30. ~ Elk ~

The Shawnee Indians call elk "wapiti." It means a white-rumped deer. A male elk is called a bull, a female is a cow, and a baby is a calf. A calf can stand fifteen to twenty minutes after it is born. Elk, moose, caribou, and deer are all members of the deer family. Another elk name is a yearling bull, called a spike. A bull can weigh up to eleven hundred pounds. An elk's winter coat is about five times warmer than its summer one. Elk can make their hair stand on end to provide more warmth for them. Native Americans have hunted elk for thousands of years. Rutting bulls thrash their antlers to remove the velvet covering and to polish them up. The prize bull is always the strongest one. Elks raise their heads high when they're on the alert. A bull will fight to the death to protect his small harem. During the rut they bugle. When elk are not in the rut, the bull elk will roam single. Cows will mew and bark. A cow is three or more years of age. A bull is seven years and up. A calf is spotted when it is first born. The meat of the elk is very lean, high in iron and protein, and low in calories, fat and cholesterol. The elk is well known and admired for its great stamina!

Medicine:

Elk medicine indicates a major challenge or project is soon upon us, which will condition our ability to take it on. Elk, will spiritually walk with us honing our stride and our all enduring pace. No matter what, elk medicine teaches that we have what it takes to complete a great task. When elk shows up in your life, you will know you have entered a time of power, a time of pushing forward without slowing down. (On a personal note, six elk appear to me right before the birth of Wigwam L, and this blog, which cover 80 animal totem medicines and nature teachings. I was relentless until I had this project completed, and will remain so until all eighty animals are posted here, so you the reader could share in all this wisdom about our animal brother and sisters).