Hummingbirds hold a special cultural significance for many Native American tribes, often being featured in oral histories, ceremonies, art, and mythology. While numerous tribes have connections to hummingbirds, several stand out for their strong associations with these small, swift birds.
The Zuni and the Hummingbird
The Zuni people of the Southwestern United States have a deep relationship with hummingbirds. These tiny birds play an important role in Zuni religion, folklore, art, and jewelry.
The Zuni view hummingbirds as messengers who connect humans with the spirit world. In their oral traditions, hummingbirds communicated with ancient Zuni ancestors and brought messages from the gods. Hummingbirds also symbolized positive attributes like luck, love, beauty, and cheerfulness.
Many Zuni ceremonial dances feature hummingbird imagery and costumes. For example, the fertility dance known as the “Hummingbird Dance” has dancers adorned with hummingbird feathers. Another dance called the “Hummingbird Dance” is part of a springtime ceremony that celebrates the return of hummingbirds from migration. Dancers wear skull masks decorated with hummingbird beaks to honor the life-giving nectar the birds provide through pollination.
Hummingbirds frequently appear as designs in Zuni pottery, jewelry, fetishes, and other crafts. Specific patterns like the “Hummingbird Road” and “Hummingbird Eyes” have been passed down through generations. Tiny hummingbird fetishes carved from stones like turquoise, jet, and alabaster are also popular.
Overall, hummingbirds are one of the most recognized avian symbols for the Zuni people due to their connection to cherished beliefs, rituals, and art forms.
The Hopi and the Hummingbird
The Hopi tribe, neighbors of the Zuni in Arizona, also share an affinity with hummingbirds. Hopi oral history describes how different clans were each assigned a patron bird at the beginning of time. The Hummingbird Clan views the hummingbird as its sacred guardian and protector.
Like the Zuni, Hopis depict hummingbirds in ritual dances involving elaborate costumes. The two-day Hummingbird Dance takes place in late August and tells the story of hummingbird bringing rain. Dancers mimic the darting movements of hummingbirds and wear headdresses with feathered crests representing tails.
Hopi artwork like kachina dolls, jewelry, baskets, and pottery also integrally feature hummingbird motifs. Hummingbird Kachinas are spirit messengers that serve as an important ceremonial presence. Designs like the Avanyu, a Horned Serpent, frequently incorporate hummingbird elements as well.
The long-beaked Broad-tailed Hummingbird has a unique connection to the Hopi tribe. These hummingbirds build nests near Hopi villages and migrate back every spring. Their return signals the start of the Hopi’s agricultural season and important rituals like the Hummingbird Dance that ensure successful rainfall.
The Cherokee and the Hummingbird
Hummingbirds also hold a sense of mysticism in Cherokee culture. As with other tribes, the hummingbird communicates messages between the divine and the earthly. Its iridescent colors connect it to rainbows, which Cherokees consider paths between physical and spiritual realms.
One Cherokee tale recounts how Hummingbird got its small size and fast flapping wings. In the story, Hummingbird was originally larger but had to shrink to fit through a rainbow into the mortal world. Hummingbird’s heart beats quickly mimicking the rhythm of its wings. The rapid heartbeat causes Cherokees to associate Hummingbird with energy and life force.
Various Cherokee ceremonies use hummingbird motifs. In the famous Friendship Dance, women wear basket caps with hummingbird designs. The Green Corn Dance includes rattles and medicine bags adorned with hummingbird images. Like the Hopi, Cherokees perform the Stomp Dance to summon rain through movements mimicking the darting and hovering of hummingbirds.
Another legend says Cherokee warriors would paint hummingbird images on their skin before battle for protection. Due to their bravery, Cherokees strongly connect hummingbirds with the ideas of courage and strength as well.
The Ohlone and the Hummingbird
Along the Pacific Coast from the San Francisco Bay through Monterey, the Ohlone people relied on the abundant natural resources of their homeland. Like other tribes, they valued hummingbirds and incorporated them into their cultural traditions.
The Ohlone people saw the Anna’s Hummingbird as a special tribal symbol. They attributed magical powers to these striking birds with their iridescent plumage. Ohlones believed Anna’s Hummingbirds had healing powers and served as guides between the mundane and spiritual realms. Shamans relied on guidance from the hummingbird spirit during healing ceremonies and trance states.
When Spanish missionaries arrived in Ohlone territory in the late 1700s, indigenous customs were suppressed. However, the Ohlone people preserved their folklore through oral tradition. Today, the hummingbird remains an important icon of Ohlone history and culture.
Hummingbirds in Indigenous Art
Beyond ceremonies and folklore, hummingbirds frequently appear in the artwork of Native American tribes who share a connection with them. Here are some examples of hummingbirds depicted in various mediums:
Jewelry
Intricate hummingbird designs are carved into silver jewelry by Zuni, Navajo, and Hopi artisans. Pieces may include bracelets, pendants, rings, earrings, and more. Stones like turquoise, coral, jet, and shells often adorn the metalwork.
Pottery
Hummingbird motifs embellish pottery made by Southwestern tribes like the Hopi and Zuni. Designs may be painted, etched, or carved into the clay before firing. Some feature entire scenes, others more abstract patterns.
Baskets
Weavers from tribes like the Cherokee incorporate hummingbirds into coiled baskets. They are depicted in flight or sipping nectar from flowers. Dyes derived from plants provide vibrant colors.
Kachina Figures
Hopi kachina dolls representing spirit beings are intricately carved from cottonwood root or made with leather and wood. Hummingbird kachinas have long beaks and feathered bustles or tails.
Featherwork
Brilliant hummingbird feathers are used to create ceremonial regalia and costumes. Zuni and Hopi dancers carefully assemble the tiny feathers into mosaics, headdresses, and bustles. Each piece carries spiritual meaning.
Sandpaintings
Many tribes make temporary sandpaintings for healing rituals. Hopi and Navajo sandpaintings feature hummingbirds and their nectar-producing flowers as symbols of life and renewal.
Importance of Hummingbird Conservation
The cultural significance of hummingbirds to Native Americans makes conservation an important priority. Maintaining healthy populations ensures future generations can experience the birds’ beauty and symbolism. Here are some threats hummingbirds face:
- Habitat loss from development
- Climate change impacting migration and food sources
- Pesticides reducing insect populations the birds rely on
- Introduced predators like domestic cats
Native Americans can play a key role in hummingbird conservation by:
- Planting native flowers and gardens to provide food sources
- Keeping cats indoors to reduce predatory threats
- Supporting policies that protect indigenous lands
- Participating in citizen science surveys to monitor populations
The cultural heritage of Native peoples is interwoven with the natural world. Protecting hummingbirds and their habitat helps pass on their legacy to future generations.
Conclusion
For many Native American tribes of the Southwest and West Coast, hummingbirds hold deep cultural significance. Zuni, Hopi, Cherokee, and Ohlone peoples all feature hummingbirds prominently in their folklore, ceremonies, dances, art, and jewelry. Hummingbirds represent important ideas like joy, love, renewal, life force, courage, and communication with the spirit realm. Conservation is crucial for ensuring these sacred birds persist in fulfilling their cultural roles.
