Pawnee
Ferruginous Hawk Ambassador
Male
2004 / Juvenile
Imprinted
About Pawnee
Pawnee came from a Missouri sanctuary as an imprint and was already trained for doing education programs. We estimate that he was a year old when he arrived.
Description
The ferruginous hawk is the largest and heaviest in his group (Buteo) and is found mostly in the western half of North America from the great plains through the western United States to northern Mexico.
Life Span
Estimated life expectancy is up to 12 years in the wild and twice as long in captivity.
Prey / Food
Ferruginous hawks prey on rabbits, ground squirrels, and prairie dogs but sometimes also birds, snakes, and large insects such as crickets.
Babies / Nests
They build large nests of sticks, grasses, or old bones on hillsides, rock pinnacles, trees, or power poles. An average of 3 – 4 eggs are laid and hatch in about 28 days. The young leave the nest 38 to 50 days later.
Native American Folklore
Native peoples throughout north America, consider Hawk as an important symbol of wisdom, courage, strength and freedom. Hawk appears in Native stories, dances, and ceremonies as a messenger from the spirit world, moving between the Creator and humankind, conveying wisdom and warnings from above. Like Hawk soaring overhead, the Creator watches over the world below and communicates through winged messengers.
Hawk’s most celebrated attribute among Native people is his mastery of flight. Seeing Hawk slowly circling overhead signals a time for reflection, to acknowledge the Creator’s presence and seek higher guidance. The hunting Hawk teaches that patience is the pathway to enlightenment.
Hawk’s incredibly sharp eyesight symbolizes the wisdom that allows Hawk the ability to foresee events and opportunities that others cannot. Hawk uses his powerful eyesight to gain perceptive knowledge.
Stories depicting Hawk’s sharp eyesight are common in Native folklore. In one Cherokee story, Hawk warns villagers of impending danger approaching from afar that no one else could see. Hawk’s vigilance and vision saved the tribe, emphasizing the values of foresight and preparedness.
Natives use Hawk in their religious rituals as he possesses the power and strength to carry prayers to the Creator. Elders smoke ceremonial pipes toward the sky to send tobacco smoke up to messengers like Hawk.
Hawk is a symbol of physical power and authority equivalent to chiefs and warriors. Hawk’s sharp talons and beak evolved for hunting. Braves wear hawk talons and feathers to invoke the bird’s swiftness and predatory capabilities. In ledger drawings, braves are often depicted with hawk talons and feathers to show their status as mighty warriors.
Navajo people believe that Hawk is the companion of the sun, and his flight patterns across the sky represent sunshine spreading across the earth.
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