the myth of the white buffalo | by alex diamond

the large (180x180x3 cm) work "monopoly remix: the myth of the white buffalo" is based upon the most important legends of the Sioux. exhibited first at the no new enemies exhibition at le botanique museum in brussels 2008, it did a tour with stops in new york and hamburg. this is the story behind it (there's also a nice video of setting it up at a collector's house in hamburg).

The White Buffalo is based upon one of the most important legends of the Sioux. The medicine man Crow Dog explains, "This holy woman brought the sacred buffalo calf pipe to the Sioux. There could be no Indians without it. Before she came, people didn’t know how to live. They knew nothing. The Buffalo Woman put her sacred mind into their theirs.” Albino buffalo were sacred to all Plains tribes; a white buffalo hide was a sacred talisman, a possession beyond price. A white buffalo is the most sacred living thing you could ever encounter. In short: The White Buffalo Woman appeared to the tribes when food was scarce. Two young tribesmen went out to hunt for game, but instead found a beautiful woman wandering in the plains. While one of them couldn’t resist the temptation to touch her and was immediately killed by lightning, the other was respectful and took the news about the coming of a holy woman back to the tribes. Later, the woman arrived at the big gathering of the tribes and in a long ceremony introduced the sacred pipe to the chief of the Indians. After the ceremony the woman left and, walking towards the horizon, she transformed into a white buffalo calf.  After she was gone, herds of buffalo arrived on the plains, allowing the Sioux to kill them for their meat, hides and bones. Since then, the holy pipe stands for fertility, future, survival. It binds men and women together in a circle of love and also stands for the equality of the genders. In the painting, the White Buffalo’s hide is created from art magazine pages featuring numerous artist portraits. The pages are whitened and then drawn over with many characters (or souls), fighting today’s battle with an art world that is trying to create icons and pop stars as saviours for an unpredictable future. Would you be immediately tempted by beauty (remember, lightning may strike you), or could you wait until it really is time to feast?

the myth of the white buffalo; installation image from no new enemies group show at le botanique, 2008 Artwork info: 180 x 190 cm, acrylic, ink, magazine pages/collage on 16 wood panels; Installation: bark mulch, wall paint (2008). click here for more images.