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of tbr
antoersitp of Jl3ott& Carolina
Collection of ji2ontj CaroUntana
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UNIVERSITY OF N C AT CHAPEL HILL
00030748834
This book must- not
be token from the
Library building.
• —
—
THIS TITLE HAS!
BEEN Iv.lCROOtkEg
MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE
JAM ES M< >< >Xi;V
EXTRACT FROM THE NINETEENTH ANNUAL I;l PORT OF THE
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY
WAS II IN (.ION
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
L9 02
Library, Univ. of
North Carolina
MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE
JAMES MOONEY
CONTENTS
Page
I — Introduction 11
II — Historical sketch of the Cherokee 14
The traditionary period 14
The period of Spanish exploration — 1540-? 23
The Colonial and Revolutionary period — 1654-1784 29
Relations with the United States 61
From the first treaty to the Removal— 1785-1S38 (il
The Removal— 1838-1839 130
The Arkansas band— 1817-1838 135
The Texas hand— 1817-1900 L43
The Cherokee Nation of the AVest— 1840-1900 146
The East Cherokee— 1838-1900 157
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'ti 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 strawl perries 259
13. The Great Yellow-jacket: Origin of fish and frogs 260
14. The Deluge 261
Quadruped myths . . . .• 261
15. The four-tooted tribes 261
16. The Rabbit goes duck hunting 266
1 7. How the Rabbit stole the Otter's coat 267
IS. "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 P >ssum after a wife 273
2::. The Rabl.it 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
2s. What became of the Rabbit 277
29. Why the Mink smells 277
30. Why the Mole lives under ground 277
6 CONTENTS [ETH.ANN.19
\ The rnythi — ( kmtinued.
Quadruped myths — Continued. ras>-'
31 The Terrapin's escape from the wolves 278
:;•_'. 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 1 »ird t ribes 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
-10. How the Partridge got his whistle 289
41. How the Etedbird got his color 289
4l'. The Phi asant beating corn: The Pheasant ■lane.' 290
4:;. The race between the ( Irane and the Humming-bird 290
44. The Owl gets married 291
4.".. The Huhu gets married 292
46. Why the Buzzard's head i^ bare 29.",
47. The Eagle's revenge 293
4s. The Hunter and the Buzzard 294
Snake, fish, ami insect myths 294
49. The snake tribe 294
50. The Uktenaand the riufisu'ti 297
51. A.gan-Uni'tsi's search for the Uktena 298
52. The Red Man and the Uktena 300
53. The Hunter and the Oksu'hl 301
54. The Tstu'tli 302
55. The Uw'tsufi'ta 303
56. Tl ie 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. rntsaiyi'. the Gambler , 311
64. The nest of theTla'nuwa 315
65. The Hunter and the Tla'nuwa 316
66. r'tlufi'ta. the Spear-finger 316
07. Xun'yunu'wl, the stone man 319
68. The Hunter in the Dakwa' 320
69. A-taga'M, the enchanted lake 321
To. The Bride from the south 322
71 . The Ice Man t 322
72. The Hunter and Selu 323
73. The underground [■anthers 32 1
74. The Tsundige'wl 325
75. i >rigin of the I '.ear: The Bear songs 325
To. The Bear Man 327
77. TheGreat Leech of Tlanusi'yl.. 329
78. The Xunne'hi and other spirit folk 330
70. The removed townhouses 335
moonev.] CONTENTS 7
V— Tlie myths— Continued.
Wonder stories — Continued. Page
80. The spirit defenders of Nikwasi' 336
8 1 . TsuikaliV, the slant-eyed giant 337
82. Kana'sta, the lust settlement 341
83. Tsuwe'nahi, a legend of Pilot knob 843
84. The man who married the Thunder's sister 345
85. The haunted whirlpool 347
sii. Yahula :;47
87. The water cannibals 349
Historical traditions . 350
, ss. First contact with whites 350
89. The Iroquois wars :;:, i
90. Hiadeoni, the Seneca 356
91. The two Mi .hawks 357
92. Escape of the Seneca boys 359
9.'!. The unseen helpers 359
94. Hatcinondon's escape from the Cherokee 362
95. Hemp-carrier. :;<;4
'.hi The Seneca peacemakers 365
97. Origin of the Yontonwisas .lance '365
us. i ra'na's adventures among the Cherokee 367
99. The Shawano wars 370
100. The raid on Tikwali'tsI 374
101. The last Shawano invasion :;74
102. The false warriors of Chilhowee 375
103. ( Wee town :;77
104. The eastern tribes _ 378
105. The southern and western tribes 382
100. The giants from the west 391
107. The lost Cherokee , 391
108. The massacre of the Ani'-Kuta'nl 392
109. The war medicine 393
110. Incidents of personal heroism :;:i|
111. The mounds and the constant lire: The old sacred things 395
Miscellaneous myths and legends 397
Ul'. The ignorant housekeeper :i'.i7
113. The man in the stump _ 397
114. Two lazy hunters 397
115. The two old men 399
116. The star feathers 399
117. Th,' Mother Bear's song 400
118. Baby song, to please tin- children 401
119. When babies are born: The Wren and the ( Iricket 401
120. The Raven Mocker 401
121. Herbert's spring 403
1-".'. Local legends i 4' North Carolina 404
123. Local legends of South Carolina 411
124. Local legends- of Tennessee 412
125. Local legends of t ieorgia 415
1 26. Plant lore 420
VI— Notes and parallels 42s
VII— Glossary 506
ILLUSTRATIONS
Plate I. In the Cherokee mountains 11
IT. Map: The Cherokee and their neighbors 14
III. Map: The old Cherokee country 23
IV. Sequi .ya | Sikwayl ) ' 108
V. The Chen ikee alphabet 112
VI. Tahchee (Tilts!) or Dutch 140
VII. Spring-fn ig or Ti x lantuh ( Du'stu') 142
VIII. John Ross (Gu'wisguwl') 150
IX. ColonelW. II. Thomas (Wil-Usdi') 160
X. Chief N. J. Smith (Tsaladihl') 178
XI. Swimmer (A'yuiVini ) 22S
XII. John Ax (ItagiYnuhl) 238
XIII. Tagwadihl' 256
XIV. A yasta 272
XV. Sawanu'gl, a Cherokee l>all player 284
XVI. NlkwasI' mound at Franklin, North Carolina 337
X VII. Annie Ax ( Sac lay! ) 358
XVII 1. YValini', a< Iherokee woman 378
XIX. On Oconaluftee river 405
XX. Petroglyphs at Track-rock gap, Georgia 4 IS
Figure 1. Feather wand of Eagle dance 2S2
2. Ancient Iroquois wampum 1 celts 354
9
MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE
By James Mooney
I— INTRODUCTION
The myths given in this paper are part of a large body of material
collected among the Cherokee, chiefly in successive field seasons from
1887 to L890, inclusive, and comprising more or less extensive notes,
together with original Cherokee manuscripts, relating to the history,
archeology, geographic nomenclature, personal names, botany, medi-
cine, arts, home life, religion, songs, ceremonies, and language of the
tribe. It is intended that this material shall appear from time to
time in a series of papers which, when finally brought together, shall
constitute a monograph upon the Cherokee Indians. This paper may
be considered the first of the series, all that has hitherto appeared
being a short paper upon the sacred formulas of the tribe, published
in the Seventh Annual Report of the Bureau in 1891 and containing a
synopsis of the Cherokee medico-religious theory, with twenty-eight
specimens selected from a body of about six hundred ritual formulas
written down in the Cherokee language and alphabet by former
doctors of the tribe and constituting altogether the largest body of
aboriginal American literature in existence.
Although the Cherokee arc probably the largest and most impor-
tant tribe in the Tinted States, having their own national government
and numbering at any time in their history from 20,000 to 25,000 per-
sons, almost nothing has yet been written of their history or general
ethnology, as compared with the literature of such northern tribes as
the Delawares, the Iroquois, or the Ojibwa. The difference is due to
historical reasons which need not be discussed here.
It might seem at first thought that the Cherokee, with their civi-
lized code of laws, their national press, their schools and seminaries,
are so far advanced along the white man's road as to offer but little
inducement for ethnologic study. This is largely true of those in the
Indian Territory, with whom the enforced deportation, two generations
ago, from accustomed scenes and surroundings did more at a single
stroke to obliterate Indian ideas than could have been accomplished
11
12 MYTHS OF THE OHEBOKEE [bth.aiw.19
by fifty years of slow development. There remained behind, however,
in the bearl of the Carolina mountains, :i considerable body, outnum-
bering todaj such well-known western tribes as the Omaha, Pawnee,
Comanche, and Kiowa, and it is among these, the old conservative
Kitn'hwa < 'lenient, that t lie ancient things have been preserved. Moun-
taineers guard well the past, and in the secluded forests of Xantahala and
Oconaluftee, faraway from the main-traveled road of modern progress,
the Cherokee priest still treasures the Legends and repeats the mystic
rituals handed down from his ancestors. There is change indeed in
dress and outward seeming, but the heart of the Indian is still his own.
For this and other reasons much the greater portion of the material
herein contained has been procured among the East Cherokee living
upon the Qualla reservation in western North Carolina and in various
detached settlements between the reservation and the Tennessee line.
This has been supplemented with information obtained in the Cherokee
Nation in Indian Territory, chiefly from old men and women who
had emigrated from what is now Tennessee and Georgia, and who
consequently had a better local knowledge of these sections, as well as
of the history of the western Nation, than is possessed by their kindred
in Carolina. The historical matter and the parallels are, of course,
collated chiefly from printed sources, but the myths proper, with but
few exceptions, are from original investigation.
The historical sketch must be understood as distinctly a sketch, not
a detailed narrative, for which there is not space in the present paper.
The Cherokee have made deep impress upon the history of the southern
states, and no more has been attempted here than to give the leading-
facts in connected sequence. As the history of the Nation after the
removal to the West and the reorganization in Indian Territory pre-
sents but few points of ethnologic interest, it has been but briefly
treated. On the other hand the affairs of the eastern band have been
discussed at some length, for the reason that so little concerning this
remnant is to be found in print.
One of the chief purposes of ethnologic study is to trace the
development of human thought under varying conditions of race and
environment, the result showing always that primitive man is essen-
tially the same in every part of the world. With this object in view
a considerable space has been devoted to parallels drawn almost entirely
from Indian tribes of the United States and British America. For
the southern countries there is but. little trustworthy material, and to
extend the inquiry to the eastern continent and the islands of the sea
would be to invite an endless task.
The author desires to return thanks for many favors from the
Library of Congress, the Geological Survey, and the Smithsonian
Institution, and for much courteous assistance and friendly suggestion
from the officers and stall' of the Bureau of American Ethnology; and
mooney] ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 13
tn acknowledge his indebtedness to the late Chief N. J. Smith and
family for services as interpreter and for kindly hospitality during
successive field seasons: to Agent H. W. Spray and wife for unvarying
kindness manifested in many helpful ways; to Mr William Harden,
librarian, and the Georgia State Historical Society, for facilities in
consulting documents at Savannah, Georgia; to the late Col. W. H.
Thomas: Lieut. Col. W. W. Stringfield, of Waynesville; ( 'apt. James W.
Terrell, of Webster; .Mrs A. C. Avery and Dr P. L. Murphy, of Mor-
ganton; Mr W. A. Fair, of Lincolnton; the late Maj. James Bryson, of
Dillsboro; Mr II. G. Trotter, of Franklin: Mr Sibbald Smith, of Chero-
kee; Maj. R.C.Jackson, of Smithwood, Tennessee; Mr D. R. Dunn,
of Conasauga, Tennessee: the late Col. Z. A. Zile, of Atlanta: Mr L.
M.Greer, of Ellijay, Georgia: Mr Thomas Robinson, of Portland.
Maine; Mr Allen Ross, Mr W. T. Canup, editor of the Indian Arrow,
and the officers of the Cherokee Nation. Tahlequah, Indian Territory;
Dr D. T. Day, United States Geological Survey. Washington, D. C,
and Prof. G. M. Bowers, of the United States Fish Commission, for
valuable oral information, letters, clippings, and photographs; to Maj.
J. Adger Smyth, of Charleston. S. C, for documentary material;
to Mr Stansbury Hagar and the late Robert Grant Haliburton, of
Brooklyn. N. Y., for the use of valuable manuscript notes upon
Cherokee stellar legends; to Miss A. M. Brooks for the use of valuable
Spanish document copies and translations entrusted to the Bureau
of American Ethnology; to Mr James Blythe, interpreter during a
great part of the time spent by the author in the field; and to various
Cherokee and other informants mentioned in the body of the work,
from whom the material was obtained.
II HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE CHEROKEE
The Traditionary Period
The Cherokee were the mountaineers of the South, holding the
entire Allegheny region from the interlocking bead-streams of the
Kanawha and the Tennessee southward almost to the site of Atlanta,
and from the Blue ridge on the east to the Cumberland range on the
west, a territory comprising an area of about 40,000 square miles,
now included in the states of Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, South
Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama. Their principal towns were upon
the headwaters of the Savannah. Hiwassee, and Tuckasegee, and along
the whole length of the Little Tennessee to its junction with the main
stream. Itsati, or Echota, on the south hank of the Little Tennessee, a
few miles above the mouth of Tellico river, in Tennessee, was commonly
considered the capital of the Nation. As the advancing whites pressed
upon them from the east and northeast the more exposed towns were
destroyed or abandoned and new settlements were formed lower down
the Tennessee and on the upper branches of the Chattahoochee and
the Coosa.
As is always (he ease with tribal geography-, there were no fixed
boundaries, and on every side the Cherokee frontiers were contested
by rival claimants. In Virginia, there is reason to believe, the tribe
was held in check in early days by the Powhatan and the Monacan.
On the east and southeast the Tuscarora and Catawba were their invet-
erate enemies, with hardly even a momentary truce within the historic
period; and evidence goes to show that the Sara or Cheraw were fully
as hostile. On the south there was hereditary war with the Creeks,
who claimed nearly the whole, of upper Georgia as theirs by original
possession, but who were being gradually pressed down toward the
Gulf until, through the mediation of the United States, a treaty was
finally made fixing the boundary between the two tribes along a line
running about due west from the mouth of Broad river on the Savan-
nah. Toward the west, the Chickasaw on the lower Tennessee and the
Shawano on the Cumberland repeatedly turned back the tide of Chero-
kee invasion from the rich central valleys, while the powerful Iroquois
in the far north set up an almost unchallenged claim of paramount
lordship from the Ottawa river of Canada southward at Least to the
Kentucky river.
14
NINETEENTH ANNUAL REPORT PL II
uooney] TRIBAL NAMES 15
On the other hand, by their defeat of the ("reeks and expulsion <>f
the Shawano, the Cherokee made good the claim which they asserted
to all the lands from upper Georgia to the Ohio river, including the
rich hunting grounds of Kentucky. Holding as they did the great
mountain harrier between the English settlements on the coast and the
French or Spanish garrisons along the Mississippi and the Ohio, their
geographic position, no less than their superior number, would have
given them the balance of power in the South but for a looseness of
tribal organization in striking contrast to the compactness of the Iro-
quois league, by which for more than a century the French power
was held in check in the north. The English, indeed, found it con-
venient to recognize certain chiefs as supreme in the tribe, but the only
real attempt to weld the whole Cherokee Nation into a political unit
was that made by the French agent, Priber, about 1 TMtJ. which failed
from its premature discovery by the English. We frequently find
their kingdom divided against itself, their very number preventing
unity of action, while still giving them an importance above that
of neighboring tribes.
The proper name by which the Cherokee call themselves (l)1 is
Yuii'wiya'. or Ani'-Yun'wiya' in the third person, signifying •"real
people," or " principal people." a word closely related toOnwe-hofiwe,
the name by which the cognate Iroquois know themselves. The word
properly denotes "Indians," as distinguished from people of other
races, but in usage it is restricted to mean members of the Cherokee
tribe, those of other tribes being designated as Creek, Catawba, etc.,
as the case may be. On ceremonial occasions they frequently speak of
themselves as Ani'-Kitu'hwagi, or "people of Kitu'hwa," an ancient
settlement on Tuckasegee river and apparently the original nucleus of
the tribe. Among the western Cherokee this name has been adopted
by a secret society recruited from the full-blood element and pledged
to resist the advances of the white man's civilization. Under the
various forms of Cuttawa, Gattochwa, Kittuwa. etc.. as spelled by dif-
ferent authors, it was also used by several northern Algonquian tribes
as a synonym for Cherokee.
Cherokee, the name by which they are commonly known, has no
meaning in their own language, and seems to be of foreign origin.
As used among themselves the form is Tsa'lagi' or Tsa'ragi'. It first
appears as Chalaque in the Portuguese narrative of De Soto's expedi-
tion, published originally in L557, while we rind Cheraqui in a French
document of 1699, and Cherokee as an English form as early, at 'east, as
1708. The name has thus an authentic history of 360 years. There
is evidence that it is derived from the Choctaw word choluk or chiluk,
signifying a pit or cave, and comes to us through the so-called Mobilian
trade language, a corrupted Choctaw jargon formerly used as the
1 gee the notes !" the historical sketch.
16 MYTHS OE THE CHEROKEE [bth.ahh.19
medium of coi unication among all the tribes of the < rulf states, as
fax north as the mouth of the < >hio (2). Within iliis area many of the
tribes were commonly known under Choctaw names, even though <>t'
widerj differing Linguistic stocks, ami if such a name existed for the
Cherokee it must undoubtedly have been communicated to the first
Spanish explorers by I >e Soto's interpreters. This theory is borne
out by their Iroquois (Mohawk) name, Oyata'geronon', as given by
Hewitt, signifying "inhabitants of the cave country," the Allegheny
region being peculiarly a cave country, in which "rock shelters," con-
taining numerous traces of Indian occupancy, are of frequent occur-
rence. Their Catawba name also. Manteran, as given by Gatschet,
signifying "coming out of the ground," seems to contain the same
reference. Adair's attempt to connect the name Cherokee with their
word for &re,atsila, is an error founded upon imperfect knowledge of
the Language.
Among other synonyms for the tribe are Rickahockan, or Recna-
hecrian, the ancient Powhatan name, and Tallige', or Tallige'wi, the
ancient name used in the Walam Olum chronicle of the' Lenape'. Con-
cerning both the application and the etymology of this last name there
has been much dispute, but there seems no reasonable doubt as to the
identity of the people.
Linguistically the Cherokee belong to the Iroquoian stock, the
relationship having been suspected by Barton over a century ago, and
by Gallatin and Hale at a later period, and definitely established by
Hewitt in 1887. ] While there can now be no question of the connec-
tion, the marked lexical and grammatical differences indicate that the
separation must have occurred at a very early period. As is usually
the case with a large tribe occupying an extensive territory, the lan-
guage is spoken in several dialects, the principal of which may. for
want of other names, be conveniently designated as the Eastern. Middle,
and Western. Adair's classification into "Aviate" (.'///<//), or low, and
"Ottare" (d'taM), or mountainous, must be rejected as imperfect.
