Red Wolf, the Protector
The American Red Wolf (Canis rufus) is the most endangered canid in the world. Years of mismatched worldviews between Western and Indigenous ideologies have historically put this animal at odds with habitat encroachment and the U.S. government, but a decision has recently been made to capitalize “Red Wolf” to honor their cultural ties to the Cherokee Nation. The story of the Red Grandfather, Gigage Unidoda, is one of heartbreak and resilience, but it’s not over yet. As we celebrate American Red Wolf Day on September 14, 2024, the future glows bright for this animal!
The Red Wolf is the most endangered wolf in the world with less than 20 known in the wild in one recovery area of northeastern North Carolina. The Cherokee people know the Red Wolf as Waya, the Red Grandfather, and hold this revered animal as part of their Native American cultural heritage. The Cherokee Wolf Clan is historically the largest clan and wolves are highly regarded as protectors and teachers.
Dr. Candessa Tehee, a Cherokee National Treasure, describes the current views of Red Wolves as a mismatch of Western and Indigenous world views. Dr. Tehee notes, “Native Americans don’t place ourselves higher than the things around us. It’s not just people that have the ability to make decisions and have a spirit - animals have a spirit and we honor that spiritual significance.” Nature and animals are considered equals to humans.
Ruby (a wolf previously in our care) watches carefully with her family nearby. Red Wolves naturally live in close-knit family units, which are typically groups of five to eight individuals with one breeding pair and their pups of different years.
Red Wolves protect and keep the balance of nature as apex predators—something Native Americans have always known and hold in high regard.
Native American core values involve harmony, balance and sustainability and these principles are applied to the world around them, including Red Wolves. When Europeans arrived on the continent, they brought their own views and things changed. Dr. Tehee reminds us you can’t have harmony and balance if your urge is to dominate, which was the major view of Europeans as they moved across the continent.
Dr. Tehee believes in order to rehab the image of the wolf for the larger population, we have to ask for a change of heart. To have a change of heart, we need an understanding, an understanding that nature is a beautiful tapestry. When one thread is removed, it weakens the entire tapestry. When you continue removing threads, the tapestry eventually falls apart. The Red Wolf is the strength of the tapestry.
It is for these reasons that the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the Red Wolf SAFE are now capitalizing Red Wolf and ask that all others do the same. We do this in regard to the cultural importance of Red Wolves to Native Americans, specifically the Cherokee Nation who hold the Red Wolf in such high esteem and respect. It’s a nod to their belief that the Red Wolf shares equal personhood status, thus their name is proper and capitalized.
Indigenous communities have sustainability at the forefront of their culture along with harmony and balance—these are inherent Cherokee values. In adopting the capitalization of Red Wolf, all humans should also walk daily with the cultural views of the Cherokee. Imagine what the world would look like if we did.
To explore more of the Red Wolf’s tie to the Cherokee Nation, watch “Waya, Saving Our Red Grandfather.” You can also learn more about the recent name change on this article from the Endangered Wolf Center.
