Winged creatures of all kinds are classed under the generic term of
aninâ'hilidâ'hi (flyers). Birds are called, alike in the singular
and plural, tsi'skwa, the term being generally held to exclude the
domestic fowls introduced by the whites. When it is necessary to
make the distinction they are mentioned, respectively, as inagehi
(living in the woods), and uluñni'ta (tame). The robin is called
tsiskwa'gwa, a name which can not be analyzed, while the little
sparrow is called tsiskwâ'ya (the real or principal bird), perhaps,
in accord with a principle in Indian nomenclature, on account of its
wide distribution. As in other languages, many of the bird names are
onomatopes, as wa`huhu' (the screech owl), u'guku' (the hooting owl),
waguli' (the whippoorwill), kâgû (the crow), gugwe' (the quail),
huhu (the yellow mocking-bird), tsi'kilili' (the chickadee), sa'sa'
(the goose). The turtledove is called gule'-diska`nihi' (it cries
for acorns), on account of the resemblance of its cry to the sound
of the word for acorn (gule'). The meadow lark is called nakwisi'
(star), on account of the appearance of its tail when spread out
as it soars. The nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis) is called tsulie'na
(deaf), and is supposed to be without hearing, possibly on account
of its fearless disregard for man's presence. Certain diseases are
diagnosed by the doctors as due to birds, either revengeful bird
ghosts, bird feathers about the house, or bird shadows falling upon
the patient from overhead.
The eagle (awâ'hili) is the great sacred bird of the Cherokee, as
of nearly all our native tribes, and figures prominently in their
ceremonial ritual, especially in all things relating to war. The
particular species prized was the golden or war eagle (Aquila
chrysætus), called by the Cherokee the "pretty-feathered eagle,"
on account of its beautiful tail feathers, white, tipped with black,
which were in such great demand for decorative and ceremonial purposes
that among the western tribes a single tail was often rated as equal in
value to a horse. Among the Cherokee in the old times the killing of
an eagle was an event which concerned the whole settlement, and could
be undertaken only by the professional eagle killer, regularly chosen
for the purpose on account of his knowledge of the prescribed forms
and the prayers to be said afterwards in order to obtain pardon for the
necessary sacrilege, and thus ward off vengeance from the tribe. It is
told of one man upon the reservation that having deliberately killed
an eagle in defiance of the ordinances he was constantly haunted by
dreams of fierce eagles swooping down upon him, until the nightmare was
finally exorcised after a long course of priestly treatment. In 1890
there was but one eagle killer remaining among the East Cherokee. It
does not appear that the eagle was ever captured alive as among the
plains tribes.
The eagle must be killed only in the winter or late fall after the
crops were gathered and the snakes had retired to their dens. If killed
in the summertime a frost would come to destroy the corn, while the
songs of the Eagle dance, when the feathers were brought home, would so
anger the snakes that they would become doubly dangerous. Consequently
the Eagle songs were never sung until after the snakes had gone to
sleep for the winter.
When the people of a town had decided upon an Eagle dance the eagle
killer was called in, frequently from a distant settlement, to
procure the feathers for the occasion. He was paid for his services
from offerings made later at the dance, and as the few professionals
guarded their secrets carefully from outsiders their business was a
quite profitable one. After some preliminary preparation the eagle
killer sets out alone for the mountains, taking with him his gun
or bow and arrows. Having reached the mountains, he goes through a
vigil of prayer and fasting, possibly lasting four days, after which
he hunts until he succeeds in killing a deer. Then, placing the body
in a convenient exposed situation upon one of the highest cliffs, he
conceals himself near by and begins to sing in a low undertone the
songs to call down the eagles from the sky. When the eagle alights
upon the carcass, which will be almost immediately if the singer
understands his business, he shoots it, and then standing over the
dead bird, he addresses to it a prayer in which he begs it not to
seek vengeance upon his tribe, because it is not a Cherokee, but a
Spaniard (Askwa'ni) that has done the deed. The selection of such a
vicarious victim of revenge is evidence at once of the antiquity of
the prayer in its present form and of the enduring impression which
the cruelties of the early Spanish adventurers made upon the natives.
