I have primarily selected Chamberlain’s text, The Thunder-Bird Among the Algonkins, for this animal portfolio because it shows the reader how widespread the beliefs of Thunderbirds are across various Algonquian tribes. Furthermore, this is an investigation into the Thunderbird’s cultural significance and the teachings it brings for those who represent the animal through legends and stories.ġ890 The Thunder-Bird Amongst the Algonkins. Therefore, this animal portfolio is my own exploration of this creature and the relationships that I have developed with it. Despite my association with the Thunderbird, I have never had a thorough and in depth look at it or its cultural significance.
For me, the Thunderbird is a symbol of the powerful inner storm, for it embraces and controls the storm, providing solidarity and assurance through its very presence. In recent years, I have come to associate my inner psyche with a thunderstorm it is a hectic mess much of the time, yet there is a calmness, drive and persistence. I recognize that they are dangerous, but I find there is a certain comfort and tranquility to thunderstorms that cannot be reproduced by any other natural occurrence. One might say that thunderstorms are chaotic manifestations that are quite destructive, but I see them differently. As its name suggests, the Thunderbird is chiefly associated with being a harbinger of thunderstorms. During this time, I have slowly established a rather superficial, emotional and psychological attachment to the animal. Over my three years of study, I have come across various accounts of the Thunderbird. Furthermore, as reflected by my major in cultural anthropology, and my minor in Aboriginal studies, I am very interested in Indigenous histories, cultures, belief systems, teachings, values, and worldviews.
I have always had a keen interest in myth and figures found within this medium, which goes nicely with my minor in religious studies and is the reason why I did not want to focus on a standard and scientifically verified animal. I have chosen this as my animal for a variety of reasons, each of which reflect my major of cultural anthropology and double minor in religion and Aboriginal studies at the University of Toronto. This animal portfolio shall focus on the Thunderbird, a mythological creature that finds its importance in many Aboriginal and Native American legends and stories.
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