The Buffalo dance mimics the buffalo as they grunt, stamp and jostle one another.  Buffalo were an important animal to the Cherokee for food and clothing.  There is a Cherokee town that carries the name Buffalo.  The last buffalo in Cherokee country was killed near Asheville, North Carolina circa 1790.

The Buffalo Dances follow much the same pattern. Schoolcraft, in reporting on the Creek, states: "They invest themselves with the scalp of the buffalo, with horns and tail attached and dances around in a circle, uttering sounds in imitation of the animal they represent, with their bodies in a half bent position, supporting their weight on their ball sticks, which represent the forelegs of the buffalo."  (Schoolcraft 1891: V: 277)

Each tribe has their own version of the Buffalo Dance.  Below is one form of the Buffalo Dance; the tribe is unknown.