White Buffalo Calf Woman
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The White Buffalo Calf Woman, in Lakota mythology, is a sacred woman of supernatural origin who gave the people many of their most sacred rituals.
The traditional story is that, long ago there was a time of famine. The chief of the Lakotas sent out two brothers to hunt for food. As the brothers travelled they saw a figure in the distance. As they approached they saw that it was a beautiful young woman in white clothing. One of the brothers was filled with desire for the woman. He reached out to touch her but she was sacred and he was struck by lightning and killed. The other brother approached her with reverence and invited her back to the council.
The woman's name was PtesanWi which translated White Buffalo Calf Woman. She taught the Lakotas many sacred rituals and gave then the chununpa or sacred pipe which is the holiest of all worship symbols. After teaching the people and giving them her gifts, PtesanWi left them promising to return.
When Roman Catholic missionaries first came among the Lakota, their stories of the Virgin Mary and Jesus became associated with the legend of White Buffalo Calf Woman. The syncretic practice of identifying Mary with PtesanWi and Jesus with the chununpa continues among Lakota Christians to this day.
The story of PtesanWi is associated with white buffalo hides, which are considered sacred to the Lakota, and with the white buffalo calves that are occasionally born.de:White Buffalo Woman