Throughout Native America the seasonal occurrences of thunder were associated with the strong, sometimes violent, forces of change and renewal. These awe-inspiring energies could affect everything in life, especially across the Great Plains and the desert Southwest. Thunder, Thunder Beings, and Thundarbird are some of the many names American Indians gave to this natural phenomenon
Many children were afraid of thunder. It was an unearthly, sometimes frearful sound from the Sky World. It could portend many things, but it was always powerful. Adults tried to calm children's terror at thunder by explaining it in colorful ways. Sometimes it was embodied in otherworldly beings who were described by George Bush Otter, a Teton Sioux, like this: "Some of these ancient Thunder People still dwell in the clouds. They have large curved beaks resembling bison humps; their voices are loud; they do not open their eyes except when they are making lightning."
Children also learned that they might select and relate to chosen individuals, especially the young. This is not a rare occurrence: Many tribes had (and some still have) special thunder societies. The only people admitted were those who had dreamed of thunder or lightning and those who had been touched by lightning. Chosen members held special powers in the league with the supernatural forces.
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