Non-indigenous scientific interpretations Thunderbirds carved in sandstone wall at Twin Bluff, Juneau County, Wisconsin, by prehistoric artist(s)Īmerican science historian and folklorist Adrienne Mayor and British historian Tom Holland have both suggested that indigenous thunderbird stories are based on discoveries of pterosaur fossils by Native Americans. In an 18th-century manuscript (a " daybook" ledger) written by the namesake grandson of Governor Matthew Mayhew, the thunderbird pictograms varies from "recognizable birds to simply an incised X". A headless X-shaped thunderbird was found on an Ojibwe midewiwin disc dating to 1250–1400 CE. The depiction may be stylized and simplified. In Algonquian images, an X-shaped thunderbird is often used to depict the thunderbird with its wings alongside its body and the head facing forwards instead of in profile. Iconography Symbol of the Anishinaabe X-shapes ( February 2022) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message)Įthnographer George Amos Dorsey transcribed a tale from the Arikaras with the title The Boy who befriended the Thunderbirds and the Serpent: a boy named Antelope-Carrier finds a nest with four young thunderbirds their mother comes and tells the human boy that a two-headed Serpent comes out of the lake to eat the young. Please help improve this article by introducing citations to additional sources at this section. Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page. This section relies largely or entirely upon a single source. They are messengers of the Great Sun himself. They are the enemies of the great horned snakes (the Misikinubik) and have prevented these from overrunning the earth and devouring humankind. They control the rain and hail, and delight in fighting and deeds of greatness. The Menominee of Northern Wisconsin tell of a great mountain that floats in the western sky on which dwell the thunderbirds. Menominee Seal of the Menominee Nation featuring a thunderbird In the fall, they migrated south after the end of the underwater spirits' most dangerous season. The thunderbirds lived in the four directions and arrived with the other birds in the springtime. Thunderbirds also punished humans who broke moral rules. The Ojibwe version of the myth states that the thunderbirds were created by Nanabozho to fight the underwater spirits. Ojibwe Ojibwe shoulder pouch depicting two thunderbirds in quillwork, Peabody Museum Harvard Thunderbirds in this tradition may be depicted as a spreadeagled bird (wings horizontal head in profile), but also quite common with the head facing forward, thus presenting an X-shaped appearance overall (see under §Iconography below). The thunderbird creates not just thunder (with its wing-flapping) but lightning bolts, which it casts at the underworld creatures. In Algonquian mythology, the thunderbird controls the upper world while the underworld is governed by the underwater panther or Great Horned Serpent. Midwest states (e.g., Ojibwe in Minnesota ). The discussion of the Northeast region has included Algonquian-speaking people in the Lakes-bordering U.S. The thunderbird myth and motif is prevalent among Algonquian peoples in the Northeast, i.e., Eastern Canada ( Ontario, Quebec, and eastward) and Northeastern United States, and the Iroquois peoples (surrounding the Great Lakes). Tribal signatures using thunderbirds on the Great Peace of Montreal The thunderbird is said to create thunder by flapping its wings (Algonquian ), and lightning by flashing its eyes (Algonquian, Iroquois ). In modern times it has achieved notoriety as a purported cryptid, similar to creatures such as Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster. It is especially important and frequently depicted in the art, songs, and oral histories of many Pacific Northwest Coast cultures, but is also found in various forms among some peoples of the American Southwest, East Coast of the United States, Great Lakes, and Great Plains. It is considered a supernatural being of power and strength. The thunderbird is a legendary creature in particular North American indigenous peoples' history and culture. Pacific NW ( Haida) imagery of a double thunderbird A Northwest Coast styled Kwakiutl totem pole depicting a thunderbird.
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