The Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) is a common vulture species found throughout much of the Americas. Known for its distinctive red, featherless head and dark plumage, the Turkey Vulture has a prominent place in the folklore and mythology of many Indigenous cultures across its range.
In this article, we will explore some of the beliefs, stories, and symbolic meanings associated with the Turkey Vulture in Native American and Mesoamerican folklore. The Turkey Vulture’s scavenging habits, appearance, and behavior have inspired a rich variety of folktales and traditions among the diverse peoples of the Americas.
Folklore Origins
As a widespread species found in a variety of habitats across two continents, the Turkey Vulture appears in the traditional stories and practices of many different cultures.
Indigenous peoples, through close observation and experience living proximate to these vultures, came to view them as possessing supernatural powers and deeper life meanings. The Turkey Vulture’s abilities to soar high in the sky and locate carrion seemingly from nowhere were seen as mystical talents by some groups.
Additionally, the Turkey Vulture’s appearance, such as its featherless red head and dark coloration, contributed to its mythic associations. Across cultures, the Turkey Vulture was variably seen as a symbol of death, renewal, divination, and the underworld.
Cultural Reverence
While Western culture has often viewed vultures negatively, many Indigenous peoples traditionally saw the Turkey Vulture as a sacred creature with spiritual powers. They were respected and sometimes revered for their ecological roles in removing carrion and preventing the spread of disease.
Groups such as Navajo and Pueblo peoples tabooed the hunting and harming of Turkey Vultures, for example, believing misfortune could come to those who disrupted their holy work as scavengers. Some cultures also saw them as messengers between this world and the realm of spirits.
Mythological Associations
The Turkey Vulture appears in diverse mythologies and is ascribed a variety of symbolic meanings by different Native American groups:
Underworld Guide
– The Cherokee and other Southeastern tribes believed the Turkey Vulture mediated between the earthly plane and the underworld. Their souls were thought to travel back and forth between realms.
Soul Carrier
– Some Plains Indian groups, like the Comanche, envisioned Turkey Vulture as carrying souls up into the afterlife after performing sacred funerary rites.
Death Omens
– In Aztec mythology, the Turkey Vulture represented dangers and was seen as an ill omen, especially if seen within or near settlements.
Purification
– The Hopi regarded Turkey Vultures as agents of purification, helping cleanse the land of dead matter so that it could be spiritually reborn.
Renewal
– Many tribes respected the Turkey Vulture for locating and feeding on animal carcasses, returning their energy to the earth and making room for new life.
Divination
– Some Mesoamerican cultures saw Turkey Vultures as having prophetic powers and looked to their flight patterns when divining the future.
Ritual Significance
Beyond their mythic symbolism, Turkey Vultures also had practical uses in ritual and ceremony for some groups:
Feathers in Rituals
– Turkey Vulture feathers were sometimes incorporated into sacred objects, headdresses, and prayer sticks used in rituals by tribes like the Lakota.
Spreading Wings in Sun Dance
– Among Northern Plains Indians, Turkey Vulture wings were attached to the Sun Dance pole symbolizing spiritual flight.
Spreading Wings in Burials
– Some Western tribes would lay Turkey Vulture wings over buried corpses to represent the soul’s journey to the afterlife.
Love Medicine
– The Chippewa and other Great Lakes people used turkey vulture body parts in medicine bundles intended to attract love.
Skeleton in Rituals
– Navajo singers wore turkey vulture skeletons, representing dead matter, during Nightway rituals aimed at curing sickness.
Folk Beliefs and Superstitions
Like other animals, a variety of folk beliefs and superstitions surround the Turkey Vulture among Indigenous peoples:
Sign of Rain and Storms
– When turkey vultures soared high or roosted low, some tribes saw this as a sign of impending rain, storms, or other bad weather approaching.
Ward Against Snakes
– Cherokee believed that carrying turkey vulture feathers protected against snake bites when traveling through forests and marshes.
Love Medicine
– In the Great Lakes region, turkey vulture body parts were believed to attract and stimulate romantic love when added to sacred medicine bundles.
Residence of Witches
– Some Algonquian groups thought witches took the form of turkey vultures and resided in nests high up on cliffs away from humans.
Spirit Messengers
– Seeing a turkey vulture near camp or settlements was sometimes thought to portend the arrival of news from far away by tribes like the Arapaho.
Symbolic Meanings in Art
The Turkey Vulture also took on symbolic meaning in the iconography, rock art, and handicrafts of some Native peoples:
Petroglyphs and Pictographs
– Turkey Vulture images are found in rock art and cave paintings, such as at sites like the Crow Canyon ruins of ancestral Puebloans.
Pottery and Jewelry
– The turkey vulture motif sometimes decorates Mimbres pottery bowls and Hopi jewelry as a symbolic spiritual design.
Kwahu Kente Cloth
– In the Kwahu region of Ghana, the turkey vulture adorns traditional royal Kente robes as a symbol of wisdom, guidance, and motherhood.
Carvings and Totems
– Pacific Northwest tribes like the Tlingit carved turkey vulture totems and masks signifying foresight, protection, and an ability to find life’s opportunities.
Feather Headdresses
– Among Plains tribes, turkey vulture feathers were sometimes worn in the hair or on headdresses by spiritual leaders and medicine men.
Turkey Vultures in Stories and Legends
Turkey vultures appear as characters, subjects of folk tales, or legendary beings among various Indigenous oral traditions:
The Vulture and the Rattlesnake
– An original fable from the Caddo tribe tells of a confrontation between Vulture and Rattlesnake over food and superiority.
How Vulture Got His Bald Head
– A Cherokee legend recounts how Turkey Vulture lost the feathers on his head forever for playing a trick on the animals.
The Girl Who Married a Vulture
– A Zuni myth tells of a young woman who marries Vulture only to be killed by his frightening form, but restored back to life.
Vulture Bringing Back the Sun
– Some Southwestern tribes tell of Turkey Vulture flying through the underworld to retrieve the sun during times of darkness.
The Giant Vulture Cave
– Navajo oral tradition describes a cave inhabited by the giant mythical Bináá’ ánaalwo’í, or “turkey vulture people.”
Conclusion
For Indigenous peoples across the Americas, the Turkey Vulture was more than just a common bird – it took on sacred dimensions in their cosmologies, rituals, art, and oral traditions. The turkey vulture’s mythology reveals the profound reverence many Native cultures felt for the natural world and wildlife around them. Even the most humble life forms could possess deeper spiritual meaning in their worldviews. Moving forward, the diverse folklore of the turkey vulture illustrates the possibilities for renewed respect, coexistence, and mutual flourishing between human societies and the other-than-human persons animating our shared ecosystems.