30. Why the Mole lives underground (p. 277): This story, from John Ax,
not only accounts for the Mole's underground habit, but illustrates
a common Cherokee witchcraft belief, which has parallels all over
the world.
31. The Terrapin's escape from the Wolves (p. 278): This story,
of which the version here given, from Swimmer and John Ax, is
admittedly imperfect, is known also among the western Cherokee,
having been mentioned by Wafford and others in the Nation, although
for some reason none of them seemed able to fill in the details. A
somewhat similar story was given as belonging to her own tribe by a
Catawba woman married among the East Cherokee. It suggests number 21,
"The Rabbit and the tar wolf," and has numerous parallels.
In the Creek version, in the Tuggle manuscript, the Terrapin
ridicules a woman, who retaliates by crushing his shell with a corn
pestle. He repairs the injury by singing a medicine song, but the scars
remain in the checkered spots on his back. In a variant in the same
collection the ants mend his shell with tar, in return for his fat and
blood. Other parallels are among the Omaha, "How the Big Turtle went
on the Warpath" (Dorsey, Contributions to North American Ethnology;
VI, p. 275), and the Cheyenne, "The Turtle, the Grasshopper, and the
Skunk" (Kroeber, Cheyenne Tales, in Journal of American Folk-Lore,
July, 1900). The myth is recorded also from west Africa by Chatelain
("The Man and the Turtle," in Folktales of Angola, 1894).
Kanahe'na.--This is a sour corn gruel, the tamfuli or "Tom Fuller"
of the Creeks, which is a favorite food preparation among all the
southern tribes. A large earthern jar of kanahe'na, with a wooden
spoon upright in it, is always upon a bench just inside the cabin door,
for every visitor to help himself.
32. Origin of the Groundhog dance (p. 279): This story is from
Swimmer, the supplementary part being added by John Ax. The Groundhog
dance is one of those belonging to the great thanksgiving ceremony,
Green-corn dance. It consists of alternate advances and retreats by
the whole line of dancers in obedience to signals by the song leader,
who sings to the accompaniment of a rattle. The burden of the song,
which is without meaning, is
Ha'wiye'ehi' Yaha'wiye'ehi [twice] Yu-u
Hi'yagu'we Hahi'yagu'we [twice] Yu-yu.
33. The migration of the animals (p. 280): This little story is given
just as related by Ayâsta, the only woman privileged to speak in
council among the East Cherokee. A similar incident occurs in number
76, "The Bear Man." According to one Cherokee myth concerning the noted
Track Rock gap, near Blairsville in upper Georgia, the pictographs in
the rocks there are the footprints of all sorts of birds and animals
which once crossed over the gap in a great migration toward the south.
34. The Wolf's revenge: The Wolf and the Dog (p. 280): These short
stories from Swimmer illustrate the Cherokee belief that if a wolf be
injured his fellows will surely revenge the injury. See also note to
number 15, "The Fourfooted Tribes," and number 3, "Kana'ti and Selu."
In a West African tale recorded by Chatelain (Folktales of Angola,
1894) the dog and the jackal are kinsmen, who live together in the
bush until the jackal sends the dog to the village for fire. The dog
goes, enters a house and is fed by a woman, and thereupon concludes
to stay in the village, where there is always food.
35. The bird tribes (p. 280): The eagle killer--Of the Southern
tribes generally Adair says: "They use the feathers of the eagle's
tail in certain friendly and religious dances, but the whole town
will contribute, to the value of 200 deerskins, for killing a large
eagle--the bald eagle they do not esteem--and the man also gets an
honorable title for the exploit, as if he had brought in the scalp
of an enemy." [543]
Timberlake says that the Cherokee held the tail of an eagle in the
greatest esteem, as these tails were sometimes given with the wampum
in their treaties, and none of their warlike ceremonies could be
performed without them (Memoirs, p. 81). The figurative expression,
"a snowbird has been killed," used to avoid offending the eagle
tribe, is paralleled in the expression, "he has been scratched
by a brier," used by the Cherokee to mean, "he has been bitten
by a snake." Professional eagle killers existed among many tribes,
together with a prescribed ceremonial for securing the eagle. The most
common method was probably that described in a note to number 98,
"Gana's Adventures among the Cherokee." A detailed account of the
Blackfoot method is given by Grinnell, in his Blackfoot Lodge Tales,
pp. 236-240. The eagle, being a bird of prey, as well as a sacred bird,
was never eaten.
