Sakami
Tori or (Bird of Prey)
The
Traditional Eastern Woodland American Natives Ancestors around the New England
area believed that ALL bird of Prey are our spiritual messengers and send from
Creator for our protection.
They
(we) have included each into our culture and ceremonies.
What
happened ?
Today
we worship the plains Indian Eagle?
Even
that ceremony has been abused beyond recognition over in the east coast.
Golden
and Bald Eagles,
Many of
my brothers and sisters throughout Indian country hold these two birds to the
highest esteem and hold them up in their sacred ceremonies.
My
ancestors love them and also looked to them as a messenger of prayer to and
from Creator (Kiehtan) however, all bird of prey are special keepers of the
people sent from Kiehtan our Creator!
My
grandfather had 7 eagle feathers on his staff for sacred reasons known only to
the Traditional people however, he also had 7 feathers for each bird of prey
also on the staff, ask the person that stole the staff from our office in the
1980"s he knows!
Hawks,
is a name used to show most birds of prey, birds like the Coopers Hawk, also
helped to keep the snake population down, non poison snakes like the water
snake and garden snakes would eat the poison snakes and hawks like the Coopers
Hawk would eat both.
Some
native tribes call the owl's evil and run from their presence.
Enough
said!
Owl's
hunt at night and also helped keep our people safe from things like snakes,
they also were a good warning signal when an enemy was approaching.
Falcons
hunt for mostly smaller birds so when our ancestors were out hunting for food
they knew prey like water fowl were around and food for the people.
Buzzards
have been called the scourge of the earth.
If not
for our brother the Buzzard think about the stink and the decease around you?
Swallow-tailed
kite
We call
them Scissor Tails.
I am
adding another Bird of Prey to my list of birds even though I have never seen
one in or around our Uncasvillage up north.
We see
them almost every day out our dining room window, back patio and in the air
around central Florida.
This,
to me, is one of the most beautiful birds ever, in flight, in a nest, on the
prowl and attacking a tree after its prey!
I have
never seen a big bird crash into the top of a tree full speed after a squirrel
other mammal, Reptile or other birds, until now.
Our
Coopers Hawk families, all four of them, have moved away one would guess
because of the loss of their children.
Because
I do not believe that anything can distract a Kite in action.