Thunderbird

How to recognise Thunderbird

1. Whale in the talonsLook for a huge bird of prey gripping a whole whale, as on the Makah flag, which is how Nuu-chah-nulth and Makah accounts say he hunts, like an eagle taking salmon.
2. Horns and curved beakOn Kwakwaka'wakw poles, ear-like projections or horns on the head and a re-curved beak mark the figure as a Thunderbird.
3. Lightning serpentsA pair of serpents with knife-sharp heads and lightning-shooting tongues serve as his harpoons; on the Makah flag one stands on each side of the bird.
4. Spread wingsWings open wide recall the thunder his wingbeats make in Kwakwaka'wakw and Quileute accounts.
5. Storm lightCloud and flashing light around him recall the Kwakwaka'wakw belief that the flash of his eyes makes lightning.
6. ColoursThe Makah flag's Thunderbird is red and white with black accents on a white field, and Kwakwaka'wakw poles can also carry green and yellow.

Names and titles

• Teacher of WhalingMakah and Nuu-chah-nulth oral traditions say Thunderbird taught them how to whale
• Carrier of the WhaleThunderbird carrying a whale is the image on the Makah tribal flag
• The Lightning Serpent HarpoonIn Nuu-chah-nulth accounts the lightning serpent is thrown like a harpoon to stun the whale
• The Youngest Son Who FlewIn an Ahousaht telling the youngest son, fasting, wraps the serpent round his neck and becomes Thunderbird
• Too-Large of the Upper WorldA Kwikwasut'inuxw account names Thunderbird Too-large in the Upper World