Native American Fae
"Native American Fae: They Do Exist!"
By Clara Gerl
Email: euphoria@cp-tel.net
Most fairies seem to come from European or Scandinavian legend but further research proves otherwise. The 'little people' are known world wide for being nature spirits or elementals that can influence humans and the world around them. They are mostly spiritual beings who can take the form or plant, animal or human and Native American folktales reveal this to us through the stories of their oral tradition.
In Edain McCoy's,A Witch's Guide to Faery Folk, there is not much said about the Indian fae. But the writer does make this point, "Animal totems, or familiars, are seen as nature spirits by the Native Americans, the best known of these being the coyote, the archetypal trickester." (p. 35) This is similar to the 'puck' often found in English folklore, so already the idea of there being a fae in the Indian sense is established.
The Indians also place their belief on another 'spirit' often called the Manitou which is inherit in all things, living or not. According to their beliefs the Manitou can express joy, happiness, sorrow or hate on an elemental basis. When a day is sunny and bright the Manitou is pleased but when it storms, the spirit can be upset and confused. This stressed how nature seems 'alive' to these people.
But spirit or not the Indians tell of many stories involving the little people. One is in "The Star Maiden" where a lovely fairy from the stars wants to live among the Ojibwa people of native North America. The girl, who is described as being a rare beauty, finally finds a flower to settle inside and live which indicates the fae's love of nature. In another story by the Algonquin tribe, "How the Fairies Came" it is delightful in that it gives a representation of how fairies arrived on earth. First being birds in a cage, they were once knocked down onto a secluded isle. When the cage broke open, they were freed and became part human, part bird---in essence fae.
I hope that this gives you enough evidence that the fairies we know and read about are represented by Native American culture as well. If the fae are truly spirits of nature, they have found much importance in various tribes as Indians still strive to respect mother earth and her blessings. Who knows, maybe you will find a friendly spectator weaving your Indian dream catcher and know it's your fairy godmother.
Sources:
McCoy, Edain. A Witch's Guide to Fairy Folk. St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn Publications, 1997.
Williams, Rose. Fairies: Nature Spirits from Around the World. Hillsboro, OR: Beyond Words Publishing, 1997.
To the Main Page
To Read About the Author
LE FastCounter