The eagle holds a special place in Native American culture, serving as a sacred messenger between earth and sky. With their acute vision and powerful flight, eagles symbolize wisdom, courage, and strength. Native tribes incorporated eagle imagery into their art, rituals, and mythology to represent these noble qualities.
Eagles were revered by tribes across North America, from the Haida of the Pacific Northwest to the Cherokee of the Southeast. But each tribe had their own unique perspectives on the eagle’s significance. Exploring the eagle’s meaning provides insight into the diverse belief systems of Native peoples.
The Eagle as a Spiritual Messenger
Many tribes saw the eagle as a messenger to the Creator or a conduit to the spirit world. Its ability to soar high into the heavens linked it to supernatural realms beyond the earth.
The Lakota Sioux tell of Wanblee, an eagle who carried prayers from humans to Wakan Tanka, the Great Spirit. Whenever someone prayed, Wanblee would lift their words into the sky.
According to Hopi tradition, the eagle delivered messages between gods and men. The Hopi decorated their ritual spaces with eagle imagery as a reminder of this divine connection. They also equated the eagle with the Eastern direction, which represents spiritual knowledge.
Mythological Eagles
Eagles appear prominently in the mythology of various tribes:
| Tribe | Eagle Mythology |
| Navajo | Atsá the Eagle is a wise spirit who helped the Navajo learn agriculture. |
| Cherokee | The Uktena eagle has mystical abilities, including shapeshifting. |
| Inuit | The Thunderbird is a legendary giant eagle that creates thunderclaps with its wings. |
These myths cast eagles as divine, intelligent beings who guided humanity. By telling such stories, tribes honored the eagle’s sacred nature.
The Eagle as a Symbol of Power and Freedom
The eagle’s intelligence and strength inspired warriors across Native American culture. Tribes viewed the eagle as an embodiment of courage, valor, and independence.
Many tribes believed eagle feathers carried the bird’s bold spirit. Warriors wore regalia adorned with eagle feathers before going into battle. For example, Cheyenne warriors wore double-trailer warbonnets trailing with eagle feathers to invoke the eagle’s fearlessness.
Some Native American leaders were gifted special eagle feather headdresses by their tribes to honor their authority and bravery. These elaborate headdresses featured hundreds of eagle feathers fanned out to create a dramatic halo around the leader’s head.
Beyond warfare, the eagle inspired personal independence and liberty. Its ability to soar through the sky untethered represented the freedom that tribal nations desired.
The Bald Eagle in Native American Culture
The bald eagle held unique symbolism in Native culture:
- Its white head evoked purity, wisdom, and spiritual connectedness.
- Its power and stamina made it an icon of vitality and long life.
- Its keen eyesight was associated with mysticism and limitless vision.
- Its strength and hunting skill made it a provider for its people.
Many tribes saw the bald eagle as a protector. Images of eagles guarded ceremonial spaces and kivas, watching over the people with benevolence.
The Eagle as a Clan Symbol
Some Native American tribes were organized into clan systems with each clan represented by an animal symbol. The eagle was one of the most common clan creatures.
For example, the Iowa tribe included the Eagle clan along with clans for the Bear, Wolf, Elk, and Buffalo. Membership in a clan meant you were spiritually connected to that creature.
Eagle clans were tasked with warrior duties and maintaining order within the tribe. They were expected to embody courage, discipline, and leadership.
Here are some other tribes that designated the eagle as a clan animal:
| Tribe | Clan Name |
| Creek | Hutalgalgi – Screaming Eagle Clan |
| Hopi | Kwyangwyangi – Eagle Clan |
| Chippewa | Migizi Doodem – Eagle Clan |
Clan membership connected tribal members to the eagle’s essence. It bound their destiny to the eagle’s symbolic power.
The Eagle Feather Law and Religious Rights
In modern times, many Native Americans still revere eagle feathers for sacred use. However, for decades Native access to eagle parts was restricted by US laws intended to protect declining eagle populations.
The Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act made it illegal to disturb, possess, or trade bald or golden eagles or their parts. But this created a crisis for tribes who needed eagle feathers and parts for religious and cultural practices.
After years of advocacy, the eagle feather law now allows enrolled members of federally recognized tribes to legally obtain eagle feathers and parts from the National Eagle Repository. This exception honors Native religious freedom and the continuing significance of the eagle.
Eagles in Native American Dance and Regalia
Today, traditional dance and regalia remain important expressions of Native culture. Eagles continue to be featured heavily in these sacred art forms.
Many Native dancers wear beaded eagle feather bustles as part of their regalia. The bustles feature dozens of eagle feathers attached to a central belt or harness. As the dancer moves, the feathers sway rhythmically like an extension of their body.
Fancy feather, grass, and chicken dancers also incorporate eagle plumes, headdresses, and fans into their regalia. The feathers represent the guiding presence of the eagle spirit during ceremonies.
Eagle motifs are woven into fabrics, beaded onto accessories, and painted onto drums and shields. By adorning regalia with eagle symbols, dancers maintain their people’s connection with this revered bird.
Eagle Legends in Modern Native American Literature
Contemporary Native authors keep their tribes’ eagle stories alive through fiction, poetry, and nonfiction writing. These works demonstrate the continuing significance of eagle legends.
In her poetry collection, “Absentee Indians and Other Poems,” Kimberly Blaeser (Anishinaabe) imagines the voices of three sisters as they recount the Thunderbird myth. Joy Harjo (Muscogee Creek Nation) invokes the eagle as a symbol of feminine power and indigenous survival in “Eagle Poem.”
Leslie Marmon Silko’s novel “Ceremony” incorporates the figure of Hummingbird/Eagle to represent loving protection and healing from ancestral spirits. Thomas King’s “A Short History of Indians in Canada” satirizes anthropological misinterpretations of the Thunderbird myth.
Modern retellings like these highlight how eagle stories adapt to new eras while retaining their core messages of hope, strength, and continuity.
The Eagle’s Enduring Legacy
To Native Americans, the eagle is more than just a bird – it is a sacred messenger, a symbol of valor, and an honored clan relative. Tribes’ reverence for the eagle speaks to the interwovenness of their cultural and spiritual values.
Despite conquest and cultural suppression, Native peoples preserved their bond with the eagle through stories, symbols, and ceremony. The eagle’s spirit continues soaring through oral traditions, literature, art, dance, and religious life. Its legacy remains an important part of indigenous heritage today.
