Owl Spirit (Cheyenne)

spirit · United States · North America

The Cheyenne hold that owls are spirits of the night: they said only the short-eared owl is a true bird, while all other owls are mista, night spirits, often of a dangerous or deathly kind. Warriors nonetheless wore owl feathers on shields and arms for night vision, and the Contraries society used owl feathers in its regalia.

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