The shifting of responsibility for the killing to a vicarious victim is
a common feature of Indian formulas for obtaining pardon, especially
for offenses against the animal tribe or the spirits of the dead. A
remarkable parallel to the Cherokee prayer, from the Quichua of Peru,
is given by Dr G. A. Dorsey. Having started, with a party of Indian
laborers and a Spanish gentleman who was well acquainted with the
native language, to examine some cave tombs near the ancient city
of Cuzco, they had arrived at the spot and he was about to give the
order to begin operations, when the Indians, removing their blankets
and hats, knelt down and recited in unison in their own language a
prayer to the spirits of the dead, of which the following translation
is an extract:
"Chiefs, sons of the sun, you and we are brothers, sons of the great
Pachacamac. You only know this, but we know that three persons exist,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. This is the only difference
between you and us.... Chiefs, sons of the sun, we have not come to
disturb your tranquil sleep in this, your abode. We come only because
we have been compelled by our superiors; toward them may you direct
your vengeance and your curses."
Then followed sacrifices of coca leaves, aguardiente, and chicha,
after which they called upon the snow-capped mountain to witness
their affection for their ancestors, and were then ready to begin work
(Dorsey, A Ceremony of the Quichuas of Peru, in Journal of American
Folk-Lore, October, 1894).
Night birds--Says Adair of the Southern tribes (History of the American
Indians, p. 130, 1775): "They reckon all birds of prey, and birds of
night, to be unclean and unlawful to be eaten." The mixed feeling of
fear and reverence for all night birds is universal among the Western
tribes. Owls particularly are believed to bring prophetic tidings to
the few great conjurers who can interpret their language.
The hawk--This, being a bird of prey, was never eaten. The following
incident is related by Adair, probably from the Chickasaw: "Not
long ago when the Indians were making their winter's hunt and the
old women were without flesh meat at home, I shot a small fat hawk
and desired one of them to take and dress it; but though I strongly
importuned her by way of trial, she as earnestly refused it for fear
of contracting pollution, which she called the 'accursed sickness,'
supposing disease would be the necessary effect of such an impurity"
(Hist. Am. Indians, p. 130).
Chickadee and titmouse--Adair speaks of having once observed a
party of Southern Indians "to be intimidated at the voice of a small
uncommon bird, when it pitched and chirped on a tree over their camp"
(op. cit., p. 26). At a conference with the Six Nations at Albany in
1775 the Oneida speaker said: "We, the Six Nations, have heard the
voice of a bird called Tskleleli (Tsikilili'?), a news carrier, that
came among us. It has told us that the path at the western connection,
by Fort Stanwix, would be shut up by either one party or the other." In
reply, the commissioners said: "We apprehend the bird Tskleleli has
been busy again; he seems to be a mischievous bird and ought not
to be nourished or entertained" (New York Colonial Documents, VIII,
pp. 612, 628, 1857). The bird name is in the Oneida dialect. Bruyas
gives teksereri as the Mohawk name for the tomtit.
36. The ball game of the birds and animals (p. 286): This is one
of the best-known animal stories and was heard with more or less
of detail from John Ax, Swimmer, Suyeta, and A`wani'ta in the east,
and from Wafford in the Territory.
The Creeks and the Seminoles also, as we learn from the Tuggle
manuscript collection, have stories of ball games by the birds against
the fourfooted animals. In one story the bat is rejected by both sides,
but is finally accepted by the fourfooted animals on account of his
having teeth, and enables them to win the victory from the birds.
The ballplay--The ballplay, a`ne'tsâ, is the great athletic game of
the Cherokee and the Gulf tribes, as well as with those of the St
Lawrence and Great lakes. It need hardly be stated that it is not
our own game of base ball, but rather a variety of tennis, the ball
being thrown, not from the hand, but from a netted racket or pair
of rackets. The goals are two sets of upright poles at either end
of the ball ground, which is always a level grassy bottom beside a
small stream. There is much accompanying ceremonial and conjuration,
with a ball dance, in which the women take part, the night before. It
is the same game by which the hostile tribes gained entrance to the
British post at Mackinaw in 1763, and under the name of lacrosse has
become the national game of Canada. It has also been adopted by the
French Creoles of Louisiana under the name of raquette. In British
Columbia it is held to be the favorite amusement of the people of the
underworld (Teit, Thompson River Traditions, p. 116). In the southern
states the numerous localities bearing the names of "Ballplay,"
"Ball flat," and "Ball ground," bear witness to the Indian fondness
for the game. Large sums were staked upon it, and there is even
a tradition that a considerable territory in northern Georgia was
won from the Creeks by the Cherokee in a ball game. For an extended
description see the the author's article "The Cherokee Ball Play,"
in the American Anthropologist for April, 1890.
