The wolf has been much misunderstood and maligned in history and is not the vicious intruder of western fairy tales.  The wolf is a shy, yet very sociable creature with strong rules of behavior.  Fear of the wolf is perhaps born when its eerie howl raises the hackles on our neck and in our souls.   Maybe we do not fear the wolf at all, but only the wild nature within ourselves.  To American Indians, the wolf is said to be "teacher" medicine. We study wolfs ways of hunting and their social structure.  The wolf is associated with the Dog Star, Sirus and some cultures belief humans came from this distant star.  Wolf populations are threatened in the lower 48 states, but abundant in Alaska and Canada.  Wolf has much to teach us, if only we will listen. 

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WOLF MEDICINE

Wolves live in a communal structure like humans. The Alpha male and female lead a strict social order.   Next in the order are Beta wolves who do not breed and serve as nursemaids for pups of the pack.  The Omega wolf is at the bottom rung and is the 'scapegoat' in situations when the pack is being attacked.  Often the Omega wolf is forced not to eat when food is scarce.  If wolf has entered the forest of your mind, it may be to teach you that all things in nature have order amid chaos and to accept your duties in life, whether they be leadership roles or otherwise, with humility and strength.

The wolf spirit teaches us to have balance between your personal needs and those of the family and community.  Wolves are absolutely committed and loyal to the pack and find their place within the group.  If wolf exhibits these traits, it may mean that you must examine your function within the community and loyalty.  It may also be a sign to bring better balance to the varied interests of self, family and community.

The hunting techniques of wolves served as an example for many tribes who copied them.  Members of the pack form 'tag teams' who take turns chasing prey to exhaust the prey before themselves. Packs are known to have run over thirty miles a day in pursuit.  Cooperation in achieving a common goal is the message conveyed here.

Wolves have developed many ways to communicate by body language and vocally.  Facial expressions, tail and ear movements, body posture, teeth bearing, eye squinting and scratching are part of their vocabulary.  Vocally, a wide variety of growls, yelps, whines and howls make up a sophisticated system of communication.  Wolf language helps the pack to identify and locate its members, establish territorial boundaries, give instruction, request assistance, sound warnings, teach the young, and generally to bring cohesion and unity to the pack.  If a wolf or wolves have entered your physic, you are fortunate to have an animal spirit to knows the importance of communication and one that will find many ways to make their messages know to you.  This ability to communicate may be a sign to hone your own speaking skills to effectively relate your feelings and ideas in a good way - to pray, sing and dance in praise of the blessings of the Creator.

When a lone wolf is seen the wild it symbolizes freedom.  When seen in a pack it represents community. If wolf appears to you alone or in a pack it is asking you to acquire the same within your own life.  

The primal and piercing howl of the wolf sometimes is marking their territory boundaries.  If you hear a wolf howl it might be telling you to stand your ground and defend your boundaries.

Wolves have great stamina and strength. They do not fight needlessly and often avoid fighting whenever possible.  Wolf teaches to know who you are and to develop strength and confidence.

Wolf is associated with the lunar influences and energies that rule psychic perception.  They teach us to respect our emotions and face the darkness within.   

The wolf is ritualistic.  It knows the importance of regular lunar howling ceremonies and daily social rituals designed to communicate needs and express feelings.  The message of your wolf spirit may be to honor the forces of spirituality and connect with the life forces of Mother Earth.

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The Wolf Crest

Tsimshian Legend

The tribe's greatest teacher. The forerunner of new ideas who returns to the clan to teach and share medicine. Wolf has a strong sense of family, as well as a strong individualistic urge.  In other words, a person can be part of society yet still embody individual dreams and ideas. The moon, which is feminine, is the power ally for wolf and holds the secrets of knowledge and wisdom. It is the sharing of great truths that the consciousness of humanity will attain new heights.  The gift of wisdom comes when you have walked enough pathways and found enough dead ends to truly
know the forest! To live is to grow. Howl at the moon for the voice is the juice of the soul.