The Eastern dialect, formerly often called the Lower Cherokee
dialect, was originally spoken in all the towns upon the waters of the
Keowee and Tugaloo, head-streams of Savannah river, in South Caro-
lina ami the adjacent portion of Georgia. Its chief peculiarity is a
rolling /'. which takes the place of the / of the other dialects. In
this dialect the tribal name is Tsa'ragi', which the English settlers of
Carolina corrupted to Cherokee, while the Spaniards, advancing from
the south, became better familial' with the other form, which they
wrote as Chalaque. Owing to their exposed frontier position, adjoin-
ing the white settlements of Carolina, the Cherokee of this division
'Barton, Ben}. 8., New Views on the Origin of the Tribes and Nations of America, p. xlv, passim;
Phils ., I7'.i7; Qallatfn, Albert, synopsis of Indian Tribes, Trana American Antiquarian Society, n, p.
'.il: Cambridge, 1836; Hew iit. .1. X. B., The Cherokee an Iroquoian Language, Washington, 1887 i Ms
In the archives of the Bureau of American Ethnologj
t MYl DIALECTS RELATED TRIBES 17
were the first to feel the shock of war in the campaigns of L760 and
1776. with the result that before the close of the Revolution they had
been completely extirpated from their original territory and scattered
as refugees among the more western towns of the tribe. The con-
sequence was that they lost their distinctive dialect, which is now
practically extinct. In 1888 it was spoken by but one man on the
reservation in North Carolina.
The Middle dialect, which might properly be designated the Kituhwa
dialect, was originally spoken in the towns on the Tuckasegee and the
headwaters of the Little Tennessee, in the very heart of the Cherokee
country, and is still spoken by the great majority of those now living on
the Qualla reservation. In some of its phonetic forms it agrees with
the Eastern dialect, but resembles the Western in having the / sound.
The Western dialect was spoken in most of the towns of east Ten-
nessee and upper Georgia and upon Hiwassee and Cheowa rivers in
North Carolina. It is the softest and most musical of all the dialects
of this musical language, having a frequent liquid / and eliding many
of the harsher consonants found in the other forms. It is also the
literary dialect, and is spoken by most of those now constituting the
Cherokee Nation in the West.
Scattered among the other Cherokee are individuals whose pronun-
ciation and occasional peculiar terms for familiar objects give indica-
tion of a fourth and perhaps a fifth dialect, which can not now be
localized. It is possible that these differences may come from for-
eign admixture, as of Natchez. Taskigi, or Shawano blood. There is
some reason for believing that the people living on Nantahala river
differed dialectically from their neighbors on either side (;:).
The Iroquoian stock, to which the Cherokee belong, had its chief
home in the north, its tribes occupying a compact territory winch
comprised portions of Ontario, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania,
and extended down the Susquehanna and ( Jhesapeake bay almost to the
latitude of Washington. Another body, including the Tuscarora,
Nottoway, and perhaps also the Meherrin. occupied territory in north-
eastern North Carolina and the adjacent portion of Virginia. The
( 'herokee themselves constituted the third and southernmost bodj . It
is evident that tribes of common stock must atone time have occupied
contiguous territories, and such we find to be the case in this instance.
The Tuscarora and Meherrin. and presumably also the Nottoway, are
known to have come from the north, while traditional and historical
evidenee'eoncur in assigning to the Cherokee as their early home the
region about the headwaters of the Ohio, immediately to the south-
ward of their kinsmen, but bitter enemies, the Iroquois. The theory
which brings the Cherokee from northern Iowa and the Iroquois from
Manitoba is unworthy of serious consideration. (4)
The most ancient tradition concerning the Cherokee appears to be
iy etii— 01 2
18 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE i unr.U
the Delaware tradition of the expulsion of the Talligewi from the north,
:i- firsl noted by the missionary Heckewelder in L819, and published
more l'ull\ by Brinton in the Walam Olum in L885. According t<>
the firsl account, the Delawares, advancing from the west, found their
further progress opposed by a powerful people called Alligewi or Tal-
ligcw i. occupying the country upon a river which Heckewelder thinks
identical with the Mississippi, but which the sequel shows was more
probably the upper Ohio. They wen' said to have regularly built
earthen fortifications, in which they defended themselves so well
that at la-t the Delawares were obliged to seek the assistance of the
"Mengwe,"or Iroquois, with the result that aftera warfare extending
over many years the Alligewi finally received a crushing defeat, the
survivors fleeing down the river and abandoning the country to the
invaders, who thereupon parceled it out amongst themselves, the
■* Mengwe" choosing the portion a I unit the I rreal lakes while the Dela-
wares took possession of that to the south and cast. The missionary
adds that the Allegheny (and Ohio) river was still called by the Dela-
wares the Alligewi Sipu, or river of the Alligewi. This would seem
to indicate it as the true river of the tradition. He speaks also of
remarkable earthworks seen by him in 1 7^'-» in the neighborhood of
Lake Erie, which were said by the Indians to have been built by the
extirpated tribe as defensive fortifications in the course < if this war.
Near two of these, in the vicinity of Sandusky, he was shown mounds
under which it was said some hundreds of the slain Talligewi were
buried.1 As is usual in such traditions, the Alligewi were said to have
been of gianl stature, far exceeding their conquerors in size.
In the Walam Olum. which is. it is asserted, a metrical translation of
an ancient hieroglyphic bark record discovered in L820, the main tra-
dition is given in practically the same way. with an appendix which
follows the fortunes of the defeated tribe up to the beginning of the
historic period, thus completing the chain of evidence. (."■)
In the Walam Olum also we find the Delawares advancing from the
wesl or northwest until they come to "Fish river"'— the same which
Heckewelder make- the Mississippi (6). On the other side, we are
told. •■The Talligewi possessed the East." The Delaware chief
'•desired the eastern land," and some of his ] pie go on. hut are
killed by the Talligewi. The Delawares decide upon war and call in
the help of their northern friends, the "Talamatan," i. e., the Wyan-
dot and other allied Iroquoian tribes. A war ensues which continues
through the terms of four successive chiefs, when victory declares for the
invaders, and " all the Talega go south." The country is then divided,
the Talamatan taking- the northern portion, while the Delawares "-ta\
south of the lakes." The chronicle proceeds to tell how. after eleven
more chiefs have ruled, the Nanticokeand Shawano separate from the
■ Heckewelder, John, Indian Nations of Pennsylvania, pp. 17-49, oil. 1^76.
mooney] DELAWARE TRADITIONS THE NAME TALLIGEWI 1 ',»
parent tribe and remove to the south. Six other chiefs follow in suc-
cession until we come to the seventh, who "went to theTalega moun-
tains." By this time the Delawares have reached the ocean. Other
chiefs succeed, after whom "the Easterners and the Wolves" prob-
ably the Mahican or Wappinger and the Munsee — move off to the
northeast. At last, after six more chiefs, "the whites came on the
eastern sea." by which is probably meant the landing- of the Dutch on
.Manhattan in 1609 (7). We may consider this a tally date, approxi-
mating the beginning of the seventeenth century. Two more chiefs
rule, and of the second we are told that "He fought at the south: he
fought in the land of theTalega and Koweta," and again the fourth
chief after the coming of the whites "went to the Talega." We have*
thus a traditional record of a war of conquest carried on against the
Talligewi by four successive chiefs, and a succession of about twenty-
five chiefs between the final expulsion of that tribe and the appearance
of the whites, in which interval the Nantieoke, Shawano. .Mahican.
and Munsee branched oil' from the parent tribe of the Delawares.
Without venturing to entangle ourselves in the devious maze of Indian
chronology, it is sufficient to note that all this implies a very long period
of timt — so long, in fact, that during it several new tribes, each of
which in time developed a distinct dialect, branch off from the main
Lenape' stem. It is distinctly stated that all the Talega went south
after their final defeat: and from later references we rind that they took
refuge in the mountain country in the neighborhood of the Koweta
(the Creeks), and that Delaware war parties were still making raids
upon both these tribes long after the first appearance of the whites.
Although at first glance it might be thought that the name Tallige-wi
is but a corruption of Tsalagi, a closer study leads to the opinion that it
is a true Delaware word, in all probability connected with iruhJ, or
walok, signifying a cave or hole (Zeisberger), whence we rind in the
Walani Olum the word oligonunk rendered as "at the place of caves."
It would thus be an exact Delaware rendering of the same name,
"people of the cave country." by which, as we have seen, the Chero-
kee were commonly known among the tribes. Whatever may be the
origin of the name itself, there can be no reasonable doubt as to it~
application. "Name, location, and legends combine to identify the
Cherokees or Tsalaki with the Tallike: and this is as much evidence as
we can expect to produce in such researches."1
The Wyandot confirm the Delaware story and fix the identification of
the expelled tribe. According to their tradition, as narrated in 1802,
the ancient fortifications in the Ohio valley had been erected in the
course of a long war between themselves and tin 'Cherokee, which
resulted finally in the defeat of the latter. '
The traditions of the Cherokee, so far as they have been preserved,
'Brinton. D.G., Walani Olum, p. 231; Phila., 1885.
2 Schoolcraft, H. E., Notes on the Iroquois, p. 162; Albany.1847.
20 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ahij.19
supplement and corroborate those of the northern tribes, thus bring-
ing the storj down to their final settlement upon the headwaters of
the Tennessee in the rich valleys of the southern Aileghenies. < >wing
to the Cherokee predilection for new gods, contrasting strongly with
tin conservatism of the Iroquois, their ritual forms and national epics
had fallen into decay even before tin' Revolution, a- we learn from
Adair. Some vestiges of their migration legend still existed in Hay-
wood's time, but it is now completely Forgotten both in the East ami
in the West.
According' to Haywood, who wrote in 1823 on information obtained
directly from leading members of the tribe long before the Removal,
the Cherokee formerly had alone- migration lee-end. which was already
lost, hut which, within the memory of the mother of one informant
say about L750 was still recited by chosen orators on the occasion of
the annual green-corn dance. This migration lee-end appears to have
resembled that of the Delawares and the Creeks in beginning with
genesis ami the period of animal monsters, and thence following the
shifting fortune of the chosen hand to the historic period. The tradi-
tion recited that they had originated in a land toward the rising sun.
where they had been placed by the command of ••the four councils
sent from above." In this pristine home were great snakes and water
monsters, for which reason it was supposed to have been near the sea
coast, although the assumption is not a necessary corollary, as these
are a feature of the mythology of all the eastern tribes. After this
genesis period there began a slow migration, during which "towns of
people in many nights* encampment removed," but no details are given.
From Heckewelder it appears that the expression, "a night's encamp-
ment." which occurs also in the Delaware migration legend, is an Indian
figure of speech for a halt of one year at a place.1
In another place Haywood says, although apparently confusing the
chronologic order of events: ■"One tradition which they have amongst
them says they came from the west ami exterminated the former
inhabitants; and then says they came from the upper parts of the
Ohio, where they erected the mounds on Crave creek, and that they
removed thither from the country where Monticello (near Charlottes-
ville. Virginia) is situated."8 The first reference is to the celebrated
mounds on the ( )hio near Moundsville, below Wheeling. West Virginia;
the other is doubtless to a noted burial mound described by Jefferson
in 17sl as then existing near his home, on the low groundsof Kivanua
river opposite the site of an ancient Indian town. He himself had
opened it and found it to contain perhaps a thousand disjointed
skeletons of hoth adults and children, the bones piled in successive
layers, those near the to]) being least decayed. They showed no signs
Heckewelder, Indian Nations, p. 17. ed. isti'..
2 Haywood, John, Natural and Aboriginal History of Tenn pp H5-226; Nashville, 1823.
mooney] EARLY DVVKLLING-PLACES 21
of violence, but were evidently the accumulation of long years from
the neighboring Indian town. The distinguished writer adds: "But
on whatever occasion they may have been made, they are of consider-
able notoriety among the Indians: for a party passing, about thirty
years ago [i. e., about L750], through the part of the country where
this barrow is. went through the woods directly to it without any
instructions or enquiry, and having staid about it some time, with
expressions which were construed to be those of sorrow, they returned
to the high road, which they had left about half a dozen miles to pay
this visit, and pursued their journey."1 Although the tribe is not
named, the Indians were probably Cherokee, as no other southern
Indians were then accustomed to range in that section. As serving to
corroborate this opinion we have the statement of a prominent Cher-
okee chief, given to Schoolcraft in 1846, that acccording to their tradi-
tion his people had formerly lived at the Peaks of Otter, in Virginia,
a noted landmark of the Blue ridge, near the point where Staunton
river breaks through the mountains.2
From a candid sifting of the evidence Haywood concludes that the
authors of the most ancient remains in Tennessee had spread over that
region from the south and southwest at a very early period, hut that
the later occupants, the Cherokee, had entered it from the north and
northeast in comparatively recent times, overrunning and exterminat-
ing the aborigines. He declares that the historical fact seems to be
established that the Cherokee entered the country from Virginia, mak-
ing temporary settlements upon New river and the upper Holston,
until, under the continued hostile pressure from the north, they were
again forced to remove farther to the south, fixing themselves upon the
Little Tennessee, in what afterward became known asthe middle towns.
By a leading mixed blood of the tribe he was informed that they had
made their first settlements within their modern home territory upon
Nolichucky river, and that, having lived the-re for a long period, they
could give no definite account of an earlier location. Echota, their
capital and peace town, "claimed to be the eldest brother in the nation,"
and the claim was generally acknowledged. In confirmation of the
statement as to an early occupancy of the upper Holston region, it may
he noted that " Watauga* )ld Fields," now Elizabeth town, were so called
from the fact that when the first white settlement within the present
state of Tennessee was begun there, so early as 1769, the bottom lands
were found to contain graves and other numerous ancient remains of a
former Indian town which tradition ascribed to the Cherokee, whose
nearest settlements were then many miles to the southward.
While the Cherokee claimed to have built the mounds on the upper
i Jefferson, Thomas, Notes on Virginia, pp.136-137; ed. Boston, 1802.
2 Schoolcraft, Notes on the Iroquois, p. 163, isi7.
•■> Haywood, Natural and Aboriginal History of Tennesstv, w _'.;.;. j.:i,. ■_■.;■•. !-._■ .:
22 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.asjj.19
Ohio, the j yet, according to Haywood, expressly disclaimed the author-
ship of the very numerous mounds and petroglyphs in their later home
territory, asserting that these ancient works had exhibited the same
appearance when they themselves had first occupied the region.1 This
accords with Bartram's statement that the Cherokee, although some-
times utilizing the mounds as sites for their own town houses, were a-
ignoranl as the whites of their origin or purpose, having only a gen
era! tradition that their forefathers had found them in much the same
condition on first coming into the country.8
Although, as has been noted. Haywood expresses the opinion that
the invading Cherokee had overrun and exterminated the earlier
inhabitants, lie says in another place, on halfbreed authority, that
the newcomers found no Indians upon the waters of the Tennessee,
with the exception of some Creeks living upon that river, near the
mouth of the Hiwassee, the main body of that tribe being established
up md claiming all the streams to the southward.3 There is
considerable evidence that the Creek- preceded the Cherokee, and
within the last century they still claimed the Tennessee, or at least
the Tennessee watershed, for their northern boundary.
There is a dim bul persistent tradition of a strange white race pre-
ceding the ( 'herokee. .-onie of the Molic- e\ ell going SO far as to locate
their former settlements and to identify them as the authors of the
ancient works found in the country. The earliest reference appeal's
to he that of Barton in 1797, on the statement of a gentleman whom
he quotes as a valuable authority upon the southern tribes. "The
Cheerake tell us, that when they first arrived in the country which
they inhabit, they found it possessed by certain •moon-eyed people,'
who could not see in the day-time. These wretches they expelled."
He seems to consider them an albino race.' Haywood, twenty-six
years later, says that the invading Cherokee found "white people"
near the head of the Little Tennessee, with forts extending thence down
the Tennessee as far as Chickamauga creek. He gives the location of
three of these forts. The Cherokee made war against them and
drove them to the mouth of Big Chickamauga creek, when' they
entered into a treaty and agreed to remove if permitted to depart in
peace. Permission being granted, they abandoned the country. Else-
where he speaks of this extirpated white race as having extended into
Llentucky and probably also into western Tennessee, according to the
concurrent traditions of different tribes. He desci'ibes their houses.
on wdiat authority is not stated, as having been small circular structures
i Haywood, Nat. and Aborig. Hist. Tennessee, pp. 226, 284, 1828.
SBartram.Wm., Travels, p. 365; reprint, London, L792.
••Hiiyw 1. op. Cit, pp. 23 i
'Barton, New Views,p. sliv, 17'JT.
mooney] THE DE SOTO EXPEDITION — 1540 '23
of upright logs, covered with earth which had been dug out from the
inside.1
Harry Smith, a halfhreed born about 1815, father of the late chief
of the East Cherokee, informed the author that when a boy he had
been told by an old woman a tradition of a race of very small people,
perfectly white, who once came and lived for some time on the site of
the ancient mound on the northern side of Hiwassee, at the mouth of
Peachtree creek, a few miles above the present Murphy, North Caro-
lina. They afterward removed to the West. Colonel Thomas, the
white chief of the East Cherokee, horn about the beginning of the
century, had also heard a tradition of another race of people, who
lived on Hiwassee. opposite the present Murphy, and warned the
Cherokee that they must not attempt to cross over to the south side
of the river or the great leech in the water would swallow them.2
They finally went west, •"long before the whites came" The two
stories are plainly the same, although told independently and many
miles apart.
The Period of Spanish Exploration — 1540-1
The definite history of the Cherokee begins with the year 1540, at
which date we find them already established, where they were always
afterward known, in the mountains of Carolina and Georgia. The
earliest Spanish adventurers failed to penetrate so far into the intf rior,
and the first entry into their country was made by De Soto, advancing
up the Savannah on his fruitless quest for gold, in May of that year.
While at Cofitachiqui. an important Indian town on the lower
Savannah governed by a " queen," the Spaniards had found hatchets
and other objects of copper, some of which was of finer color and
appeared to be mixed with gold, although they had no means of testing
it.3 On inquiry they were told that the metal had come from an interior
mountain province called Chisca, hut the country was represented as
thinly peopled and the way as impassable for horses. Some time before,
while advancing through eastern Georgia, they had heard also of a
rich and plentiful province called Coca, toward the northwest, and by
the people of Cofitachiqui they were now told that Chiaha, the nearest
town of Coca province, was twelve days inland. As both men and
animals were already nearly exhausted from hunger and hard travel,
and the Indians either could not or would not furnish sufficient pro-
vision for their needs, De Soto determined not to attempt the passage
of the mountains then, but to push on at once to Coca, there to rest
and recuperate before undertaking further exploration. In the mean-
i Haywood, Nat. and Aborig. Hist. Tennessee, pp. 166, 234-235, 287-289, 1823.
See story, "The Great Leech of Tlanusi'yl, " p 328.
^Garcilasodela Vega, La Florida del Inea, pp. 129, 133-134; Madrid, 1723.
-1 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
time he hoped :i 1 — < > to obtain inure definite information concerning the
mines. As the chief puipose of the expedition was the discovery of
the mines, many of the officers regarded tin- change of plan a- a
mistake, and favored staying where they were until the ae\i crop
should !><■ ripened, then to go directly into the mountains, but as the
general was "a stern man and of few words," none ventured to oppose
his resolution.1 The province of ( loca was the territory of the ( !reek
Indians, called Ani'-Kusa by the < Iherokee, from EZusa, or < !oosa, their
ancienl capital, while Chiaha was identical with Chehaw, 01 f the
principal Creek towns on Chattahoochee river. Cofitachiqui may
have Keen the capital of the LTchee Indians.
