"On my way to White Shield, N.D., last weekend on the flat, open area near U.S. Highway 2, not far from the bridge crossing the Mouse River I spotted a large, dark bird soaring low against the gray misty sky. I slowed and pointed it out to my sister, and she watched. I glanced back and forth from road to sky, fascinated as the big bird circled then dropped and rose again.

As it turned and flew away from the road, the bird dipped its white tail, and I knew it was mature bald eagle.

When I reached Garrison, N.D., I stopped at the hospital to see my elder aunt, who is reaching the ending time in life. I told her about the eagle. She beamed and smiled and said that was a good sign for us.

As I sat and talked with her, my mind kept going back to that dark bird we saw flying high earlier that day. I remember what my aunt had told us about the eagle, how we captured their feathers and what they meant to us spiritually. My aunt is a keeper of the "Sacred Bundle," and the eagle has special meaning to her.

Both the golden and bald eagles have a significant place in our culture. They are important because their spirit is believed to take our prayers to the Creator (Neesaanu nachitakUs). The people valued the feathers of these great birds because they were a part of the spirit of the bird. It is like the mythical firebird, I was told; and when you capture features from the bird, these feathers are like an everglowing ember of the eagle's spirit that you can use for healing, honoring and ceremonies."

Get the Story:
DORREEN YELLOW BIRD COLUMN: Spirits soar on eagles' wings (The Grand Forks Herald 3/4)

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