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Native American Indian giant bird totem figure statues |
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Terror from Above |
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| Native American Indian thunderbirds figurine totem artifacts suggest giant birds once patrolled the skies and preyed upon the lone Paleo traveler. |
Understanding the behavior of people long past starts with a glimpse of their beliefs and how it is reflected in their art: We know that Indian thunderbirds played heavily in Native American Indian life. There are also accounts of giant birds preying on man as far back as history records:
It's 12,115 years ago and you are walking across a prairie meadow on a bright sunny June morning. A shadow falls across the ground beside you as a stabbing agony sinks deep into your shoulders. You can't raise your arms to fight because the pain is paralyzing. You suddenly realize you are being lifted off the ground as your legs automatically flay for solid footing. Then the terror of what is about to come grips your gut. Your mind reels as it plays out the nightmarish events to follow that only can be dulled by the blessing of shock. Then suddenly your feet snag in a tree-top branch and the monster screeches out as it struggles to stay aloft. It releases its grip and you tumble down into the sanctuary of leaf cover while the giant bird disappears back into the sky.
Olivine Quartzite Indian Thunderbird
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Avis tonitrus procella This massive Indian thunderbird and egg has more color than most of the figurines we've found. Extraordinarily beautiful when wet, but shown here dry. The green color is the shade of the summer sky just before a big thunderstorm when icy hail lurks above and reflects the greenery below. Rare green olivine quartzite with equally rare pink conglomerated quartzite egg (glacier ground), 3 parts. 6.3”h; 1762 gm |
In the Americas, huge condor-like birds with wingspans of up to 20 feet have been reported: Lawndale, Illinois July 25, 1977 at 8:30 p.m. two boys were playing in their backyard when one boy was suddenly lifted off the ground and was almost carried away by such a monster.[1] These birds may be related to the extinct predatory Teratornis merriami, or the gigantic eagle-like Argentavis magnificens with a wingspan of over 24 feet and feathers 5 feet long.[2]
Hornblende Indian Thunderbird totem
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Avis tonitrus aerius In the Pleistocene, being carried off by a giant bird was a real threat – even to a grown man. This Indian thunderbird leans forward as if silently gliding the thermos scoping-out prey below, yet the figure is very stable. Black hornblende schist w hornblende gneiss body, extensively worked by the River Owl and possibly a tool kit, 4 parts. 6.4”h; 435 gm |
Native American Indian folklore is loaded with stories of the giant “teratorn” or thunderbird who created thunder and winds with the flapping of its wings and flashed lightning from its eyes.[3] They caused rain, hail and snow as well as tornados. Native American Indian Thunderbirds reportedly nested in caves on high limestone bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River within a half-hour flight from the figurine recovery site.[4]
Jasper Indian Thunderbirds
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Avis tonitrus pullus Even the little ones were scary-looking: With a face only a mother could love, this ruffled infant looks like something fresh out of the Cretaceous. These stones have not been worked. Cinnamon jasper w high sheen and natural umber red "eye" embedded in its head, 2 parts. 5.4”h; 1066 gm |
There have been reports down through the ages from around the world of huge birds silently swooping down and carrying off grown men.[5] Some say they still exist and sightings in South America have been reported as recently as the last decade.[6] It’s little wonder we've found so many Indian Thunderbird figurines at this site.
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Front view Side view 88. Swooping Thunderbird Argentavis magnificens |
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This figure resembles an extinct giant bird - most likely an Native American Indian Thunderbird - a Teratorn from the Pleistocene with a beak like that of a condor. Note that both wings butt right up to the body stone at the appropriate angle. The Indian thunderbirds body stone where its left extended leg (with open talons) join was chipped (bottom foreground in left photo) to hold up its open talon as if to snatch its prey - the only place where the figure was worked. Here in the photograph it fell down just before I unwittingly snapped the photo. Honey jasper, 7 parts. 5.0"h x 8.0" w; 1531 gm.
Olivine Granite Indian Thunderbird
Teratornis merriami
Top view |
Because of the shape of this figure's head, we first thought it to be meteorite so carefully sliced-off a tiny piece from the back of the head (at the viewer's right - where it does not affect the stacking or appearance) to be tested by an outside lab. The analysis came back negative, but the geologist said it was an "unusual sample"[7] none-the-less. It appears to be a beautiful granite quite heavy in olivine and could pass as a semi-precious stone with a deep, rich green color when cut and polished. The dime-size sample piece is included with the figurine and the place on the head where it was removed has been polished to a high sheen, revealing the inner beauty of the stones. The tail arc where it joins the body appears to have been worked by the ancient Native American Indian artisan. The figure is darker green than it appears in the photo due to the camera flash and the figure's extensive weathering. Olivine granite, 3 parts. 4.5"h; 808 gm
Hematite Indian Thunderbird
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| Front view Rear View | |
This beautiful red figurine, hand-polished by the ancient artisan, was first thought to be meteorite (no sample pieces have been removed from the stones), but it is actually a rare form of hematite(6). Here, this Indian thunderbird has just laid more terror in the skies - and has turned her head to see her egg. Red minerals fill the iron matrix of these stones giving them the appearance of tiny scales or feathers. The smoky metaquartzite egg found near the bird has minute hinge fractures giving it the speckled-egg appearance. Apparently, the egg was glacier-ground and hand-polished by the Native American Indian River Owl as well. Red hematite w blue-black specks (not a tool kit) w smoky metaquartzite egg, 3 parts. 3.5”h; 217 gm total.
Endnotes/Bibliography
[1] Thunderbirds Over Illinois! http://sped2work.tripod.com/thunderbirds.html
[2] Evidence of the Giant Birds http://sped2work.tripod.com/evidence.html
[3] The Thunderbird Myth http://www.tbird.org/memorabilia/myth.htm
[4] http://www.prairieghosts.com/thunderbirds.html
[5] The Piasa Monster Bird http://www.angelfire.com/electronic/bodhidharma/piasa.html
[6] To see Indian petroglyphs of Thunderbirds, visit www.geocities.com/Athens/oracle/2596/thunderbird.html
[7] Russell Kemp, Director, New England Meteoritical Services March 4, 2004
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