"It is as if there are two wolves inside me, one is white and one is black. The White Wolf is good and does no harm. He lives in harmony with all around him and does not take offense when no offense was intended. He will only fight when it is right to do so, and in the right way.
But the Black Wolf is full of anger. The littlest thing will set him into a fit of temper. He fights everyone, all the time, for no reason. He cannot think because his anger and hate are so great. It is helpless anger, for his anger will change nothing. Sometimes it is hard to live with these two wolves inside me, for both of them seek to dominate my spirit."
-Unknown (Native American Legend)
Black and White Wolf. Fanpop. Web. 28 Feb. 2014. <http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/wolves/images/915884/title/black-white-photo>.
The black wolf and the white wolf have long been accepted as symbols of bad and good, respectively. This old Cherokee proverb shows that even Native American's had their own symbolism of the colors. In many Native American Legends, wolves were considered teachers and wise animals. A few of the Native American gods could take the form of wolves, most of these were gods of death. Though this quote may be old, it is still very applicable to people today. Everyone has good and bad qualities. If you let the bad qualities control your life you will be 9a bad person. If you let your good qualities influence your life more than the bad qualities you will be a good person overall. We all have a "white wolf" and a "black wolf" inside of us. Which wolf we let take the reins of our life is what truly defines us.
Wolf Pack. Howling for Justice: Blogging for the Gray Wolf. Web. 28 Feb. 2014.<http://howlingforjustice.wordpress.com/2011/09/13/hunting-wolves-in-montana-wheres-the-data-by-jay-mallonee/wolf-pack-16/>.
This quote is very overused by people who do not understand its true meaning. A wolf alone in the wild could be easily killed and driven away by other predators. A pack of gum is not threatening at all. "The strength of the Pack is the Wolf" means quite simply that the fact that the wolf is such an amazing and loyal creature it makes the pack strong. Without the tooth and claw of the wolf a pack could be as non-threatening as a pack of gum. "The strength of the Wolf is the Pack" has a much deeper meaning. If a group of wolves had no hierarchy and no "method" they would be just a group of vicious dogs. The hierarchy of the Pack helps to make it successful. It is similar to sports. Any group of people can play baseball. They are not truly a team until they know each other and are able to work together, each one having their job. In the same way, wolves are a Pack because they are a team. It is what makes them feared creatures.
Eye of the Wolf. Wordpress. Web. 10 Mar. <http://papaeleele.wordpress.com/2014/01/05/in-the-eyes-of-the-girl-on-fire-in-the-eyes-of-the-wolf-by-kayla-smith/>.
The quote above is one that many people have never heard before. Eyes are often called "windows into the soul," so would it not make sense that some animals can see through that window? Animals are known to be able to sense things before humans can. Birds gather food before huge winter storms and horses become nervous before earthquakes. It would not be surprising if wolves, or any canine, can tell what type of person you are. Wolves are symbolized to be wise counselors in some Native American legends. The brothers of wolves have been mankind's best friend since they were domesticated. Wolves could have some supernatural power of judging us, or they could just read us by looking at the objectiveness of our actions with the innocent eye of an animal. These are the animals that have been with humans the longest so it would not be surprising that they have developed they have developed the ability to stare us into our soul. Anyone who has stopped to look any animal in the eye for a while may have experienced the amazement that can be experienced by realizing that you are looking into the eyes of another intelligent life form.
Wolves Hunting Elk. Treehugger. Web. 10 Mar. 2014. <http://www.treehugger.com/corporate-responsibility/september-promises-to-be-killer-month-for-wolf-hunters.html>.
It is a widely known fact the wolves eat animals like caribou, elk, and deer. It is a less known fact that the wolf is actually keeping those prey species strong. In this way, wolves can be symbolized as killers, but also keepers of the natural order of things. Wolves will go after caribous that are sick or have mutations. In this way, they keep the prey populations healthy and minimize the spread of diseases. *They also keep prey populations under control. An interesting example of this is the story of how the removal of wolves from the Yellowstone National Park affected the health of the river that runs through it. When wolves were reintroduced, the river became healthy again. *The video in the link below provides a more in depth explanation:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysa5OBhXz-Q
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysa5OBhXz-Q
Jacob on a Mountain. Photobucket. Web. 10 Mar. 2014. <http://s200.photobucket.com/user/basting00/media/l_2a0d12f322e94800bfb298c5a5793780.jpg.html>.
Aldo Leopold was a very famous preservationist.* He wanted to preserve the undisturbed nature that still existed in order to let generations after him see it. This quote, taken from "A Sand County Almanac" again symbolizes wolves as being wise old creatures who are much more intelligent to humans. *While the howls of wolves may send shivers up a humans spine, a mountain is able to listen to a wolves howl without this fear. It has "heard" these howl so many times that only it can truly "understand." A mountain is part of the ecosystem that a wolf is a part of, so, by this logic, a mountain should be able to understand the howling of a wolf better than anyone or anything else. In other words, humans should not judge wolves by their howl. They have no right to judge something that they do not understand.
Sources(look for the * for non-quotes):
All quotes taken from:
Miller,Jr, Tyler. Living in the Environment: 13th Edition. United States: Thomson, 2004. Print.
"Wolf Quotes." Spirit Of The Wolf: Promoting Wolf Conservation. Spiritofthewolf.co.uk, 2010. Web. 24 Feb. 2014. <http://www.spiritofthewolf.co.uk/wolf-quotes/>
Youtube. Youtube, 2014. Web. 13 Mar. 2014. <www.youtube.com>.
All quotes taken from:
Miller,Jr, Tyler. Living in the Environment: 13th Edition. United States: Thomson, 2004. Print.
"Wolf Quotes." Spirit Of The Wolf: Promoting Wolf Conservation. Spiritofthewolf.co.uk, 2010. Web. 24 Feb. 2014. <http://www.spiritofthewolf.co.uk/wolf-quotes/>
Youtube. Youtube, 2014. Web. 13 Mar. 2014. <www.youtube.com>.