During ritual, these masks are worn and the beaks would open to reveal the human face of the wearer. The Haida created elaborate masks in the image of the Thunderbird. It’s also said the Thunderbird smokes tobacco from cedar pipes – and this is where we get the link between the Thunderbird and tobacco.
There, the Thunderbird rules the activity of the skies. Legend states the Thunderbird dwells in regal solitude in mystic cedar forests, where no man may enter. In this light, the Thunderbird is a savior symbol, rescuing humankind from the negative influences of its nemesis, the serpent. The battles between the Eagle (Thunderbird) and the Serpent results in raging waters and brewing storms. The Thunderbird meaning dives into the waters, seeking out the serpent to vanquish it from the Great Lakes in order to protect humans. This horned Serpent is said to be quite nefarious and bodes ill-will against humankind. The story depicts the eagle waging constant war with a massive water Serpent. I’ve been told stories of Thunderbird meaning in the form of an Eagle. Countless ceremonies are conducted in honor of the great rain-bringer as a way to ensure continued food supply.
This is where we see a connection to rain as the Thunderbird is the bringer of life-giving waters (so agriculture may thrive and provide to the tribe). In this perspective, Thunderbird meaning deals with the Creator, Destroyer and Controller of Nature and must be honored and appeased at all costs. Moreover, in Northwestern tribes the Thunderbird is known as the Skyamsen, and is the dominating force of all natural activity. The effects of the smoke would lift Native souls to the heavens where braves would encounter the Thunderbird in spirit-journeying further bolstering the warrior’s heart and insuring triumph against foe.Īnother Native tale indicates lightning jetting out of the eyes of the Thunderbird when angered (during storms), and deafening cracks of thunder were produced when it flapped its mighty wings.Īs a Native American symbol of creation, the Thunderbird marks the separation between the heavens and the earth.
Tobacco (also sacred to the Thunderbird) would be smoked in intricate ceremonial order. “A very great vision is needed and the man who has it must follow it as the eagle seeks the deepest blue of the sky.” ~ Crazy Horse, Sioux Chief More About the Thunderbird Native American Symbol Meaning of the Native American Thunderbird Symbol War dances by the Iroquois and Shawnee must be performed to exact precision in order to appease the rousted Thunderbird and insure victory in battle. These huts were always made with the wood of the cedar tree, sacred to the Thunderbird. When the cry of the Thunderbird was heard (in the form of thunder in the skies) war huts were constructed to begin ceremonial processions. This was also a foretelling of victory for tribal wars fought on the ground – particularly when ritual ceremonies and dances were reverently adhered to. When quaking peals of thunder rattle the heavens, it’s a sign the spirits are warring in the skies. Some tribes view the Thunderbird as an omen of war.
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