Bison, Buffalo – Spirit Animal, Symbolism and Meaning

Buffalos (Bisons) are large African bovine. There are many different species of buffalos around the world and they inhabit big parts of North America and South Africa. They are large animals with enormous horns on top of their heads, that give them an intimidating look.

Buffalos are often used as symbols for various things. Many sports teams and diners have names with buffalo inside them and with their authentic looks, buffalos are often used as tattoo symbols.

We will talk more about the symbolism behind this magnificent animal and a little bit about its history and how this animal was portrayed in the past.

Buffalo traits and characteristics

Large – Buffalos are enormous animals. They usually weight several hundred pounds and can grow up to large heights. Their intimidating exterior is not something we want to joke around with, and if you encountered a buffalo somewhere in the wild, you would probably avoid it.

Strength – With their enormous size comes great strength as well. They have a lot of enemies, especially in the wild so they need to be strong and resistant. Buffalos can fight off even the scariest predators like lions and panthers with their large horns and strong bodies.

Calm – Even though they look intimidating, buffalos are actually quite calm and they don’t attack unless they are provoked. They usually attack when they fight others inside their herd or when their young ones are in danger. Buffalos are very protective of their young ones so you should definitely avoid getting close if they are near.

Bison – Buffalo as a totem

Now that we learned more about this admirable animal, we will look at how these traits and characteristics are transferred to the spiritual world of totems. As a totem, buffalo is a symbol of abundance. We all know that buffalos only inhabit places that are rich in grass and water and if this is missing from their place of residence, they will immediately leave it and look for better living conditions.

The way this trait gets transferred to people is that people who have this totem love to be surrounded by stability and abundance of every kind. This means they like to have a good amount of material things so that they can live freely and without cares.

The thing that scares them the most is that they will be left without enough resources to live comfortably. This is why they tend to choose partners who will satisfy their material needs and also they work hard in life to provide that abundance to themselves and their families.

Another trait associated with buffalos is gratitude. People born under this totem or ones who are protected by them are very grateful to everyone who helps them out in life or who have been there for them through rough situations.

These people tend to show gratitude to people they love and who are close to them for no apparent reason, just because they are a part of their life. You will never be mishandled by these people and you will definitely be satisfied with their behavior towards you.

Another trait linked to the buffalo totem is power. They are overall powerful animals and this is well presented by their size and looks. People born under this totem are very strong willed and you will not be able to change their minds easily.

They know what they want out of life and how to get it. This trait is extremely desirable and they will have a lot of use out of it in life. This is probably one of the most important traits and it will definitely help them throughout difficult life situations.

Stability is another important trait of people born under the buffalo totem. People born under this totem are stable and calm in most life situations. They will not give up easily and balance in their life is the most important thing.

They will not allow you to mess up what they have built and they will keep their balance no matter what. This can be a flaw if they are so used to one thing and unable to accept change. Being that way will be difficult for them especially in those situations when change is necessary for progress.

They should work more on that and accept the fact that life is not always perfect. People born under this totem are also gentle. They approach people with a positive attitude and their life philosophy is positive overall.

This makes them a joy to be around and a perfect friend or family member. Since they value stability and know what they want in life, you can learn a lot from them. They will always try to give you the best possible advice they can to help you resolve any problems you have.

Being helpful is something these people are born with, and they do it not for the recognition but because it is a part of their nature. These people are the ones you will go to if you have a serious problem in life or you need any other kind of help.

Buffalo as a symbol in a dream

Buffalo in a dream is a symbol of abundance in your life. You are probably in a good place in life and you have everything you have always dreamed about and you feel on top of the world. This dream can represent strength and power you are currently feeling in life.

Perhaps you have just managed to defeat certain problems in your career or personal life that were keeping you away from success.

For women, buffalo represents a powerful man who will help her achieve her goals. This person could be her next partner or someone who will just be there for her as a friend or perhaps a family member. This relationship will help her build a career or it will be her biggest influence in life in general.

If you are fighting with a buffalo in your dream, then you might stumble upon someone who is very stubborn and won’t give up on his ideas and opinions, even though he might be wrong about them.

Buffalo as a symbol in different cultures

Buffalos have an extremely important position in Native American culture. They are often present as symbols of strength and power but also as symbols of abundance. Many tribes in North America depended greatly on buffalos.

There are legends about the great white buffalo or albino buffalo, who had almost prophetic meaning for the tribes and encountering a white

They provided them with all resources they required like food, clothes and weapons. Native Americans have a great love for the nature and all the beings inside it, so they worshiped buffalos as Mother Nature’s gifts to humanity.

Many tribes used buffalos as their symbols and also if they needed to discover a place with abundance of food and water, all they had to do is to follow the buffalos.

In Chinese mythology a buffalo has celestial and earthly traits. There are many myths revolving around this animal and even now, this animal is considered to be an important part of Chinese culture. We can even find an ox or buffalo in Chinese Zodiac, as one of twelve signs.

They considered that ox came to Earth from the sky and that they once lived in Heaven. Emperor of Heaven felt sorry for the people on Earth and decided to send an ox to Earth to feed the starving people. This is how an ox became an important part of Chinese culture.

This symbolism and importance that an ox had in Chinese culture, resulted in various combinations of mythical creatures that had a head of an ox or body of an ox.

Buffalos in Vietnam, similar to Chinese, have an important position in everyday life but also in their culture. Buffalos are still used as source of transportation and we can find many ancient sculptures and artifacts that prove the importance of buffalos in Vietnam.

For centuries, this animal has provided food and transportation for the people of Vietnam, so they express their gratitude by considering it to be a sacred animal. Many festivals are held to honor this animal like and also tribes like Batak and Toraja, use buffalos as sacrificial animals in their sacred rituals.

In modern times, buffalos are used as symbols across the world. They are sadly usually linked to food chains and meat factories but some of its old symbolism remained. Many sports teams have buffalos as their symbols, and the biggest number of them is located in the USA.

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