The prayer ended, he leaves the dead eagle where it fell and makes all
haste to the settlement, where the people are anxiously expecting his
return. On meeting the first warriors he says simply, "A snowbird has
died," and passes on at once to his own quarters, his work being now
finished. The announcement is made in this form in order to insure
against the vengeance of any eagles that might overhear, the little
snowbird being considered too insignificant a creature to be dreaded.
Having waited four days to allow time for the insect parasites to
leave the body, the hunters delegated for the purpose go out to bring
in the feathers. On arriving at the place they strip the body of the
large tail and wing feathers, which they wrap in a fresh deerskin
brought with them, and then return to the settlement, leaving the
body of the dead eagle upon the ground, together with that of the
slain deer, the latter being intended as a sacrifice to the eagle
spirits. On reaching the settlement, the feathers, still wrapped in
the deerskin, are hung up in a small, round hut built for this special
purpose near the edge of the dance ground (detsanûñ'li) and known
as the place "where the feathers are kept," or feather house. Some
settlements had two such feather houses, one at each end of the dance
ground. The Eagle dance was held on the night of the same day on which
the feathers were brought in, all the necessary arrangements having
been made beforehand. In the meantime, as the feathers were supposed
to be hungry after their journey, a dish of venison and corn was set
upon the ground below them and they were invited to eat. The body of
a flaxbird or scarlet tanager (Piranga rubra) was also hung up with
the feathers for the same purpose. The food thus given to the feathers
was disposed of after the dance, as described in another place.
The eagle being regarded as a great ada'wehi, only the greatest
warriors and those versed in the sacred ordinances would dare to
wear the feathers or to carry them in the dance. Should any person
in the settlement dream of eagles or eagle feathers he must arrange
for an Eagle dance, with the usual vigil and fasting, at the first
opportunity; otherwise some one of his family will die. Should the
insect parasites which infest the feathers of the bird in life get
upon a man they will breed a skin disease which is sure to develop,
even though it may be latent for years. It is for this reason that
the body of the eagle is allowed to remain four days upon the ground
before being brought into the settlement.
The raven (kâ'lanû) is occasionally seen in the mountains, but is
not prominent in folk belief, excepting in connection with the
grewsome tales of the Raven Mocker (q. v.). In former times its
name was sometimes assumed as a war title. The crow, so prominent
in other tribal mythologies, does not seem to appear in that of
the Cherokee. Three varieties of owls are recognized, each under a
different name, viz: tskili', the dusky horned owl (Bubo virginianus
saturatus); u'guku', the barred or hooting owl (Syrnium nebulosum),
and wa`huhu', the screech owl (Megascops asio). The first of these
names signifies a witch, the others being onomatopes. Owls and other
night-crying birds are believed to be embodied ghosts or disguised
witches, and their cry is dreaded as a sound of evil omen. If the
eyes of a child be bathed with water in which one of the long wing
or tail feathers of an owl has been soaked, the child will be able
to keep awake all night. The feather must be found by chance, and
not procured intentionally for the purpose. On the other hand, an
application of water in which the feather of a blue jay, procured in
the same way, has been soaked will make the child an early riser.
The buzzard (suli') is said to have had a part in shaping the earth,
as was narrated in the genesis myth. It is reputed to be a doctor among
birds, and is respected accordingly, although its feathers are never
worn by ball players, for fear of becoming bald. Its own baldness is
accounted for by a vulgar story. As it thrives upon carrion and decay,
it is held to be immune from sickness, especially of a contagious
character, and a small quantity of its flesh eaten, or of the soup
used as a wash, is believed to be a sure preventive of smallpox,
and was used for this purpose during the smallpox epidemic among
the East Cherokee in 1866. According to the Wahnenauhi manuscript,
it is said also that a buzzard feather placed over the cabin door
will keep out witches. In treating gunshot wounds, the medicine is
blown into the wound through a tube cut from a buzzard quill and some
of the buzzard's down is afterwards laid over the spot.
There is very little concerning hawks, excepting as regards the
great mythic hawk, the Tla'nuwa'. The tla'nuwa' usdi', or "little
tla'nuwa," is described as a bird about as large as a turkey and of a
grayish blue color, which used to follow the flocks of wild pigeons,
flying overhead and darting down occasionally upon a victim, which
it struck and killed with its sharp breast and ate upon the wing,
without alighting. It is probably the goshawk (Astur atricapillus).
