![]() ![]() This thunderbird is a traditional pattern with wings outstretched and head to the side. Take this multi-stone inlaid thunderbird pendant by Zuni artist Delwin Gasper: Thunderbird and lightning motifs can be seen throughout Pueblo pottery and jewelry. It is thought when the thunderbird is angry, it is announced by lightning and thunder. However, lightning can also be associated with the thunderbird. Both symbolize the importance of storms, rain and water to an agricultural society living in the high desert. It is commonly associated with the Avanyu, or water serpent. Lightning is a pattern seen often in Pueblo art. Petroglyphs carved by the ancestors of today’s Pueblo peoples feature “spirit helpers” who were the intermediaries between spiritual leaders and spirits. The thunderbird and its spiritual meaning go back much further than even the Pueblos, however. He threw himself into the volcano to quiet the eruption, sacrificing himself to save his people. He witnessed his brother kill the guardian of the volcano, a thunderbird, which caused the volcano to become violent. However, there is another legend that tells of a young Native American Indian named Capulin. The mountain is named for the choke cherries that grow there ( capulin means choke cherry in Spanish). In New Mexico, the volcanic peak of Capulin Mountain is associated with the thunderbird legend. The Pueblo peoples also have a legend about a large bird, the Achiyalabopa, that has razor-sharp feathers. In the Southwest, the Navajo have a legend of Tes’na’hale, which is known to be a large bird that looks much like an eagle that once carried a warrior to a ledge on Winged Rock (also known as Shiprock). The thunderbird is a myth-and pattern-that is found throughout Native American Indian cultures and beliefs across the United States. Such is the case with thunderbird and lightning patterns. The patterns symbolize important themes and beliefs, both spiritual and mythological. Most of these patterns have historical and spiritual significance to the artists and to their Pueblo. At Palms Trading Company, many of the pieces of handmade jewelry and pottery in our inventory are decorated with beautiful patterns. ![]()
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