Myths of the Cherokee / Extract from the Nineteenth Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology - James Mooney

MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE

JAMES MOONEY

Page
I—[Introduction] 11
II—[Historical sketch of the Cherokee] 14
III—[Notes to the historical sketch] 182
IV—[Stories and story-tellers] 229
V—[The myths] 239
- [Cosmogonic myths] 239
  - 1. [How the world was made] 239
  - 2. [The first fire] 240
  - 3. [Kana′tĭ and Selu: Origin of corn and game] 242
  - 4. [Origin of disease and medicine] 250
  - 5. [The Daughter of the Sun: Origin of death] 252
  - 6. [How they brought back the Tobacco] 254
  - 7. [The journey to the sunrise] 255
  - 8. [The Moon and the Thunders] 256
  - 9. [What the Stars are like] 257
  - 10. [Origin of the Pleiades and the Pine] 258
  - 11. [The milky way] 259
  - 12. [Origin of strawberries] 259
  - 13. [The Great Yellow-jacket: Origin of fish and frogs] 260
  - 14. [The Deluge] 261
- [Quadruped myths] 261
  - 15. [The four-footed tribes] 261
  - 16. [The Rabbit goes duck hunting] 266
  - 17. [How the Rabbit stole the Otter’s coat] 267
  - 18. [Why the Possum’s tail is bare] 269
  - 19. [How the Wildcat caught the turkeys] 269
  - 20. [How the Terrapin beat the Rabbit] 270
  - 21. [The Rabbit and the tar wolf] 271
  - 22. [The Rabbit and the Possum after a wife] 273
  - 23. [The Rabbit dines the Bear] 273
  - 24. [The Rabbit escapes from the wolves] 274
  - 25. [Flint visits the Rabbit] 274
  - 26. [How the Deer got his horns] 275
  - 27. [Why the Deer’s teeth are blunt] 276
  - 28. [What became of the Rabbit] 277
  - 29. [Why the Mink smells] 277
  - 30. [Why the Mole lives under ground] 277
  - 31. [The Terrapin’s escape from the wolves] 278
  - 32. [Origin of the Groundhog dance: The Groundhog’s head] 279
  - 33. [The migration of the animals] 280
  - 34. [The Wolf’s revenge: The Wolf and the Dog] 280
- [Bird myths] 280
  - 35. [The bird tribes] 280
  - 36. [The ball game of the birds and animals] 286
  - 37. [How the Turkey got his beard] 287
  - 38. [Why the Turkey gobbles] 288
  - 39. [How the Kingfisher got his bill] 288
  - 40. [How the Partridge got his whistle] 289
  - 41. [How the Redbird got his color] 289
  - 42. [The Pheasant beating corn: The Pheasant dance] 290
  - 43. [The race between the Crane and the Humming-bird] 290
  - 44. [The Owl gets married] 291
  - 45. [The Huhu gets married] 292
  - 46. [Why the Buzzard’s head is bare] 293
  - 47. [The Eagle’s revenge] 293
  - 48. [The Hunter and the Buzzard] 294
- [Snake, fish, and insect myths] 294
  - 49. [The snake tribe] 294
  - 50. [The Uktena and the Ulûñsû′tĭ] 297
  - 51. [Âgan-Uni′tsi’s search for the Uktena] 298
  - 52. [The Red Man and the Uktena] 300
  - 53. [The Hunter and the Uksu′hĭ] 301
  - 54. [The Ustû′tlĭ] 302
  - 55. [The Uwʻtsûñ′ta] 303
  - 56. [The Snake Boy] 304
  - 57. [The Snake Man] 304
  - 58. [The Rattlesnake’s vengeance] 305
  - 59. [The smaller reptiles, fishes, and insects] 306
  - 60. [Why the Bullfrog’s head is striped] 310
  - 61. [The Bullfrog lover] 310
  - 62. [The Katydid’s warning] 311
- [Wonder stories] 311
  - 63. [Ûñtsaiyĭ′, the Gambler] 311
  - 64. [The nest of the Tlă′nuwa] 315
  - 65. [The Hunter and the Tlă′nuwa] 316
  - 66. [Uʻtlûñ′ta, the Spear-finger] 316
  - 67. [Nûñ′yunu′wĭ, the stone man] 319
  - 68. [The Hunter in the Dăkwă′] 320
  - 69. [Atagâ′hĭ, the enchanted lake] 321
  - 70. [The Bride from the south] 322
  - 71. [The Ice Man] 322
  - 72. [The Hunter and Selu] 323
  - 73. [The underground panthers] 324
  - 74. [The Tsundige′wĭ] 325
  - 75. [Origin of the Bear: The Bear songs] 325
  - 76. [The Bear Man] 327
  - 77. [The Great Leech of Tlanusi′yĭ] 329
  - 78. [The Nûñnĕ′hĭ and other spirit folk] 330
  - 79. [The removed townhouses] 335
  - 80. [The spirit defenders of Nĭkwăsĭ′] 336
  - 81. [Tsulʻkălû′ the slant-eyed giant] 337
  - 82. [Kana′sta, the lost settlement] 341
  - 83. [Tsuwe′năhĭ, a legend of Pilot knob] 343
  - 84. [The man who married the Thunder’s sister] 345
  - 85. [The haunted whirlpool] 347
  - 86. [Yahula] 347
  - 87. [The water cannibals] 349
- [Historical traditions] 350
  - 88. [First contact with whites] 350
  - 89. [The Iroquois war] 351
  - 90. [Hiadeoni, the Seneca] 356
  - 91. [The two Mohawks] 357
  - 92. [Escape of the Seneca boys] 359
  - 93. [The unseen helpers] 359
  - 94. [Hatciñondoñ’s escape from the Cherokee] 362
  - 95. [Hemp-carrier] 364
  - 96. [The Seneca peacemakers] 365
  - 97. [Origin of the Yontoñwisas dance] 365
  - 98. [Gaʼna’s adventures among the Cherokee.] 367
  - 99. [The Shawano wars] 370
  - 100. [The raid on Tĭkwali′tsĭ] 374
  - 101. [The last Shawano invasion] 374
  - 102. [The false warriors of Chilhowee] 375
  - 103. [Cowee town] 377
  - 104. [The eastern tribes] 378
  - 105. [The southern and western tribes] 382
  - 106. [The giants from the west] 391
  - 107. [The lost Cherokee] 391
  - 108. [The massacre of the Ani′-Kuta′nĭ] 392
  - 109. [The war medicine] 393
  - 110. [Incidents of personal heroism] 394
  - 111. [The mounds and the constant fire: The old sacred things] 395
- [Miscellaneous myths and legends] 397
  - 112. [The ignorant housekeeper] 397
  - 113. [The man in the stump] 397
  - 114. [Two lazy hunters] 397
  - 115. [The two old men] 399
  - 116. [The star feathers] 399
  - 117. [The Mother Bear’s song] 400
  - 118. [Baby song, to please the children.] 401
  - 119. [When babies are born: The Wren and the Cricket] 401
  - 120. [The Raven Mocker] 401
  - 121. [Herbert’s spring] 403
  - 122. [Local legends of North Carolina.] 404
  - 123. [Local legends of South Carolina] 411
  - 124. [Local legends of Tennessee] 412
  - 125. [Local legends of Georgia] 415
  - 126. [Plant lore] 420
VI—[Notes and parallels] 428
VII—[Glossary] 506

