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Hummingbird Stories
Hummingbirds have had a long oral history. Many
Native Indian cultures have passed stories,
myths and tales down through the centuries about
hummingbirds. Many of these hummingbird stories have been
used in ceremonies, paintings on pottery and in the making of jewelry.
The Cherokee Nation have two stories about the hummingbird. One story is that of a medicine man who turned himself into a hummingbird so he could look for a lost plant. The other is a tell of an Indian maiden who was being courted by a Hummingbird and a Crane. She liked the Hummingbird because she thought he was so beautiful and the Crane for the wisdom he had. The Crane told the maiden that he and the Hummingbird should have a race around the world to win her hand in marriage. The maiden agreed to the race, thinking that the hummingbird would win. Well, much to her surprise the hummingbird lost the race. The reason he lost the race is because he needed to sleep at night and flew in a zigzag during the day. The Crane won the race by flying all night and in a straight line. The Indian maiden was so upset with the outcome of the race she refused to marry the Crane. The reason she gave for not marrying the Crane was she thought he was ugly. Many native American Indians like the Hopi and Zuni often paint hummingbirds on their water jar pottery. They believe hummingbirds intervened with the Gods to bring rain to humans long ago. They tell a story about a boy and girl who were left alone while their parents went out looking for food and water during a great famine. As the children waited for their parents to return, the boy decided he would make a toy hummingbird. When he was through with the toy he showed it to his sister. His sister wondered if the toy hummingbird could fly, so she threw it into the air and the toy came to life. The Hummingbird started bringing an ear of corn everyday, so the children would survive until their parents returned. The Hummingbird soon began to worry, so he flew down to the center of the earth and asked the Gods for help. The Gods felt sorry for the children and began to make rain for humans. The Apaches tell a story about a warrior who was born deaf, but he could sing magic songs. His songs could heal and bring good weather. One day the warrior saw a women being attacked by a wolf and rescued her. The warrior fell deeply in love with the woman and soon they were married. One day while on his way to help someone who was sick, the warrior was killed. After his death a bitter winter began. It is said when the warrior's wife went out for walks, winter would stop. The reason for this is, the warrior would return to her in the form of a hummingbird. He would whisper his love for her into her ear and this would bring good weather. Hummingbirds have a huge part in the Pueblo Nation's culture. They believe, that Caterpillars guard tobacco plants and that hummingbirds get smoke from the Caterpillars to bring to the Shamans. They say the smoke the hummingbird brings is used by the Shamans to purify the earth. The Shamans also use the hummingbirds to send gifts to Mother Earth. The Pueblo, also have a story about a Demon who lost a bet with the Sun and went blind. The Demon was very angry that he lost the bet and spit out hot lave that caught the Earth on fire. The Pueblo, say a hummingbird gathered up rain clouds from all four directions to cool and put out the fire. As he flew away, the hummingbird flew into a rainbow, catching the bright colors on his throat. The Pueblo, say that is why hummingbirds are so colorful. The Pueblo people also have hummingbird dances to bring rain. The Maya, believe that the Great God had leftover parts after making the birds. They say, he didn't want to waste the parts, so he decided he would make a hummingbird. The Great God made sure that the hummingbird, because it was so small would be able to fly. He gave the hummingbird the special gift of flight. With this gift, the hummingbird could fly in all different directions with the skill to hover, and fly upside down. When the hummingbird flew around the God, it's wings made a humming sounds. Because of that sound the Maya called the hummingbird "Dzunuume" or "The Hummer". The Great God liked what he had made so he decided to make a mate for the hummingbird. He told the birds, that they were to marry. All the forest animals came to see the wedding. The birds sang, the spiders made a path of spiderwebs and told the female to use them to build nests. The wedding was very beautiful, but the hummingbirds were unhappy. They were very plan with no color and thought they looked ugly. The other birds gave the hummingbirds brightly colored feathers to dress up in. The Sun then came out and married the hummingbirds. The Sun told the hummingbirds that their feathers would always shine brightly as long as they looked at the sun. The Maya also believe when the Sun wants to court the moon, he disguises himself as a hummingbird. In the ancient Aztec culture, the Gods of Sun and War were called the "Hummingbird Wizards". These were the patron gods of the Aztecs. The Aztec warriors believed when they were killed in battle, they would return as hummingbirds. Aztec royalty and religious leaders were the only ones allowed to wear hummingbird feathers. They would adorn their kings with capes made from hummingbird skins. One of these capes made it's way to Rome and was given to the Pope as a gift. After that, there was a huge demand for hummingbird skins. Thousands of hummingbirds were killed in South America and their skins were shipped to Europe. The hummingbird skins and feathers were used to make artificial flowers, dust catchers, decorations and jewelry. When the Spanish landed in the New World they called the hummingbirds "Flying Jewels". Columbus also called them "Flying Marvels". The French called them the "Flower Bird". There are stories about the Pilgrims who came to the New World. When they met Native Americans, they were given gifts of hummingbird earrings. The Pilgrims thought hummingbirds were a cross between insects and birds. They thought the hummingbird was magical. They did not understand how a bird could fly like that. Some believed that in winter, hummingbirds would stick their beaks in trees and die, only to came back to life in the spring. The Pilgrims, are said to have started the story that hummingbirds fly on the backs of geese to migrate. There are many other stories told about the hummingbird. If you would like to read more stories visit this web site at: http://newkeeperofstories.com/stories/tag/hummingbird. Content and photos may not be copied or used without express written permission. Copyright 2011-2012 |