The common swamp gallinule, locally known as mudhen or didapper
(Gallinula galeata), is called diga'gwani' (lame or crippled), on
account of its habit of flying only for a very short distance at a
time. In the Diga'gwani' dance the performers sing the name of the
bird and endeavor to imitate its halting movements. The dagûl'kû,
or white-fronted goose (Anser albifrons), appears in connection with
the myth of the origin of tobacco. The feathers of the tskwâyi, the
great white heron or American egret (Herodias egretta), are worn by
ball players, and this bird probably the "swan" whose white wing was
used as a peace emblem in ancient times.
A rare bird said to have been seen occasionally upon the reservation
many years ago was called by the curious name of nûñda-dikani',
"it looks at the sun," "sun-gazer." It is described as resembling a
blue crane, and may possibly have been the Floridus cerulea, or little
blue heron. Another infrequent visitor, which sometimes passed over
the mountain country in company with flocks of wild geese, was the
gu'wisguwi', so called from its cry. It is described as resembling
a large snipe, with yellow legs and feet unwebbed, and is thought
to visit Indian Territory at intervals. It is chiefly notable from
the fact that the celebrated chief John Ross derives his Indian
name, Gu'wisguwi', from this bird, the name being perpetuated in
Cooweescoowee district of the Cherokee Nation in the West.
Another chance visitant, concerning which there is much curious
speculation among the older men of the East Cherokee, was called
tsun'digwûntsu'`gi or tsun'digwûn'tski, "forked," referring to the
tail. It appeared but once, for a short season, about forty years
ago, and has not been seen since. It is said to have been pale blue,
with red in places, and nearly the size of a crow, and to have had
a long forked tail like that of a fish. It preyed upon hornets,
which it took upon the wing, and also feasted upon the larvæ in the
nests. Appearing unexpectedly and as suddenly disappearing, it was
believed to be not a bird but a transformed red-horse fish (Moxostoma,
Cherokee âliga'), a theory borne out by the red spots and the long,
forked tail. It is even maintained that about the time those birds
first appeared some hunters on Oconaluftee saw seven of them sitting
on the limb of a tree and they were still shaped like a red-horse,
although they already had wings and feathers. It was undoubtedly
the scissor-tail or swallow-tailed flycatcher (Milvulus forficatus),
which belongs properly in Texas and the adjacent region, but strays
occasionally into the eastern states.
On account of the red throat appendage of the turkey, somewhat
resembling the goitrous growth known in the South as "kernels"
(Cherokee, dule'tsi), the feathers of this bird are not worn by
ball players, neither is the neck allowed to be eaten by children or
sick persons, under the fear that a growth of "kernels" would be the
result. The meat of the ruffed grouse, locally known as the pheasant
(Bonasa umbellus), is tabued to a pregnant woman, because this bird
hatches a large brood, but loses most of them before maturity. Under
a stricter construction of the theory this meat is forbidden to a
woman until she is past child bearing.
The redbird, tatsu'hwa, is believed to have been originally the
daughter of the Sun (see the story). The huhu, or yellow mocking-bird,
occurs in several stories. It is regarded as something supernatural,
possibly on account of its imitative powers, and its heart is given
to children to make them quick to learn.
The chickadee (Parus carolinensis), tsikilili', and the tufted
titmouse, (Parus bicolor), utsu'`gi, or u'stûti, are both regarded as
news bringers, but the one is venerated as a truth teller while the
other is scoffed at as a lying messenger, for reasons which appear
in the story of Nûñyunu'wi (q. v.). When the tsikilili' perches
on a branch near the house and chirps its song it is taken as an
omen that an absent friend will soon be heard from or that a secret
enemy is plotting mischief. Many stories are told in confirmation of
this belief, among which may be instanced that of Tom Starr, a former
noted outlaw of the Cherokee Nation of the West, who, on one occasion,
was about to walk unwittingly into an ambush prepared for him along
a narrow trail, when he heard the warning note of the tsikilili',
and, turning abruptly, ran up the side of the ridge and succeeded in
escaping with his life, although hotly pursued by his enemies.