Won the game--On account of their successful work on this occasion
the Cherokee ballplayer invokes the aid of the bat and the flying
squirrel, and also ties a small piece of the bat's wing to his ball
stick or fastens it to the frame over which the sticks are hung during
the preliminary dance the night before.
Gave the martin a gourd--The black house-martin is a favorite with
the Cherokee, who attract it by fastening hollow gourds to the tops of
long poles set up near their houses so that the birds may build their
nests in them. In South Carolina, as far back as 1700, according to
Lawson: "The planters put gourds on standing holes [poles] on purpose
for these fowl to build in, because they are a very warlike bird and
beat the crows from the plantations" (History of Carolina, p. 238).
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.
Yûñwi tsunsdi'--"Little People," another name for the Nuñne'hi (see
number 78). These are not to be confounded with the Anisga'ya Tsunsdi',
"Little Men," or Thunder Boys.
Tugalû'na--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.
42. The Pheasant beating corn: The Pheasant dance (p. 290): The first
of these little tales is from John Ax, the second from Swimmer. The
pheasant (Bonasa umbella; Cherokee tluñti'sti) is also locally called
grouse or partridge.
43. The race between the Crane and the Hummingbird (p. 290): This story
is a favorite one in the tribe, and was heard from several informants,
both East and West. The sequel may surprise those who have supposed
that woman has no rights in Indian society.
In a Creek story under the same title, in the Tuggle collection, the
rivals agree to fly from a certain spot on a stream to the spring at
its head. The humming bird is obliged to follow the windings of the
stream, but the crane takes a direct course above the trees and thus
wins the race.
Fly around the world--Not around a globe, but around the circumference
of a disk, according to the Indian idea.
44. The Owl gets married (p. 291): Told by Swimmer. The three owls
of the Cherokee country are known, respectively, as tskili' (i. e.,
"witch," Bubo virginianus saturatus, great, dusky-horned owl),
wa`huhu' (Megascops asio, screech owl), and uguku' (Syrnium nebulosum,
hooting or barred owl). There is no generic term. The Cherokee say
that there is almost no flesh upon the body of the hooting owl except
upon the head.
45. The Huhu gets married (p. 292): This story was heard at different
times from Swimmer, John Ax, and Ta'gwadihi'. The first named always
gave in the proper place a very good imitation of the huhu call,
drawing out the sau-h slowly, giving the hu, hu, hu, hu, hu, hu
in quick, smothered tones, and ending with three chirps and a long
whistle. From this and one or two other stories of similar import
it would seem that the woman is the ruling partner in the Cherokee
domestic establishment. Matches were generally arranged by the mother,
and were conditional upon the consent of the girl (see notes to number
84, "The Man who Married the Thunder's Sister").
The huhu of the Cherokee, so called from its cry, is the
yellow-breasted chat (Icteria virens), also known as the yellow
mocking bird on account of its wonderful mimic powers.
46. Why the Buzzard's head is bare (p. 293): This story was told
by Swimmer and other informants, and is well known. It has an exact
parallel in the Omaha story of "Ictinike and the Buzzard" (Dorsey,
in Contributions to North American Ethnology, vi).
47. The Eagle's revenge (p. 293): This story, told by John Ax,
illustrates the tribal belief and custom in connection with the eagle
and the eagle dance, as already described in number 35, "The Bird
Tribes," and the accompanying notes.
Drying pole--A pole laid horizontally in the forks of two upright
stakes, planted firmly in the ground, for the purpose of temporarily
hanging up game and fresh meat in the hunting camp, to protect it
from wolves and other prey animals or to allow it to dry out before
the fire.
48. The Hunter and the Buzzard (p. 294): Told by Swimmer. The custom
of lending or exchanging wives in token of hospitality and friendship,
on certain ceremonial occasions, or as the price of obtaining certain
secret knowledge, was very general among the tribes, and has been
noted by explorers and other observers, east and west, from the
earliest period.
