[37.] How the Turkey got his beard (p. [287]): This story is well known in the tribe and was heard from several informants.
According to a Creek myth in the Tuggle collection the Turkey was once a warrior and still wears his last scalp from his neck. In another story of the same collection it is a man’s scalp which he seized from the Terrapin and accidentally swallowed as he ran off, so that it grew out from his breast.
[38.] Why the Turkey gobbles (p. [288]): This story was first heard from John Ax (east) and afterward from Wafford (west). The grouse is locally called “partridge” in the southern Alleghenies.
[39.] How the Kingfisher got his bill (p. [288]): The first version is from John Ax, the other from Swimmer.
Yûñwĭ tsunsdi′—“Little People,” another name for the Nuñnĕ′hĭ (see [number 78]). These are not to be confounded with the Anisga′ya Tsunsdi′, “Little Men,” or Thunder Boys.
Tugălû′nă—A small slender-bodied spotted fish about four inches in length, which likes to lie upon the rocks at the bottom of the larger streams. The name refers to a gourd, from a fancied resemblance of the long nose to the handle of a gourd.
[40.] How the Partridge got his whistle (p. [289]): This little story is well known in the tribe.
Whistles and flutes or flageolets are in use among nearly all tribes for ceremonial and amusement purposes. The whistle, usually made from an eagle bone, was worn suspended from the neck. The flute or flageolet was commonly made from cedar wood.
[41.] How the Redbird got his color (p. [289]): This short story was obtained from Cornelius Boudinot, a prominent mixed-blood of Tahlequah, and differs from the standard Cherokee myth, according to which the redbird is the transformed daughter of the Sun (see [number 5], “The Daughter of the Sun”).
Red paint—Much sacredness attaches, in the Indian mind, to red paint, the color being symbolic of war, strength, success, and spirit protection. The word paint, in any Indian language, is generally understood to mean red paint, unless it is otherwise distinctly noted. The Indian red paint is usually a soft hematite ore, found in veins of hard-rock formation, from which it must be dug with much labor and patience. In the western tribes everyone coming thus to procure paint makes a prayer beside the rock and hangs a small sacrifice upon a convenient bush or stick before beginning operations.