THUNDERBIRD - NATIVE TRADITIONS

Down below you will find an article on the Thunderbird.  We thought we would give you some Native American traditions of this bird.

Thunderbird carrying whale

The Sioux believed in a chief Thunderbird called Wakinyan Tanka.  He was the Thunderbird of the West.  In days agone he lived on Harney Peak in the Black Hills of Dakota.  He had a beak, wings and claws, but, as far as I can discover, no other corporeal features.  He was the Thunderbird of the West.  There were also Thunderbirds of the North, South and East.

According to the Shawnee, Thunderbirds fight with the Great Horned Serpent.  This creature had managed to obtain some power from the Creator.  The Creator wanted it back and snatched off the Serpent's head.  The Serpent had to take the head off a deer to replace it.