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Sacred white buffalo shot after escaping to Pine Ridge road PIERRE, S.D. (AP) - A buffalo considered sacred by American Indians was shot and killed after it somehow got out of its pasture on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in southwestern South Dakota. A law officer said the buffalo had to be killed Sunday night because it posed a threat to public safety, but the buffalo's owner said Friday he believes the shooting was not justified. "I had kids pet and feed this buffalo. It didn't have a mean streak in it," said Poker Joe Merrival. Medicine Wheel was born as a white calf in May 1996 on Merrival's buffalo ranch a mile north of Pine Ridge village. The buffalo, which later turned brown, was seen as a symbol of rebirth for the Lakota and other Indian tribes as foretold in an ancient prophecy. "It means that the Indian nation is going to rise one more time to fight for what God has given them," said Floyd Hand, a Lakota interpreter and spiritual leader. Lakota legend tells of a holy woman who appeared and gave the Sioux the sacred pipe and their seven sacred rites. As she left, she became a white buffalo calf, and also changed to red, brown and black. She also said she would return some day. The Pine Ridge reservation has been in turmoil recently. Protesters have occupied the tribal headquarters building since January because they believe tribal funds have been mismanaged. They have persuaded the tribal council to suspend the treasurer, and they want a return to a traditional style of government. Council members, who have been barred from entering the headquarters, say the protesters are upset over belt-tightening measures taken by the council. Tribal President Harold Salway has sought to suspend most of the council members, and the council has tried to remove Salway from office. Hand, who is one of those occupying the tribal headquarters, said the sacred buffalo's death is a sign that the Lakota must continue trying to get rid of the government structure set up in federal law. The buffalo's death has saddened many people, but it also is a good sign, he said. "We look at it as a real positive omen for us that we must stand up and fight for our rights," Hand said. Tribal police could not be reached for comment Friday, but a police report supplied by Merrival indicates the buffalo was shot after an officer found it on a road shortly after 8 p.m. Sunday. Officer Alec Morgan wrote that he saw the buffalo in the road, and two cars narrowly missed the animal. The buffalo was "scared and in a panic," and it charged some vehicles, he said. Morgan and a man driving a truck, Leon Poor Bear, tried unsuccessfully to chase the buffalo back up the road. The officer said Poor Bear told him that he had a rifle. "I told Leon to shoot the buffalo for the safety of the community," Morgan wrote in his report. Merrival said someone must have opened his gate to let the buffalo out. Merrival said the people chasing the buffalo must have riled it up, because Medicine Wheel normally was calm. "This buffalo was my pet. The white buffalo, I pampered him," he said. Merrival said it made no sense to shoot the buffalo just because it was on the road. "There's horses and cows all over this reservation on the road, but they don't shoot no horses and cows." Copyright 2000 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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