49. The snake tribe (p. 294): Rattlesnake--The custom of asking
pardon of slain or offended animals has already been noted under
number 15, "The Fourfooted Tribes," and number 35, "The Bird Tribes"
(eagle). Reverence for the rattlesnake was universal among the Indians,
and has been repeatedly remarked by travelers in every part of the
country. To go into a dissertation upon the great subject of serpent
worship is not a part of our purpose.
The missionary Washburn tells how, among the Cherokee of Arkansas,
he was once riding along, accompanied by an Indian on foot, when
they discovered a poisonous snake coiled beside the path. "I observed
Blanket turned aside to avoid the serpent, but made no signs of attack,
and I requested the interpreter to get down and kill it. He did so,
and I then inquired of Blanket why he did not kill the serpent. He
answered, 'I never kill snakes and so the snakes never kill me;
but I will tell you about it when you next come to see me.'" He kept
his word soon after by relating as a personal experience (probably,
in fact, an Indian dream) a long story of having once been conducted
by a rattlesnake to an underground council of the rattlesnake tribe,
where he found all the snakes lamenting over one of their number
who had been recently killed by an Indian, and debating the method of
punishment, which was executed a day or two later by inflicting a fatal
bite upon the offender while engaged in the ballplay (Reminiscences,
pp. 208-212). As told by the missionary, the story is very much dressed
up, but strikingly resembles number 58, "The Rattlesnake's Vengeance."
Adair, evidently confusing several Cherokee snake myths, speaks of
some reputed gigantic rattlesnakes in the Cherokee mountains, with
beautiful changing colors and great power of fascination, by which
they drew into their jaws any living creature coming within their
vision, and continues: "They call them and all of the rattlesnake
kind, kings or chieftains of the snakes, and they allow one such
to every different species of the brute creation. An old trader of
Cheeowhee told me that for the reward of two pieces of stroud cloth
he engaged a couple of young warriors to show him the place of their
resort; but the headmen would not by any means allow it, on account
of a superstitious tradition--for they fancy the killing of them would
expose them to the danger of being bit by the other inferior species of
the serpentine tribe, who love their chieftains and know by instinct
those who maliciously killed them, as they fight only in their own
defense and that of their young ones, never biting those who do not
disturb them." He mentions also an instance of a Chickasaw priest
who, after having applied to his hands the juice of a certain plant,
took up a rattlesnake without damage and laid it carefully in a hollow
tree to prevent Adair's killing it (History of the American Indians,
pp. 237-238).
Of the Carolina tribes generally, Lawson, in 1701, says: "As for
killing of snakes, they avoid it if they lie in their way, because
their opinion is that some of the serpents' kindred would kill some of
the savage's relations that should destroy him" (History of Carolina,
p. 341).
Bartram says of the Seminoles, about 1775: "These people never
kill the rattlesnake or any other serpent, saying, if they do so,
the spirit of the killed snake will excite or influence his living
kindred or relatives to revenge the injury or violence done to him
when alive." He recounts an amusing incident of his own experience
where the Indians sent for him to come and kill a rattlesnake which had
invaded their camp ground, and which they were afraid to disturb. Their
request having been complied with, the Indians then insisted upon
scratching him, according to the Indian custom, in order to let out
some of his superabundant blood and courage, but were finally, with
some difficulty, dissuaded from their purpose. "Thus it seemed that
the whole was a ludicrous farce to satisfy their people and appease
the manes of the dead rattlesnake" (Travels, pp. 258-261).
The trader Henry (Travels, pp. 176-179) narrates a most interesting
instance from among the Ojibwa of Lake Superior in 1764. While
gathering wood near the camp he was startled by a sudden rattle,
and looking down discovered a rattlesnake almost at his feet, with
body coiled and head raised to strike.
"I no sooner saw the snake, than I hastened to the canoe, in order
to procure my gun; but, the Indians observing what I was doing,
inquired the occasion, and being informed, begged me to desist. At
the same time, they followed me to the spot, with their pipes and
tobacco-pouches in their hands. On returning, I found the snake
still coiled.
