Birds of prey, more than any other group of animals, have captured our imagination. They have been considered as gods, spiritual messengers and symbols of strength and courage, but at the same time they have been persecuted through fear and ignorance. Earliest records of this fascination appear in European cave drawings and reappear throughout most of the primitive recorded history, including the Native Americans of North America.

 

The eagle and Apollo -multifaceted god who knew the future, made men aware of their guilt, and purified them of it- face the future together as they have since Seleucidian times, 312-64 B.C.

 

A black-figure pottery cup from the sixth century B.C. depicts Zeus, the sky and weather god and the chief deity of the Greek pantheon, and his eagle, the only bird believed to live on Mt. Olympus.

 

A twelfth-century French illustration shows a mounted falconer preparing to release his falcon at herons and ducks. Raptors may have been put to such practical use as early as 2000 years B.C. Before then humans may have simply chased them for their kills.

 

In Native American cultures birds of prey, especially eagles, are represented in numerous artifacts and legends. The Thunderbird is present throughout North American Indian legends. The form of the Thunderbird is typically a huge eagle or vulture-type bird which exists in the heavens. The bird was believed to cause thunder as it flew, and some tribes considered it to be the Great Spirit itself. It was said that if you saw an eagle while you were praying or participating in a ceremony, your prayers would be answered. Some tribes believed that the eagle carried prayers directly to the great creator.

 

Eagle dances, ceremonies and societies occur throughout North American Indian legends and culture. Golden Eagles, the war eagle, were kept for their molted feathers by Pueblo Indians of the southwestern United States. Many tribes used eagle feathers on weapons and head-dresses to symbolize victories and courage or to represent status. Parts of eagles, including feathers, talons, and skulls, remain important in the ceremonial and religious practices of many native American tribes. From wing bones, Plain’s men fashioned the whistles they blew during the Sun Dance, and they considered eagle and bear claws to be powerful charms. In general, eagles and bears symbolized nature’s power, mystery, and majesty. Indians worshiped or revered them across the continent. About the photo: An eagle, its body stretched and wrapped with cloth, gave power to its collector. Hallucination was an important element in the religious

Eagles and Death Rites

Most of the southern California Indians held elaborate death ceremonies. Luiseno ceremonies had two distinct parts: immediately after death the body was cremated and possessions were burned. Then about a year later, images were made of the deceased and burned. On the anniversary of a chief’s death, his kinfolk would hold a night-long dance during which they killed, skinned and cremated an eagle. Its feathers became part of a dance outfit.