Old Woman's Water and the Buffalo Cap
An old woman who lived by a sacred spring found that her water had healing powers. She shared it with a young warrior who was wounded, and he was miraculously healed. The woman then revealed herself as a manifestation of the earth's power. She gave the warrior a buffalo cap made from the scalp of a sacred buffalo, which became the Ésevone (Sacred Buffalo Hat). The cap could summon buffalo herds and protect the people from harm. She taught the warrior the rituals needed to care for the cap and warned that if it was ever neglected, the buffalo would disappear and hardship would follow.