Prevalence of Underwater Panther

Question

I was researching my tribe's clan history and came across something interesting. Osages, like most American Indian tribes, name their clans after either mythological creatures, or common animals (typically with a mythological backstory for the choice).

One of the other subclans caught my eye: "Puma in the Water". This appears to be a reference to a common American Indian mythological character, Underwater Panther. I had never previously heard of this creature.

Apparently, he is the opposite and nemesis of Thunderbird (which I had heard of)^*. He's not an actual panther, but rather an aquatic hybrid creature with a feline body, but also horns, scales, and a very long tail.

However, every reference to Underwater Panther I could dig up was in the mythology of Great-lakes area Algonquin-speaking tribes. Osages are not Algonquians, but rather Mississippi Valley Sioxans. And yet, there Underwater Panther is in my tribal history.

Wikipedia does now mention some possibility of a connection with the Mississippians, but completely unattested. My tribe maintains that the Middle Mississippians were their ancestors, and there does seem to be some consensus that at least some of them were probably Siouxan. That's about the best breadcrumb I have.

So the question here is exactly how widespread was Underwater Panther mythology among the Native American tribes? What nations featured it? Is he everwhere that has Thunderbird as well?

^{* - Yes, Osages have a clan associated with Thunderbird as well.}

Answer 1

The underwater panther is indeed a very widespread figure. Ancient Objects and Sacred Realms: Interpretations of Mississippian Iconography has a section titled "The Forms of the Underwater Powers", which gives brief descriptions of records of similar traditions from peoples spanning the Plains, Mississippi river, Great Lakes, and Southeastern United States. The figure is referred to in different ways, sometimes a Great Serpent, or Underwater Panther, or others. In common, though, it is a powerful being of the Underworld, usually has horns and combines qualities of multiple animals, and opposes the Thunderbird (or similar Overworld being).

To justify linking these traditions (Great Serpent and Underwater Panther), the author has this to say:

Although Western eyes might readily identify the two creatures as quite different species, the native view, rooted in shape-shifting and symbolic imagery, seems to find much less distinction between the two. It appears, in fact, that the two quite different images would be better envisioned as the two ends of a pole, with various morphs possible between the extremes.

Generally, the Southeastern Ceremonial Complex seems to be (very roughly) a reasonable fit, though I have seen some sources that dispute the usefulness of that model.

Among the particular peoples called out in the aforementioned book as having such a tradition: Algonkian peoples (in general), Ojibwa, Illinois, Peoria, Shawnee, Miami, Plains tribes (broadly), Mitchigamea, Menominee, Meskwaki (Fox), Cree, Sioux, Muskogee (Creek), Potawatomi, Dakota, Delaware, Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara, Omaha, Ponca, Winnebago, Micmac, Passamaquoddy, and Penobscot.

While the tradition is very widespread, I don't believe it would be safe to say that it appears everywhere that Thunderbird myths occur. For a counterexample, Thunderbird is a major figure in Pacific Northwest traditions, but to the best of my knowledge, Underwater Panther does not occur in that region.

Answer 2

I come from a long line of leaders and Chiefs of the Sauks. My clan is in English is called Beaver because there was not word for underwater panther in English. My true clan name is Underwater Panther. When my Grandfather Elmer Manatowa Sr died, they found two skins of the underwater panther which looked like a panther, with long nose, web feet, and tail like a beaver but longer like the panther. I is all the physical proof I need to know that the underwater panther actually did exist and roam this earth. My name is Canwah which means I rule the whirlpools in the water; my ancestors observed an underwater panther's behavior in the whirlpools and decided to name one of my ancestors after that characteristic and behavior of the underwater panther. We roamed northern USA, consequently, the name Canwah has been passed down through generations and to this day I have the name. The name Canwah will be passed on after I am gone from this earth. They say our home was Tama, Iowa but Wisconsin area I was taught is more accurate, we spent a lot of time in that area; but we were a mobile Tribe, did not have a set place where we lived, moving due to seasons, weather, and soil conditions for growing food.

Answer 3

There is a rock bluff shrine to the underwater panther (according to people at Washington University) partially on my dad's property in southeast Missouri, got alot of pictures done in red paint with 3 holes bore into the rock face,they are filled with mud now from flooding but one has smoke residue going up half the bluff, pretty sure it's in what was a Mississippian area but later the Osage around Fredericktown

Answer 4

specifically Osage keywords for searches: "The Great Snake," "The Great Serpent" "She'-ki," We'tsa ton-ga," "Old Woman" or "Old Woman who never dies"(The great serpent is her husband.) "Piasa," although a word made up by Europeans, would yield some information. Look for things by Francis LaFleshe, especially the Osage dictionary, Carol Diaz-granados, James Duncan, F. Kent Reilly, among others. Anything discussing Mississippian mound builder cosmology will be compare/contrasting to Osage.

Answer 5

Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) or Huron also have stories of a horned water serpent or creature. See Creation and Confederation the Living History of the Iroquois, Darren Bonaparte, ch.7.