Many other Native American tribes simply associate the falcon with victory and power and possess images of the falcon on their weapons. They believe that the sky is the meeting point of the earth and the upper world and since falcons can fly to incredible heights at incredible speeds they see them as messengers of God. They adore falcons to the point where they are actually considered to be supernatural entities. As a result, the symbolism of falcons for these two tribes is purity and love.įinally, in Mississippian culture, there is arguably no animal with greater importance than the falcon. This is due to an ancient tale of a warrior and his wife being reunited in the afterlife in the form of white falcons. The Chippewa and Hopi tribes both have falcons as clan animals. They are symbols of selflessness and protection. On the back of this tale, the Cheyenne people began to treat falcons as sacred animals that couldn’t/shouldn’t be touched by any member of the tribe. The falcon won which prevented the buffalos from eating the Cheyenne people, which was happening on a regular basis prior to the race. In an ancient Cheyenne legend, a buffalo and a falcon engaged in a race and the winner got to eat the loser. Generally speaking though, Native Americans see falcons as a symbol of courage and strength.įor the Cheyenne tribe, the symbolism of the falcon goes quite a bit deeper than that. In Native America, falcons are symbolic of many different things depending on which tribe you belong to. Common themes throughout revolve around wisdom, strength, and nobility but let’s take a deeper look: Falcon meaning and symbolism in Native America While some of the reasons for their symbolism are based on myths and legends from the past, others are simply based on a hunch or physical interaction. Falcon Symbolism Around The Worldįalcons are of great spiritual and symbolic importance in numerous cultures. While they will typically travel alone across different habitats all year round, they do tend to return to one particular spot each year to mate. One final thing worth mentioning before we look at how these characteristics have shaped the symbolism surrounding falcons is the fact that they only have one mating partner for the entirety of their lives. However, if they are dealing with a larger animal then they have to take their time eating it as they aren’t one of these animals that can eat two or three times its body weight each day. When it comes down to taking down prey, falcons use their giant talons and pointed beaks to get the kill and then usually swallow the carcass whole. I guess they must prefer hunting in the air rather than at ground level. However, they have sometimes been known to go for larger animals, such as deers and foxes, if they are feeling particularly brave and/or hungry.ĭespite having a seemingly broad diet, a report from the New Zealand Journal of Ecology found that other birds actually make up a whopping 97% of a falcon’s diet. The classic animals that are vulnerable when a falcon is in the area include pigeons, rabbits, rats, gophers, squirrels, and mice. These imperious birds aren’t particularly fussy when it comes to food, but they are carnivorous meaning they do only dabble in meat. This is another tool they utilize when it comes to hunting prey. They actually have an extra translucent eyelid that moves from side to side. This eyesight combined with their lightning speed makes them excellent predators.Ī lot of the evolution that falcons have undergone over the years has revolved around their eyes. It has been discovered by scientists that your typical falcon has 8x better eyesight than your typical human being. Peregrine falcons, the fastest of all falcons, have clocked speeds of an incredible 242mph! This makes falcons one of the fastest animals on the planet.Īnother impressive characteristic of a falcon is its eyesight.
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