"Meadowlarks play a variety of roles in the folklore of different Native American tribes. The Sioux tribes feel a great affinity for meadowlarks, seeing them as a symbol of friendship and loyalty, and take care never to kill them. The musical song of the meadowlark is believed to be good luck by many Sioux people, and in the past, meadowlark whistles were thought to summon buffalo. The Arikara Indians, on the other hand, consider the meadowlark's call to be scolding, not melodious. The Arikara name for "meadowlark" literally means "woman's nagging." And in the Blackfoot tribe, meadowlarks are a symbol of peace and the presence of meadowlarks was said to be a sign that a camp or village would be safe from attack." [source]

"In Lakota/Dakota myth, larks were the messengers of the god Itokaga (Okaga).  Itokaga was the representation of the south wind.  South is the direction of the sun and the bringer of warmth, light, and life.  Therefore the meadowlark is associated with all of these things, in addition to women’s medicine, which encompasses beauty, fidelity, happy marriage, and fertility.  Seeing a meadowlark is good news for the viewer, because the lark brings abundance and impending harvest."[*]

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