"The Indians, on their part, surrounded it, all addressing it by
turns, and calling it their grandfather; but yet keeping at some
distance. During this part of the ceremony, they filled their pipes;
and now each blew the smoke toward the snake, who, as it appeared
to me, really received it with pleasure. In a word, after remaining
coiled, and receiving incense, for the space of half an hour, it
stretched itself along the ground, in visible good humor. Its length
was between four and five feet. Having remained outstretched for
some time, at last it moved slowly away, the Indians following it,
and still addressing it by the title of grandfather, beseeching it to
take care of their families during their absence, and to be pleased
to open the heart of Sir William Johnson [the British Indian agent,
whom they were about to visit], so that he might show them charity,
and fill their canoe with rum. One of the chiefs added a petition,
that the snake would take no notice of the insult which had been
offered him by the Englishman, who would even have put him to death,
but for the interference of the Indians, to whom it was hoped he would
impute no part of the offence. They further requested, that he would
remain, and inhabit their country, and not return among the English;
that is, go eastward."
He adds that the appearance of the rattlesnake so far north was
regarded as an extraordinary omen, and that very little else was
spoken of for the rest of the evening. The next day, while steering
across Lake Huron in their canoe, a terrible storm came up.
"The Indians, beginning to be alarmed, frequently called on the
rattlesnake to come to their assistance. By degrees the waves
grew high; and at 11 o'clock it blew a hurricane, and we expected
every moment to be swallowed up. From prayers, the Indians now
proceeded to sacrifices, both alike offered to the god-rattlesnake,
or manito-kinibic. One of the chiefs took a dog, and after tying its
forelegs together, threw it overboard, at the same time calling on the
snake to preserve us from being drowned, and desiring him to satisfy
his hunger with the carcass of the dog. The snake was unpropitious,
and the wind increased. Another chief sacrificed another dog,
with the addition of some tobacco. In the prayer which accompanied
these gifts, he besought the snake, as before, not to avenge upon
the Indians the insult which he had received from myself, in the
conception of a design to put him to death. He assured the snake,
that I was absolutely an Englishman, and of kin neither to him nor to
them. At the conclusion of this speech, an Indian, who sat near me,
observed, that if we were drowned it would be for my fault alone, and
that I ought myself to be sacrificed, to appease the angry manito,
nor was I without apprehensions, that in case of extremity, this
would be my fate; but, happily for me, the storm at length abated,
and we reached the island safely."
The Delawares also, according to Heckewelder, called the rattlesnake
grandfather and refrained from injuring him. He says: "One day, as
I was walking with an elderly Indian on the banks of the Muskingum,
I saw a large rattlesnake lying across the path, which I was going
to kill. The Indian immediately forbade my doing so; 'for,' said he,
'the rattlesnake is grandfather to the Indians, and is placed here
on purpose to guard us, and to give us notice of impending danger
by his rattle, which is the same as if he were to tell us, 'look
about.' 'Now,' added he, 'if we were to kill one of those, the others
would soon know it, and the whole race would rise upon us and bite
us.' I observed to him that the white people were not afraid of this;
for they killed all the rattlesnakes that they met with. On this he
enquired whether any white man had been bitten by these animals, and of
course I answered in the affirmative. 'No wonder, then!' replied he,
'you have to blame yourselves for that. You did as much as declaring
war against them, and you will find them in your country, where they
will not fail to make frequent incursions. They are a very dangerous
enemy; take care you do not irritate them in our country; they and
their grandchildren are on good terms, and neither will hurt the
other.' These ancient notions have, however in a great measure died
away with the last generation, and the Indians at present kill their
grandfather, the rattlesnake, without ceremony, whenever they meet
with him" (Indian Nations, p. 252).
Salikwâyi--"The old Tuscaroras had a custom, which they supposed would
keep their teeth white and strong through life. A man caught a snake
and held it by its head and tail. Then he bit it through, all the
way from the head to the tail, and this kept the teeth from decay"
(W. M. Beauchamp, Iroquois Notes, in Journal of American Folk-Lore,
July, 1892).
Send torrents of rain--The belief in a connection between the serpent
and the rain-gods is well-nigh universal among primitive peoples,
and need only be indicated here.
