Turkey was an essential food animal to Native Americans. Members of the family Meleagrididae, native to America, are one of two domesticated birds originating in the New World. In the 1500s, European explorers took wild turkeys home from Mexico. They were successfully domesticated in the Old World. English colonists brought them west when they immigrated. It’s fitting that turkey is part of the Thanksgiving feast.
Turkey, the Bird
The settlers’ domestic breed retained the white tail tip of the Mexican birds. Wild turkeys have chestnut-brown tail tips. Wild ones can fly, are alert and intelligent and have excellent survival skills. Their natural caution makes them one of the most difficult game animals to photograph and hunt. Domestic turkeys can't fly or run fast. They weigh about twice as much as their wild cousins and have larger and broader breasts. Their neck skins, wattles, are heavier and the snoods, finger-like appendages hanging over bills, longer. Wild turkeys are omnivorous, feeding on nuts, berries, foliage, grasshoppers and small reptiles and amphibians.
Benjamin Franklin believed that the turkey, not the bald eagle, should have been honored as the national bird. To him, the bald eagle was a bird of inadequate moral character who didn’t make an honest living. The eagle watches a hawk catch a fish and proceed to carry it back to his nest. The eagle steals it. Franklin also believed the bird was a coward. The sparrow-sized king bird attacks him and the eagle takes flight. The courageous turkey was a more respectable bird, a true native representation of America.
Native American Symbolism
As with Wild Boar and domestic cousin, Pig, the symbolism of Turkey is the feral animal. There’s no traditional Native American symbolism for Boars because they aren’t native to North America as there’s none that’s Celtic for Turkey because the bird isn’t indigenous to Europe.
- Keynotes for Turkey are give-away, shared harvest and blessings. Turkey’s season of power is autumn.
- Turkey is called Earth Eagle by some tribes because of her spiritual association with Maka, Mother Earth. She symbolizes the blessings of Maka and the ability to use them wisely.
- Some tribes call Turkey South Eagle, Night Eagle or Give-Away Eagle. Give-away is when tribal member bestows all possessions to and makes other sacrifices to help the People. Those who claimed more than their due were regarded as crazy or selfish or both. Those who were old, poor and/or feeble were treated with honor.
- Turkey sacrifices her life so the People can live. As with Boar, almost all parts of Turkey are used. The flesh is nourishment; feathers, for ceremonial and other use, and bones, for whistles.
- Another power of the turkeyis renewal. Wild Turkeys were extinct in some states because of uncontrolled hunting due to their being taken for granted. When they were reintroduced, they renewed their numbers rapidly. The lesson is that nothing is an endless resource if it’s not honored and nurtured.
Three Turkey Legends
The first two are that Turkey helped create the world, showed humans how to raise corn and fight off evil spirits and the gobbler outsmarted Owl and challenged Eagle in combat. According to Hopi creation legend, Tom Turkey was the first bird to try to raise the sun in the sky which is how he burnt his head.
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Sources:
Animal Magick, D. J. Conway, (Llewellyn Publications, 1996)
Animal-Speak, Ted Andrews, (Llewellyn Publications, 2002)
Favorite Animals of North America, Will Barker, (Portland House, 1987)
The Medicine Cards, Jamie Sams & David Carson, (Bear & Company, 1988)
Jill Stefko - I'd rather deal with the paranormal than human abnormal - having dealt extensively with both.
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