Updated in 2022
Snakes figure prominently in Native American culture. In the Ojibwa and Pueblo tribes, the ability of snakes to shed their skins associated them with fertility and new life. The Hopi people see the snake as deeply connected to the underworld. As part of the annual snake dance, participants release snakes so that they can deliver requests for rain to the underworld deities. The Cherokee also have a mixed fear and reverence for the power of the snake, which they believe is a supernatural being who has connections to the thunder gods.
The poisonous bite of several snake species led to an association with death and evil. The historic tribal lands of the Navajo are the habitat of many types of snakes including poisonous rattlesnakes.
The Navajo snake symbol associates these creatures with speed, danger and lightning.
A Cautious Attitude
Communities that inhabit poisonous snake territory treat the reptiles with caution. The bite of a rattlesnake could kill livestock and cause serious infection and death in humans. The Navajo people developed a general wariness around snakes. Several traditions suggest that simply watching snakes for too long can lead to misfortune. In 2015, the Navajo Nation Zoo in Window Rock removed live snakes from their exhibits because patrons tended to avoid that part of the zoo.
Lightning and Thunder
In the Southwest, snakes are known for their speed. One species, the sidewinder, is easily recognized by its fast, undulating motion. This may be the reason that the Navajo associate snakes with lightning. Some traditions suggest that snakes are the physical manifestation of lightning on earth. A common Navajo snake symbol in paintings is the crooked snake that resembles a lightning bolt. According to tradition, killing a snake during a rainstorm could cause lightning to strike your house. If you leave a dead snake on a rock, the Lightning People will strike and bring it back to life.
A Creature Between Life and Death
The story of Glispa illustrates the unique relationships between snakes, life and death. In one version, Glispa, a young Navajo woman, is drawn into the earth by the Snake People. She finds herself near the Lake of Emergence, the place where the first human beings came into the world. For two years, she studied with the Snake People and learned important healing arts. When she returned to the world above, she brought healing chants that were passed on for generations.
The Navajo attitude toward snakes conveys both caution and respect. Snakes are mostly a danger to those who treat them foolishly. The people realized that the best way to coexist with snakes was to keep them at a safe distance.
Learn more in our Guide to Native American symbols. The symbol of the snake is featured in a wide variety of art at Kachina House, including in Kachina Dolls, pottery, Zuni fetishes, and jewelry.
I had a dream and saw a beautiful stylized picture of 4 crooked snakes in 4 different colors. I believe they had feathers on their heads and were holding bows. I am guessing they are male/warriors and represent power. Can you tell me any more specifics on this particular picture? Also, I believe they were of a Navajo style. Thank you.
Jeanette, there are many meanings for the snake. It would be odd to have them in “Navajo style” because the Navajo avoid snakes and snake skin and representations of the snake. The four snakes in four colors could be representative of the four directions. If they were holding bows (on their heads?), snakes don’t have arms and hands. Feathers on their heads could make them water serpents.
Quetzalcoatl (feathered serpents) is a common being throughout the Puebloan cultures of southwestern North American. When the waters rushed into Zuni Pueblo, the people fled to the top of their sacred mountain, Dowa Yallane (Corn Mountain), to get above the flood. They were dying of thirst and starvation and so said prayers to each of the six directions, asking for rescue. Kolowisi heard their prayers and came from the West and rested his jaw on top of Dowa Yallane and regurgitated fresh water, meat and seeds and so saved the Zuni people. When the waters receded, Kolowisi did not want to go back to the West so he now resides in the underground lake in the south where the Katsinam live. Kolowisi is the guardian of the water sources and can move around in aquifers and into Zuni River, Salt Lake, or any body of water. He is very sacred and sometimes is brought into Zuni Pueblo as a Katsina. In the Tewa Pueblos he is called Avanyu and is sometimes seen etched on the pottery in this area. In Mata Ortiz he is called Quetzalcoatl and is a feathered serpent. Also called Xiuhcoatl and is interpreted as the embodiment of the dry season and a weapon of the sun.