Acknowledgments
Part 1
What Is Bird Medicine?
A Whistle and a Word to the Wise
Bird Origins and Early Influences on Humans
Part 2
The Four Gatekeepers
The Birds of the Four Directions
Eagles
Hawks
Crows
Owls
Part 3
Mentors and Messengers
Messengers and Carriers of Spirit
Birds as Teachers
Birds as Musicians
Birds Speak Our Language
Bird Warnings
Birds as Role Models
Healing (and Humorous) Birds
Peacemaking and Patient Birds
Part 4
Other Bird Allies
Hummingbirds
Seagulls
Sparrows
Loons
Parrots
Turkeys
Thunderbirds
Part 5
Fledgling Thoughts
Gathering Feathers
Feathers in Arrows, Fans, and Badges
Birds and Colors
Bird Totems for Warriors
The Eagle Bone Flute
Twelve Birds
Bluebirds of Happiness
Part 6
Threats to Our Bird Allies
The Cautionary Tale of the Passenger Pigeon
Birds Face Multiple Hazards
Cell Phone Towers: The New DDT
What Can We Do?
Afterword
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Evan T. Pritchard, a descendant of the Mi'kmaq people, is an adjunct professor of Native American studies at Pace University and the director of the Center for Algonquin Culture. Steeped in bird lore by his Mi'kmaq great aunt Helen Perley, he is the author of several books, including Native New Yorkers and No Word for Time.
"Bird Medicine is wise, informative, folksy, and eminently
readable. The narratives are clear and detailed, and Mr. Pritchard,
noted scholar and author on Native American cultures, has the
credibility to present them, being both a traditional 'insider' and
an accredited Western scholar. Even more important, this volume
fills a major gap in our knowledge of the natural myths of the
Americas. I can see this book becoming required reading for
secondary schools all over the country." * E. H. Rick Jarow, Ph.D.,
professor of religious studies at Vassar College, former Mellon
Fellow in t *
"Eagles, ravens, hawks, owls, crows, and other birds have always
played a crucial role in Native American shamanism. In this
remarkable book Evan Pritchard demonstrates why these spiritual
traditions consider birds to be sacred, giving numerous historical
accounts, personal stories, and traditional legends that illustrate
the special place that birds have in the hearts and minds of tribal
men and women. Pritchard is a master storyteller; each of his
vignettes is a source of wonder and fascination. Bird
Medicine is a book that his readers will find impossible to
forget." * Stanley Krippner, Ph.D., professor of psychology at
Saybrook University and coauthor of Personal Myt *
"Filled with stories - some fables involving only birds and some
anecdotal narratives of birds' interaction with humans - the book
is also an impassioned plea for humans to become more responsible
about protecting bird habitats and breeding grounds. Pritchard
likens the serious disappearance of bird species to the 'canary in
the mine'. He believes that our bird friends bring us serious
messages about protecting our environment before it is too late.
The information and traditions in the book come from myriad
sources. It is a lively accounting of creatures we often take for
granted despite the joy they bring us. As with faeries, you have to
believe in birds before they can change your life. Pritchard makes
a very strong case for giving them a chance to do just that." *
Anna Jedrziewski, Inannaworks.com, July 2013 *
"Bird Medicine: The Sacred Power of Bird Shamanism is a pick
for new age and Native American holdings alike, and blends
scholarly research with over 200 firsthand accounts of bird
encounters from traditional Native Americans and their
descendants...The result is a powerful set of bird sign
interpretations that any can apply to their own beliefs." * Midwest
Book Review, August 2013 *
"This is a good balance between the subtle world of people who
choose to work with the Great Mystery, and the curiosity of people
who just want to know more about how things work and the ways of
the world around them." * Margaret Bartley, Seattle Metaphysical
Library, September 2013 *
"In Bird Medicine, Evan Pritchard's scholarship extends
beyond the academia of Western science and into the realm of
indigenous wisdom, where the ancient powers and spiritual
relationships with our winged relations have not been forgotten,
beckoning attention to our responsibilities to them and to the
Earth." * Gabriel Horn (White Deer of Autumn), professor,
award-winning author, contributing writer to The Ame *
"Bird Medicine is a beautifully blended culmination of the
sacred and the scientific. With content ranging from the
ornithological to the philosophical, from the historical to the
heartwarming and humorous, Bird Medicine delivers a
satisfying array that entertains as much as it enlightens." * Amy
Krout-Horn, author of My Father's Blood and coauthor of
Transcendence *
"Birds have many practical and transformative things to say to us
if we will only listen. Evan Pritchard has fashioned a masterwork
of insight and inspiration distilling the wisdom of these winged
spiritual teachers as interpreted by Native Americans in stories
and rituals." * Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, coauthors of
Spiritual Literacy: Reading the Sacred in Everyday Life *
"Evan Pritchard has an instinct for bringing the spirit of the
Original Peoples into his scholarship, its fresh breath of wisdom
still intact. This book combines bird lore with Native American
shamanism in a truly unique way. I celebrate the latest release of
a very original thinker." * Stephen Larsen, Ph.D., author of The
Shaman's Doorway and coauthor of Joseph Campbell: A Fire *
"In Bird Medicine, Evan Pritchard has surpassed his previous
books. Not only is his book enjoyable and informative, it is also
quite scholarly. Though he is, in his own words, not an
ornithologist, he teaches us a great deal about the habits and
patterns of many familiar birds." * Elspeth Odbert, certified
shamanic practitioner and author of Out of the Forest and
Gylantra's *
"Evan Pritchard has put together a wonderful book showing how we
mammals have learned and still learn from birds. History, history,
history! And future possibilities." * Pete Seeger, American
folksinger *
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