←
Myths of the Cherokee
Extract from the Nineteenth Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology
MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE
EXTRACT FROM THE NINETEENTH ANNUAL REPORT OF
THE BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY
WASHINGTON
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
1902

WASHINGTON
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
1902
CONTENTS
- 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
- Cosmogonic myths
239
- VI—Notes and parallels 428
- VII—Glossary 506
ILLUSTRATIONS
Page | ||||||
Plate I. | In the Cherokee mountains | 11 | ||||
II. | Map: The Cherokee and their neighbors. | 14 | ||||
III. | Map: The old Cherokee country | 23 | ||||
IV. | Sequoya (Sikwâyĭ) | 108 | ||||
V. | The Cherokee alphabet | 112 | ||||
VI. | Tahchee (Tătsĭ) or Dutch | 140 | ||||
VII. | Spring-frog or Tooantuh (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, North Carolina | 337 | ||||
XVII. | Annie Ax (Sadayĭ) | 358 | ||||
XVIII. | Walinĭ′, a Cherokee woman | 378 | ||||
XIX. | On Oconaluftee river | 405 | ||||
XX. | Petroglyphs at Track-rock gap, Georgia | 418 | ||||
Figure 1. | Feather wand of Eagle dance |
282 |
||||
2. | Ancient Iroquois wampum belts | 354 |