The outrageous conduct of the Spaniards had bo angered the Indian
queen thai she now refused i<> furnish guides and carriers, whereupon
l>e Sot<> made her a prisoner, with the design of compelling her to act
as guide herself, and at the same time to use her as a hostage to com-
mand the obedience pf her subjects, instead, however, of ( lucting
the Spaniards by the direct trail toward the west, she led them far
out Hi' their course until she finally managed to make her escape,
leaving them to find their way out of the mountain.-- as best they could.
Departing from Cofitachiqui, they turned tirst toward the north,
passing through several towns subject to the queen, to whom, although
a pris r. the Indians everywhere showed great respect and obe-
dience, furnishing whatever assistance the Spaniards compelled her to
demand for their own purposes. In a few day- they came to "a
province called Chalaque," the territory of the Cherokee Indians.
probably upon the waters of Keowee river, the eastern head-stream
of the Savannah. It is described as the poorest country for corn that
they had yet seen, the inhabitants subsisting on wild root- and
herbs and on game which they killed with bows and arrows. They
were naked, lean, and unwarlike. The country abounded in wild
turkeys ("gallinas"), which the people gave very freely to the
strangers, one town presenting them with seven hundred. A chief
also gave De Soto two deerskins a- a great present.' Garcilaso, writ-
ing on the authority of an old soldier nearly fifty years afterward,
says that the "Chalaques" deserted their towns on the approach of
the white men and lied to the mountains, leaving behind only old men
and women and some who were nearly blind.3 Although it was too
early for the new crop, the poverty of the people may have been
more apparent than real, due to their unwillingness to give any part
of their stored-up provision to the unwelcome strangers. As the
Spaniards were greatly in need of. corn for themselves ami their
horses, they made no stay, hut hurried on. In a few days they arrived
Gentleman of Blvos, Publications of the Hakluyl Society, lx, pp. 52, 58, 64; London ;^">1
p mi.
•Garcilaso, La Florida del Enca, p. 136, ed
moosey] THE DE SOTO EXPEDITION 1540 25
at Guaquili, which is mentioned only by Ranjel, who does not specify
whether it was a town or a province— i. e., a tribal territory. It was
probably a small town. Here they were welcomed in a friendly man-
ner, the Indians giving them a little corn and many wild turkeys,
together with some dogs of a peculiar small species, which were bred
for eating purposes and did not bark.1 They were also supplied with
men to help carry the baggage. The name Guaquili has a Cherokee
sound and may be connected with wa'guli', "whipj rwill," uicd'gili,
" f oam," or gill, "dog." 1/
Traveling still toward the north, they arrived a day or two later in
the province of Xuala, in which we recognize the territory of the
Suwali, Sara, or Cheraw Indians, in the piedmont region about the
head of Broad river in North Carolina. Garcilaso, who did not sec it.
represents it as a rich country, while the Elvas narrative and Biedma
agree that it was a rough, broken country, thinly inhabited and poor
in provision. According to Garcilaso, it was under the rule of the
queen of Cofitachiqui, although a distinct province in itself.2 The
principal town was beside a small rapid stream, (lose under a moun-
tain. The chief received them in friendly fashion. giving them corn,
dogs of the small breed already mentioned, carrying baskets, and bur-
den bearers. The country roundabout showed greater indication- of
gold mines than any they had yet seen.1
Here De Soto turned to the west, crossing a very high mountain
ranee, which appears to have been the Blue ridge, and descending on
'tin' other side to a stream flowing in the opposite direction, which
was probably one id' the upper tributaries of the French Broad.3
Although it was late in May, they found it very cold in the moun-
tains.* After several days of such travel they arrived, about the end
of the month, at the town of Guasili, or Guaxule. The chief and
principal men came out some distance to welcome them, dressed in
tine robes of skins, with feather head-dresses, after the fashion of the
country. Before reaching this point the queen had managed to make
her escape, together with three slaves of the Spaniards, and the last
that was heard of her was that she was on her way back to her own
country with one of the runaways as her husband. What grieved
De Soto most in the matter was that she took with her a small box of
pearls, which he had intended to take.from her before releasing her.
but had left with her for the present in order •"not to discontent
hei- altogether."
Guaxule is described as a very large town surrounded by a number
of small mountain streams which united to form the large river down
which the Spaniard- proceeded after leaving the place.6 Here, as
'Ranjel, in Oviedo, Historia Genera] y Natural de his Indias, i. p. 562; Madrid, 1851.
'Garcilaso, La Florida del Inca,p.l37, ITi':-;. 'Ranjel, "p. 'it., i. p. 562.
Sei note 8, De Soto's route ■ Elvas, Hakluyt Society, ix. p. 61, 1851.
o Garcilaso, op. cit., p. 139.
26 KYTH8 OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
elsewhere, the Indians received the white men with kindness and hos-
pitality -ii much so thai the nan E Guaxule became to the army a
synonym for good fortune.1 Among other things they gave the Span-
iards 3 logs for f I, although, according to the Elvas narrative,
the Indian- themselves did qoI ea< them.8 The principal officers of
the expedition were lodged in the "chief's house," bj which we are to
understand the townhouse, which was upon a high hill with a roadway
to the top.3 From a close study of the narrative it appears that this
"hill" was ther than the greal Nacoochee mound, in White
county, Georgia, a few miles northwest of the present Clarkesville.'
It was within the Cherokee territory, and the town was probably a
settlement of thai tribe. From here De Soto senl runners ahead to
notify the chief of ( !hiaha of his approach, in order that sufficienl corn
might he ready mi his arrival.
Leaving < ruaxule, they proceeded down the river, w hich we identify
with the Chattahoochee, and in two days arrived at Canasoga, or Cana-
sagua, a frontier town of the Cherokee. As they neared the town
the\ were met i>\ the Indians, bearing baskets of "mulberries,"5 more
probably the delicious service-berry of the southern mountains, which
ripens in early summer, while the mulberry matures later.
From here they continued down the river, which grew constantly
larger, through an uninhabited country which formed the disputed
territory between the Cherokee and the Creeks. About five days after
leaving Canasagua they were met by messengers, who escorted them
to ( 'hiaha. the first town of the province of Coca. De Soto had crossed
the state of Georgia, leaving the Cherokee country behind him. ami
was now an lone- the Lower ( 'reeks, in the neighborhood of the present
Columbus, Georgia.6 With his subsequent wanderings after crossing
the Chattahoochee into Alabama and beyond we need not concern
ourselves (8).
While resting at Chiaha De Soto met with a chief who confirmed
what the Spaniards had heard before concerning mines in theproi ince
of Chisca, saying that there was there "a melting of copper"and of
another metal of about the same color, but softer, ami therefore not -o
much used.7 The province was northward from Chiaha. soinew here in
upper Georgia or the adjacent part of Alabama or Tennessee, through
all of which mountain region native copper is found. The other
mineral, which the Spaniards understood to he gold, may have been
iron pyrites, although there is some evidence that the Indians occa-
sionally found and shaped gold nuggets.'
i:.m |el, in i n Ledo, Hlstoria, [, p.563, 18 >1.
'Elvas, Biedma and Ranjel all make special reference to the dogs given them al this place; they
seem to have been of the same small breed ["perrillos' which Ranjel says the Indians used foi I.
sGarcilaso, La Florida del tnca, p. 139, 1728. 'See note 8, De Soto's
in-. Hakluyt Society, ix. p. 61,1861; and Ranjel.op cit.,p ••■
route. 'Elvas, op. cit., p.64.
mooxev] PARDO'S EXPEDITIONS — 1566-67 27
Accordingly two soldiers were sent on foot with Indian guides to
find Chisca ;m<l learn the truth of the stories. They rejoined the army
some time after the march had I n resumed, and reported according
to the Elvas chronicler, that their guides had taken them through a
country so poor in corn, so rough, and over so high mountains that it
would be impossible for the army to follow, wherefore, as the way
grew long and lingering, they had turned back after reaching a little
poor town where the}' saw nothing that was of any profit. They
brought back with them a dressed buffalo skin which the Indians there
had given them, the first ever obtained by white men. and described in
the quaint old chronicle as " an ox hide as thin as a calf's skin, and the
hair like a soft wool between the coarse and tine wool of sheep."1
( rarcilaso's glowing narrative gives a somewhat different impression.
According to this author the scouts returned full of enthusiasm for
the fertility of the country, and reported that the mines were of a tine
species of copper, and had indications also of gold and silver, while
their progress from one town to another had been a continual series of
feastings and Indian hospitalities.2 However that may have been,
De Solo made no further effort to reach the Cherokee mines, but con-
tinued his course westward through the Creek country, having spent
altogether a month in the mountain region.
There is no record of any second attempt to penetrate the Cherokee
country for twenty-six years (!l). In 1561 the Spaniards took formal
possession of the hay of Santa Elena, now Saint Helena, near Port
Royal, on the coast of South Carolina. The next year the French
made an unsuccessful attempt at settlement at the same place, and in
1566 Menendez made the Spanish occupancy sure by establishing there
a fort which he called San Felipe.3 In November of that year Captain
.1 uan I'ai'do was sent with a party from the fort to explore the interior.
Accompanied by the chief of "Juada" (which from Vandera's narra-
tive we find should be "Joara," i.e.. the Sara Indians already men-
tioned in the De Soto chronicle), he proceeded as far as the territory of
that tribe, where he built a fort, hut on account of the snow in the
mountains did not think it advisable to go farther, and returned.
leaving a sergeant with thirty soldiers to garrison the post. Soon
after his return he received a letter from the sergeant stating that the
chief of Chisca— the rich mining country of which De Soto had heard —
was very hostile to the Spaniards, and that in a recent battle the latter
had killed a thousand of his Indians and burned fifty houses with
almost no damage to themselves. Either the sergeant or his chronicler
must have been an unconscionable liar, as it was asserted that all this
was done with only fifteen men. Immediately afterward, according
to the same story, the sergeant marched with twenty men about a day's
MYTH8 OF THE CHEROKEE [cth.aiih.19
distance in the mountains against another hostile chief, whom he found
in a Btrongly palisaded town, which, after a hard fight, he and his men
stormed and burned, killing fifteen hundred Indians without losing a
single man themselves. Under instructions Erom his superior officer,
the sergeant with his small party then proceeded to explore what lay
bej I. and. taking a road which the} were told led to the territory
of a ureal chief, after lour day- of hard marching they came to his
tow ii. called Chiaha (Chicha, by mistake in the manuscript transla-
tion), the same where De Soto had rested. It i- described at this time
as palisaded and strongly fortified, with a deep river on each side, and
defended by over three thousand fighting men. there being no women
or children among them. It is possible that in view of their former
experience with the Spaniards, (lie Indian- had sent their families
awa\ from the town, while at the same time they may have summoned
warrior- from the neighboring Creek town- in order to be prepared
for any emergency. However, as before, they received the white
men with the greatest kindness, and the Spaniard- continued for
twelve day- through the territories of the same tribe until thej arrived
at the principal town (Kusa?), where. by the imitation of the chief,
they huilt a small fort and awaited the coming of Pardo, who was
expected to follow with a larger force from Santa Elena, as he did in
the summer of 1567, being met on hi- arrival with every -how ,>i
hospitality from the Creek chief s. This second fort was said to he one
hundred and fortj leagues distant from that in the Sara country, which
latter was called one hundred and twenty Leagues fr Santa Ciena.3
In the summer of 1567, according to previous agreement, Captain
Pardo left the fort at Santa Elena with a -mall detachment of troops,
and after a week's travel, sleeping each night at a different Indian
town, arrived at "Canos, which the Indian- call ( 'anosi. and by another
name, Cofetacque" (the Cofitachiqui of the De Soto chronicle),
which is described as situated in a favorable location for a large city.
fifty leagues from Santa Elena, to which tl asiest road was by a
river (the Savannah) which flowed by the town, or by another which
they had passed ten Leagues farther back. Proceeding, they passed
Jagaya, Gueza, and Arauchi, and arrived at Otariyatiqui, or Otari,
in which we- have perhaps the Cherokee d'tdri or d'tdli, "mountain".
It may have been a frontier Cherokee settlement, and. according to
the old chronicler, its chief and Language ruled much good country.
From here a trail went northward to Cuatari. Sauxpa. and L'si. i. e.,
the Wateree, Waxhaw (or Sissipahaw 'i. and l-'nerv or Catawba.
Leaving Otariyatiqui, they went on to Quinahaqui, and then, turn
ing to the Left, to [ssa, where they found mines of crystal (mica;).
Thev came nexl to Ae'uai'lliri (the Gruaquili of the De Solo chronicle).
and then to Joara, "near to the mountain, where Juan Pardo arrived
i Narrative of Panto's expedition by Martinez, about IS68, Uruuks manuscripts.
mooney] SPANISH MINING OPERATION'S 29
with his sergeant on his first trip." This, us has been noted, was the
Xuala of the De Soto chronicle, the territory of the Sara Indians, in
the foothills of the Blue ridge, southeast from the present Asheville,
North Carolina. Vandera makes it one hundred leagues from Santa
Elena, while Martinez, already quoted, makes the distance one hundred
and twenty leagues. The difference is not important, as both state-
ments were only estimates. From there they followed "along the
mountains" to Tocax (Toxaway?), Cauchi (Nacoochee?), and Tanas-
qui — apparently Cherokee towns, although the forms can not be iden-
tified— and after resting three days at the last-named place went on
"to Solameco, otherwise called Chiaha." where the sergeant met them.
The combined forces afterward went on, through Cpssa (Kusa), Tas-
quiqui (Taskigi). and other Creek towns, as far as Tascaluza, in the
Alabama country, and returned thence to Santa Elena, having appar-
ently met with a friendly reception everywhere along the route.
From Cofitachiqui to Tascaluza they went over about the same road
traversed by De Soto in 1540. "
We come now to a great gap of nearly a century. Shea has a notice
of a Spanish mission founded among the Cherokee in 1643 and still
flourishing when visited by an English traveler ten years later.' but as
his information is derived entirely from the fraudulent work of Davies,
and as no such mission is mentioned by Barcia in any of these years,
we may regard the story as spurious (10). The first mission work
in the tribe appears to have been that of Priber, almost a hundred
years later. Long before the end of the sixteenth century, however,
the existence of mines of gold and other metals in the Cherokee country
was a matter of common knowledge among the Spaniards at St. Augus-
tine and Santa Elena, and more than one expedition had been fitted out
to explore the interior. ' Numerous traces of ancient mining opera-
tions, with remains of old shafts and fortifications, evidently of Euro-
pean origin, show that these 'discoveries were followed up, although
the policy of Spain concealed the fact from the outside world. How
much permanent impression this early Spanish intercourse made
on the Cherokee il is impossible to estimate, but it must have been
considerable (11). ,
The Colonial and Revolutionary Period— i»>;>-L-1784
It was not until 1654 that the English first came into contact with
the Cherokee, called in the records of the period Rechahecrians, a cor-
ruption of Rickahockan, apparently the name by which they were
known to the Powhatan tribes. In that year the Virginia colony,
which had only recently concluded a long and exterminating war with
the Powhatan, was thrown into alarm by the news that a great body of
1 Vandera narrative, 1569, in French, B. F., Hist. Colls. of La., new series pp. I'sy-^L'; New York, 1875.
2Shea, J. G., Catholic Missions, p. 72; New York, 1855.
3See Brooks manuscripts, in the archives of the Bureau of American Ethnology.
•"•n MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.akn.U
six or seven hundred Rechabecrian [ndians — by which is probably
meant thai number of warriors from the mountains had invaded the
lower country and established themselves at the falls of James river,
where now is the city of Richmond. The assembly at once passed
resolutions "thai these new come Indians be in no sort suffered to seal
themselves there, or any place near us. it having cost so much blood
to expel and extirpate those perfidious and treacherous Indians which
were there formerly." It was therefore ordered that a force of at least
100 white men be at once senl against them, to be joined by the war-
riors of all the neighboring subject tribes, according to treaty obliga-
tion. The Pamunkey chief , with a hundred of his men. responded to
the summons, and the combined force marched againsl the invaders.
The result was a bloody battle, with disastrous outcome to the Vir-
ginians, the Pamunkey chief with most ,,f hi- men being killed, while
the whites were forced to make such terms of peace with the Recha-
hecrians that the assembly cashiered the commander of the expedition
and compelled him to pav the whole cost of the treatj from his own
estate.1 Owing to the imperfection of the Virginia records we have
no means of knowing the causes >d' tin' sudden invasion or how long
the invaders retained their position at the falls. In all probability it
was only the last of a long series of otherwise unrecorded irruptions
by the mountaineers on the more peaceful dwellers in the lowlands.
From a remark in Ledererit is probable that the Cherokee were assisted
also by some of the piedmont tribes hostile to the Powhatan. The
Peaks of Otter, near which the Cherokee claim to have once lived, as
has been already noted, are only about one hundred miles in a straight
line from Richmond, while the burial mound and town site near
Charlottesville, mentioned by Jefferson, are but half that distance.
In L655 a Virginia expedition sent out from the falls of James river
(Richmond) crossed over the mountains to the large streams flowing
into the Mississippi. No details are given and the route is uncertain,
hut whether or not they met Indians, they must have passed through
Cherokee territory.2
In L670 the German traveler. John Lederer, went from the falls of
.lames river to the Catawba country in South Carolina, following for
most of the distance the path used by the Virginia traders, who already
had regular dealings with the southern tribes, including probably the
Cherokee, lie speaks in several places of the Riekahoekan, which
seems to he a re correct form than Rechahecrian. and his narrative
and the accompanying map put them in the mountains of North Caro-
lina, back of the Catawba and the Sara and southward from the head
of Roanoke river. They were apparently on hostile terms with the
tribes to the eastward, and while the traveler was stopping at an Indian
i Burk, John, History of Virginia, n. pp 104-107; Petersburg, 1805.
s Ramsey, J. G. M., Annals oi Tennessee, i». 87; Charleston, 1853 (quoting Man in, North euro] in a. r,
p. 115, lv..;,.
mooney] FIRST TREATY WITH SOUTH CAROLINA 1684 31
village on Dan river, about the present Clarksville, Virginia, a delega-
tion of Rickahockan, which had come on tribal business, was barba-
rously murdered at a dance prepared on the night of their arrival by
their treacherous hosts. On reaching the Catawba country he heard
of white men to the southward, and incidentally mentions that the
neighboring mountains were called the Suala mountains by the Span-
iards.1 In the next year. 1671, a party from Virginia under Thomas
Batts explored the northern branch of Roanoke river and crossed
over the Blue ridge to the headwaters of New river, where they found
trace- of occupancy, but do Indians. By this time all the tribes of
this section, east of the mountains, were in possession of firearms.2
The first permanent English settlement in South Carolina was estab-
lished in L670. In L690 .lames Moore, secretary of the colony, made
an exploring expedition into the mountains and reached a point at
which, according to his Indian guides, he was within twenty miles of
where the Spaniards were engaged in mining and smelting with bel-
lows and furnaces, but on account of some misunderstanding he
returned without visiting the place, although he procured specimens
of ores, which he sent to England for assay.3 It may have been in the
neighborhood of the presenl Lincolnton, North Carolina, where a dam
of cut stone and other remains of former civilized occupancy have
recently been discovered (11). In this year. also. ( 'ornelius Dougherty',
an Irishman from Virginia, established himself as the first trader
among the Cherokee, with whom he spent the rest of his life.' Some
of his descendants still occupy honored positions in the tribe.
