandan Indians.''
New York: American Natural History Museum, 1913. p.346 has historically been the most respected women's society amongst the

Mandan The Mandan are a Native American tribe of the Great Plains who have lived for centuries primarily in what is now North Dakota. They are enrolled in the Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation. About half of the Mandan still re ...

and

Hidatsa The Hidatsa are a Siouan people. They are enrolled in the federally recognized Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation in North Dakota. Their language is related to that of the Crow, and they are sometimes considered a parent ...

peoples A person ( : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of property, ...

. The women of the White Buffalo Cow Society perform the buffalo-calling ceremony. Modern societies dedicated to

White Buffalo Calf Woman White Buffalo Calf Woman ('' Lakȟótiyapi'': ''Ptesáŋwiŋ'') or White Buffalo Maiden is a sacred woman of supernatural origin, central to the Lakota religion as the primary cultural prophet. Oral traditions relate that she brought the "Seven S ...

are often dedicated to protection of women and children from

rape Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ...

and domestic violence.Website for White Buffalo Calf Woman Society
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Origin

The White Buffalo Cow Society originated with the Mandan but was adopted by the Hidatsa. Other ''Oceti Sakowin'' tribes who also depend on the buffalo may have similar women's societies. This society, associated with the White Buffalo Cow oral history, has historically performed important buffalo-calling

rite Rite may refer to: * Ritual, an established ceremonious act * Rite of passage, a ceremonious act associated with social transition Religion * Rite (Christianity), a sacred ritual or liturgical tradition in various Christian denominations * Cath ...

s. It is an all-women's society, and the leaders are mature or elderly women.

Regalia

In ceremonies written about by men in the 1800s, they said members of the society have traditionally painted one eye a color based on their personal preference, typically blue, tattooed black marks between their lips and chin, and some women wore a headdress made of white buffalo cowhide embellished with feathers. At certain ceremonial dances, the leader is said to have worn a white buffalo cow hide blanket and danced while holding a bundle of twigs capped with eagle plumes.

Notes

References

* Boller, Henry A., ''Among the Indians: four years on the Upper Missouri, 1858–1862.'' Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1972. * Bowers, Alfred W., ''Hidatsa social and ceremonial organization.'' Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1992: 204–207. {{DEFAULTSORT:White Buffalo Cow Society Native American organizations Native American women's organizations Indigenous culture of the Great Plains Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation

Origin

Regalia

See also

Notes

References