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| one of many native myths involving wolves |
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| a chief, with a howling wolf by his side |
Native Americans have often
respected the wolf for its deep devotion to family. Native Americans hunted for
their families and the entire tribe, just as wolves hunted for the entire pack.
Wolves never kill more than necessary to survive, and neither did the tribes.
Native American hunters even tried to imitate the hunting tactics of a wolf—being
compared to a wolf was considered the highest form of praise for a hunter. While
the Native Americans were not naturally aggressive, they would fight to the
death to protect their own and their territory, just as wolves do. Some tribes
even went so far as to mimic the wolves’ migration habits—if food became scarce
in their home territory, tribe leaders would move the tribe to an entirely new
territory.
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| a modern piece of Native American jewelry |
This extreme respect also led to
the Native Americans repeated use of the wolf as a symbol in religion and
mythology. Many Native American religions regarded the wolves as magical
creatures. Some religious beliefs say wolves were involved in the creation of
the world. Several tribes also believe that wearing the skin of a wolf could
possess magical powers, and increase the success of a hunt or bring a
chief’s son back to life. In the Navajo tradition, members of the tribe
believed donning a wolf skin allowed that person to transform into a wolf. Wolves
are also featured in native jewelry as well artwork. They are generally
portrayed as howling at the moon, and this image is often used in totems or
amulets.
We should all take note of the Native American view on
wolves, and learn to respect them for their redeeming characteristics.
Come back soon for more awesome info on wolves!
*images found on google
This is awesome. I have done research on Native American beliefs in reference to wolves, but it never really occurred to me that the connection went this deep. It is interesting to note that they howl to the moon. Do you have any idea what that represents? And why do wolves do it in the first place? In class, we talked about how calling attention by sound could be either good or bad. I guess for wolves it would not be such a big deal seeing as they are pretty close to the top of the food chain, so I wonder why else they "howl to the moon."
ReplyDeleteI had no idea that Native Americans thought so highly of wolves, but that's so cool! I thought it was very interesting that you said wolves only kill what is necessary to survive and that the Native Americans adopt this practice as well as many other practices of the wolf. I guess we could all learn a thing or two from wolves.
ReplyDeleteWhile I knew wolves had some influence on Native American culture, I didn't know it was that strong. I think the most interesting part is that they even began to use their migration strategies to get enough food. I wonder if they considered themselves nomads!
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