Among the manuscript archives of South Carolina there was said to
be, some fifty years ago, a treaty or agreement made with the govern-
ment of that colony by the Cherokee in L684, and signed with the
hieroglyphics of eight chiefs of the lower towns, viz. Corani. the
Raven (Ka'lanii): Sinnawa, the Hawk (Tla'nuwa); Nellawgitehi, Gor-
haleke. and Owasta, all of Toxawa; and Canacaught, the great Con-
juror, Gohoma, and Caunasaita, of Keowa. If still in existence, this
is probably the oldest Cherokee treaty on record.''
What seems to be the next mention of the Cherokee in the South
Carolina records occurs in L691, when we find an inquiry ordered in
regard to a report that some of the colonists "have, without any proc-
lamation of war. fallen upon and murdered" several of that tribe.6
In 1693 some Cherokee chiefs went to Charleston with presents for
the governor and offers of friendship, to ask the protection of South
Carolina against their enemies, the Esaw (Catawba). Savanna (Shawano).
'Lederer, John, Discoveries, pp. 15, 26, 27, 29, 33, and map: reprint. Charleston, 1891; Mooney, Siouan
Tribes of the East (bulletin of Bureau of Ethnology i. pp. 53-54, 1894.
-Mooney. op.cit., pp. 34-35.
^Document of 1699, quoted in South Carolina Hist. Soc. Colls., i, p. 209: Charleston. 1857.
* Haywood, Nat. and Aborig. Hist. Tennessee, p. 233, 1823.
5 Noted in Cherokee Advocate, Tahlequah, Indian Territory. January SO, 1845.
6 Document of 1691. South Carolina Hist. Soc. Colls., I, p. 126.
1/
32 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE isw.U
and Congaree, all of thai colony, who bad made war upon them and
sold a number of their tribesmen into slavery. They were told that
their kinsmen could not n<>\\ be recovered, bul that the English desired
friendship with their tribe, and thai the Government would see that
there would be no future ground for such complaint.' The promise
was apparently not kept, for in L705 we find a bitter accusation brought
against Governor Moore, of South Carolina, that he had granted com-
missions to a number of persons "to set upon, assault, kill, destroy,
ami take captive as many Indians as they possible [sic] could.'* the
prisoners being sold into slavery for his and their private profit. By
this course, it was asserted, he had •"already almost utterly ruined the
trade for skins and furs, whereby we held our chief correspondence
with England, and turned it into a trade of Indians or slave making,
whereby the Indians to the south and west of us are alreadj involved
in blood and confusion.'" The arraignment concludes with a warning
that such conditions would in all probability draw down upon the colony
an Indian war with all its dreadful consequences.2 In view of what
happened a few years later this reads like a prophecy.
Aliout tin' year L700the first guns were introduced among the Cher-
okee. th<' event being fixed traditionally as having occurred in the girl-
hood of an old woman of the tribe who died aliout L775.s In 17ns we
rind them described as a numerous people, living in the mountains
northwest from the Charleston settlements and havingsixty towns, hut
of small importance in the Indian trade, being "but ordinary hunters
and less warriors."*
In the war with the Tuscarora in 1711-171:'.. which resulted in the
expulsion of that tribe from North Carolina, more than a thousand
southern Indians reenforced the South Carolina volunteers, among
them being over two hundred Cherokee, hereditary enemies of the
Tuscarora. Although these Indian allies did their work well in the
actual encounters, their assistance was of doubtful advantage, as they
helped themselves freely to whatever they wanted alone' the way. so
that the settlers had reason to fear them almost as much as the hostile
Tuscarora. After torturing a large number of their prisoners in the
usual savage fashion, they returned with the remainder, whom they
afterward sold as slaves to South Carolina.'
Having wiped out old scores with the Tuscarora. the late allies of
the English proceeded to discuss their own grievances, which, as we
have seen, were sufficiently galling. The result was a combination
Hewat, s.iuili Carolina and Georgia, i. p. 127, 1778,
s Documents of 1705, in North Carolina Colonial Records, n, p. 904; Raleigh. 1886
Haywood, Nat. and Aborig. Tenn., p. 287,1823; with the usual idea thai Indians live to
old age, Haywood makes hei LlOyearsold at her death, patting back the introduction of Srearms
i . m hi Rivers, South Carolina p 288, 18 6,
Royci Cherokee Nation, Fifth Ann. Rep. Bureau "f Etl logj . p. L40, L888; Hewat,op. cit.,p.216
et passim.
> key] Mi mirk's EXPEDITION — 1715-16 33
against the whites, embracing all the tribes from Cape Fear to the
Chattahoochee, including the Cherokee, who thus for the first time
raised their hand against the English. The war opened with a terrible
massacre by the Yamassee in April, 1715, followed by assaults along
the whole frontier, until for a time it was seriously feared that the
colony of South Carolina would lie wiped out of existence. In a
contest between savagery and civilization, however, the final result is
inevitable. The settlers at last rallied their whole force under Gov-
ernor Craven and administered such a crushing blow to the Yamassee
that the remnant abandoned their country and took refuge with the
Spaniards in Florida or among the Lower Creeks. The English then
made short work with the smaller tribes along the coast, while those
in the interior were soon glad to sue for peace.1
A number of Cherokee chiefs having come down to Charleston in
company with a trader to express their desire for peace, a force of
several hundred white troops and a number of negroes under Colonel
Maurice Moore went up the Savannah in the winter of 1715-16 and
made headquarters among the Lower Cherokee, where they were
met by the chiefs of the Lower and some of the western towns,
who reaffirmed their desire for a lasting peace with the English, but
refused to fight against the Yamassee, although willing to proceed
against some other tribes. They laid the blame for most of the
trouble upon the traders, who "had been very abuseful to them of late."
A detachment under Colonel George Chicken, sent to the Upper
Cherokee, penetrated to " Quoneashee " (Tlanusi'yi. on Hiwassee,
about the present. Murphy) where they found the chiefs more defiant,
resolved to continue the war against the ('reeks, with whom the Eng-
lish were then trying to make peace, and demanding large supplies of
guns and ammunition, saying that if they made a peace with the other
tribes they would have no means of getting slaves with which to buy
ammunition for themselves. At this time they claimed 2,370 war-
riors, of whom half were believed to have guns. As the strength of
the whole Nation was much greater, this estimate may have been for
the Upper and Middle Cherokee only. After "abundance of per-
suading" by tin- officers, they finally '"told us they would trust us
once again," and an arrangement was made to furnish them two hun-
dred guns with a supply of ammunition, together with fifty white
soldiers, to assist them against the tribes with which the English were,
still at war. In March, 171(5. this force was increased by one hundred
men. The detachment under Colonel Chicken returned by way of the
towns on the upper part of the Little Tennessee, thus penetrating the
heart of the Cherokee country. '
iHewat, South Carolina and Georgia, i, p. 216 et passim, 177s.
2St*e Journal of Colonel 'irorv..' chicken. 1715-16, with notes, in Charleston Yearbook, pp 13-354
1S94.
19 ETH— 01 3
■U MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE ink.19
Steps were now taken to secure peace bj inaugurating a satisfactory
trade system, for which purpose a large quantity of suitable goods
was purchased at the public expense of South Carolina, and a corre-
spondingly large partj was equipped for the initial trip.' In L721,
in order still more to systematize Indian affairs, Governor Nicholson
of South Carolina invited the chiefs of the Cherokee t" a conference,
al which thirty-seven towns were represented. A treat} was made
|p\ which trading methods were regulated, a boundary line between
their territory and the English settlements was agreed upon, and an
agent was appointed to superintend their affairs-. At the governor's
suggestion, one chief, called WrosetasatoM i W was formally commis-
sioned as supreme head of the Nation, with authority to punish all
offenses, including murder, and to represent all Cherokee claim- to
the colonial government. Thus were the ( Jherokee reduced from their
former condition of a free people, ranging where their pleasure led. to
that of dependent vassals with hounds fixed by a colonial governor.
The negotiations were accompanied l>y a cession of land, the tirst in
the bistorj of the tribe. In little more than a century thereafter they
had signed away their whole original territory.3
The document of 1 71 ti already quoted puts the strength of the ( Jhero-
kee at that time at 2,370 warriors, hut in this estimate the Lower
Cherokee seem not to have been included. In 171-"'. according to a
trade census compiled by Governor Johnson of South Carolina, the
tribe bad thirty towns, with 4,000 warriors and a total population of
ll.i'lo.' Another census in L721 gives them fifty-three towns with
3,510 warriors and a total of L0,379,6 while the report of the hoard of
trade for the same year e-ives them 3,800 warriors,6 equivalent, by the
same proportion, to nearly L2,000 total. Adair, a good authority on
such matters, estimates, about the year L735, when the country was
better known, that they had "sixty-four towns and villages, populous
and full of children," with more than 6,000 fighting men. equivalent
<>n the same basis of computation to between 1.6,000 and L7,000 souls.
From what we know of them in later times, it is probable that this
last estimate is very nearly correct.
I>\ this time the colonial government had become alarmed at the
advance of the French, who had made their first 'permanent establish-
ment in the Gulf states at Biloxi hay. Mississippi, in L699, and in
1711 had built Fort Toulouse, known to the English as "the fort at
■ rolina Assembly, in North Carolina Colonial R ds, n, pp. 225-227,
-' For liuiicr. Bee the glossan
South Carolina i i, pp. 297-298, 1778; Royce, Cherokee Nation, in F
.hi .ii Ethnology, p. 144 and map, 1888,
Ro E "p. Hi., p. 1 12.
Documenl of L724, in Fernow Berthold, Ohio Valley in Colonial liny-, pp. 278-275; Albao
• Report of Board ot Trade, 1721, in North Carolina Colonial Rei ! 1886,
• Adair, James, American Indians, p. JJ7. London, 177'.
cuming's treaty — L730 35
the Alabamas," on Coosa river, a few miles above the present Mont-
gomery, Alabama. From this central vantage point they had rapidly
extended their influence among all the neighboring tribes until in
1721 it was estimated that 3,400 warriors who had formerly traded
with Carolina had been ••entirely debauched to the French interest,"
while 2,000 more were wavering, and only the Cherokee could still be
considered friendly to the English.1 From this time until the final
withdrawal of the French in IT*'.:; the explanation of our Indian wars
is to be found in the struggle between the two nations for territorial
and commercial supremacy, the Indian being simply the cat's-paw of
one o]- the other. For reasons of their own. the Chickasaw, whose
territory lay within the recognized limits of Louisiana, soon became the
uncompromising enemies of the French, and as their position enabled
them in a measure to control the approach from the Mississippi, the
Carolina government saw to it that they were kept well supplied with
guns and ammunition. British traders were in all their towns, and
on one occasion a French force, advancing against a Chickasaw
palisaded village, found it garrisoned by Englishmen flying the British
flag.2 The Cherokee, although nominally allies of the English, were
strongly disposed to favor the French, and it required every effort of
the Carolina government to hold them to their allegiance.
In 1730, to further lix the Cherokee in the English interest, Sir
Alexander Cuming was dispatched on a secret mission to that tribe,
which was again smarting under grievances and almost ready to join
witli the Creeks in an alliance with the French. Proceeding to the
ancient town of Nequassee (Nikwasi', at the present Franklin, North
Carolina), lie so impressed the chiefs by his bold bearing that they
conceded without question all his demands, submitting themselves
and their people for the second time to the English dominion and
designating Moytoy,3 of Tellico, to act as their "emperor" and to
represent the Nation in all transactions with the whites. Seven chiefs
were selected to visit England, where, in the palace at Whitehall,
they solemnly renewed the treaty, acknowledging the sovereignty of
England and binding themselves to have no trade or alliance with any
other nation, not to allow any other white people to settle among
thein. and to deliver up any fugitive slaves who might seek refuge
with them. To confirm their words they delivered a "crown", five
eagle-tails, and four scalps, which they had brought with them. In
return they received the usual glittering promises of love and per-
petual friendship, together with a substantial quantity of guns, ammu-
nition, and red paint. The treaty being concluded in September,
''Board of Trade report, 1721. North Carolina Colonial Records, n, p. 422, 1886.
spiekett.H. A., History of Alabama, pp. 234, 280, 288; reprint, Sheffield, 1896.
3 For notice, see the glossary.
36 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [bth.ann.19
they took ship for Carolina, where they arrived, as we are told by
(he governor, "in good health and mightily well satisfied with His
Majestj '- bounty to them." '
In the next year some action was taken to use the Cherokee and
Catawba to subdue the refractory remnant of the Tuscarora in North
Carolina, but when it was found that this was liable t<> bring down the
wrath of the Iroquois upon the Carolina settlements, more peaceable
methods were used instead. '
In L738 or 17:;'.' the smallpox, brought to Carolina by slave ships,
broke out among the ( Iherokee with such terrible effect that, according
to Adair, nearly half the tribe was swept away within a year. The
awful mortality was due largely to the fact that as it was a new and
strange disease to the Indian- they had no proper remedies against it.
and therefore resorted to the universal Indian panacea for "strong"
sickness of almost any kind. viz. cold plunge baths in the running
stream, the worst treatment that could possibly !»• devised. A> the
pestilence spread unchecked from town to town, despair fell upon the
nation. The priests, believing the visitation a penalty for violation of
the ancient ordinances, threw away their sacred paraphernalia as things
which had lost their protecting power. Hundreds of the warriors
committed suicide on beholding their frightful disfigurement. "So
shot themselves, others cut their throats, some stabbed themselves
with knives and others with sharp-pointed canes: many threw them-
sel\ es with sullen madness into the tire and there slowly expired, a- ii
they hail been utterly divested of the native power of feeling pain."3
Another authority estimates their loss at a thousand warriors, partly
from smallpox and partly from rum brought in by the traders.1
A 1 >■ nit the year L 740 a trading path for horsemen was marked out
by the Cherokee from the new settlement of Augusta, in Georgia, to
their towns on the headwaters of Savannah river and thence on to the
west. This road, which went up the south side of the river, soon
became much frequented.* Previous to this time most of the trading
goods had been transported on the backs of Indians. In the same
year a party of Cherokee under the war chief Ka'lanu. •"The Raven,"
took part in Oglethorpe's expedition against the Spaniards of Saint
Augustine.
In L736 Christian Priber, said to be a Jesuit acting in the French
interest, had come among the ( iherokee, and. by the facility with which
he learned the language and adapted himself to the native dress and
'Hewat, S Ii Carolina and Georgia, n,pp.S-ll, L779; treat; documei ' 1730, North Carolina
Colonial Ri — Is, ru, pp. 128 L33 1886; lenkinson, Collection of Treaties, n, pp. 315-318; Drake, S.G..
Early History of Georgia: Cuming's Embassy; Boston, 1872; letter of Governor Johnson, Dei
1780. noted In South Carolina Hist Soc. Colls., i p. 246, 1857.
a of 1781 and 1732, North Carolina Col I Records, III pp.153
\<i. ur American Indians pp. 232 234, 1775.
• Meadows (?), State of the Province ol Georgia, p . 1742, in Force Tracts, I 1831
I C Historj "i L-i.i i pp ! - B i L883,
kooney] PKIBER'S WORK 1736-41 87
mode of life, had quickly acquired a Leading influence among them.
He drew up for their adoption a scheme of government modeled after
the European plan, with the capital at Great Tellico, in Tennessee,
the principal medicine man as emperor, and himself as the emperor's
secretary. Dnder this title he corresponded with the South Carolina
government until it began to be feared that he would ultimately win
over the whole tribe to the French side. A commissi r was sent to
arrest him, but the Cherokee refused to give him up. and the deputy
was obliged to return under safe-conduct of an escort furnished by
Priber. Five years after the inauguration of his work, however, he
was seized by some English traders while on his way to Fort Toulouse,
and brought as a prisoner to Frederica, in Georgia, where he soon
afterward died while under confinement. Although his enemies had
represented him as a monster, inciting the Indians to the grosses!
immoralities, he proved to be a gentleman of polished address, exten-
sive learning, and rare courage, as was shown later on the occasion of
an explosion in the barracks magazine. Besides Greek, Latin. French,
German, Spanish, and fluent English, he spoke also the Cherokee,
and among his papers which were seized was found a manuscript
dictionary of the language, which he had prepared for publication -
the first, and even yet, perhaps, the most important study of the lan-
guage ever made. Says Adair: "As he was learned and possessed
of a very sagacious penetrating judgment, and had every qualification
that was requisite for his bold and difficult enterprise, it was not to be
doubted that, as he wrote a Cheerake dictionary, designed to be
published at Paris, he likewise set down a great deal that would have
been very acceptable to the curious and serviceable to the representa-
tives of South Carolina and Georgia, which may be readily found in
Frederica if the manuscripts have had the good fortune to escape the
despoiling hands of military power." He claimed to be a Jesuit, acting
under. orders of his superior, to introduce habits of steady industry,
civilized arts, and a regular form of government among the southern
tribes, with a view to the ultimate founding of an independent Indian
state. From all that can be gathered of him. even though it comes
from hi- enemies, there can be little doubt that he was a worthy
member of that illustrious order whose name has been a >\ nonym for
scholarship, devotion, and courage from the days of Jogues and Mar-
quette down to De Smet ami Mengarini.1
I'p to this time no civilizing or mission work had been undertaken
by either of the Carolina governments among any of the tribes within
their borders. As one writer of the period quaintly puts it. "The
gospel spirit is not yet so gloriously arisen as to seek them more than
theirs." while another in stronger terms affirms. "To the shame of
can Indians, pp. 240-243, 1775; Stevens, W;B., History of Georgia, r, pp. 104-107; I'hiln.,
MYTHS 01 THE I HEROKEE inn.19
the Christian name, no pains have ever been taken to convert them to
Christianity; on the contrary, their morals are perverted and cor
rupted da the sad example they daily have of its depraved professors
residing in their towns."' Readers of Lawson and other narratives
of the period will feel the force of the rebuke.
Throughout the eighteenth century the Cherokee were engaged in
chronic warfare with their Indian neighbors. As these quarrels con-
cerned thr whites but little, however UK mieiiti hi- they may have been
to the principals, we have but few details. The war with the Tusca-
rora continued until the outbreak of the latter tribe against Carolina
in 171 1 gave opportunity to the Cherokee to cooperate in striking the
blow which drove the Tuscarora from their ancient homes to seek
refuge in the north. The Cherokee then turned their attention to the
Shawano on the ( 'uniberland. and with the aid of the ( 'hiekasaw finally
expelled theiu from that region about the year L715. Inroads upon
the Catawba were probably kept up until the latter had become so far
reduced by war and disease as to be mere dependent pensioners upon
the whites. The former friendship with the Chickasaw was at last
broken through the overbearing conduct of the Cherokee, and a war
followed of which we find incidental notice in L757,8 and which termi-
nated in a decisive victory for the Chickasaw about L768. The bitter
war with the Iroquois of the far north continued, in spite of all the
efforts of the colonial governments, until a formal treaty of peace was
brought about by the efforts of Sir William Johnson (12) in the same
year.
