Thunderbird (mythology)

The Thunderbird is a mythological creature that appears through many different incarnations of American Indian lore. Its appearance is especially prominent in tribes of the Midwest, Great Plains, and Northeastern coast, particularity in the Sioux, Algonquin, Arapaho, Gros Ventre, and Potawatomi tribes. The Thunderbird is typically portrayed as a colossal colored bird, that according to the Northwestern tradition is so big it could carry a whale in its talons.

Many traditions also portray the Thunderbird as the creator of the sound of thunder. In traditions associated with the Great Plains, the Thunderbird is a powerful but very real creature that can be seen by human eyes. In other traditions the Thunderbird is an ephemeral force of nature and capable of supernatural abilities. For example, in the lore of the Gros Ventre tribe, the Thunderbird is referred to as Bha’a, and is believed to have given the sacred pipe to the people of every tribe. In contrast, the Arapaho of the Great Plains believe that the Thunderbird represents the summer season, while its adversary, the White Owl, is representative of the winter.

Background

As a prominent figure in American Indian mythology, manifestations of the Thunderbird can be sorted into two categories. The first, a benevolent if not somewhat malicious spirit of nature, has various portrayals among the tribes of precolonial North America. This version of the Thunderbird has been passed down in oral tradition, and is also featured prominently in songs and art. This is perhaps best shown in the Algonquin tradition, where the Thunderbird is the ruler of the upper world, while the Great Horned Serpent, another mythological creature in American Indian mythology, is the ruler of the underworld. In this tradition, the Thunderbird is regularly at war with the Great Horned Serpent, who lives underwater. The Thunderbird can be seen in Algonquin art shooting lightning from its beak at creatures under control of the Great Horned Serpent, and creating thunder by flapping its wings. As a mythological creature, the Thunderbird is depicted with its wings stretched out as in flight, with a large hooked beak and decorated in the symbolic style of the particular tribe.

In the second category, Great Plains tribes depict the Thunderbird as a corporeal and ultimately killable creature. A Comanche story about the Thunderbird told of a hunter that shot down a bird so large he feared it and suspected it might be a Thunderbird. He got the medicine man to look at the bird with him, but when they returned, the bird had disappeared. The hunter was then killed by the lightening of a storm sent by the Thunderbird. This story shows that the Thunderbird was not always thought of as purely mythological, although it may be that the Great Plains tribes distinguished between the mortal and spirit versions of the Thunderbird.

Overview

As a cross-cultural figure of many different tribes of American Indians, the Thunderbird also has differing depictions in the art of the Great Plains tribes and many of the other tribes. In the Great Plains tribes, the Thunderbird is often referred to as "Wakinyan." Derived from the Dakota language, this name means "winged one," although Wakinyan has also been portrayed in art as possessing a sacred power. There are many depictions of the Thunderbird engulfed in deep clouds that look like a sort of fog, which prevent it from being seen in its entirety. In some depictions, the Thunderbird is a challenger of threats to American Indians, both of a natural and spiritual nature, but in other depictions, it can be seen killing American Indians or other animals who get in its way. In the Great Plains tradition, the Thunderbird can be represented as one of four colors: red, blue, green, and yellow. According to Great Plains tradition, this represents the four directions of the wind. Alternatively, the Thunderbird’s symbol in traditions outside of the Great Plains is a red zig-zag, which looks very similar to a lightning bolt. According to this tradition, there are both good and bad Thunderbirds, with both forms of the Thunderbird being shown in art fighting each other. These Thunderbirds are depicted in totems poles and other symbolical artifacts. Outside of the Great Plains, the Thunderbird is said to have a dual nature, and be both a creator and a destroyer. The Thunderbird brought the rain, but also caused destructive storms, battled whales, and turned people to stone. This is thought to show the Thunderbird as a sort of trickster figure recurrent in many mythologies—except in this case, the Thunderbird causes harm due more to its primordial nature than actual malice. The Thunderbird overall is a complex figure that has no set mythology in American Indian lore aside from its great nature and association with thunder and lightning. Its depiction and enduring resonance through many American Indian tribes and beyond into the modern day is a testament to its strength as a cross-cultural figure.

Bibliography

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Judson, Katherine Berry. Myths and Legends of the Great Plains. Chicago: McClurg, 1913. Print.

Lenik, Edward J. "The Thunderbird Motif in Northeastern Indian Art." Archaeology of Eastern North America 40 (2012): 163–85. Print.

Mizrach, Steve. "Thunderbird and Trickster." Florida International University. Florida Intl. U, n.d. Web. 11 July 2016.

Musinsky, Gerald. "Thunder Bird." Encyclopedia Mythica. Encyclopedia Mythica, 16 Jan. 2004. Web. 11 July 2016.

Reagan, Albert, and L. V. W. Walters. "Tales from the Hoh and Quileute." Journal of American Folklore 5.46 (1933): 297–346. Print.

Taylor, Colin F. Native American Myths and Legends. New York: Smithmark, 1994. Print.