Native American Medicine Wheel
Red-Tailed Hawk
~ | ~ Snow Goose
~ | ~ Otter
~ | ~ Cougar
~ | ~ Hawk
~ | ~ Beaver
~ | ~ Deer ~ | ~
~ | ~ Flicker
~ | ~ Sturgeon
~ | ~ Bear
~ | ~ Raven
~ | ~ Snake
~ | ~ Elk
~ | ~ Blue ~ | ~
4.4 Red Hawk - Budding Trees Moon
4.4.1 Medicine Wheel (Wilson MW 120-122)
- Budding Trees Moon, Aries, March 21 - April 19; East
- Animal is Red Hawk; plant, Dandelion; mineral, Fire Opal; color, Yellow
Vision:
Roy Wilson ~ | ~ Sun Bear ~ | ~
Grey Wolf
4.4.1.5 Budding Trees Moon: Red Hawk (Sun Bear MWEA 41-50)
- First moon of Wabun of the East
- Fire Opal as mineral totem
- Dandelion as plant totem
- Red hawk as animal totem
- Color is yellow
- First of the Thunderbird clan people
- 4.4.1.5.1 Mineral Kingdom: Fire Opal
- Like quartz, composed of silicon dioxide, but has water added to it
- Found in sedimentary rock, in cavities of volcanic rock
- Also found near hot spring deposits
- Can be a replacement material in petrified wood
- Comes in practically all tints; glassy to waxy luster; porous, easily stained
- Can fracture easily, sometimes with no apparent reason
- Also has tendency to lose its water
- Pin fire opals, those with small, evenly distributed flashes of light
- Harlequins, those with regular squarish formations
- Thought to be rarest and most beautiful variety
- Like turquoise, used by people since very early times
- Considered symbol of hope; thought to render wearer invisible if desired
- Fire in stone can resemble sunrise, sunset or moonrise
- Connected with powers of sun, moon and fire
- In Europe, among crown jewels of France, owned by Imperial Cabinet in Vienna
- Known as the noble stone in Rome, highly valued
- So valued by one Roman senator, he went into exile
- Rather than give his opal to Marc Anthony, who wanted it for Cleopatra
- 19th century English story depicted opal as possessing an evil power
- Since then, considered unlucky until coming into vogue in recent past
- Opals found in United States in almost all areas, most precious found in Northwest
- Hungary, Mexico, Australia are most fertile sources of opals
- Some areas produce various types
- But each produces a singular color with its own particular fires, hues
- Most black opals from Australia; milky white or translucent from Mexico
- Fire may be lost if exposed to water; fire may be lost if not exposed to water
- If you allow some transparent fire opals to sift through your fingers they appear like a shower of shooting stars
- Red Hawk people, like fire opal, are found near hot spots, places of pressure
- They like sun and warmth
- Like to be where can utilize their intense mental, physical, emotional energy
- Porous, spirits easily stained when associating with wrong ideas, people
- Usually open, willing to listen to new ideas, philosophies
- Sometimes accept things that later prove harmful to them
- Can be of the type that sparkle constantly with small pin fires of energy
- Or only flash when fires of vitality spring up from within
- Or have regular fire formations that glow constantly (harlequins)
- Often the symbol of hope for any new idea struggling to be born
- Are catalysts, capable of making an idea into a reality
- Are strengthened because of connection with Thunderbird clan
- 4.4.1.5.2 Plant Kingdom: Dandelion
- Probably a familiar plant to most people
- Though one not necessarily one of happy pictures of smooth green lawns
- Shiny green rosette of tooth-edged leaves
- Flower stem to 6" or more in height, bears single yellow flower
- Becomes ball of white fuzz of seeds which disperse with the wind
- Root and stem yield milky liquid when cut
- Root is official medicinal part, whole herb very useful
- Rather than poisoning, gardeners should wait until in flower
- Then pluck them up, root and all
- Root dried and ground, a coffee substitute
- Leaves cooked as a potherb; older greens have bitter taste
- Also a slight narcotic property; soak half hour before using
- Or cook in several waters, discarding previous water
- Greens contain 7x vitamin A per ounce as carrots or lettuce
- Plus goodly amounts of B, C, G, calcium, phosphorus, iron, natural sodium
- These help to purify and alkalize the bloodstream
- Native healers in North America and around the world used root as tonic
- To open and cleanse all the eliminative organs of body
- Also helps to soothe and relax these organs and body in general
- Also used dandelion as diuretic and agent to balance blood sugar level
- Some Native people used roots as sedative
- 4.4.1.5.3 Animal Kingdom: Red-tailed Hawk
- Of the genus Buteo, which means a hawk with a broad wing span and a fan-shaped tail
- Adult is only hawk with a red tail
- A large hawk, often 2' long with wingspan to 4.5'
- When immature, have brown body with underparts streaked with brown
- Tail is brown above and barred with brown below; becomes red when they mature
