South Dakota plays host to rare white buffalo
By Nick Hytrek, Journal staff writer
ELK POINT, S.D. -- At the sight of company, the young buffalo begins to stir.
She moseys over to the fence to greet Stew Hines, her owner. He ruffles her shaggy head, scratches her neck and asks her if she's hungry. Of course she is.
Hines pulls out a big white bottle filled with milk. Dakota Mist, as the young buffalo is named, hungrily slurps the milk through the pink nipple, not letting a drop fall from her mouth.
Hines pats her as she drinks, his attachment to this special buffalo calf obvious. He brought her here because of her white coat, a rare trait in a buffalo. The white buffalo calf is sacred to American Indians, the fulfilling of a legend passed down through generations of the Lakota Nation.
"When the white buffalo comes again, it's a sign that the White Buffalo Woman is coming again to make the world pure and harmonious," Hines said. "I know there's a lot of excitement in the Native American community about this."
Talking about his rare white buffalo brings an easy smile to Hines' face. Her presence on this farm between Elk Point and Burbank is special to him. He hopes that Dakota Mist can be as special to others. Hines realizes that white buffalo calves are viewed with some skepticism. In past cases of white buffalo calves, critics have claimed that buffalo cows were bred with cattle to produce the white offspring. Hines makes no proclamations that his white buffalo is a genuine sacred sign.
"I have no claims that way. I just have a beautiful white buffalo, and I love the story," he said.
Born in Colorado
Dakota Mist's story began this spring in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.
Shortly after she was born, the owner called Hines at his Vermillion, S.D., business, PetShopper.com, a magazine and Web site that markets pets.
"This guy called and said he had a buffalo calf for sale and I said that would be nice (to advertise)," Hines said.
"He said it would be white and I said 'you've got to be kidding.' I asked what he wanted for it, we agreed upon a price, and I was on the road."
Hines said he knew the legend of the white buffalo calf and thought it was fitting that the calf grow up in South Dakota.
"I thought people would be interested in it. I've got a little Native American blood myself, so I've always been interested," he said.
In a borrowed truck pulling a borrowed horse trailer, Hines made the trek to Colorado in May to pick up the calf. Just a few days old, the calf was still red, but had white hair around her eyes and on her legs, two signs that her coat would turn white.
After picking up Dakota Mist, Hines spent portions of the drive on his cell phone, setting up housing arrangements for the young buffalo, something he hadn't really considered when he had agreed to buy her.
"I'm impulsive," he said, shrugging his shoulders and laughing.
Since her arrival in South Dakota seven months ago, Dakota Mist has grown quickly. Daily bottle feedings have helped her grow to 500-600 pounds, approximately half of what she'll eventually weigh. Hines pulls out a silver metal pail full of "sweet mix," a mixture of corn and molasses, and shakes it. Dakota Mist makes a beeline for him. For several minutes, she eats the sweet treat from Hines' hand as he talks about how her red hair grew out over the summer and was replaced with a white coat.
Throughout the summer, Dakota Mist has had several visitors who have come to see her because of her white coat. Hines has kept interested parties updated on her since he bought her on a Web site: White Buffalo Project He'll also follow her progress in his magazine, Pet Shopper
Dakota Mist's coat has become long and thick, preparing her to withstand the cold winter weather. Already it shields her from chilly breezes that slip though the cedar, ash and box elder trees that surround her pen. Once she begins to shed her winter coat next spring, her coat could change colors again.
"We're anxious to see when she gets her winter coat what she'll look like in the spring," Hines said.
Hines won't be around to see the daily changes. Dakota Mist will spend the winter with a buffalo herd near Sioux Falls.
"It's probably time for her to get around other buffalo," Hines said.
Once spring arrives, Dakota Mist will be transported to another home more accessible to the public. Zoos in Omaha and Sioux Falls have expressed an interest. So has Custer State Park in the Black Hills. Hines has yet to decide the best place for her. He just wants to ensure that as many people as possible can see and appreciate her.
"That was always the plan was to get her someplace people could see her," Hines said.
Nick Hytrek can be reached at 712-293-4226 or Nick Hytrek
Link to Report
Special thanks to Bea Woodward for the lead.
See related reports:
White Buffalo February 2005
White Buffalo May 2005
White Buffalo June 2005
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Last updated on December 04, 2005