50. The Uktena and the Ûlûñsû'ti (p. 297): The belief in the great
Uktena and the magic power of the Ûlûñsû'ti is firmly implanted in the
Cherokee breast. The Uktena has its parallel in the Gitchi-Kenebig
or Great Horned Serpent of the northern Algonquian tribes, and is
somewhat analogous to the Zemo`gu'ani or Great Horned Alligator of the
Kiowa. Myths of a jewel in the head of a serpent or of a toad are so
common to all Aryan nations as to have become proverbial. Talismanic
and prophetic stones, which are carefully guarded, and to which
prayer and sacrifice are offered, are kept in many tribes (see Dorsey,
Teton Folklore, in American Anthropologist, April, 1889). The name of
the serpent is derived from akta, "eye," and may be rendered "strong
looker," i.e., "keen eyed," because nothing within the range of its
vision can escape discovery. From the same root is derived akta'ti,
"to look into," "to examine closely," the Cherokee name for a field
glass or telescope. By the English-speaking Indians the serpent is
sometimes called the diamond rattlesnake. The mythic diamond crest,
when in its proper place upon the snake's head, is called ulstitlû',
literally, "it is on his head," but when detached and in the hands
of the conjurer it becomes the Ulûñsû'ti, "Transparent," the great
talisman of the tribe. On account of its glittering brightness it is
sometimes called Igagû'ti, "Day-light." Inferior magic crystals are
believed to be the scales from the same serpent, and are sometimes
also called ulûñsû'ti.
The earliest notice of the Ulûñsû'ti is given by the young Virginian
officer, Timberlake, who was sent upon a peace mission to the Cherokee
in 1762, shortly after the close of their first war with the whites. He
says (Memoirs, pp. 47-49):
"They have many beautiful stones of different colours, many of which,
I am apt to believe, are of great value; but their superstition has
always prevented their disposing of them to the traders, who have made
many attempts to that purpose; but as they use them in their conjuring
ceremonies, they believe their parting with them or bringing them
from home, would prejudice their health or affairs. Among others
there is one in the possession of a conjurer, remarkable for its
brilliancy and beauty, but more so for the extraordinary manner in
which it was found. It grew, if we may credit the Indians, on the
head of a monstrous serpent, whose retreat was, by its brilliancy,
discovered; but a great number of snakes attending him, he being,
as I suppose by his diadem, of a superior rank among the serpents,
made it dangerous to attack him. Many were the attempts made by the
Indians, but all frustrated, till a fellow more bold than the rest,
casing himself in leather, impenetrable to the bite of the serpent
or his guards, and watching a convenient opportunity, surprised and
killed him, tearing his jewel from his head, which the conjurer has
kept hid for many years, in some place unknown to all but two women,
who have been offered large presents to betray it, but steadily
refused, lest some signal judgment or mischance should follow. That
such a stone exists, I believe, having seen many of great beauty;
but I cannot think it would answer all the encomiums the Indians
bestow upon it. The conjurer, I suppose, hatched the account of its
discovery; I have however given it to the reader, as a specimen of
an Indian story, many of which are much more surprising."
A few years later Adair gives us an account of the serpent and the
stone. According to his statement the uktenas had their home in a
deep valley between the heads of the Tuckasegee and the "northern
branch of the lower Cheerake river" (i. e., the Little Tennessee),
the valley being the deep defile of Nantahala, where, by reason of its
gloomy and forbidding aspect, Cherokee tradition locates more than
one legendary terror. With pardonable error he confounds the Uktena
with the Chief of the Rattlesnakes. The two, however, are distinct,
the latter being simply the head of the rattlesnake tribe, without
the blazing carbuncle or the immense size attributed to the Uktena.
"Between two high mountains, nearly covered with old mossy rocks,
lofty cedars and pines, in the valleys of which the beams of the
sun reflect a powerful heat, there are, as the natives affirm, some
bright old inhabitants or rattlesnakes, of a more enormous size than
is mentioned in history. They are so large and unwieldy, that they
take a circle almost as wide as their length to crawl around in their
shortest orbit; but bountiful nature compensates the heavy motion of
their bodies, for, as they say, no living creature moves within the
reach of their sight, but they can draw it to them....