The hereditary war with the Creeks for possession id' upper Georgia
continued, with brief intervals of peace, or even alliance, until the
United States finally interfered as mediator between the rival claimants.
In L718 we find notice of a large Cherokee war party moving against
the Creek tow n of i loweta, on the lower ( lhattahoocbee, but dispersing
on learning of the presence there of some French and Spanish officers,
a- well a- some English traders, all bent on arranging an alliance with
the Creeks. The Creeks themselves had declared their willingness to
be :it peace with the English, while still determined to keep the bloody
hatchet uplifted against the Cherokee.3 The most important incident
of the Struggle between the two tribes was probably the battle of
Tali'wa about the year 1755. '
By this time the weaker coast tribes had become practically extinct.
and the more powerful tribes of the interior were beginning to take
the alarm, as they saw the restless borderers pushing every \ ear farther
into the Indian country. As early as 174S Dr Thomas Walker, with a
company of hunters and woodsmen from Virginia, crossed the moun-
1 Anonymous writer in Carroll, Hist. Colls. of South Carolina, a, pp 97-98, 517,
Buckle, Journal, 1757, in Rivers, South Carolina, p.57, 1856.
i Barcia, A. G-, Ensayo Cbronologico para la Historia General rti In Florida pp. ...;.. ..i- Madrid,
1728.
' For more mi regard to these intertribal wars see the historical traditions
MOONEY] FRENCH AND INDIAN" W'aI! 1754-6] 39
tains to the southwest, discovering and naming the celebrated Cumber-
land gap and passing on to the headwaters of Cumberland river.
Two years later he made a second exploration and penetrated to Ken-
tucky river, but on account of the Indian troubles no permanent
settlement was then attempted." This invasion of their territory
awakened a natural resentment of the native owners, and we rind
proof also in the Virginia records that the irresponsible borderers
seldom let pass an opportunity to kill and plunder any stray Indian
found in their neighborhood.
In 1755 the Cherokee were officially reported to number 2,590 war-
riors, as against probably twice that number previous to the great
smallpox epidemic sixteen years before. Their neighbors and ancient
enemies, the Catawba, had dwindled to 240 men.2
Although war was not formally declared by England until L756,
hostilities in tiie seven year's struggle between France and England,
commonly known in America as the " French and Indian war." began
in April, 1754. when the French seized a small postwhich the English
had begun at tile present site of Pittsburg, and which was afterward
finished by the French under the name of Fort Du Quesne. Strenuous
efforts were made by the English to secure the Cherokee to their
interest against the French and their Indian allies, and treaties were
negotiated by which they promised assistance.3 As these treaties.
however, carried the usual cessions of territory, and stipulated for
the building of several forts in the heart of the Cherokee country, it
is to be feared that the Indians were not duly impressed by tin disin-
terested character of the proceeding. Their preference for the French
was but thinly veiled, and only immediate policy prevented them from
throwing their whole force into the scale on that side. The reasons
for this preference are given by Timberlake, the young Virginian
officer who visited the tribe on an embassy of conciliation a few years
later:
I found the nation much attached to the French, who have the prudence, by
familiar politeness — which costs hut little ami often does a great deal — ami conform-
ing themselves to their ways and temper, to conciliate the inclinations of almost all
the Indians they are acquainted with, while the pride of our officers often disgusts
them. Nay, they did net scruple to own to me that it was the trade alone that
induced them to make peace with us, ami net any preference to the French, whom
they loved a great deal better. . . . The English are now so nigh, and encroached
daily so far upon them, that they u^t only felt the had effects of it ill their hunting
grounds, which were spoiled, hut had all the reason in the world to apprehend being
swallowed up by so potent neighbors or driven from the country inhabited by their
fathers, in which they were horn ami brought up, in tine, their native soil, for which
all men have a particular tenderness and affection.
i Walker, Thomas, Journal of an Exploration, etc., pp. 8, 35-37; Boston, 1888; Monette
the Me-, i. p. 317; New York. 1848 erroneously makes the second date L758.
2 Letter of Governor Dobbs, 1755, in North Carolina Colonial Records, v, pp. 320,321, 1887.
'Ramsey, Tennessee, pp. 50-52 L8S Royce i herokee Nation, in Fifth Ann. Rep. Bur. of Eth-
nology, ]'■ 145, iv^s
40 MYTH- OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.akn.1S
He adds that only dire necessity had induced them to make peace
with the English in I 761.'
In accordance with the treaty stipulations Fori Prince George was
built in L756 adjoining the important Cherokee town of Keowee, on
the headwaters of the Savannah, and Fort Loudon near the junction
of Tellico river with the Little Tennessee, in the center of the
Cherokee towns beyond the mountains.2 By special arrangement with
the influential chief, Ata-kullakulla (Ata'-uul'kaliV). Fort Dobbs was
also built in the same year about -Jo mile- west of the present Salis-
bury. North ( larolina.4
The Cherokee had agreed to furnish four hundred warriors to
cooperate against the French in the north, but before Fort Loudon
had been completed it was very evident that they had repented of
their promise, as their great council at Echota ordered the work
stopped and the garrison on the wax to turn hack, plainly telling the
officer in charge that they did not want so many white people among
them. Ata-kullakulla, hitherto supposed to he one of the stanchest
friendsof the English, was now one of the most determined in the oppo-
sition. It was in evidence also that they were in constant communi-
cation with the French. By much tact and argument their objec-
tions were at last overcome for a time, and they very unwillingly set
about raising the promised force of warriors. Major Andrew Lewi-,
who superintended the building of the fort, became convinced that
the Cherokee were really friendly to the French, and that all their
professions of friendship and assistance were ■•only to put a gloss on
their knavery." The fort was finally completed, and. on his suggestion,
wag garrisoned with a strong force of two hundred men under Captain
Demere\5 'There was strong ground for believing that some depreda-
tions committed about this time on the heads of Catawba and Broad
rivers, in North ( 'arolina. were the joint work id' ( 'herokee and northern
Indians." Notwithstanding all this, a considerable body of Cherokee
joined the British forces on the Virginia frontier.
Fort I >u Quesne was taken by the American provincials under Wash-
ington, November 25, 17-Vs. Quebec was taken September L3, 1759,
and by the final treaty of peace in I 7b:! the war ended with the transfer
of Canada and the Ohio valley to the crown of England. Louisiana
had already been ceded by France to Spain.
Although France was thus eliminated from the Indian problem, the
'Timberlake, Henry, Memeirs, pp. 7:;. 74; London, 1765
Ramsi i nm - p ■• 1853 Royce, Cherokee Nation, in Fifth Ann. Rept. Bur. of Ethnology,
p. 145, 1888.
i ,,, notice - i \iv sul"WUn', in the jlossarj
1 1: se] op ell . p 50.
Letters ol Majoi Indrev Lewis and Governor Dinwiddle, 17:«;. in North Carolina Colonial Records
v, pp i85 612-614 685,687,1887: Ramsey, op. clt., pp. 61, 52.
s Letter of Governor Dobbs, 1756, in North Carolina Colonial Rei Is, V, p. 604, 1887
: Dinw iddle letter, I7~>7. ibid., p
J key] LEWIS' EXPEDITION — 175(5 41
Indians themselves were not ready to accept the settlement. In the
north the confederated tribes under Pontiac continued to war on their
own account until 17<'>5. In the South the very Cherokee who had
acted a^ allies of the British against Fort DuQuesne, and had volun-
tarily offered to guard the frontier south of the Potomac, returned
to rouse their tribe to resistance.
The immediate exciting cause of the trouble was an unfortunate expe-
dition undertaken against the hostile Shawano in February, L756, by
Major Andrew Lewi-- (the same who had built Fort Loudon) withsome
two hundred Virginia troops assisted by about one hundred Cherokee.
After -i\ weeks of fruitless tramping through tin' woods, with the
ground covered with snow and the streams s,, swollen by rains that
they lost their provisions and ammunition in crossing, they were obliged
to return to the settlements in a starving condition, having killed their
horses on the way. The Indian contingent had from the first been
disgusted at the contempt and neglect experienced from those whom
they had conn1 to assist. The Tuscarora and others had already gone
home, and the Cherokee now started to return on foot to their own
country. Finding some horses running loose on the range, they
appropriated them, on the theory that as they had lost their own
animals, to say nothing of having risked their lives, in the service
of the colonists, it was only a fair exchange. The frontiersmen
took another view of the question however, attacked the returning
Cherokee, and killed a number of them, variously stated at from
twelve to forty, including several of their prominent men. Accord-
ing to Adair they also scalped and mutilated the bodies in the savage
fashion to which they had become accustomed in the border wars, and
bi'ought the scalps into the settlements, where they were represented
as those of French Indians and sold at the regular price then estab-
lished by law. The young warriors at once prepared to take revenge,
but were restrained by the chief s until satisfaction could be demanded
in the ordinary way. according to the treaties arranged with the colonial
governments. Application was made in turn to Virginia, North
Carolina, and South Carolina, but without success. While the women
were still wailing night and morning for their slain kindred, and the
Creeks were taunting the warriors for their cowardice in thus quietly
submitting to the injury, some lawless officers of Fort Prince George
committed an unpardonable outrage at the neighboring Indian town
{_^^while most of the men were away hunting.1 The warriors could no
longer be restrained. Soon there was news of attacks upon the back
settlements of Carolina, while on the other side of the mountains two
soldiers of the Fort Loudon garrison were killed. War seemed at
hand.
1 Adair. American Indians, 245-246, 177a; North Carol inn Colonial Records, v, p. xlviii, 1887; I lew at,
quoted in Ramsey, Tennessee, p. 54, 1853
42 MYTHS OB llli l HEROKEE
At ihi- juncture, in November, 1758, a party of influential chiefs,
having first ordered back a war party ju-t aboul in set mil from the
western towns against the Carolina settlements, came down toChai-les-
ton and succeeded in arranging the difficulty upon a friendly basis.
The assembly had officially declared peace with (lie < !herokee, \\ hen, in
M;i\ of 1759, Governor Lyttleton unexpectedly came forward with a
demand for the surrender I'm- execution of every Indian who had killed
a white man in tin' recent skirmishes, among these being t } » « - chiefs of
Citieo and Tellico. At the same time the commanderal Fori Loudon,
forgetful of the fact that In' had but a -mall garrison in the midst of
several thousands of restless savages, made a demand for twentj four
other chiefs whom he suspected of unfriendly action. Tocompel their
surrender orders were given to stop all trading supplies intended for
i he upper ( Iherokee.
This roused tin' whole Nation, and a delegation representing everj
town came down to Charleston, protesting the de-ire of the Indian- lor
peace and friendship, but declaring their inability to surrender their own
chiefs. The governor replied by declaring war in November, 1759, at
once callingout troops and sending messengers to secure the aid of all
the surrounding tribes against the Cherokee, [n the meantime asecond
delegation of thirty -two of the most prominent men. led by the young
war chief Oconostota (Agan-st&ta),1 arrived t<> make a further efforl
for peace, Imt the governor, refusing to listen to them, seized the
whole party and confined them as prisoners at Fort Prince George, in
a room large enough for only six soldiers, while at the same time he
set fourteen hundred troops in motion to invade the Cherokee country.
On further representation by Ata-kullakulla (Ata'-gul''kfilu'), the civil
chief of the Nation and well known as a friend of the English, the gov-
ernor released Oconostota and two others after compelling some half
do/en of the delegation to sign a paper by which they pretended to
agree lor their tribe to kill or seize any Frenchmen entering their
countrj . and consented to the imprisonment of the parly until all the
warriors demanded had been surrendered for execution <>r otherwise.
At this stage of affairs the smallpox broke out in the Cherokee towns.
rendering a further stay in their neighborhood unsafe, and thinking
the whole matter now settled on his own basis, Lyttleton returned
to ( 'harleston.
The event soon proved how little he knew of Indian temper, < Ocono-
stota at once laid siege to Fort 1'rince George, completely cutting off
communication at a time when, as it was now winter, no help could
well be expected from below. In February, L 760, after having kept
the fort thus closely invested for some weeks, he sent word one day
by an Indian woman that he \\ ished to speak to the commander, Lieut-
enant Coytmore. As the lieutenant stepped out from the stockade
1 Fur notices Bee I he fi :
i Montgomery's expedition — 1760 43
to see what was wanted, Oconostota, standing on the opposite side of
the river, swung a bridle above his head as a signal to his warriors
concealed in the bushes, and the officer was at once shot down. The
soldiers immediately broke into the room where the hostages were
confined, every cue being a chief of prominence in the tribe, and
butchered them to the last man.
It was now war to the end. Led by Oconostota, the Cherokee
descended upon the frontier settlements of ( iarolina, while the warriors
across the mountains laid close siege to Fort London. In June, L760,
a strong force of over L,600 men. under Colonel Montgomery, started
to reduce the Cherokee towns and relieve the beleaguered garrison.
Crossing the Indian frontier. Montgomery quickly drove the enemy
from about Fort Prince George and then, rapidly advancing, surprised
Little Keow'ee, killing every man of the defenders, and destroyed in
succession every one of the Lower Cherokee towns, burning them to
the ground, cutting down the cornfields and orchards, killing and
taking more than a hundred of their men. and driving the whole popu-
lation into the mountains before him. His own loss was very slight.
He then sent messengers to the .Middle and Upper towns, summoning
them to surrender on penalty of the like fate, but, receiving no reply,
he led his men across the divide to the waters of the Little Tennessee
and continued down that stream without opposition until he came in
the vicinity of Ephoee (Itse'yi), a few mile- above the sacred town of
Nikwasi', the present Franklin. North Carolina. Here the Cherokee
had collected their full force to resist his progress, and the result was
a desperate engagement on dune 27, LTtio. by which Montgomery was
compelled to retire to Fort Prince George, after losing nearly one
hundred men in killed and wounded. The Indian loss is unknown.
His retreat sealed the fate of Fort Loudon. The garrison, though
hard pressed and reduced to the necessity of eating horses and dogs,
had been enabled to hold out through the kindness of the Indian
women, many of whom, having found sweethearts among the soldiers,
brought them supplies of f 1 daily. When threatened by the chiefs
the women boldly replied that the soldiers were their husbands and it
was their duty to help them, and that if any harm came to themselves
for their devotion their English relatives would avenge them.1 The
end was only delayed, however, and on August 8, 1760, the garrison
of about two hundred men, under Captain Demere, surrendered to
Oconostota on promise that they should be allowed to retire unmo-
lested with their arms and sufficient ammunition for the march, on
condition of delivering up all the remaining warlike stores.
The troops marched out and proceeded far enough to camp for the
night, while the Indians swarmed into the fort to see what plunder
they might hud. "By accident a discovery was made of ten bags of
J Tunberlake, Memoirs, p. 65, 1765.
44 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.ih
powder and a large quantity of ball thai had been secretly buried in
the fort, to prevent their falling into the enemy's hands" (Hewat).
It i- said also that cannon, small arm-, and ammunition had been
thrown into the river with the same intention (Haywood). Em-aged
al this breach of the capitulation the Cherokee attacked the soldiers
next morning at daylight, killing Deniere" and twenty-nine others at
the first fire. The rest were taken ami held as pris »rs until ran-
somed some time after. The second officer, Captain Stuart (13), for
whom the Indian- had a high regard, was claimed by Ata-kullakulla.
who soon after took him into the woods, ostensibly on a hunting
excursion, and conducted him for nine days through the wilderness
until he delivered him safely into the hands of friends in Virginia.
The chief's kindness was well rewarded, and it was largely through
his influence that peace was finally brought about.
It was now too late, and the settlements were too much exhausted,
for another expedition, so the fall and winter were employed by the
English in preparations for an active campaign the next year in force
to crush out all resistance. In June 1761, Colonel Grant with an
army of 2,600 men. including a number of Chickasaw and almost
every remaining warrior of the Catawba,1 set out from Fort Prince
George. Refusings request from Ata-kullakulla foi a friendly accom-
modation, he crossed Rabun yap and advanced rapidly down the
Little Tennessee alone- the same trail taken by the expedition of the
previous year. On June 10, when within two miles of Montgomery's
battlefield, he encountered the Cherokee, whom he defeated, although
with considerable loss to himself, after a stubborn engagement lasting
several hours. Having repulsed the Indians, he proceeded on his
way, sending out detachments to the outlying settlements, until in
the course of a month he had destroyed every one of the Middle
town-. I.', in all. with all their granaries and cornfields, driven the
inhabitants into the mountain-, and "pushed the frontier seventy
miles farther to the west."
y1^ The Cherokee were now reduced to the greatest extremity. With
some of their best towns in ashes, their fields and orchards wasted for
two successive years, their ammunition nearly exhausted, many of
their bravest warriors dead, their people fugitives in the mountains,
hiding in caves and living like beasts upon roots or killing their
horses for food, with the terrible scourge of smallpox adding to the
mi-eric- of starvation, and withal torn by factional differences which
had existed from the very beginning of the war ii wa- impossible
for even brave men to resist longer. In September Ata-kullakulla,
who had all alone- done everything in his power to stay the disaffec-
tion, came down to Charleston, a treaty of peace was made, and the
i Catawba reference from Milligan, 171;:;, in Carroll, South Carolina Historical Collections, 11, p.
519
M....NKV] AUGUSTA TREATY ADVANCE OF SETTLEMENTS 45
war was ended. From an estimated population of at least 5,000 war-
riors some years before, the Cherokee had now been reduced to about
2,300 men.1
In the meantime a force of Virginians under Colonel Stephen had
advanced as far as the Great island of the Holston -now Klingsport,
Tennessee — where they were met by a large delegation of Cherokee,
who sued for peace, which was concluded with them by Colonel
Stephen on November 19, 1761, independently of what was being done
in South Carolina. On the urgent request of the chief that an officer
might visit their people for a short time to cement the new friendship,
Lieutenant Henry Timberlake, a young Virginian who had already dis-
tinguished himself in active service, volunteered to return with them to
their towns, where he spent several months. He afterward conducted
a delegation of chiefs to England, where, as they had come without
authority from the Government, they met such an unpleasant recep-
tion that they returned disgusted. '
On the conclusion of peace between England and France in 1 T • *► : ; . by
which the whole western territory was ceded to England, a great
council was held at Augusta, which was attended by the chiefs and
principal men of all the southern Indians, at which Captain John
Stuart, superintendent for the southern tribes, together with the colo-
nial governors of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and ( reor
gia, explained fully to the Indians the new condition of affairs, and a
treaty of mutual peace and friendship was concluded on November 10
of that year. :
Under several leaders, as Walker, W alien, Smith, and Boon, the tide
of emigration now surged across the mountains in spite of every efforl
to restrain it.4 and the period between the end of the Cherokee war
and the opening of the Revolution is principally notable for a number
of treaty cessions by the Indians, each in fruitless endeavor to tix a
permanent barrier between themselves and the advancing wave of
white settlement. Chief among these was the famous Henderson pur-
\/ chase in 1775, which included the whole tract between the Kentucky
and Cumberland rivers, embracing the greater part of the present
state of Kentucky. By these treaties the Cherokee were shorn of
practically all their ancient territorial claims north of the present
Tennessee line and east of the Blue ridge and the Savannah, including
much of their best hunting range; their home settlements were, how-
ever, left still in their possession. '
1 Figures from Adair, American Indians, p. 227, 177"'. When not otherwise
the Cherokee war • <( 1760-61 is compiled chiefly from the contemporarj dispatches in the Gi rifleman's
Magazine, supplemented from Hewat's Historical account of South Carolina and Georgia, 177s: with
additional details from Adair. American Indians; Ramsej , Tennessei ; Royce, Cherokee Nation; North
Carolina Colonial Records, v, documents and introduction; etc.
