Spirit horse of the Cherokee


Mighty horse...power to run
Across the open plains,
Or to bring the vision of the shields
Dancing in purple dream rain...

The horse was a marvel to the Indian and came
to be regarded as sacred. It had a mysterious or
sacred character. The Indian often times referred
to the horse as the big dog or the sacred dog.

The ceremonial importance of horses is strong in
many cultures. In the Navajo Enemy Way ceremony,
which is used to rid someone who has come in contact
with the enemy of the evil, horses transport the sacred
staff that carries the evil away from the person. Horses
are the focus of many Plains ceremonies as well.

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The buffalo or bison is considered by many tribes to
be a symbol of adundance for it was the meat of the
buffalo that fed the people, the hides that provided
clothing and shelter, the bones and sinew provided
tools of survival.

In the Legend of the Sacred Pipe, the White Buffalo
Calf Woman gave the Sacred Pipe to the Sioux as a
caretaker for the Red Nation. This pipe held the power
of the Great Spirit. She brought the people a message
of peace and said that they would have good hunting
and turn into a great nation. The appearance of a white
buffalo is a sign that prayers have been heard, and
signals a time of abundance plenty.

"Buffalo Medicine" means to bring a special honor,
or appreciation for all of the things that the Earth
provides for her children. To use buffalo medicine
is to smoke the pipe in a sacred manner, and to give
praise for the richness of life to be shared with all.

If a child's name included the word "buffalo" in it, the
Indians believed that the child would be especially
strong and would mature quickly. If a warrior was
renamed after a vision or great hunting or war
accomplishment, and his new name included the
word "buffalo," it meant that the buffalo was his
supernatural helper, or that he exhibited the strength
of a buffalo, or that he was an extraordinary hunter.
In other words, the name desribed the powers of the man.

Societies named after the buffalo had the animal as
their patron. Holy men who saw buffalo in the vision
during which they were called to the practice of
medicine would seek thereafter to commune with
the Great Spirit through the buffalo.

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The Eagle is the great sacred bird of the Cherokee
Indians and of nearly all native tribes. Eagle figures
prominently in their ceremonial rituals. Each Tribal
group has its own stories and legends concerning
the Eagle. Only the greatest warriors and the
Medicine Man wore feathers of the eagle.

Eagle medicine is the power of the great spirit, the
connection to the Devine. It is the ability to live
in the realm of spirit, and yet remain connected and
balanced within the realm of earth.

If someone dreamed of an eagle or eagle feathers,
the town organized an Eagle Dance as soon as
possible. This could only be done in late fall or
winter as the songs sung during the dance angered
the rattlesnakes.

The eagle could only be killed by a proffessional
Eagle Killer who knew the proper ceremonies for
turning aside vengeance by the eagle's spirit. There
were only certain times when the eagle could be
killed, usually only when an Eagle Dance was held.

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To Native Americans, the wolf is a powerful
spiritual symbol. They are considered to be
teachers or pathfinders. The wolf star was red,
an esteemed color, associated with the wolf by
all tribes. Also known as Sirius, it is the brightest
star in the Northern Sky. The milky way was the
wolf's trail-the route to heaven. In time, the wolf
also became associated among the four seasons
with summer, among the trees with the willow,
and among the great natural forces with the clouds.

The indians respected the wolf's prowess as
a hunter, his stamina, and the way he moved
silently across the landscape. They were moved
by his howling, which they sometimes regarded
as talking with the spirit world. The wolf appears in
many legends as a messenger, great long distance
travelor and a guide for anyone seeking the spirit
world. He was the forerunner of new ideas who
returned to the clan to teach and share medicine.

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It was the raven who created the waters and the
salmon, which came to sacrifice themselves to the
people. The raven fashioned every creature that
walks or flies. It was the raven who helped the
worthy, but loved to trick the unsuspecting; and
as full of mischief as he was wonderful, who made
this world the way it is.

Raven is the messenger of magic from the great
void where all knowledge waits for us. His powerful
medicine can give us the courage to enter the
darkness of this void, called Great Mystery. He
is also the symbol of changes in consciousness,
of levels of awareness and of perception.

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