Sisiutl

Western Dragons: American Northwest Coastal Indians (First Nations)

The Kwakiutl tribes of the Pacific Northwest tell stories of how the world came to be and how they were bequeathed with the gifts of the animal spirits. The qualities of Bear were in teaching and providing; Wolf gave lessons of family; and Coyote played tricks on men to teach them lessons.

The Coastal tribes also told stories of Thunderbird, Orca, and Sisiutl. Thunderbird rode the storms and brought sunlight behind him. Orca provided food from the sea. Each of the spirits of legend provided both good and bad in their lessons, so that people could grow in wisdom.

Sisiutl was special. He communicated with all the spirits who influenced men and women. He would visit with Bear to learn lessons of prosperity and over-consumption. He visited Wolf to learn lessons of family and aloneness. Sisiutl listened carefully to understand the nature of men and to understand how best to help them and teach them. After many longs years, Sisiutl decided it was time to learn from those whom he was charged to teach and protect.

Sisiutl brought his long body from the depths of the sea between the mountains. He was a great serpent with wings like the thunderbird, the face of a wolf, and the wisdom of the bear. He had taken the wisdom of the spirits and pondered the nature of the world in his dragon’s heart. So, Sisiutl was ready to observe the new race called man.

When he rose from the sea between the mountains and found the villages around the sea, Sisiutl was surprised at what he saw. People were not wise in the ways of the spirits. They fought and stole from each other, and they practiced all manner of greed and lust. But he did not turn from his task. He also saw that there were some good people in the land who would be able to influence them. The spirits agreed that Sisiutl should seek these people out and make them leaders.

So, Sisiutl used his gift of insight to see into the heart of each person. His dual nature was to discern the light and dark in each man’s soul so that he could learn the balance. In this balance, he could determine the character of a man and make him whole. Those whose hearts held the spirit of evil, he would devour, while those whose heart was light, he would enrich and teach greater wisdom.

Today, Sisiutl is represented by a dual-headed serpent, each head in the shape of a wolf, In the center of the head is the spirit of man, which he weighed and judged. The nature of man hold the capacity for both great good and great evil, but those who are wise will know balance and will lead others to achieve their potential.

To see a representation of Sisiutl, go to the following page: http://www.daryth.com/draconica/index.php?title=Image%3ASisiutl_revealing.jpg