-Timberlake. Memoirs, p. 9 et passim, 1765.
'Stevens, Georgia, II, pp. 26-29, 1859, 'Ramsey, Tennessee, pp. 65-70, 1853
sRoycc Cherokei Nation, in Fifth Ann. Rep. Bur. of Ethnology, pp. 146-149, 1888.
..
46 MYTHS OK THE CHEROKEI [bih.ann.19
As ■ consequence of the late Cherokee war, a royal proclamation
had been issued in L 763, with a view of checking future encroachments
l>\ the whites, which prohibited any private land purchases from the
Indians, or an} granting of warrants for lands wesl of the sources
of the streams flowing into the Atlantic.1 In L 768, on the appeal of
the Indians themselves, the British superintendent for the southern
tribes, Captain John Stuart, had negotiated a treaty at Hani Labor
in South Carolina by which Kanawha and New rivers, along their
whole course downward from the North Carolina line, were Sxed as
the boundary between the Cherokee and the whites in that direction.
In two years, however, so many borderers had crossed into the Indian
country, where thej were evidently determined to remain, thai it was
found necessary to substitute another treaty, by which the line was
made to nm due south from t he mouth of the Kanawha to the Hols ton,
thus cutting off from the Cherokee almost the whole of their hunting
grounds in Virginia and West Virginia. Two years later, in I77l'.
the Virginians demanded a further cession, by which everything east
of Kentucky river was surrendered; and finally, on March 17. 177.">.
the great Henderson purchase was consummated, including the whole
tract between the Kentucky and Cumberland rivers. By this last i/
cession the Cherokee were at last cut otl' from Ohio river and all their
rich Kentucky hunting grounds.8
While these transactions were called treaties, they were really
forced upon the native proprietors, who resisted each in turn and
finally signed only under protest and on most solemn assurances that
no further demands would be made. Even before the purchases were
made, intruders in large numbers had settled upon each of the tracts
in question, and they refused to withdraw across the boundaries now
established, but remained on one pretext or another to await a new
adjustment. This was particularly the case on Watauga and upper
Holston rivers in northeastern Tennessee, where the settlers, finding
themselves still within the Indian boundary and being resolved to
remain, effected a temporary lease from (he Cherokee in 177l'. As
was expected and intended, the lease beca a permanent occupancy,
the nucleus settlement of the future State of Tenne — er.
Just before the outbreak of the Revolution, the botanist. William
Hart ram. made an extended tour of the Cherokee country, anil has left
US a pleasant account of the hospitable character ami friendly dispo-
sition of the Indians at that time. He gives alist of forty-three towns
then inhabited by the tribe.'
The opening of the great Revolutionary struggle in 1 T T * "> found the
Indian tribes almost to a man ranged on the British side against the
R03 •' < Iherokee Nation, op. cit., p. 1 19; Eta
2 Ramsey, op. cit., pp. 98 122; Royce, op. cit. pp. 146-149.
> Ramsey, op. cit., pp. 109 122; Royce,. op, cit. p. U6et pa
< Bartram, Travels, pp 166 i" ! 1792
hoo.\-f.i- BEGINNING OF THE REVOLUTION 4i
Americans. There was good reason for this. Since the fall of
the French power the British government had stood to them as the
sole representative of authority, and the guardian and protector of
their rights against constant encroachments by the American borderers.
Licensed British traders were resident in every tribe and many had
intermarried and raised families among them, while the bonier man
looked upon the Indian only as a cumberer of the earth. The British
superintendents, Sir William Johnson in the north and Captain John
Stuart in the south, they knew as generous friends, while hardly a
warrior of them all was without some old cause of resentment against
their backwoods neighbors. They felt that the only barrier between
themselves and national extinction was in the strength of the British
government, and when the final severence came they threw their
whole power into the British scale. They were encouraged in this
resolution by presents of clothing and other Moods, with promises of
plunder from the settlement- and hopes of recovering a portion of their
lost territories. The British government having determined, as early
as June, 1775. to call in the Indians against the Americans, supplies
of hatchets, guns, and ammunition were issued to the warriors of all
the tribes from the lakes to the gulf, and bounties were offered for
American scalps brought in to the commanding officer at Detroit or
Oswego.1 Even the Six Nations, w ho had agreed in solemn treaty to
remain neutral, were won over by these persuasions. In August, 177">.
an Indian "talk" was intercepted in which the Cherokee assured Cam-
eron, the resident agent, that their warriors, enlisted in the service of
the king, were ready at a signal to tall upon the back settlements of
Carolina and Georgia.2 Circular letters were sent out to all those
persons in the back country supposed to he of royalist sympathies,
directing them to repair to Cameron's headquarters in the Cherokee
country to join the Indians in the invasion of the settlements."
In .Tune. 1776, a British fleet under command of Sir Peter Parker,
with a large aavaland military force, attacked Charleston, South Caro-
lina, both by land and sea. and simultaneously a body of ( 'herokee, led
by Tories in Indian disguise, came down from the mountains and ravaged
the exposed frontier of South Carolina, killing and burning as they
went. After a gallant defense by the garrison at Charleston the British
were repulsed, whereupon their Indian and Tory allies withdrew.'
About the same time the warning came from Nancy Ward 114). a
noted friendly Indian woman of "teat authority in the ( 'herokee Nation.
that seven hundred Cherokee warriors were advancing in two divisions
against the Watauga and Holston settlements, with the design of
'Kin: [>p ii. L.'iu s.v.; Mi >notte, Valley of the Mississippi, I, pp. 400, 401, 431, 432, and
II, pp. 33. 34, 1846; Roosevelt. Winning of the West, I. pp. 276-281, and II, pp. 1-6, 1889.
op. 'it., p. 143.
'Quoted from Stedman, in Ramsey, op. cit., \>. 162.
* Ramsey,op. cit., p. 162.
48 .MYTHS 01 THE CHEROKEE
IKTH.
destroying everything as far up as New river. The Holston men
from b'oth sides of the Virginia line hastily collected under Captain
Thompson and marched againsl the Indians, whom they met and
defeated with signal loss after a hard-foughl battle near the Long
island in the rlolston (Kingsport, Tennessee), on Augusl 20. The
nexl da\ the second division of the Cherokee attacked the fori at
Watauga, garrisoned by only forty men under ( Japtain .lame- Robert-
son (15), but was repulsed without loss to the defenders, the Indians
withdrawing on news of the result ai the Long island. A Mrs. Bean
and a boy named Moore were captured on this occasion and carried to
one of the Cherokee towns in the neighborhood of Tellico, where the
boj was burned, hut tin' woman, after she had been condemned to
death and everything was in readiness for the tragedy, was rescued by
the interpositi f Nancy Ward. Two other Cherokee detachments
moved against the upper settlements at the same time. One of these.
finding all the inhabitants securely shut up in forts, returned without
doing much damage. The other ravaged the country on Clinch river
almost to its head, and killed a man and wounded other- at Black's
station, now Abingdon, Virginia.1
At the same time that one pari of the Cherokee were raiding the
Tennessee settlements others came down upon the frontiers of Caro-
lina and Georgia. On the upper Catawba they killed many people, hut
the whites took refuge in the stockade stations, where they defended
themselves until General Rutherford (hi) came to their relief. In
Georgia an attempt had been made by a small party of Americans to
seize Cameron, who lived in one of the Cherokee towns with his Indian
\\ ife. hut. as was to have been expected, the Indians interfered, killing
several of the party and capturing others, who were afterward tortured
lo death. The Cherokee of the Upper and Mid. lie town-, with some
Creeks and Tories of the vicinity, led by Cameron himself, at once
began ravaging the South Carolina border, burning houses, driving off
cattle, and killing men, women, and children without distinction, until
the whole country was in a wild panic, tin1 people abandoning their
farms to seek safety in the garrisoned forts. On one occasion an
at t aids by two hundred of the enemy, half of them being Tories, stripped
and painted like Indians, was repulsed by the timely arrival of a body
of Americans, who succeeded in capturing thirteen of the Tories. The
invasion extended into Georgia, where also property was destroyed
and the inhabitants were driven from their homes.'
Realizing their common danger, the border states determined to
strike such a concerted blow at the Cherokee as should render them
passive while the struggle with England continued. In accord with
this plan of cooperation tin; frontier forces were quickly mobilized and
Ramse) Tenne ■. pp L50-159 1858
Eto aevelt, Winning of the West, I, pp. 293-297, 1889.
i nkv] RUTHERFORD AND WILLIAMSON EXPEDITIONS 177«> 49
in the summer of 1776 four expeditions were equipped from Virginia,
North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, to enter the Cherokee
territory simultaneously from as many different directions.
In August of that year the army of North Carolina, 2,400 strong,
under General Griffith Rutherford, crossed the Blue ridge at Swan-
nanoa gap, and following the main trail almost along the present line
of the railroad, struck the first Indian town, Stika'yi, or Stecoee, on
the Tuekasegee, near the present Whittier. The inhabitants having
fled, the soldiers burned the town, together with an unfinished town-
house ready for the roof, cut down the standing corn, killed one or
twostraggling Indians, and then proceeded on their mission of destruc-
tion. Every town upon Oconaluftee, Tuekasegee, and the upper
part of Little Tennessee, and on Hiwassee to below the junction of
Valley river — thirty-six towns in all — was destroyed in turn, the corn
cut down or trampled under the hoofs of the stock driven into the
fields for that purpose, and the stock itself killed or carried off. Before
such an overwhelming force, supplemented as it was by three others
simultaneously advancing from other directions, the Cherokee made
but poor resistance, and tied with their women and children into the
fastnesses of the Great Smoky mountains, leaving their desolated fields
and smoking towns behind them. As was usual in Indian wars, the
actual number killed or taken was small, but the destruction of pro-
perty was beyond calculation. At Sugartown (Kulsetsi'yi, east of the
present Franklin) one detachment, sent to destroy it. was surprised,
and escaped only through the aid of another force sent to its rescue.
Rutherford himself, while proceeding to the destruction of the Hiwas-
see towns, encountered the Indians drawn up to oppose his progress in
the Wayagap of the Nantahala mountains, and one of the hardest tights
of the campaign resulted, the soldiers losing over forty killed and
wounded, although the Cherokee were finally repulsed (17). One of
the Indians killed on this occasion was afterward discovered to be a
woman, painted and armed like a warrior.1
On September M the South Carolina army, 1,860 strong, under
Colonel Andrew Williamson, and including a number of Catawba
Indians, effected a junction with Rutherford's forces on Hiwassee
river, near the present Murphy. North Carolina. It had been expected
that Williamson would join the northern army at Cowee, on the Little
Tennessee, when they would proceed together against the western
towns, but he had been delayed, and the work of destruction in that
direction was already completed, so that after a short rest each army
returned home along the route by which it had come.
The South Carolina men had centered by different detachments in
'See no. 110, "Incidents of Personal Heroism." For Rutherford's expedition, see Moore, Rutherford's
Expedition, in North Carolina University Magazine, February, 1888; Swain, Sketch of the Indian War
in 1776, ibid., May, 1852, reprinted in Historical Magazine, November, 1867; Ramsey, Tennessee, p. 164,
1853; Roosevelt, Winning of the West, I, pp. 294-302, 1889, etc.
19 ETH 01 4
50 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [bth.anu.m
the lower Cherokee town- about the head of Savannah river, burning
one town after another, cutting down the peach trees and ripened
corn, and having an occasional brush with the Cherokee, who hung con-
stantly 141011 their flanks. At the town of Seneca, near which they
encountered ( 'aineron witti his Indian- and Tories, they had destroyed
six thousand bushels of corn, besides other food stores, after burning all
the houses, the Indians having retreated after a -tout resistance. The
most serious encounter had taken place at Tomassee, where several
whites and sixteen ( 'hcrokec wen- killed, the latter being all scalped
afterward. Having completed the ruin of the Lower town-. Wil-
liamson had cros-ed over Rabun gap and descended into the valley of the
Little Tennessee to cooperate with Rutherford in the destruction of the
Middleand Valley town-. As the army advanced every house in every
settlement met was burned ninety houses in one settlement alone and
detachments were sent into the fields to destroy the corn, of which the
smallest town was estimated to have two hundred acre-, besides pota-
toes, beans, and orchards of peach trees. The store- of dressed deer-
skins and other valuables were carried off. Everything was swept clean,
and the Indians who were not killed or taken were driven, homeless
refugees, into the dark recesses of Nantahala or painfully made their
way across to the Overhill towns in Tennessee, which were already
menaced by another invasion from the north.'
In -Inly, while Williamson was engaged on the the upper Savannah,
a force of two hundred Georgians, under Colonel Samuel .lack, had
marched in the same direction ami succeeded in burning two towns on
the heads of ( 'hat t ahoochee and Tugaloo rivers, destroying the corn
ami driving oil' the cattle, without the loss of a man. the Cherokee
having apparently fallen hack to concentrate for resistance in the
mountains. 2
The Virginia army, about two thousand strong, under Colonel
William Christian (18), rendezvoused in August at the Long island
of the Ilolston. the regular gathering place on the Tennessee side of
the mountains. Among them were several hundred men from North
Carolina, with all who could he spared from the garrisons on the
Tennessee side. Paying hut little attention to small bodies of Lndi
ans, who tried to divert attention ortodelay progress by flankattacks,
they advanced steadily, hut cautiously, along the great Indian war-
path (19) toward the crossing id' the French Broad, where a strong
force of ( 'hcrokec was reported to he in waiting to dispute their pas-
sage, .lust before reaching the river the Indians sent a Tory trader
1 For Williamson's expedition, ••<■<■ Ross Journal, with Rockwell's notes, in Historical Magazine,
October, 1876; Swain.Sketch of the rndian War in n~u, in North Carolina University Magazine for
May, 1852, reprinted in Historical Magazine, November, 1867; Jones, Georgia, 11, p. 246et passim,
1883 1: unsey, Tennessee, 168 164, 1858; 1: evelt, Winning of the West, 1, pp. 296 308, 1889.
;.i 9, op. cit., p. 246; Ramsey, op. cit., p. 163; Roosevelt, op. cit., p. 295.
mooney] christian's expedition — 1776 51
with a flag of truce to discuss tonus. Knowing that his own strength
was overwhelming. Christian allowed the envoy to go through the
whole camp and then sent him back with the message that there could
be no terms until the Cherokee towns had been destroyed. Arriving
at the ford, he kindled fires and made all preparations as if intending
to camp there for several days. As soon as night fell, however, he
secretly drew off half his force and crossed the river lower down, to
come upon the Indians in their rear. This was a work of great diffi-
culty; as the water was so deep that it came up almost to the shoulders
of the men, while the current was so rapid that they were obliged to
support each other four abreast to prevent being swept off their feet.
However, they kept their guns and powder dry. On reaching the
other side they were surprised to find no enemy. Disheartened at the
strength of the invasion, the Indians had fled without even a show of
resistance. It is probable that nearly all their men and resources had
been drawn off to oppose the Carolina forces on their eastern border.
and the few who remained felt themselves unequal to the contest.
Advancing without opposition, Christian reached the towns on
Little Tennessee early in November, and, finding them deserted, pro-
ceeded to destroy them, one after another, with their outlying fields.
The few lingering warriors discovered were all killed. In the mean-
time messages had been sent out to the farther towns, in response to
which several of their head men came into Christian's camp to treat
for peace. On their agreement to surrender all the prisoners and
captured stock in their hands and to cede to the whites all the disputed
territory occupied by the Tennessee settlements, as soon as represent-
atives of the whole tribe could be assembled in the spring, Christian
consented to suspend hostilities and retire without doing further
injury. An exception was made against Tuskegee and another town,
which had been concerned in the burning of the boy taken from
Watauga, already noted, and these two were reduced to ashes. The
sacred "peace town,'" Echota (20), had not been molested. Most of
the troops were disbanded on their return to the Long island, but a
part remained and built Fort Patrick Henry, where they went into
winter quarters.1
From incidental notices in narratives written by some of the partici-
pants, we obtain interesting side-lights on the merciless character of this
old border warfare. In addition to the ordinary destruction of war — the
burning of towns, the wasting of fruitful fields, and the killing of the
defenders — we find that every Indian warrior killed was scalped, when
opportunity permitted; women, as well as men, were shot down and
afterward ''helped to their end"; and prisoners taken were put up at
auction as slaves when not killed on the spot. Near Tomassee a small
1 For the Virginia-Tennessee expedition see Roosevelt, Winning of the West, i, pp. 308-305, 1889;
Ramsey, Tennessee, pp. 165-170,1853.
;>'- MVTHs OF THE CHEBOKJEE [cth.anh.19
party of Indian-, was surrounded and entirely cut <>tl'. "Sixteen were
found dead in the valley when the battle ended. These our men
scalped." In a personal encounter "a stout Indian engaged a sturdy
young white man. who was a good bruiser and expert at gouging.
After breaking their guns on each other they laid hold of one another,
when the cracker had bis thumbs instantly in the fellow's eyes, who
roared and cried iccmaly'' -enough, in English. •Damn you,' says
the white man. 'you can never have enough while you are alive.* He
then threw him down, set his foot upon his head, and scalped him
alive; then took up one of the broken guns and knocked out hi.- brains.
It would have been fun if he had let the latter action alone and sent
him home without his nightcap, to tell his countrymen how he had
been treated." Later on some of the same detachment (Williamson's)
seeing a woman ahead, fired on her and brought her down with two
serious wounds, hut yet able to speak. After getting what informa-
tion she could give them, through a half-breed interpreter, ■"the
informer being unable to travel, 8 ! of our men favored her so far
that they killed her there, to put her out of pain." A few days later
••a party of Colonel Thomas's regiment, being on a hunt of plunder.
or Mime such thing, found an Indian squaw and took herprisoner, -he
being lame, was unable to go with her friends. She was so sullen
that -he would, as an old saying is. neither lead nor drive, and by their
account she died in their hand-; hut I suppose they helped her to her
end." At this place — on the Hiwassee -they found a large town.
having ••upwards of ninety houses, and large quantities of corn." and
"we encamped among- the corn, where we had a great plenty of corn.
peas, beans, potatoes, and hogs." and on the next day "we were
ordered to assemble in companies to spread through the town to
destroy, cut down, and burn all the vegetables belonging to our
heathen enemies, which was no small undertaking, they being so
plentifully supplied." Continuing to another town, "we engaged in
our former labor, that is, cutting and destroying all things that might
be of advantage to our enemies. Finding here curious building-.
great apple trees, and white-man-like improvements, these we
destroyed." '
While crossing over the mountains Rutherford's men approached a
house belonging to a trader, when one of his negro slaves ran out and
'"was shot by the Reverend .lames Hall, the chaplain, as he ran. mis-
taking him for an Indian."' Soon after they captured two women
and a boy. It was proposed to auction them off at once to the highest
bidder, and when one of the officers protested that the matter should
be left to the disposition of Congress. •• the greater part swore bloodily
that if they were not sold for slaves upon the spot they would kill and
1 Ross Journal, in Historical Magazine, October, lsr.7.
"Swain, sketch ol the Indian War ..f 1776, in Historical Magazine, November, 1867.
mooney] TREATIES OF DE WITTS CORNERS AND LONG ISLAND 53"
scalp them immediately." The prisoners were accordingljr sold for
about twelve hundred dollars.1
At the Wolf Hills settlement, now Abingdon, Virginia, a party sent
out from the fort returned with the scalps of eleven warriors. Having
recovered the books which their minister had left behind in his cabin,
they held a service of prayer for their success, after which the fresh
scalps were hung upon a pole above the gate of the fort. The barba-
rous custom of scalping to which the border men had become habitu-
ated in the earlier wars was practiced upon every occasion when
opportunity presented, at least upon the bodies of warriors, and the
South Carolina legislature offered a bounty of seventy-five pounds for
every warrior's scalp, a higher reward, however, being offered for
prisoners.'- In spite of all the bitterness which the war aroused there
seems to be no record of any scalping of Tories or other whites by the
Americans (-1).
