A white bison stands against an evening sky as a flock of starlings fly up behind it. White bison are sacred. They are signs of spiritual renewal for many plains people, including the Metis. 

I painted this to be a sign of renewal, hope and freedom. Metis people lived by the buffalo and it provided us a life of freedom which we deeply cherished. They were a sign of our identity that we shared with other plains nations. 

Bison were nearly made extinct when the newly arrived colonizers recognized the bison as a sign of our power and sought to make them extinct. The return of the bison is a very spiritually important event and the birth of a white bison is a cause for great celebration. This particular white bison lives in Metis Crossing, Alberta with a herd of other white bison.

Tîpîm'sôwin (Teh-peem-sow-in) means freedom or liberty in Northern Michif. 
In Southern Michif it is tipaymishoohk (teh-pay-mih-shook).