Stoney Discoveries : Stoney Stories : The Buffalo Circle

Our summary of "The Buffalo Circle" told by;
Alexander, Asia, Miki

The Stoney hunting party close to Old Man Playing River is caught by a killer storm. It comes and blows Running Star away from the group. He tries to make a fire but the wind is too strong. Running Star sings to the buffalo spirit Ta Taga, to keep death away. The buffalo come and make a circle around Running Star and keep him warm all night. They teach him four sacred songs but in the morning they are gone. There are no tracks. A large group of people come looking for him. All the others from the hunting party froze to death. Running Star is thankful for the buffalo and he sings four sacred buffalo songs to honor Ta Taga.

What did we hear in this story that we have heard in other stories?

• We keep reading about animals in the stories. We read about mice, buffalo, and horses. We have seen animals in the Stoney stories and in this story the buffalo were important because they keep them warm in the winter. The robes and the clothing is made out of buffalo hides.
• We keep reading the word sacred in this and all of the stories.
• We keep seeing the number four in this story (four sacred songs, four sacred buffalo songs). The other stories that we have read also have the number four. We understand that four was special because it suggests balance and it is important in the seasons, in the four directions and the winds.
• The Sore Eye Moon is March and we have seen that all of the stories start out with a special moon that tells when the story might have happened.
• In this story there are spirits. The Buffalo Spirit gave Running Star warmth and he was the only one to survive. The spirits helped him out.

Why was this story told? We think...

• This story is to help children understand life and learn about the spirit of the buffalo. The children should respect the buffalo and then when you need help the spirits might help you. It would also teach them to be respectful of the spirits and each other.