20 Comments
User's avatar
Goat's avatar

I think you should do a goat, along with a piece of goatfood.

Mordechai Gordon's avatar

Really, sabras are not indigenous?! Very disappointed. Rode into one this morning on my bike. Not recommended.

Nachum's avatar

Ben Franklin proposed (although perhaps not seriously) that the turkey should be the national bird of the United States.

Ephraim's avatar

That's a myth taken out of context.

Nachum's avatar

Hence my "perhaps not seriously." Franklin had quite the sense of humor.

DavidtheK's avatar

The buffalo is probably THE iconic symbol of North American pre-European culture.

Joseph Novetsky's avatar

If you're the Lakota yes, but the Navajo didn't have Buffalo. They have coyote, and an entire mythology surrounding him.

David sommer's avatar

The thunderbird, really an eagle, is a symbol of the native Americans. As well as the bison is as American as you can get

Robert Levene's avatar

Absolutely the Thunderbird (a mythical giant eagle) for North America. It’s Native, it’s both Canadian and American, and it’s artistically iconic (see link to Seattle Seahawks logo article). Best to go Native because Canada and America have many distinct subcultures.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-11-14/the-indigenous-art-behind-the-seahawks-helmet

EB's avatar

For Canada, the polar bear along with an Eskimo hunting spear. For United States a grizzly bear and moccasins.

Jordan's avatar

In Canada, the common loon is iconic (it's on our money) as are, to a lesser extent, beavers and polar bears. And, in the big cities, raccoons.

Moshe M's avatar

For North America why not include both? As for NY Pizza rat and Isreal Sabra, it may not be technically ingenious, but it is nevertheless a part of NY and Isreali cultural today and should be included. I don't understand the Jewish mentality that only old cultural items count.

Shimon's avatar

Indigenous, not ingenious

Daniel Burstyn's avatar

I recall reading recently that there are animals that are common throughout the world as totem animals (many North American indigenous groups have sub-groups who are assigned via dreams or other processes to each group). Read this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anishinaabe_clan_system. Doesn't help with regional allocation of the animals, but I gather you're serious about this.

Stephan Miller's avatar

It says different cultures, and it's on a map, so for N American countries, you have a lot of space, and more cultures to handle. I would add the Native American and USA cultures. You could even break it down further since it's so huge. If you want to pick points in time to represent the newer groups, I think they're more unique if you use the point when they settled the land (e.g. Pilgrims, Oregon Trail). NA tribes and settlers from Nevada probably have very different animals from those of the South, which will be different from the Northeast.

David Schonberg's avatar

Maybe one need consider ..the dove-- See Shir HaShirim Rabah-

ב׳:י״ד

יוֹנָתִי בְּחַגְוֵי הַסֶּלַע, מַהוּ יוֹנָתִי בְּחַגְוֵי הַסֶּלַע, אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא קוֹרֵא אֲנִי לְיִשְׂרָאֵל יוֹנָה, דִּכְתִיב (הושע ז, יא): וַיְהִי אֶפְרַיִם כְּיוֹנָה פּוֹתָה אֵין לֵב, אֶצְלִי הֵם כְּיוֹנָה אֲבָל אֵצֶל אֻמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם כְּמִין חַיּוֹת, דִּכְתִיב (בראשית מט, ט) גּוּר אַרְיֵה יְהוּדָה, (בראשית מט, כא) נַפְתָּלִי אַיָּלָה שְׁלֻחָה, (בראשית מט, יז) יְהִי דָן נָחָשׁ עֲלֵי דֶרֶךְ (בראשית מט, כז) בִּנְיָמִין זְאֵב יִטְרָף, וְכָל שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר שְׁבָטִים מְשׁוּלִים כְּחַיּוֹת, לְפִי שֶׁהָאֻמּוֹת נִלְחָמִים לְיִשְׂרָאֵל וְאוֹמְרִים לְיִשְׂרָאֵל מָה אַתֶּם רוֹצִים מִן הַשַּׁבָּת וּמִן הַמִּילָה, וְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מַגְבִּירָן לְיִשְׂרָאֵל וְנַעֲשִׂין בִּפְנֵי הָאֻמּוֹת כְּחַיּוֹת לְהַכְנִיעָן לִפְנֵי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא וְלִפְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, אֲבָל אֵצֶל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא נַעֲשִׂים כְּיוֹנָה תַּמָּה וְשׁוֹמְעִין לוֹ, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב (שמות ד, לא): וַיַּאֲמֵן הָעָם וַיִּשְׁמְעוּ כִּי פָקַד ///

Stewart Kahn Lundy's avatar

You'll want to consider the Zuni six directions and their affiliated animals. The medicine wheel specifically

Gabriel's avatar

Norway rats are actually from Asia....

I suggest including totem depctions from Canada.

Shelly Halabe's avatar

In Mexico there are alebrijes. You can certainly find an ajolote to present. I'll be glad to get it for you