- Adults have a light phase
- Chest, throat, stomach usually white, streaked with brown
- Dark phase, they are blackish brown throughout their bodies
- Wide, rounded tail reddish brown in both phases, easy to see in flight
- Also called the chicken hawk
- Many slaughtered by farmers who believed they were stealing poultry
- 19th century study showed that poultry comprised only 10% of hawks food
- Diet largely consisted of mice, gophers, squirrels, rabbits, insects
- Once hawks were killed off, crops destroyed by rodents
- Particular fondness for rattlesnake meat
- Have scaled, not feathered, legs to protect against snakebite
- Not immune to snake venom, sometimes become victim rather than victor
- When capturing a snake, immediately tear off head to protect themselves
- Frequently attacked by crows, magpies, owls, other hawks, songbirds
- Territorial disputes that do not frequently end in injury
- Smaller birds attack in flight, are faster, quicker
- Know they cannot be captured as long as above bigger brothers
- Live up to 14 years; usually nest in tall tree, cactus, or yucca on cliff face
- Have 2-3 eggs in spring, which are white, lightly splotched with brown
- Both parents help in raising young, often return to same nest
- Hawks once found all over the US, now mostly in western states, Mexico, Canada
- However, they are adaptable, can be found almost anywhere
- Voice in flight can sound like steam escaping from a kettle, a throaty skeeer
- Up close it sounds more like guh-runk
- Magnificent in flight; soar and circle for long periods
- Sometimes twist tail at angle to body
- A joy to watch on windy day riding air currents with obvious gusto
- Can be real acrobats, especially when mating
- Can touch their mates in midair or drop several thousand feet in one dive
- Very special to Native people alongside the Eagle
- Pueblo societies referred to them as red eagles, and like eagle
- Considered that they had a special connection with the sky and sun
- Because they can fly so high and see earth so clearly from their heights
- Feathers used in ceremonies to carry prayers to sun and beyond, to Creator
- Hawk feathers, as well as eagle, used in healing ceremonies
- In Southwest used in ceremonies to pray for rain
- Still used in most of these ways by Native people today
- Also in fans and bustles for dancing
- To Ojibwa and some others, the Red-tailed Hawk clan was one of leadership
- Members were credited with having gifts of deliberation, foresight
- 4.4.1.5.4 Color: Yellow
- The color of the spring sun and the dandelion flower
- Helps to stimulate intense intelligence, helps turn thinking into wisdom
- Helps to be more receptive
- And to maintain usual friendliness, good-health, and well-being
- 4.4.1.5.5 Moon: Budding Trees Moon
- The first moon of the spring, the moon of the spring equinox
- Governs one of the most rapid times of growth for all earth's children
- Brings energy of rapid growth and change
- Gives Red Hawk people apparent adaptability
- Ability to grow from one philosophy or project to another
- This moon tempers the energy of Red Hawk people with wisdom from Wabun
- Helps to channel energy towards finding ways to bring spiritual evolution
- People born under this moon tend to be large people like the red-tailed hawk
- If not in body, then in spirit; have capacity to spread wings to great width
- Hunt out new things to do, new projects to begin, new philosophies to explore
- Tend to have light and dark phases
- Former, joyful and open to everything
- Latter, want to fly off alone to discover what has made world seem wrong
- Are fearless, often go after rattlesnakes of their world
- Sometimes grapple with snakes too large, become victim
- Many old mythologies considered snake to represent underworld
- Eagle or hawk represented zenith
- 4.4.1.5.6 Elemental Clan: Thunderbird Clan
- Intensifies the natural traits of Red Hawk people
- Gives even more energy, penetration
- Must guard against blazing themselves so brightly as to burn themselves out
- Must learn to temper energy from their clan membership
- So fire within can always bring warmth and light to what they touch
- Can get along with anyone, but find friendships particularly fulfilling with:
- Other Thunderbird people Sturgeon and Elk
- And with Butterfly people, Deer, Raven, and Otter
- Their complement is the Raven totem wheel
Vision:
Roy Wilson ~ | ~ Sun Bear ~ | ~
Grey Wolf
Introduction: Page One
~ | ~ Page Two
~ | ~ Page Three
~ | ~ Page Four
~ | ~ Page Five ~ | ~
~ | ~ Sacred Altar
~ | ~ East
~ | ~ South
~ | ~ West
~ | ~ North ~ | ~
Inner Circle:
Owl ~ | ~ Cougar
~ | ~ Hawk ~ | ~ Coyote
~ | ~ Wolf ~ | ~ Bear
~ | ~ Raven ~ | ~
Outer Circle:
Snow Goose ~ | ~
Otter ~ | ~
Cougar ~ | ~
Hawk ~ | ~
Beaver ~ | ~
Deer ~ | ~
~ | ~ Flicker ~ | ~
Sturgeon ~ | ~
Bear ~ | ~
Raven ~ | ~
Snake ~ | ~
Elk ~ | ~
Blue ~ | ~