ILLUSTRATIONS

		Page
Plate I.	[In the Cherokeemountains]	11
II.	[Map: The Cherokeeand their neighbors.]	14
III.	[Map: The oldCherokee country]	23
IV.	[Sequoya(Sikwâyĭ)]	108
V.	[The Cherokeealphabet]	112
VI.	[Tahchee(Tătsĭ) or Dutch]	140
VII.	[Spring-frog orTooantuh (Du′stu′)]	142
VIII.	[John Ross(Gu′wisguwĭ′)]	150
IX.	[Colonel W. H.Thomas (Wil-Usdi′)]	160
X.	[Chief N. J. Smith(Tsalădihĭ′)]	178
XI.	[Swimmer(Aʻyûñ′inĭ)]	228
XII.	[John Ax(Itagû′nûhĭ)]	238
XIII.	[Tagwădihĭ′]	256
XIV.	[Ayâsta]	272
XV.	[Sawănu′gĭ, a Cherokee ball player]	284
XVI.	[Nĭkwăsĭ′ mound at Franklin, NorthCarolina]	337
XVII.	[Annie Ax(Sadayĭ)]	358
XVIII.	[Walinĭ′, a Cherokee woman]	378
XIX.	[On Oconalufteeriver]	405
XX.	[Petroglyphs atTrack-rock gap, Georgia]	418
Figure 1.	[ Feather wand ofEagle dance]	282
2.	[Ancient Iroquoiswampum belts]	354

CONTENTS

ILLUSTRATIONS