"The description the Indians give us of their colour is as various
as what we are told of the camelion, that seems to the spectator to
change its colour, by every different position he may view it in; which
proceeds from the piercing rays of the light that blaze from their
foreheads, so as to dazzle the eyes, from whatever quarter they post
themselves--for in each of their heads, there is a large carbuncle,
which not only repels, but they affirm, sullies the meridian beams
of the sun. They reckon it so dangerous to disturb these creatures,
that no temptation can induce them to betray their secret recess
to the prophane. They call them and all of the rattlesnake kind,
kings, or chieftains of the snakes, and they allow one such to every
different species of the brute creation. An old trader of Cheeowhee
told me, that for the reward of two pieces of stroud cloth, he engaged
a couple of young warriors to shew him the place of their resort,
but the head-men would not by any means allow it, on account of a
superstitious tradition--for they fancy the killing of them would
expose them to the danger of being bit by the other inferior species of
that serpentine tribe, who love their chieftains, and know by instinct
those who maliciously killed them, as they fight only in their own
defence and that of their young ones, never biting those who do not
disturb them."--History of the American Indians, pp. 237-238.
In another place (page 87) he tells us of an ulûñsûti owned by a
medicine-man who resided at Tymahse (Tomassee), a former Cherokee
town on the creek of the same name near the present Seneca, South
Carolina. "The above Cheerake prophet had a carbuncle near as big as
an egg, which they said he found where a great rattlesnake lay dead,
and that it sparkled with such surprising lustre as to illuminate his
dark winter house, like strong flashes of continued lightning, to the
great terror of the weak, who durst not upon any account approach
the dreadful fire-darting place, for fear of sudden death. When he
died it was buried along with him, according to custom, in the town
of Tymahse, under the great beloved cabbin [seat], which stood in the
westernmost part of that old fabric, where they who will run the risk
of searching may luckily find it."
Hagar also mentions the "Oolunsade," and says, on the authority of
John Ax: "He who owns a crystal can call one of the Little People to
him at any time and make him do his bidding. Sometimes when people
are ill it is because some evil invisible being has taken possession
of him. Then the Little Man called up by the crystal can be placed
on guard near the ill man to prevent the evil spirit from re-entering
after it has been expelled" (MS Stellar Legends of the Cherokee).
The Southern Alleghenies, the old Cherokee country, abound with
crystals of various kinds, as well as with minerals. The Ulûñsû'ti
is described as a triangular crystal about two inches long, flat on
the bottom, and with slightly convex sides tapering up to a point,
and perfectly transparent with the exception of a single red streak
running through the center from top to bottom. It is evidently a
rare and beautiful specimen of rutile quartz, crystals of which,
found in the region, may be seen in the National Museum at Washington.
Other small stones of various shapes and color are in common use
among the Cherokee conjurers to discover lost articles or for other
occult purposes. These also are frequently called by the same name,
and are said to have been originally the scales of the Uktena, but
the Ulûñsû'ti--the talisman from the forehead of the serpent--is the
crystal here described, and is so exceedingly rare that so far as is
known only one remained among the East Cherokee in 1890. Its owner,
a famous hunter, kept it hidden in a cave, wrapped up in a deerskin,
but refused all inducements to show it, much less to part with it,
stating that if he should expose it to the gaze of a white man he
could kill no more game, even were he permitted to live after such
a sacrilege.
The possession of the talisman insures success in hunting, love,
rain making, and all other undertakings, but its great use is in life
divination, and when it is invoked for this purpose by its owner the
future is mirrored in the transparent crystal as a tree is reflected
in the quiet stream below.
When consulting it the conjurer gazes into the crystal, and after some
little time sees in its transparent depths a picture of the person
or event in question. By the action of the specter, or its position
near the top or bottom of the crystal, he learns not only the event
itself, but also its nearness in time or place.
Many of the East Cherokee who enlisted in the Confederate service
during the late war consulted the Ulûñsû'ti before starting, and
survivors declare that their experiences verified the prediction. One
of these had gone with two others to consult the fates. The conjurer,
placing the three men facing him, took the talisman upon the end of his
outstretched finger and bade them look intently into it. After some
moments they saw their own images at the bottom of the crystal. The
images gradually ascended along the red line. Those of the other two
men rose to the middle and then again descended, but the presentment
of the one who tells the story continued to ascend until it reached the
top before going down again. The conjurer then said that the other two
would die in the second year of the war, but the third would survive
through hardships and narrow escapes and live to return home. As the
prophecy, so the event.
When consulted by the friends of a sick man to know if he will recover;
the conjurer shows them the image of the sick man lying at the bottom
of the Ulûñsû'ti. He then tells them to go home and kill some game (or,
in these latter days, any food animal) and to prepare a feast. On the
appointed day the conjurer, at his own home, looks into the crystal
and sees there the picture of the party at dinner. If the image of the
sick man rises and joins them at the feast the patient will recover;
if otherwise, he is doomed.
