What Does It Mean When Someone Calls You Their “Great White Buffalo”?

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Explore the meaning of this phrase and its roots in Native American culture

Co-authored by Cheyenne Main Reviewed by Anyah Le Gilmore-Jones

Last Updated: February 8, 2024 Fact Checked

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Meaning & Usage

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Origin

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How to Respond

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Native American Spiritual Meaning

The slang term “great white buffalo” comes from the movie Hot Tub Time Machine as a way to talk about someone who was your first love or “the one that got away.” Typically, this term is a compliment and means that the other person regrets losing you. This term probably comes from the teaching of the rare white buffalo from Native American legend but has now taken on a whole new life in the dating world. Keep reading to learn more.

Things You Should Know

“Great white buffalo” is a term for someone’s “first love” or “the one that got away.” It might mean they’re a rare person, your soulmate, or someone you regret losing.
The slang term comes from the movie Hot Tub Time Machine. It’s also the title of a song by Ted Nugent about Native American perseverance and strength.
According to Comanche, Cherokee, Navaho, Lakota, and Dakota spiritual beliefs, when a white buffalo is born it’s a sign of hope and good times to come.

Section 1 of 4:

What does the “great white buffalo” mean in slang?

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The “great white buffalo” is your “first love” or “the one who got away.” When you call another person your “great white buffalo” it means that they were one-of-a-kind, they were your soulmate, or they were someone you regret losing. If someone calls you their “great white buffalo,” it may mean that you’re “the one” for them and they still have feelings for you. Here are some examples of how this slang term is used:
- “Mary, you’re my great white buffalo. I want to get back together.”
- “We broke up because we both got into different universities. He was the great white buffalo.”
- “I love her so much, I can’t imagine losing her. If we broke up, she would always be my great white buffalo.”

Section 2 of 4:

Where does the term “great white buffalo” come from?

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The term “great white buffalo” came from the movie Hot Tub Time Machine. In a scene from the movie, a character brings up his old girlfriend named Jenny in a car with his friends. His friends said that she was “the one,” “the first love,” “the one that got away,” and all whispered, “the great white buffalo.”^{[1]
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- This slang term might have come from the Native American belief that the white buffalo calf is sacred and extremely rare.^{[2]
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- “The Great White Buffalo” is also a song by Ted Nugent about Native American perseverance after European settlers landed in the Americas and killed all the buffalo.

Section 3 of 4:

How to Respond When Someone Calls You the “Great White Buffalo”

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Admit your feelings and take it slow if you’d like to get back together. Dating an ex can be tricky, but that doesn’t mean you can’t build a new healthy relationship together.^{[3]
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Research source} If you and your ex would like to give it another shot, tell them that you’re open to the idea, but take it slowly. Invite them for coffee or spend casual time together to see if you connect like you used to.^{[4]
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- Them: “Clementine, you’re the love of my life, the great white buffalo. Can we try this again?”
  You: “I’m still processing how I feel about us, but I’d love to give it a shot. Would you like to get a coffee with me?”
- Them: “You’re my great white buffalo, Dean. I’d like to get back together.”
  You: “I’ve learned a lot since we broke up, but I still love you. Can we take things slow?”
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Let them down gently if you don’t want to get back together. Be honest about why you think that things won’t work between you two, but try to keep your response short and simple to avoid over-explaining or offending their character. Long responses where you offer proof why the person isn’t right for you could accidentally turn the conversation into a negotiation.^{[5]
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- Them: “Julius, you’ll always be my great white buffalo. Will you go out with me?”
  You: “I don’t think getting into a relationship with you would be good for either of us. I’m sorry.”
- Them: “I love you, Jess. You’re my great white buffalo—I’d like to get back together.”
  You: “I’m so sorry, but I’ve moved on and I’d like to leave the past in the past.”

Section 4 of 4:

Great White Buffalo Native American Spiritual Meaning

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The birth of a white buffalo is a sign of hope and good times to come. To the Lakota, Sioux, Cherokee, Navaho, Comanche, and Dakota tribes, a white buffalo calf is the most sacred living thing on earth.^{[6]
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Research source} The white buffalo is a sacred omen of better times because of stories like the legend of the White Buffalo Calf Woman, summarized below:^{[7]
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- Long ago, there was a great famine and the Lakota chief sent two scouts to look for food. While searching, a beautiful sacred woman appeared and told the scouts to tell their people that she had arrived.^{[8]
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  US National Park Service
  Agency responsible for the maintenance and promotion of national parks and monuments
  
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  - When the White Buffalo Calf Woman arrived, she brought a sacred pipe and taught them 7 sacred ways to pray.
  - Before she left, she told the Lakota people that she would come again to restore harmony and spirituality to this troubled world.
  - The woman then rolled on the earth 4 times, changing color each time, and turned into a white buffalo calf before she disappeared.
  - As soon as the woman left, great herds of buffalo surrounded the camps, ending the famine.
- Some Native groups say that the birth of a white calf is an omen because it often takes place in unexpected places around impoverished people.^{[9]
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  Trustworthy Source
  
  US National Park Service
  Agency responsible for the maintenance and promotion of national parks and monuments
  
  Go to source}