The Wolf crest (Tsimshian) is a result of an ancestor who visited the houses of the wolves where he was taught certain songs and dances.  Upon returning home, he discovered that he had been away for four years, although he thought it had only been four days. He found that he was possessed by the spirits of the Wolves. Of all the animals, Wolves have the strongest supernatural powers.  They are the most proficient hunters of land animals and were greatly respected for their cleverness. Since Wolves might bestow this hunting prowess on people, they were often called upon as spirit helpers.  As Wolves mate for life and live in close family units usually traveling in packs, they are regarded as a family-oriented symbol in West Coast Native culture.

Wolf is the land manifestation of the Killer Whale as they both mate for life, protect their young and do not separate from their families. The Wasgo is a combination Wolf and Killer Whale.

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WOLF TEACHING
There is an unspoken conversation with death between the wolf and it's prey.

The outcome of the hunt is usually settled in the first moment, the moment of eye contact between the animals.  What transpires between those moments of staring between predator and prey is probably a complex exchange of information regarding the appropriateness of a chase and a kill.  This encounter is the
conversation of death.

The conversation falters noticeably when wolves encounter domestic stock, animals that have had the language of death bred out of them.  The domestic horse will almost always panic and run. It will always be killed.  When a wolf encounters a herd of sheep, it kills in anger and frustration, because there is no fight to live. Therefore, the wolf has not accomplished anything.

There must be that ritual and choice.  There is nobility in such a death. The wolf grows strong eating an animal that knows how to die with it's whole heart.  He wastes away on the flesh of animals that do not know how to live or how to die.

Predator and prey grow stronger together by means of a series of tests, through all the years of their lives; tests that pit them against each other at both psychological and psychological levels; tests that weed both culturally and genetically.

 

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 Wolf Tricks The Trickster      

Shoshoni Legend

Wouldn't it be great if everybody could live forever? There would be no disease, no accidents. Life would just be sunny days and fun all the time.  Native American mythology has lots of stories about a time when there was no death in the world.  One community, the Shoshoni people, believe that this happy time was all because of one animal: the Wolf.

 

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The Shoshoni people saw the Wolf as a creator God and they respected him greatly. Long ago, Wolf, and many other animals, walked and talked like man.  Coyote could talk, too, but the Shoshoni people kept far away from him because he was a Trickster, somebody who is always up to no good and out to double-cross you.

Coyote resented Wolf because he was respected by the Shoshoni.  Being a devious Trickster, Coyote decided it was time to teach Wolf a lesson. He would make the Shoshoni people dislike Wolf, and he had the perfect plan.  Or so he thought.

One day, Wolf and Coyote were discussing the people of the land.  Wolf claimed that if somebody were to die, he could bring them back to life by shooting an arrow under them.  Coyote had heard this boast before and decided to put his plan into action.

Wearing his most innocent smile he told Wolf that if he brought everyone back to life, there would soon be no room left on Earth. Once people die, said Coyote, they should remain dead.  If Wolf takes my advice, thought Coyote, then the Shoshoni people would hate Wolf, once and for all.

Wolf was getting tired of Coyote constantly questioning his wisdom and knew he was up to no good, but he didn't say anything.  He just nodded wisely and decided it was time to teach Coyote a lesson.

A few days after their conversation, Coyote came running to Wolf. Coyote's fur was ruffled and his eyes were wide with panic.

Wolf already knew what was wrong: Coyote's son had been bitten by Rattlesnake and no animal can survive the snake's powerful venom.

Coyote pleaded with Wolf to bring his son back to life by shooting an arrow under him, as he claimed he could do.

Wolf reminded Coyote of his own remark that people should remain dead. He was no longer going to bring people back to life, as Coyote had suggested.

The Shoshoni people say that was the day Death came to the land and that, as a punishment for his mischievous ways, Coyote's son was the first to die.

No one else was ever raised from the dead by Wolf again, and the people came to know sadness when someone dies. Despite Coyote's efforts, however, the Shoshoni didn't hate Wolf.  Instead, they admired his strength, wisdom and power, and they still do today.

 

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