The effect upon the Cherokee of this irruption of more than six
thousand armed enemies into their territory was well nigh paralyzing.
More than fifty of their towns had been burned, their orchards cut
down, their lields wasted, their cattle and horses killed or driven off.
their stores of buckskin and other personal property plundered.
Hundreds of their people had been killed or had died of starvation
and exposure, others were prisoners in the hands of the Americans,
and some had been sold into slavery. Those who had escaped were
fugitives in the mountains, living upon acorns, chestnuts, and wild
game, or were refugees with the British.'1 From the Virginia line to
the Chattahoochee the chain of destruction was complete. For the
present at least any further resistance was hopeless, and they were
compelled to sue for peace.
By a treaty concluded at De Witts Corners in South Carolina on May
•Jo. 1777. the first ever made with the new states, the Lower Cherokee
surrendered to the conqueror all of their remaining territory in South
Carolina, excepting a narrow strip along the western boundary. Just
two months later, on July 20, by treaty at the Long island, as had been
arranged by Christian in the preceding fall, the Middle and Upper
Cherokee ceded everything east of the Blue ridge, together with all
the disputed territory on the 'Watauga. Nolichucky, upper Holston,
and New rivers. By this second treaty also Captain James Robertson
was appointed agent for the Cherokee, to reside at Echota. to watch
their movements, recover any captured property, and prevent their
correspondence with persons unfriendly to the American cause. As
the Federal government was not yet in perfect operation these treaties
i Moore's narrative, in North Carolina University Magazine. February, 1888.
^Roosevelt, Winning of the West, i. pp. 285, 290, 303, 1889.
'About rive hundred sought refuge with Stuart, the British Indian superintendent in Florida,
where they were fed for some time at the expense of the British government (Jones, Georgia, II,
p. 246, 1S83).
54 MYTHS OF THE OHEEOKEE bth.akii.19
were negotiated by commissioners from the four states adjoining the
Cherokee country, the territory thus acquired being parceled oul to
Sou tli ( iarolina, North Carolina, and Tennessee.1
While tlif Cherokee Nation had thus been compelled to a treaty of
peace, a very considerable portion of the tribe was irreconcilably hos-
tile to the Americans and refused to be a party to the late cessions,
especially on the Tennessee side. Although Ata-kullakulla sen! word
that he was readj with five hundred young warriors to fighl for the
Americans against the English or Indian enemy whenever called upon,
Dragging-canoe (Tsiyu-gunsi'ni), who had led the opposition against
the Watauga settlements, declared that he would holdfast to Cameron's
talk and continue to make war upon those who had taken his hunting
grounds. Under his leadership some hundreds id' the most warlike
and implacable warriors of the tribe, with their families, drew out
from the Upper and Middle towns and moved far down upon Tennes-
see river, where thej established new settlements on Chickamauga
creek, in the neighborhood of the present Chattanooga. The locality
appears to have been already a rendezvous for a sort of Indian ban-
ditti, who sometimes plundered boats disabled in the rapids at this
point while descending the river. Under the name "Chickamaugas"
they >oon became noted for their uncompromising and never-ceasing
hostility. In ITs-J. in consequence of the destruction of their towns
liv Sevier and Campbell, they abandoned this location and moved
farther down the river, where they built what were afterwards known
as the ••five lower towns." viz. Running Water, Nickajack, Long
Island. Crow town, and Lookout Mountain town. These were all on
the extreme western Cherokee frontier, near where Tennessee river
crosses the state line, the first three being within the present limits' of
Tennessee, while Lookout Mountain town and Crow town were
respectively in the adjacent corners of Georgia and Alabama. Their
population was recruited from Creeks. Shawano, and white Tories, until
they were estimated at a thousand warriors. Here they remained,
a constant thorn in the side of Tennessee, until their towns were
destroyed in L794.'
The expatriated Lower Cherokee also removed to the farthest west-
tern border of their tribal territory, where they might hope to be
secure from encroachment for a time at least, and built new" towns for
themselves on the upper waters of the Coosa. Twenty years after-
i Royce, Cherol Nation, in Fifth Ann. Rep. Bureau of Ethnology, i> 160 and map, 1888; Ramsey,
rennessee pp 172-1 ens, G gia, II, p. 144, 1859; Roosevelt, Winning of tin- West, i. i>.
806, 1889.
i Ramsey, "p. eit., pp. 171-177. 186-186, 610 el passim; Royce, op. ■■it., p, 160; Campbell letter, 17sj.
mill other documents in Virginia state Papers, in. pp. J7!. 571, 699, 1888, and tv. pp n\ 286, 1884;
Hi. unit letter, January 14, 179:;. American State Papers; Indian Iffairs, i. p. Bl, 1882. Campbell says
thej abandoned their first location on account oi the invasion from Tenne Governor Blount
says they left on account of witches.
mooney] DESTRUCTION OF CHICKAMAUGA TOWNS 1779 55
ward Hawkins found the population of Willstown, in extreme western
Georgia, entirely made up of refugees from the Savannah, and the
children so familiar from their parents with stories of Williamson's
invasion that they ran screaming from the face of a white man (i^l').1
In April. 1777. the legislature of North Carolina, of which Tennes-
see was still a part, authorized bounties of land in the new territory to
all able-bodied men who should volunteer against the remaining hostile
Cherokee. Under this act companies of rangers were kept along the
exposed border to cut off raiding parties of Indians and to protect the
steady advance of the pioneers, with the result that the Tennessee set-
tlements enjoyed a brief respite and were even able to send some assist-
ance to their brethren in Kentucky, who were sorely pressed by the
Shawano and other northern tribes.2
The war between England ami the colonies still continued, however,
and the British government was unremitting in its effort to secure the
active assistance of the Indians. With the Creeks raiding the Georgia
ami South Carolina frontier, and with a British agent, Colonel Brown,
and a number of Tory refugees regularly domiciled at Chickamauga,3
it was impossible for the Cherokee lone' to remain quiet. In the
spring of 177'.» the warning came from Robertson, stationed at Echota,
that three hundred warriors from Chickamauga had started against the
back settlements of North Carolina. Without a day's delay the states
of North Carolina (including Tennessee) and Virginia united to send a
strong force of volunteers against them under command of Colonels
Shelby and Montgomery. Descending the Holston in April in a fleet
of canoes built for tin1 occasion, they took the Chickamauga towns so
completely by surprise that the few warriors remaining fled to the
mountains without attempting to give battle. Several were killed,
Chickamauga and the outlying villages were burned, twenty thousand
bushels of corn were destroyed and large numbers of horses and cattle
captured, together with a great quantity of goods sent by the British
Governor Hamilton at Detroit for distribution to the Indians. The
success of this expedition frustrated the execution of a project by
Hamilton for uniting all the northern and southern Indians, to lie
assisted by British regulars, in a concerted attack along the whole
American frontier. ( )n learning, through runnel's, of the blow that
had befallen them, the Chickamauga warriors gave up all idea of
invading the settlements, and returned to their wasted villages.1 They,
as well as the Creeks, however, kept in constant communication with
1 Hawkins, manuscript journal, 1796, with Georgia Historical Socii ty.
2Ramsey, Tennessee, pp. 174-178, 1S53.
3t'ampbell letter, 1782, Virginia State Papers, ill, p. 271, 1883.
< Ramsey, op. eit, pp. 186-188; Roosevelt. Winning of the West, II, pp. 236-238, 1889. Ramsey's state-
ments, chiefly on Haywood's authority, of the strength of the expedition, the number of warriors
killed, etc., are so evidently overdrawn that they are here omitted.
56 MYTHS ok THE CHEROKEE
the British commander in Savannah. In this year also a delegation of
Cherokee \ isited the Ohio towns to offer condolences on the death of
the noted I Delaware chief, White ej es.1
In tlic early spring of L780 a large company of emigrants under
Colonel John Donelson descended the Holston and the Tennessee to
the Ohio, whence they ascended the Cumberland, effected a junction
with another party under Captain James Robertson, which hud just
arrived by a toilsome overland route, and made the ti i-t settlement on
the present site of Nashville. In passing the Chickamauga towns they
had run the gauntlet of the hostile Cherokee, who pursued them for a
considerable distance beyond the whirlpool known as the Suck, where
the river breaks through the mountain. The family of a man named
Stuart being infected with the smallpox, his boat dropped behind, and
all on board, twenty-eight in number, were killed or taken by the
Indians, their cries being distinctly heard by their friends ahead who
were unable to help them. Another boat having run upon the rocks,
the three women in it, one of whom had become a mother the night
before, threw the cargo into the river, and then, jumping into the
water, succeeded in pushing the boat into the current while the hus-
band of one of them kept the Indians at bay with his rifle. The infant
was killed in the confusion. Three cowards attempted to escape,
without thought of their companions. One was drowned in the river;
the other two were captured and carried to Chickamauga. where one
was burned and the other was ransomed by a trader. The rest went
on their way to found the capital of a new commonwealth.2 As if in
retributive justice, the smallpox broke out in the Chickamauga band in
consequence of the capture of Stuart's family, causing the death of
a great number.'
The British having reconquered Georgia and South Carolina and
destroyed all resistance in the south, early in L780 Cornwallis, with his
subordinates, Ferguson and the merciless Tarleton, prepared to invade
North Carolina and sweep the country northward to Virginia. The
Creeks under McGillivray (S\). and a number of the Cherokee under
various local chiefs, together with the Tories, at once joined his
standard.
While the Tennessee backwoodsmen were gathered at a barbecue to
contest for a shooting prize, a paroled prisoner brought a demand
from Ferguson for their submission; with the threat, if they refused,
that he would cross the mountains, hang their leaders, kill every man
found in arms and burn every settlement. Up to this time the moun-
tain men had confined their effort to holding in check the Indian
enemy, but now, with the fate of the Revolution at stake, they felt
Bei kewelder, [ndian Nations, p. 327, reprint oi 1876.
*Donelson's Journal, etc., in Ramsey, Tennessee, pp. 197-208, L853; Roosevelt, Winning of tin- West,
ii, pp. ::ji ::i". 1889.
•Ibid., ii. p ;:.;7.
mooney] THE BORDER FIGHTERS 57
that the time for wider action had come. They resolved not to await
the attack, hut to anticipate it. Without order or authority from
Congress, without tents, commissary, or supplies, the Indian fighters
of Virginia. North Carolina, and Tennessee quickly assembled at the
Svcamore shoals of the Watauga to the number of about one thousand
men under Campbell of Virginia, Sexier (24) and Shelby of Tennessee,
and McDowell of North Carolina. Crossing the mountains, they met
Ferguson at Kings mountain in South Carolina on October 7. 1780,
and gained the decisive victory that turned the tide of the Revolution
in the South.1
It is in place here to quote a description of these men in buckskin,
white by blood and tradition, but half Indian in habit and instinct,
who, in half a century of continuous conflict, drove back Creeks,
Cherokee, and Shawano, and with one hand on the plow and the other
on the rifle redeemed a wilderness and carried civilization and free
government to the banks of the Mississippi.
"They were led by leaders they trusted, they were wonted to Indian
warfare, they were skilled as horsemen and marksmen, they knew how
to face every kind of danger, hardship, and privation. Their fringed
and tasseled hunting shirts were girded by bead-worked belts, and the
trappings of their horses were stained red and yellow. On their heads
they wore caps of coon skin or mink skin, with the tails hanging
down, or else felt hats, in each of which was thrust a buck tail or a
sprig of evergreen. Every man carried a small-bore rifle, a toma-
hawk, and a scalping knife. A very few of the officers had swords,
and there was not a bayonet nor a tent in the army."2
To strike the blow at Kings mountain the border men had been
forced to leave their own homes unprotected. Even before they could
cross the mountains on their return the news came that the Cherokee
were again out in force for the destruction of the upper settlements,
and their numerous small bauds were killing, burning, and plundering
in the usual Indian fashion. Without loss of time the Holston settle-
ments of Virginia and Tennessee at once raised seven hundred mounted
riflemen to march against the enemy, the command being assigned to
Colonel Arthur Campbell of Virginia and Colonel John Sexier of
Tennessee.
Sevier started first with nearly three hundred men, going south
along the great Indian war trail and driving small parties of the
Cherokee before him, until he crossed the French Broad and came
upon seventy of them on Boyds creek, not far from the present Sex in -
ville, on December 16, 1780. Ordering his men to spread out into a
half circle, he sent ahead some scouts, who, by an attack and feigned
retreat, managed to draw the Indians into the trap thus prepared,
1 Roosevelt, Winning of the West, II, pp. 241-294, 1SS9; Ramsey, Tennessee, pp. 208-249, 1853.
- Roosevelt, op. cit., p. 256.
58 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [bth.ajih.19
with the result that they lefl thirteen dead ;m<l all their plunder, while
not nnc of the whites was even wounded.1
A few days later Sevier was joined by ( ampbell with 1 1 1 * - remainder
of tin' force. Advancing to the Little Tennessee with but slight
resistance, thej crossed three miles below Echota while the Indians
were watching for them at the f oi'd above. Then dividing into two
bodies, thej proceeded to destroy the town- along the river. The
chiefs sent peace talks through Nancy Ward, the Cherokee woman
who had so befriended the whites in 177H. but to these overtures
Campbell returned an evasive answer until he could first destroy
the town- on lower Hiwassee, whose warriors had been particularly
hostile. Continuing southward, the troops destroyed these town-.
Hiwassee and Chestuee, with all their stoic- of provisions, finishing
the work on the last day of the year. The Indians had lied before
them, keeping -pie- out to watch their movements. One of these,
while giving signals from a ridge by beating a drum, was -hot by the
white-. The soldiers lost only one man. who was buried in an Indian
cabin which was then burned down to conceal the trace of the inter-
ment. The return march was begun on New Year's day. Ten prin-
v cipal towns, including Echota, the capital, had been destroyed, besides
several smaller villages, containing in the aggregate over one thousand
house-, and not less than fifty thousand bushels of corn and large stores
of other provision. Everything not needed on the return march
was committed to the flames or otherwise wasted. Of all the towns
west of the mountains only Talassee, and one or two about Chicka-
mauga or on the headwaters of the Coosa, escaped. The whites had
lost only one man killed and two wounded. Before the return a
proclamation was sent to the Cherokee chief-, warning them to make
peace on penalty of a worse visitation."
Some Cherokee who met them at Echota. on the return march, to
talk of peace, brought in and surrendered several white prisoners.1
One rea-on for the slight resistance made by the Indians was prob-
ably the fact that at the very time of the invasion many of their
warriors were away, raiding on the Upper Holston and in the neigh-
borhood of Cumberland gap.'
Although the Upper or Overhill Cherokee were thus humbled,
those of the middle towns, on the head waters id' Little Tennessee, still
continued to send out parties against the back settlements. Sevier
■ Roosevelt Winning of the West, II, pp. 298-800, 1889; Ramsey, Tennessee, pp. 261 264 1858 There
is great discrepancy in the various accounts of this fight, from the attempts of interested historians
to magnify the size of the victory. One writei gives the Indians 1,000 warriors. Bere, us elsewhere,
Roosevelt is .-i more reliable guide, his state nts being usually from official documents.
s Roosevelt, op. '-it., pp. 300-304; K sej op cit, pp. 265 268; Campbell, report, January 16, 1781, in
Virginia State Papers, i, p. 486. Hayw l and others after him make (lie expedition go as fur as
Chickamauga and C a river, but Campbell's report express!} denies this.
Ramsey op cit . p 266
I Roose> 'It "p. '-it.. |i.302.
mooney] TREATY OF LONG ISLAND 1781 59
determined to make a sudden stroke upon them, and early in March
of the same year. 1781, with 150 picked horsemen, he started to cross
the Great Smoky mountains over trails never before attempted by
white men. and so rough in places that it was hardly possible to lead
horses. Falling unexpectedly upon Tuckasegee, near the present
Webster, North Carolina, he took the town completely by surprise,
killing several warriors and rapturing- a number of women and chil-
dren. Two other principal towns and three smaller .settlements were
taken in the same way. with a quantity of provision and about 200
horses, the Indians being entirely off their guard and unprepared to
make any effective resistance. Having spread destruction through
the middle towns, with the loss to himself of only one man killed and
another wounded, he was off again as suddenly as he had come, moving
so rapidly that he was well on his homeward way before the Cherokee
could gather for pursuit.1 At the same time a smaller Tennessee expe-
dition wrent out to disperse the Indians who had been making head-
quarters in the mountains about Cumberland gap and harassing travelers
along the road to Kentucky.- Numerous indications of Indians were
found, hut none were met, although the country was scoured for a con-
siderable distance.3 In summer the Cherokee made another incursion,
this time upon the new settlements on the French Broad, near the present
Newport, Tennessee. With a hundred horsemen Sexier fell suddenly
upon their camp on Indian creek, killed a dozen warriors, ami scat-
tered the rest.1 By these successive blows the Cherokee were so worn
out and dispirited that they were forced to sue for peace, and in mid-
summer of 1781 a treaty of peace -doubtful though it might be — was
negotiated at the Long island of the Holston.5 Tin' respite came just
in time to allow the Tennesseeaus to send a detachment against Corn-
wallis.
Although there was truce in Tennessee, there was none in the South.
In November of this year the Cherokee made a sudden inroad upon
the Georgia settlements, destroying everything in their way. In
retaliation a force under General Pickens marched into their country,
destroying their towns as far as Valley river. Finding further prog-
ress blocked by heavy snows and learning through a prisoner that the
Indians, who had retired before him, were collecting to oppose him in
the mountains, he withdrew, as he says, "through absolute necessity,"
having accomplished very little of the result expected. Shortly after-
ward the Cherokee, together with some ( 'reeks, again invaded ( leorgia,
'Campbell, letter, March 28, 1781, in Virgin in slate Papers, t, p. 602, 1875; Martin, letter, Marcb.31,1781,
ibid., p. 613; Ramsey, Tennessee, p. 268, 1853; Roosevelt, Winning of the West, II, pp. 305-307, 1889.
^Campbell, letter, March 28, 1781, in Virginia State Papers, I, p. 602, 1S75.
3 Ramsey, op. eit.. p. 269.
4 Ibid.; Roosevelt, op. eit.. p. 307.
5Ibid.; Ramsey, op. eit., pp. 267. 268. The latter authority seems i ate it 1782, which is evidently
a mistake.
