Thomas Banyacya has travelled the world for almost 50 years speaking about the prophecies of his tribe, the Hopi. For centuries the Hopi have lived in one of the harshest environments of the US - perched on a desert mesa in Arizona. Their ancestors chose such a place to settle because they knew it would keep their people close to the creator. They continually reaffirm their reliance on God by an annual series of rituals asking the spirits to supply their every need.
In 1948 a group of Hopi elders accepted the task of warning the world of the events that the Hopi prophecies foretold. The prophecies themselves instructed them to approach the UN. It took 44 years of effort, but in 1992 they were finally permitted to address the General Assembly (SI December 93, p.17). This beginning led to another gathering at the UN in 1993, called the "Cry of the Earth Conference" when leaders from seven nations released their prophecies.
Hopi prophecies speak of the return of Bahana, their True White Brother, who left them in ancient times, promising to return. They wear their hair in bangs to form a window, they say, by which to see their Elder Brother when He returns. It is also an identifying mark for the Elder Brother to recognize them.
Black Elk and Crazy Horse were leaders of the Lakota Sioux in the late 1800s, which saw in the US the decimation of many native groups. Each had a vision of the future.
Black Elk saw that his people would be plagued by famine, sickness, and war. They would lose heart, and the sacred hoop of his nation would be broken. But he saw a vision of his nation being reunited after seven generations and becoming part of the greater hoop of all the nations of the earth. Then he saw the daybreak star rising in the east, and heard a voice that said: "It shall be a relative to them, and who shall see it shall see much more, for from there comes Wisdom; and those who do not see it shall be dark." Black Elk thought this meant that a great Prophet from the East would bring a message to his people.
Crazy Horse's vision foretold the darkness that descended on his people. He saw the coming of automobiles and airplanes and the tragic world wars of the modern era. He saw his people gradually awakening after the last war and beginning to dance again under the Sacred Tree. Then amazingly he saw that dancing along with his people were representatives of all races who had become brothers. Thus he foresaw that the world would be made whole again, not just by his own nation but by all peoples working together.
Among the Lakota, the Crow, the Chippewa and other Native American tribes, the White Buffalo is one of the most sacred symbols. It represents purity, sacrifice and a sign that prophecy is being fulfilled. The Messiah honored by the Lakota Sioux is the White Buffalo Calf Woman who brought the Sacred Pipe and established the foundation of their ritual and social life. When she left, she turned into a white buffalo, and promised so
