Thirty-three buffalo
Lay upon a field of blue flowers,
While threads of sunbeams
Weave medicines in their large hearts
To mend the wounds from their march.
Thirty-three buffalo talk in council
About the trail left behind
The canyons and rivers and plains crossed.
About the journey to come
With fields of three-foot snow-pack
And distant mountain passes looming.
They discuss the welfare of the family
To walk side-by-side with the young
And support and honor their Buffalo Elders.
And with a closing bellow of songs
The conclave is ended in prayer
As hooves find the earth
Beginning again their march
Through these fields of blue.
This is my journey,
— Nate Long “Owl”
I created this Prayer to strengthen community relations and commitment.
As the poem relays the basics of my journey, I envisioned these thirty-three buffalo relaxing in a field of blue flowers as they rested from a long journey. Inspiration first came when trimming the buffalo hide for Singing Trunk Drum where I cut out these “buttons” from the scrap and punched a hole. The thirty-three I see as this: Family needs three and a community needs eleven families. There are 52 blue flowers to hold them in community. An oak branch at the top is for the support of ancestors. A blue river which they had once crossed is below and the mountain peaks above where they are headed. And the rays of sun shine down upon them all as a touch of Grace. This multi-medium work consists of sued split deer leather, buffalo rawhide buttons, glass seed beads, yellow and blue string, and an oak branch at the top.