Cougar Water-Spirit of Paiute
The Paiute people of the Great Basin region honor a cougar water-spirit that watches over the rivers and streams flowing from the Sierra Nevada mountains into the desert valleys. In Paiute cosmology water spirits occupy an essential role as providers of life in an environment where water is scarce and precious. The cougar spirit specifically guards the smaller flowing waters such as creeks and streams rather than lakes, reflecting the Paiute's deep knowledge of their arid homeland's hydrology. Paiute oral traditions describe this spirit as one of several animal guardians appointed during the c