Legends of the Thunderbird #1

"Thunderbird Head", Raymond Scow. Photo: Canadian Indian Art (www.canadianindianart.com)

​“Thunderbird lives at Kunwaas, not far from Qalogwis.  He is chief of the village of the birds and is the only one who owns a salmon trap.  But his salmon are the killer whales, the only fish big enough for mighty Thunderbird.  Not only does he catch them with his traps, but with his spears which are lightning bolts.  He sits on top of his pole as does the Tsimshiam fisherman at his weir.  As well as whale, he catches the double headed serpent which is a menace to the tribe.  Thus, he keeps men from evil and, as he sits upon his pole, he can meditate on the ways of the lower-world and remember all that has passed since before the world began.  He is the wisest of birds and the strongest”.

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• Franz Boas, Kwakiutl Culture as Reflected in Mythology (1969) 

​(As published in The Thunderbird Journal, Winter 1982)