51. Âgan-uni'tsi's search for the Uktena (p. 248): This is one of
the most important of the Cherokee traditions, for the reason that it
deals with the mythic monster, the Uktena, and explains the origin of
the great talisman, the Ulûñsû'ti. As here given it was obtained from
Swimmer (east) with additions and variants from Wafford (west) and
others. It is recorded by Ten Kate as obtained by him in the Territory
(Legends of the Cherokees, in Journal of American Folk-Lore, January,
1889), and is mentioned in connection with the Ulûñsû'ti, by Adair,
in 1775, and by Timberlake as early as 1762 (see notes to number 50,
"The Uktena and the Ulûñsû'ti"). One variant makes the Ulûñsû'ti a
scale from the seventh ring of the serpent.
The Shawano, who at one time occupied the Cumberland region of
Tennessee immediately adjoining the Cherokee, were regarded as wizards
by all the southern tribes. Brinton says: "Among the Algonkins the
Shawnee tribe did more than all others combined to introduce and carry
about religious legends and ceremonies. From the earliest times they
seem to have had peculiar aptitude for the ecstacies, deceits, and
fancies that make up the spiritual life of their associates. Their
constantly roving life brought them in contact with the myths of
many nations, and it is extremely probable that they first brought
the tale of the horned serpent from the Creeks and Cherokees" (Myths
of the New World, p. 137).
Localities--Utawagûn'ta mountain, Walâsi'yi gap, Duniskwa`lgûñ'yi
gap and Atagâ'hi (mythic) lake, are all points in the Great Smoky
range, which forms the dividing line between North Carolina and
Tennessee. Tlanusi'yi is the native name for the site of Murphy, at
the junction of Hiwassee and Valley rivers, North Carolina. Gahû'ti is
Cohutta mountain in Murray county, Georgia. According to Wafford there
are on the sides of this mountain several stone inclosures which were
built by Âgan-uni'tsi for shelter places before attacking the Uktena
(see also Glossary).
52. The Red Man and the Uktena (p. 300): This story was obtained from
John Ax. Swimmer had heard it also, but remembered only a part of
it. For more in regard to the Uktena and the talisman derived from it,
see numbers 50 and 51, with notes.
Asga'ya Gi'gage'i--The "Red Man," or lightning spirit, who is
frequently invoked in the sacred formulas.
Struck by lightning--As has been explained elsewhere, the wood of
a tree that has been struck by lightning plays an important part in
Cherokee folklore.
Strong and dangerous--It is a common article of Indian belief that the
presence of a powerful talisman, no matter how beneficent in itself,
is enervating or positively dangerous to those in its vicinity unless
they be fortified by some ceremonial tonic. For this reason every
great "medicine" is usually kept apart in a hut or tipi built for
the purpose, very much as we are accustomed to store explosives at
some distance from the dwelling or business house.
53. The Hunter and the Uksu'hi (p. 301): This story was told by Swimmer
and John Ax as an actual fact. The uksu'hi is the mountain blacksnake
or black racer (Coluber obsoletus). The name seems to refer to some
peculiarity of the eye, akta (cf. uktena). Hickory-log, properly
Wane'asûñ'tlûñyi, "Hickory footlog," was a Cherokee settlement on
Hiwassee river, near the present Hayesville, Clay county, North
Carolina. Another of the same name was on Etowah river in Georgia.
Perspiration--The Indian belief may or may not have foundation in fact.
54. The Ustû'tli (p. 302): This story was told by Swimmer and John Ax
(east) and by Wafford (west), and is a common tradition throughout
the tribe. The name ustû'tli refers to the sole of the foot, and was
given to the serpent on account of its peculiar feet or "suckers." The
same name is given to the common hoop-snake of the south (Abastor
erythrogrammus), about which such wonderful tales are told by the
white mountaineers. Cohutta (Gahû'ti) mountain, in Murray county,
Georgia, was also the traditional haunt of the Uktena (see number 51,
"Âgan-Uni'tsi's search for the Uktena," and compare also number 55,
"The Uw`tsûñ'ta.")
55. The Uw`tsûñ'ta (p. 303): This story was obtained from James
Blythe. Nûñdaye'`i, whence Nantahala, was on the river of that name
below the present Jarrett's station.