In many cultures persons with special powers gained through a relationship with bird spirits can be found. In China, the reclusive mountain men were considered immortal and are pictured as feathered, either floating through the air by themselves or on giant birds. The secret of flight, it is said, was passed down to them from holy women who received actual instruction from birds. In India, a term of honor addressed to a master yogi is Paramahamsa, or "supreme wild gander." The four-headed Indian god Brahma flew about on a wild goose, symbolizing the soul's quest for release. And the Egyptians believed that the soul in the form of a small bird called a "ka" left the body behind to enter the afterlife. The following story is about an Eskimo hunter whose life is saved by eagle spirits.

A starving Eskimo hunter came upon an eagle one day and without hesitation drew his bow and killed it. By the time he had returned to his igloo he felt remorse for having shot such a beautiful bird. Though his stomach was quite empty, he did not roast the eagle but instead stuffed and placed it in a place of honor in his home. Indeed, whenever he was fortunate enough to bring home food he would always offer the first bite to the bird.

One day the hunter was caught in a blizzard and became lost in the blinding white snow. After wandering in circles he finally sank to his knees in exhaustion and waited for his end. Suddenly before him appeared two men wearing masks and carrying sticks covered with feathers. They motioned to him to follow, and summoning the last of his strength he obeyed, though they moved so quickly over the snow their feet seemed to barely touch the ground.

Then through a swirling mist the hunter saw the outlines of a village, and from it came a steady booming sound. He asked one of the men what the sound was and the man replied that it was a mother's heart beating. They took him into the village and led him to a very dignified woman dressed in black, and instantly the hunter knew that she was the mother of the eagle he had killed.

The eagle mother said that he had treated her son very well and had paid him proper honor, and she wished this to continue. She and her people (who were all eagles who had assumed human form) would now show the hunter the Dance of the Eagle. He must memorize every move and gesture, then return to his own people and teach them the dance, which they were to perform every year.

After the dance was completed the human eagles vanished and the hunter found himself back in the snowstorm, exactly where he had been sitting. Nearly frozen, he managed to drag himself back to his village and tell the people of his vision. He taught them the Dance of the Eagle, and every year they performed it exactly as had been shown. They never again hunted the eagle, nor did they need to, for the fish seemed to leap into their nets and the otter into their traps.

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Last modified: Tue Jul 1 15:45:42 PDT 1997

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