Plains
Indian and the Wolf: The Pawnee
Pat O'Neil / Wolf Song of Alaska Volunteer
The wolf had a major impact on the societies of many Native American tribes.
Rubbing wolf fur on arrows was to bring fortune in hunting for the Cheyenne.
The medicine men of many tribes would wear wolf skins in order to duplicate the
powers of the wolf. For many tribes, animals represented the four cardinal directions;
the wolf was east. The reasons for a wolf howling varied, from calling scavengers
to eat after wolves had finished to being the cries of lost spirits trying to
return to earth.
One of the tribes that identified most strongly with the wolf was the Pawnee
of the central United States, in what are now Kansas and Nebraska. The hand signal
for the wolf was the same as the hand signal for the Pawnee. The signal is a "V" formed
by the index and middle finger of the right hand, held beside the right ear,
then brought forward. Other tribes referred to the Pawnee as the Wolf People
who were respected for their wolf-like ability; traveling all day and night,
making long journeys living on carcasses they found or on no food at all. While
traveling, they would not move in a direct line, but would follow an ever-changing
course. Their eyesight was said to be so good that they could see "two looks
away", and their hearing so good they could hear a cloud pass overhead.
To the Pawnee, the wolf moved silently and effortlessly across the plains, alert
to the smallest change. Upon entering and enemies territory, the Pawnee would
strive to move in the same manner, "to sense things like the wolf, to be
the wolf". While exploring enemy territory, they would wear wolf pelts with
the head coming up over their heads, the wolf's ears standing erect. Upon approaching
an enemy camp, if the dogs detected them, the Pawnee would howl. They were so
convincing that the dogs soon became quiet.
In the daylight, if they wanted to go to the top of a hill to view the surroundings,
they would wear a white wolf skin. Dropping on all fours, they would trot to
the top of the hill, smell the ground, lift a leg as to urinate, and sit on their
haunches. From a distance, they would be taken for a wolf.
They named their war parties the Society of the White Wolf. Besides wearing the
wolf skins, the warriors would often paint their faces and limbs white. Two eagle
feathers worn in their hair would resemble wolf ears.
The wolf was respected for its hunting skills, endurance, and stoicism. A wolf's
devotion to family and pack, providing food for all, paralleled that of the Native
American to the tribe. |
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