Hummingbirds hold a special place in Native American mythology and folklore. These tiny, colorful birds have captured the imagination of indigenous cultures across North and South America for centuries. Myths featuring hummingbirds often focus on their mystical powers, symbolic meaning, and origin stories.
Quick Answers to Key Questions
Here are quick answers to some key questions about the Native American hummingbird myth:
- Many tribes see the hummingbird as a messenger between worlds, able to communicate with spirits.
- Hummingbirds are considered bringers of love, joy, luck and fertility in Native American culture.
- A common myth is that hummingbirds were created from flowers or sprung from the tears of grieving women.
- Tribes have various legends about how hummingbirds got their colors, long beaks, hovering ability, and more.
- Hummingbirds sometimes appear as shape-shifters or magical beings in folk tales.
- The Aztecs and Mayans depicted hummingbirds in their art and architecture as honored creatures.
Hummingbirds as Spiritual Messengers
For many Native American tribes, hummingbirds serve as spiritual messengers. Their ability to hover and fly backwards represents an otherworldly agility and transcendence. According to Native American beliefs, hummingbirds can commune with ancestors, faeries, and plant and animal spirits. The Taino people of the Caribbean saw hummingbirds as the reincarnated souls of warriors or shamans. When a hummingbird hovers near someone, it may be an omen from beyond delivering wisdom, comfort or healing.
Some tribes view hummingbirds as representations of dance, love, celebration and joy. Their presence brings lightness of being. Other Native Americans believe hummingbirds carry luck. Spotting one before an important event or journey is considered very fortunate. Hummingbirds also symbolize fertility to certain groups. A hummingbird sighting may mean a woman is soon to conceive.
Myths of Origins and Transformation
There are several Native American myths about how hummingbirds came into being and gained their mystical qualities. Here are some examples:
- A Cherokee tale says hummingbirds were created from flowers. As the Creator gathered blooms to decorate the world, some flowers were left behind. The Creator breathed life into the forgotten flowers and they became hummingbirds.
- The Yaqui and Mayo people describe hummingbirds springing forth from the tears cried by young maidens. In this legend, the Creator convinces a skeptical maiden to help make the world more beautiful. After she cries, her tears turn into hummingbirds that spread joy with their wings.
- Some South American tribes believe hummingbirds were originally large vampires who drained the blood of other birds. After being punished and nearly destroyed, they were shrunk down and now survive only on nectar.
- In a Navajo story, hummingbirds start as ordinary birds. But when they display courage and faith during a long migration, the Creator transforms them into magical hummingbirds with iridescent throat feathers as a reward.
These varied myths speak to the mystical qualities that Native American cultures perceive in hummingbirds. Tiny but full of energy, hummingbirds represent spirit, hope, transformation and the wonder of nature.
Legends of Hummingbird Gifts and Meaning
There are many legends that explain how hummingbirds acquired their special features and characteristics. Here are some interesting examples:
- A Pima tale describes a contest between birds to see who could travel farthest and fastest. The winner would become the most honored bird. Despite being tiny, the hummingbird flew the highest and won the contest. As a reward, the Creator gave him his long specialized beak so he could reach nectar.
- Some Western tribes say hummingbirds were awarded their ability to hover by the Creator after bravely going on a quest to the land of ghosts to help restore balance.
- The Chumash people believe hummingbirds gained their iridescent throats by flying too close to the rainbow. The colors became permanently etched onto their feathers.
- The Yaqui attribute hummingbirds’ tireless energy to having no soul. While other birds sleep, the hummingbird’s lack of spirit means it can stay active day and night.
- The Cherokee associate hummingbirds with keeping secrets. They say hummingbirds developed small beaks so they would be unable to tell secrets or gossip.
Across tribes, hummingbirds tend to represent similar themes of spiritual connection, joy, love, and the energy of life. But each culture has its own lore to explain the hummingbird’s mystical qualities in nature.
Hummingbirds in Folktales and Shapeshifting Stories
Hummingbirds appear in many Native American folk tales and legends. In these stories, they may take on human qualities, exhibit intelligence, or even shapeshift into people. Here are some examples of hummingbirds in folklore:
- Some tribes tell tales of cunning hummingbirds outsmarting larger animals through quick wit and speed.
- In legends involving shapeshifting, hummingbirds may transform into warriors, princesses, medicine men, and other human roles.
- A Navajo story features a young girl gaining the aid of hummingbirds to defeat a group of monsters.
- The Pima people have a legend about a man who could leave his body in the form of a hummingbird. This enabled him to court a maiden from afar.
- The Ohlone tribe tells a tale of a boastful hummingbird who loses his colors after being bested by the blue jay in a competition.
By casting hummingbirds as protagonists, as shape-changing heroes, or as intelligent helpers, these folk tales reveal the reverence many tribes had for hummingbirds. They saw them as powerful creatures despite their tiny stature.
The Importance of Hummingbirds to Aztecs and Mayans
The Aztec and Mayan cultures of Mesoamerica also held strong associations between hummingbirds and the spiritual realm. Here are some of their beliefs:
- The Aztecs dedicated the hummingbird to their god of war, Huitzilopochtli. They saw the birds as the spirits of warriors who had died in battle or as sacrifices.
- The Maya believed dead warriors were reincarnated as hummingbirds and butterflies.
- The Aztec used hummingbird feathers in the headdresses and clothing of nobility and priests. Hummingbirds represented power, courage, and connectedness to the gods.
- Mayans depicted hummingbirds in architectural motifs, ceramics, jewelry, and their written language. They considered them messengers between humans and deities.
For the Aztecs and Mayans, hummingbirds symbolized themes like regeneration, vitality, valor, and carrying messages between earthly and spiritual realms. They were seen as sacred creatures not to be harmed.
Conclusion
Hummingbirds have captivated Native American cultures for centuries. Their agility, colors, and perseverance gave rise to a rich mythology full of symbolism and mystical lore. Myths featuring hummingbirds often portray them as spiritual beings, shape-shifters, bringers of luck, or magical messengers. Their origin stories and tales of transformation reflect the attributes tribes most admired. Despite being the smallest birds, hummingbirds hold an outsized place in Native American traditions and folklore.