Native American Legends
Bird Origin Myth
A Winnebago (Hotcâk) Legend
The first birds created by Earthmaker were the Thunders, who can
make themselves invisible. As the Thunderbirds traversed the heavens,
they would occasionally lose a feather. From such feathers, the
visible birds sprang into existence. From the largest quill feathers
of the Thunders there came into being the race of eagles; from other
large feathers came the race of hawks and their kind; from the small
feathers came such birds as partridges; from the down feathers came
the small birds like robins and pigeons; and from the mere fuzz
of down feathers emerged the very smallest of birds, such as sparrows
and hummingbirds. All birds, therefore, are descended from the Thunders.
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