A Black Foot Legend

Buffalo Dance

By: Nancy Van Laan

Multicultural/International Literature



It was nearing winter and the Blackfoot village would starve unless they could find a way to trap the buffalo.  One morning a young Blackfoot woman was at the stream when she saw hundreds of buffalo grazing at the edge of the cliff.  She cried out to the buffalo, "I promise to marry one of you if only you will jump!"  Then many buffalo jumped to their death, but the buffalo chief survived and the young girl followed him out to the prairie.  The village was delighted with all the buffalo, but the girls father noticed she was missing and went looking for her.  The father found his daughter but was trampled to death by some of the remaining buffalo.  But then, something magical happens!  Read this book to find out how the girl and the buffalo reach an agreement and both end up happy.

To the Indians of the great plains, the buffalo was a sacred animal.  After reading this book aloud to my students, I would have them research the buffalo to find out why the buffalo was sacred to the Indians.  I would also have them make a list of ways that the Indians used the buffalo, because they did not waste any part of the buffalo like we do with animals today.