In Lakota mythology, who brought the sacred pipe and spiritual teachings?

In Lakota mythology, White Buffalo Calf Woman brought the sacred pipe and spiritual teachings to the Lakota people.

Known in Lakota as Ptesáŋwiŋ, White Buffalo Calf Woman is a sacred supernatural woman and one of the central cultural prophets of Lakota religion. According to oral tradition, she appeared during a time of famine and taught the people sacred ceremonies that became known as the Seven Sacred Rites. She also gave them the čhaŋnúŋpa, commonly called the sacred pipe.

The pipe is used ceremonially to carry prayers and express relationships among people, the natural world, and spiritual powers. Its bowl, stem, tobacco, breath, and smoke have symbolic significance. The ceremony is not simply recreational smoking; it is a solemn religious practice whose teachings and protocols are maintained within Lakota communities.

The Seven Sacred Rites include the purification ceremony, vision quest, Sun Dance, making relatives, the girls’ puberty ceremony, the ball-throwing ceremony, and the soul-keeping ceremony. Names and details can vary among tellings and Lakota communities. White Buffalo Calf Woman is sometimes called White Buffalo Maiden, but both names refer to the same sacred figure in this context.