The Lone Wolf Band of Cherokee Indians
Indiana's Cherokee people.

CHEROKEE LEGENDS

HOW THE WORLD WAS MADE.
(This is the Cherokee story of the beginning of time.)

When all was water, the animals lived above in the great sky vault (Galunlati), beyond the arch. But the sky vault was very crowded and the animals wanted more room. They wondered what was below the waters. The Water-Beatle offered to leave the sky vault and go see what was below the water. When it reached the water, Water-Beatle darted in every direction over the surface of the water, but could not find a place to rest. The Water-Beatle repeatedly dived to the bottom of the water and when he came up he brought soft mud which began to grow and spread on every side eventually becoming an island we now call earth. The island was suspended by cords at each of the cardinal points to the sky vault, which is solid rock, but no one remembers who did this.

At first the earth was flat and very soft and wet. The animals were anxious to get down, and sent out different birds to see if it was yet dry, but they found no place to alight and came back to the sky vault. At last it seemed to be time so they sent out the Great Buzzard and told him to go and make ready for them. This was the Great Buzzard, the father of all the buzzards we see now. He flew all over the earth, low down near the ground, and where it was still soft. When he reached the Cherokee country he grew very tired, and his wings began to flap and strike the ground and wherever he struck the earth a valley was born, and where his wings turned up again, there was born a mountain. When the animals above saw this, they were afraid that the whole world would be mountains, so they called the Great Buzzard back but the Cherokee country remains full of mountains to this day.

When the earth became dry, the animals came down from the sky vault. The land was dark so they got the sun and put it on a track so that every day it would go across the earth from east to west. However, the animals found that the earth was to hot that way and it caused the Crawfish to burn his shell a bright red, as it is today, and the meat was spoiled; and the Cherokee do not eat it. The animals asked the conjurers to place the sun higher in the sky so it was not so hot, and the conjurers placed the sun seven hand-breath higher in the air just under the sky arch.

There is another world under ours and it is like ours, with seasons, animals and plants. The streams that come down from the mountain are the paths to this world. We know that the seasons in the underground is different than our because the water that comes from the underground is always warmer in our winter and cooler in our summer. Where these waters come from the underground is the doorway to the underground world. But to enter this doorway one must fast and go to water and have one of the underground people for a guide.

When the animals and plants were first made - we do not know by whom - they were told to watch and stay awake for seven nights. They tried to do this and all stayed awake the first night, but then on the next night, others fell asleep, and the next night, more fell asleep until on the seventh night all but the owl and the panther and one or two more were still awake. To these were given the power to see and to go about in the dark of night and they were also allowed to make prey of the birds and animals which slept during the seven days and must sleep at night now. Of the trees, only the cedar, the pine, the spruce the holly and the laurel were awake to the end, and it was decided that they were to always be green and that they would be the greatest for medicine. To the other plants that did not stay awake, it was said, Because you did not stay awake till the end, every winter you shall lose your hair.

Men came after the animals and plants. At first there were only a brother and a sister until he struck her with a fish and told her to multiply, and so it was. In seven days a child was born to her, and thereafter every seven days another child was born, and soon more children were born until it was realized that the world could not keep them. Then it was made that a woman can only give birth to one child a year and so it has been ever since.

THE FIRST FIRE.
(This is a Cherokee story about how fire was made.)

In the beginning of time there was no fire, and the world was cold. Then the Thunders, who lived in the great sky vault sent their lighting and put a fire in the bottom of a hollow sycamore tree, which grew from an island. All the animals knew that it was there because they could see the smoke coming out of the top, but they could not get it on account of the water that surrounded the island. So the animals held a council to decide what to do. This was a long time ago.

Every animal that could fly or swim was anxious to go after the fire. The Raven offered, and because he was so large and strong they thought he could surely do the work, so he was sent first. He flew high and far across the water and alighted on the sycamore tree, but while he was wondering what to do next; the fire scorched all his feathers black, and he was frightened and flew back without the fire. The little Screech-owl volunteered to go next. He reached the island and the hollow tree. But as he was standing on the edge of the tree looking down at the fire, a burst of hot air came up and nearly burned out his eyes. He managed to fly home the best he could, but it was a long time before he could see well, and his eyes are red to this day.

Then the Hooting Owl and the Horned Owl went, but by the time they got to the hollow tree the fire was burning so fiercely that the smoke nearly blinded them, and the ashes carried up by the wind made white rings around their eyes. They had come home again without the fire, but with all their rubbing of their eyes, they were never able to get rid of the white rings.

Now no more birds would venture, and so little snake, the black racer, said he would go through the water and bring back some fire. He swam across to the island and crawled through the grass to the tree, and went in the tree through a small hole at the bottom. The heat and smoke was too much for him and after dodging about blindly over the hot ashes until he was almost on fire himself he managed by good luck to get out again at the same hole, but his body had been scorched black, and he has ever since had the habit of darting and doubling on his track as if trying to escape from close quarters. The great blacksnake “The Climber,” offered to go for the fire. He swam over to the island and climbed up the tree on the outside, as a blacksnake always does, but when he put his head down into the hole the smoke chocked him so that he fell into the burning stump, and before he could climb out again he was as black as the black racer.

Now they held another council, for still there was no fire, and the world was cold, but birds, snakes and four footed animals, all had some excuse for not going, because they were all afraid to venture near the burning sycamore, until at last the Water Spider said she would go. This is not the water spider that looks like a mosquito, but the other one, with black downy hair and red stripes on her body. She can run on top of water or dive to the bottom, so there wouldbe no trouble to get over to the island, but the question was, How could she bring back the fire? “I’ll manage that,” said the Water Spider, so she spun a thread from her body and wove it into a tusti bowl, which she fastened on her back. Then she crossed over to the island and through the grass to where the fore was still burning. She put one little coal of the fire into her bowl, and came back with it, and ever since we have had fire, and the Water Spider still keeps her tusti bowl.

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