Subject: State birds
Date: May 9 09:42:02 2000
From: Ter Ellingson - ellingsn at u.washington.edu


Long before the state (another introduced species) made its appearance in
this area, people made emblematic selections of bird and animal species
for the symbolic crest or "totem" art of the northwest. Eagle, raven,
hawk, and heron (usually called "crane" in the literature), the birds most
commonly represented, have a good claim to be representative of the
northwest not because they are exclusively found here, but rather because
they are so widely and prominently a part of the ecological landscape. Of
course, they are also "charismatic mega-avia", which helps in the
emblematizing game; but hummingbirds are sometimes found among the crests,
as are dragonflies. As John Chapman points out for state birds, it's
interesting to note what doesn't make the list: songbirds are rare, for
instance, in contrast to their dominance of the state bird list. And other
birds that are a prominent part of the coastal landscape are rarely if
ever represented; for instance, gulls and shorebirds -- although the
latter do show up in dances, particularly women's and children's dances.

Ter Ellingson









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