Medicine Cards: Prairie Dog – 47

Mi-Shell

Waaay back in 1980/81 when I was staying with my Lakota friends on Pine Ridge I had ample opportunity to observe Prairie Dogs in the wild.
Their colonies were everywhere. My Native friends called them Chatter boxes, because of their frequent vocalisations. Usually there is one of them perched on a vantage point, keeping watch. – This camp guard announces the arrival of any Fox, Hawk or other predator with a specific loud warning whistle.
So the other Prairie Dogs could go forage, groom their young and play or squabble in the sun. They were a noisy busy gregarious bunch, but One loud whistle from the guard and all would squeal and scurry back into the safety of their burrow.
They were sort of diurnal: out and about in the morning and afternoon, but not so much during the hot time of day.
Their burrow is grazed bare for several meters around its entrances and below ground it is a maze of tunnels, in which several families live.
But they are only the landlords – they have tenants: Ferrets, Burrowing owls, Rattle Snakes, and wasps, which had a hive under ground :bugeyed:
I would not want to be the landlord of this bunch and keep all these characters in line....
The ranchers are not very fond of Prairie Dogs, because many a Bison – and nowadays a Cow or a Horse stumbled into a Prairie Dog burrow/ hole and broke a foot and so was lost – or they stumbled and twisted an ankle and went lame.
From my observations of these charismatic Animals come my personal interpretations of Prairie Dog Medicine and so the Prairie Dog card:
Community living
in a noisy busy neighbourhood
nervous energy, watchfulness
lots of physical contact = hugging and “kissing” touch and fussing over others
sharing a home and also responsibilities
following rules
builder of homes for others but also having difficult neighbours to deal with
having, needing a bodyguard to watch over them
Vigilance and sacrifice,
delayed gratification, since the guard does not get to feed, groom or play right then and there, but will be relieved later
Depleting one's environment and maybe also one's energy - maybe to the point of having to leave = move
having certain specific times of action and a rest/siesta during the day
hibernating = dreaming and learning in/ through dreams
storing healing herbs and grasses in a safe larder for times of need
building an accidental trap for others, inadvertently causing accidents.
I also find interesting, that Prairie Dogs do not drink water – other than morning dew. They get all their moisture from the grasses they consume. Often this lead me to ask the client, iffff he is AL Anon and or has to abstain and most often the answer is yes!
With these characteristics in mind I word my reading, ask specific questions of my querant and often one, the other or several of these pointers are vital to the reading and help my qureant to make appropriate choices.

Now, again, I realize, that these Medicines are in part quite different from what Jamie wrote in her book.....
 

Smiling

Waaay back in 1980/81 when I was staying with my Lakota friends on Pine Ridge I had ample opportunity to observe Prairie Dogs in the wild.
Their colonies were everywhere. My Native friends called them Chatter boxes, because of their frequent vocalisations. Usually there is one of them perched on a vantage point, keeping watch. – This camp guard announces the arrival of any Fox, Hawk or other predator with a specific loud warning whistle.
So the other Prairie Dogs could go forage, groom their young and play or squabble in the sun. They were a noisy busy gregarious bunch, but One loud whistle from the guard and all would squeal and scurry back into the safety of their burrow.
They were sort of diurnal: out and about in the morning and afternoon, but not so much during the hot time of day.
Their burrow is grazed bare for several meters around its entrances and below ground it is a maze of tunnels, in which several families live.
But they are only the landlords – they have tenants: Ferrets, Burrowing owls, Rattle Snakes, and wasps, which had a hive under ground :bugeyed:
I would not want to be the landlord of this bunch and keep all these characters in line....
The ranchers are not very fond of Prairie Dogs, because many a Bison – and nowadays a Cow or a Horse stumbled into a Prairie Dog burrow/ hole and broke a foot and so was lost – or they stumbled and twisted an ankle and went lame.
From my observations of these charismatic Animals come my personal interpretations of Prairie Dog Medicine and so the Prairie Dog card:
Community living
in a noisy busy neighbourhood
nervous energy, watchfulness
lots of physical contact = hugging and “kissing” touch and fussing over others
sharing a home and also responsibilities
following rules
builder of homes for others but also having difficult neighbours to deal with
having, needing a bodyguard to watch over them
Vigilance and sacrifice,
delayed gratification, since the guard does not get to feed, groom or play right then and there, but will be relieved later
Depleting one's environment and maybe also one's energy - maybe to the point of having to leave = move
having certain specific times of action and a rest/siesta during the day
hibernating = dreaming and learning in/ through dreams
storing healing herbs and grasses in a safe larder for times of need
building an accidental trap for others, inadvertently causing accidents.
I also find interesting, that Prairie Dogs do not drink water – other than morning dew. They get all their moisture from the grasses they consume. Often this lead me to ask the client, iffff he is AL Anon and or has to abstain and most often the answer is yes!
With these characteristics in mind I word my reading, ask specific questions of my querant and often one, the other or several of these pointers are vital to the reading and help my qureant to make appropriate choices.

Now, again, I realize, that these Medicines are in part quite different from what Jamie wrote in her book.....

Thanks for posting your direct observations of the Prairie Dog! I've seen this animal only in the zoo- and have found him to be very entertaining. :) But so much more to notice in the wild. This will be a helpful reference when reading this card.