The Vulture

i think it has to do with freedom... because at the end she was talking about the vulture flying alongside her. also, when the church burned, people said they say a vulture that picked the mom up and flew her away. i think that also represented death, but in a release sort of way; not so much morbid.

we're not stupid; we know we're called gred and forge

the idea of the bird represents the symbol of the flying African. in other words, no matter where the people of Africa are transplanted their souls will fly back to Africa nad be reunited with their homeland and culture.

The vulture represents the sankofa bird, a mythical bird which is depicted flying forward with its head facing backward. The symbol is conveyed in the film through the vulture; the image is also found on the head of the staff of the self-appointed guardian of the slave fort. It represents the importance of the past for progress; one must recognize one's past in order to move forward. Thus, the 'bird of passage' mentioned in the opening sequence refers to the sankofa. Mona must understand the past before she can progress. The vulture appears at times when she acknowledges her roots in Africa and defies her masters.