60 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [bth.amh.19
but were met on Ocoi river and driven back by a detachment of
American troops.1
The Overhill Cherokee, on lower Little Tennessee, seem to have been
trying in g I faith to bold t<> the peace established at the Long
island. Early in 17^1 the government land office had been closed to
further entries, no! to be opened again until peace had been declared
with England, bul the borderers paid little attention t<> the law in
such matters, and the rage t'<>r speculation in Tennessee land- gre^
stronger daily.8 In the fall of L 782 the chief, Old Tassel of Echota,
<in behalf of all the friendly child's and towns, sent a pathetic talk
tn the governors of Virginia and North Carolina, complaining that
in spite of all their efforts to remain quiet the settlers were constantly
encroaching upon them, and had built houses within a day's walk of
the Cherokee towns. They asked that all those whites who had settled
beyond the boundary last established should be removed.' A- was
to have been expected, tin- was never dour.
The Chickamauga band, however, and those farther to the south.
were still Unit on war. being actively encouraged in that disposition
by the British agents and refugee loyalists living among them. They
continued to raid both north and south, and in September, 1782,
Sevier, with 200 mounted men, again made a descent upon their towns.
destroying several of their settlements about Chickamauga creek, and
penetrating as far as the important town of Ustana'li, on the head-
waters of Coosa river, near the present Calhoun. Georgia. This also
he destroyed. Every warrior found was killed, together with a white
man found in one of the towns, whose papers showed that he had been
active in inciting the Indians to war. On the return the expedition
halted at Echota. where new assurances were received from the
friendly element.* In the meantime a Georgia expedition of over -loo
men. under General Pickens, had been ravaging the Cherokee towns
in the same quarter, with such effect that the Cherokee were forced to
purchase peace by a further surrender of territory on the head of
Broad river in Georgia.5 This cession was concluded at a treaty of
peace held with the Georgia commissioners at Augusta in the next
year, and was confirmed later by the Creeks, who claimed an interest
in the same lands, hut was never accepted by either as the voluntary
, act of their tribe as a whole."
By the preliminary treaty of Paris. November 30, 17nl'. the long
Revolutionary Si ruggle for independence was brought toa (dose, and the
Cherokee, a- well as the other tribes, seeing the hopelessness of con-
>Steven9, G £ia, H, pp. 282-285, 1859; Jones, Georgia, n. p. 603, 1888.
= Roosevelt, Winning of the West, ti, \>. 811, 1889.
• Old Tassel's iulk, in Ramsey, Tennessee, p. 271, 1858, and In Roosevelt, op. cit., p. 816.
1 Ramsey, op. cit., p. 272; Roosevelt, op. cit., i>. :si7 el passim.
^Stevens "i>. cit., pp. 411-415.
tRoyce, Cherokee Nation, in Fifth Aim. Rep. Bureau "i Ethnology, \: 151, 1888.
L-
mooney] TREATY OF HOPEWELL 1785 61
tinning the contest alone, began to sue for peace. By seven years of
constant warfare they had been reduced to the lowest depth of misery,
almost indeed to the verge of extinction. Over and over again their
towns had been laid in ashes and their fields wasted. Their best war-
riors had been killed and their women and children had sickened and
starved in the mountains. Their great war chief. Oconostota, who
had led them to victory in 1780, was now a broken old man. and in
this year, at Echota, formally resigned his office in favor of his son,
The Terrapin. To complete their brimming cup of misery the small-
pox again broke out among them in 1783.1 Deprived of the assistance
of their former white allies they wee left to their own cruel fate,
the last feeble resistance of the mountain warriors to the advancing
tide of settlement came to an end with the burning of ( 'owee town,8 and
the way was left open to an arrangement. In the same year the North
Carolina legislature appointed an agent for the Cherokee and made
regulations for the government of traders among them.'
Relations with the United States
from the first treaty to the removal — 1785-1838
Passing over several unsatisfactory and generally abortive negotia-
tions conducted by the various state governments in L783-84, includ-
ing' the treaty of Augusta already noted.4 we come to the turning-
point in the history of the Cherokee, their first treaty with the new
government of the United States for peace and boundary delimitation,
concluded at Hopewell (25) in South Carolina on November 28, 17s.">.
Nearly one thousand Cherokee attended, the commissioners for the
United States being Colonel Benjamin Hawkins (liti). of North Caro-
lina; General Andrew Pickens, of South Carolina; Cherokee Agent
Joseph Martin, of Tennessee, and Colonel Lachlan Mcintosh, of
Georgia. The instrument was signed by thirty-seven chiefs and prin-
cipal men. representing nearly as many different towns. The negotia-
tions occupied ten days, being complicated by a protest on the part of
North Carolina and Georgia against the action of the government com-
missioners in confirming to the Indians some lands which had already
been appropriated as bounty lands for state troops without the consent
of the Cherokee. On the other hand the Cherokee complained that
3,000 white settlers were at that moment in occupancy of unceded land
between the Holston and the French Broad. In spite of their protest
these intruders were allowed to remain, although the territory was
not acquired by treaty until some years later. As finally arranged
the treaty left the Middle and Upper towns, and those in the vicinity
1 Sec documents in Virginia State Papers, ill. pp. 234. 39S, S27. 1883.
- Ramsey. Tennessee, p. 280, 1853. 3 Ibid., p. 271.
*See Royce, Cherokee Nation, op.cit,, pp.151,152; Ramsey, op. cit., p.299et passim.
62 MVI'HS mf TIIK CHEROKEE [*th.
of Coosa river, undisturbed, while the whole country east of the Blue
ridge, with tin- Watauga ai 'I ( "uni Ucrhi m I settlements, was given over
to the white-. The general boundary followed the dividing ridge
between Cumberland river and the more southern waters of the Ten-
nessee eastward to the junction of the two forks of Holston, near the
present Kingsport, Tennessee, thence southward to the Blue ridge
and southwestward to a point not far from the present Atlanta.
Georgia, thence westward to the Coosa river and northwestward to a
creek running into Tennessee river a< the western line of Alabama.
thence northward with the Tennessee river to the beginning. The
lands south and west of these lines were recognized as belonging to the
Creeks and Chickasaw. Hostilities were to cease and the Cherokee
were taken under the protection of the United States. The proceed-
ings ended with the distribution of a few presents.1
While the Hopewell treaty defined the relations of the Cherokee to
the general government and furnished a safe basis for future negotia-
tion, it yet failed to bring complete peace and security. Thousands
of intruders were still settled on Indian lands, and minor aggressions
and reprisals were continually occurring. The Creeks and the north-
ern tribes were still hostile and remained so for some years later, and
their warriors, cooperating with those of the implacable Chickamauga
towns, continued to annoy the exposed settlements, particularly on the
Cumberland. The British had withdrawn from the South, but the
Spaniards and French, who claimed the lower Mississippi and the
Gulf region and had their trading posts in west Tennessee, took every
opportunity to encourage the spirit of hostility to the Americans. '
But the spirit of the Cherokee nation was broken and the Holston
settlements were now too surely established to be destroyed.
The Cumberland settlements founded by Robertson and Donelson in
the winter of 1779-80 had had but short respite. Early in spring the
Indians Cherokee. Creeks. Chickasaw, and northern Indians had
begun a scries of attacks with the design of driving these intruders
from their lands, and thenceforth for years no man's life was safe out-
side the stockade. The long list of settlers shot down at work or while
hunting in the woods, of stock stolen and property destroyed, while
of sorrowful interest to those most nearly concerned, is too tedious for
recital here, and only leading events need be chronicled. Detailed
notice may be found in the works of local historians.
On the night of January L5, L781, a band of Indians stealthily
approached Freelaud's station and had even succeeded in unfastening
1 Indian Treaties, p. 8 el passim, i- ;:. For a full discussion of the Hopewell treaty, from official docu-
ments, see Royce, Cherokee Nation, in Fifth Ann. Rep. Bureau of Ethnology, pp. 1 >2 158, 1888, with map;
Treaty Journal, etc., American State Papers; Indian AfTnirs, i, pp. 38-44, 1832; also Stevens, Georgia,
n, pp. 117 129,1859; Ramsey, Tennessee, pp. 336,337, 1853; see also the map accompanying this work.
- I',:i \ , op. 'it. it 169 H'l. Agent Martin and Hopewell commissioners, ibid., pp, 31f
Bledsoe and Robertson letter, ibid., p. 165; Roosevelt, Winning of the West. it. p.Stts, l«w.
MOONEY] HOSTILITY OF HIWASSEE AND CHICK All AUG A TOWNS 63
the strongly barred gate when Robertson, being awake inside, heard
the noise and sprang up just in time to rouse the garrison and beat off
the assailants, who continued to fire through the loopholes after they
had been driven out of the fort. Only two Americana were killed,
although the escape was a narrow one.1
About three months later, on April 2, a large body of Cherokee
approached the fort at Nashville (then called Nashborough, or simply
'"the Bluff"), and by sending a decoy ahead succeeded in drawing a
large part id' the garrison into an ambush. It seemed that they would
be cut otl'. as the Indians were between them and the fort, when those
inside loosed the dogs, which rushed so furiously upon the Indians
that the latter found work enough to defend themselves, and were
finally forced to retire, carrying with them, however, five American
scalps. 2
The attacks continued throughout this and the next year to such an
extent that it seemed at one time as if the Cumberland settlements
must be abandoned, but in June. 1783, commissioners from Virginia
and North Carolina arranged a treaty near Nashville (Nashborough)
with chiefs of the Chickasaw, Cherokee, and Creeks. Tjiis treaty.
although it did not completely stop the Indian inroads, at least greatly
diminished them. Thereafter the Chickasaw remained friendly, and
only the Cherokee and < 'reeks continued to make trouble.
The valley towns on Hiwassee, as well as those of Chickamauga,
seem to have continued hostile. In L786a large body of their warriors.
led by the mixed-blood chief. John Watts, raided the new settlements
in the vicinity of the, present Knoxville, Tennessee. In retaliation
Sevier again marched his volunteers across the mountain to the valley
towns and destroyed three of them, killing a number of warriors; but he
retired on learning that the Indians were gathering to give him battle.4
In the springof this year Agent Martin, stationedat Echota, had made
a tour of inspection of the Cherokee towns and reported that they
were generally friendly and anxious for peace, with the exception of
the Chickamauga band, under Dragging-canoe, who, acting with the
hostile ('reeks and encouraged by the French and Spaniard-, were
making preparations to destroy the Cumberland settlements. Not-
withstanding the friendly professions of the others, a party sent out
to obtain satisfaction for the murder of four Cherokee by the Tennes-
seeans had come back with fifteen white scalps, and sent word to Sevier
that they wanted peace, but if the whites wanted war they would get
it.5 "With lawdess men on both sides it is evident that peace was in
jeopardy. In August, in consequence of further killing and reprisals,
commissioners of the new "state of Franklin." as Tennessee was now
1 Roosevelt, Winning of the West, n, p.353, 1889.
2 Ibid., p. :;.». 1889; Ramsey, Tennessee, pp. 452-454, 1853.
3 Ibid., pp. 358-366, 1889. * Ibid., p. 341, 1853.
"Martin k-tu-r of Miiy 11, 1786, ibid., p. 142
64 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE ink.U
called, concluded a negotiation, locally known as the "treat}' of
Coyatee," with the chiefs of the Overhill towns. In spite of references
to peace, love, and brotherly friendship, it is very doubtful if the era
of good will was in any wise hastened by the so-called treaty, as the
Tennesseeans, who bad just burned another Indian town in reprisal for
the killing of a white man. announced, without mincing words, that
they had been given by North Carolina against which state, l>\ the
way, they were then in organized rebellion the whole country north
of the Tennessee river as far west as the Cumberland mountain, and
that they intended to take it "by the -word, which is the best right to
all countries." As the whole of this country was within the limits of
the territory solemnly guaranteed to the Cherokee by the Hopewell
treaty only the year before, the chiefs simply replied that Congress
had -aid nothing to them on the subject, and SO the matter rested.1
The theory of state's rights was too complicated for the Indian under-
standing.
While this conflict between state and federal authority continued,
with the Cherokee lands as the prize, there could lie no peace. In
March, L787, a letter from Echota, apparently written by Agent
Martin, speaks of a recent expedition against the Cherokee towns,
and the confusion and alarm among them inconsequence of the daily
encroachments of the "Franklinites" or Tennesseeans, who had pro-
ceeded to make good their promise by opening ;i hind office for the sale
of all the lands southward to Tennessee river, including even apart id' the
beloved town of Echota. At the same time messengers were coming
to the Cherokee from traders in the foreign interest, telling them that
England, France, and Spain had combined against the Americans and
urging them with promises of c-uns and ammunition to join in the
war. ' As a result each further advance of the Tennessee settlements,
in defiance as it was of any recognized treaty, was stubbornly con-
tested by the Indian owners of the land. The record of these encoun-
ters, extending over a period of several years, is too tedious for recital.
"Could a diagram he drawn, accurately designating every spot sig-
nalized by an Indian massacree, surprise, or depredation, or courageous
attack, defense, pursuit, or victory by the whites, or station or fort
or battlefield, or personal encounter, the whole of that section of
country would lie studded over with delineations of such incidents.
Every spring, every ford, every path, every farm, every trail, every
house nearly, in its first settlement, was once the scene of danger,
exposure, attack, exploit, achievement, death."'1 The end was the
winning of Tennessee.
In the meantime the inroads of the Creeks and their Chickamauga
> Reports of Tennessee commissioners unci replies by Cherokee chiefs, etc., 1786, in Ramsey, Tennes-
see, pp. 843 846, 1853.
•Martin (?) letter of March 25, lTsv, ibid., i>. 869.
• Ibid., p. 870.
moonet] DEFEAT OF GENERAL MARTIN 1788 65
allies upon the Georgia frontier and the Cumberland settlements
around Nashville became so threatening that measures were taken for
a joint campaign by the combined forces of Georgia and Tennessee
("Franklin"). The enterprise came to naught through the interfer-
ence of the federal authorities.1 All through the year 1788 we hear
of attacks and reprisals along the Tennessee border, although the
agent for the Cherokee declared in his official report that, with the
exception of the Chickamauga band, the Indians wished to lie at
peace if the whites would let them. In March two expeditions under
Sevier and Kennedy set out against the towns in the direction of the
French Broad. In May several persons of a family named Kirk were
murdered a few miles south of Knoxville. In retaliation Sevier
raised a large party and marching against a town on Hiwassee river —
one of those which had been destroyed some years before and rebuilt —
and burned it. killing a number of the inhabitants in the river while
they were trying to escape. lie then turned, and proceeding to the
towns on Little Tennessee burned several of them also, killing a num-
ber of Indians. Here a small party of Indians, including Abraham
and Tassel, two well-known friendly chiefs, was brutally massacred
by one of the Kirks, no one interfering, after they had voluntarily
come in on request of one of the officers. This occurred during the
temporary absence of Sevier. Another expedition under Captain
Favne was drawn into an ambuscade at Citico town and lost several
in killed and wounded. The Indians pursued the survivors almost to
Knoxville, attacking a small station near the present Maryville by
the way. They were driven off by Sevier and others, who in turn
invaded the Indian settlements, crossing the mountains and penetra-
ting as far as the valley towns on Hiwassee. hastily retiring as they
found the Indians gathering in their front.2 In the same summer
another expedition was organized against the Chickamauga towns.
The chief command was given to General Martin, who left White's
fort, now Knoxville. with four hundred and fifty men and made a
rapid inarch to the neighborhood of the present Chattanooga, where
the main force encamped on the site of an old Indian settlement. A
detachment sent ahead to surprise a town a few miles farther down
the river was fired upon and driven back, and a general engagement
took place in the narrow pass between the bluff and the river, with
such disastrous results that three captains were killed and the men
so badly demoralized that thejr refused to advance. Martin was
compelled to turn back, after burying the dead officers in a large
townhouse, which was then burned down to conceal the grave.3
In October a large party of Cherokee and Creeks attacked Gilles-
pie's station, south of the present Knoxville. The small garrison was
1 Ramsey, Tennessee, pp. 393-399, 1853. = Ibid., pp. 417-423, 1853.
3 Ibid., pp. 517-519, and Brown's narrative, ibid., p. 515.
19 ETH — 01 5
66 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE
overpowered af ter a shorl resistance, and twenty-eight persons, includ-
ing several women and children, were killed. The Indians left behind
a Letter signed by four chiefs, including John Watts, expressing
regret for what they called the accidental lolling of the women and
children, reminding the whites of their own treachery in killing
Abraham and the Tassel, and defiantly concluding, "When you move
off the land, then we will make peace." Other exposed stations were
attacked, until at last Sevier again mustered a force, cleared the
enemy from the frontier, and pursued the Indians as far as their
towns on the head waters of Coosa river, in such vigorous fashion that
they were compelled to ask for terms of peace and agree to a surrender
of prisoners, which was accomplished at Coosawatee town, in upper
Georgia, in the following April.1
Among the captives thus restored to their friends were Joseph
Brown, a boy of sixteen, with his two younger sisters, who, with
several others, had been taken at Nickajack town while descending
the Tennessee in a fiatboat nearly a year before. His father and the
other men of the party, about ten in all, had been killed at the time.
while the mother and several other children were carried to various
Indian towns, some of them going to the Creeks, who had aided the
Cherokee in the capture. Young Brown, whose short and simple
narrative is of vivid interest, was at first condemned to death, but was
rescued by a white man living in the town and was afterward adopted
into the family of the chief, in spite of the warning of an old Indian
woman that if allowed to live he would one day guide an army to
destroy them. The warning was strangely prophetic, for it was
Brown himself who guided the expedition that finally rooted out the
Chickamauga towns a few years later. When rescued at Coosawatee
he was in Indian costume, with shirt, breechcloth, scalp lock, and
holes bored in his ears. His little sister, five years old. had become
so attached to the Indian woman who had adopted her. that she
refused to go to her own mother ami had to be pulled alone- by force.3
The mother and another of the daughters, who had been taken by the
Creeks, were afterwards ransomed by McGillivray, head chief of the
Creek Nation, who restored them to their friends, generously refusing
any compensation for his kindness.
An arrangement had been made with the Chickasaw, in 1783, by
which they surrendered to the Cumberland settlement their own claim
to the lands from the Cumberland river south to the dividing ridge of
Duck river.3 It was not, however, until the treaty of Hopewell, two
years later, that the Cherokee surrendered their claim to the same
region, and even then the Chickamauga warriors, with their allies, the
1 Ramsey, Tennessee, pp.516, 519.
■ Brown's narrative, etc., ibid.. pp. .308-516.
a Ibid., pp. 159, 489.
hookey] DESTRUCTION OF COLDWATER — 1787 <'>"
hostile Creeks and Shawano, refused to acknowledge the cession and
continued their attacks, with the avowed purpose of destroying the new
settlements. Until the final running of the boundary line, in 1797,
Spain claimed all the territory west of the mountains and south of
Cumberland river, and her agents were accused of stirring up the
Indians against the Americans, even to the extent of offering rewards
for American scalps.1 One of these raiding parties, which had killed
the brother of Captain Robertson, was tracked to Coldwater, a small
mixed town of Cherokee and Creeks, on the south side of Tennessee
river, about the present Tuscumbia, Alabama. Robertson determined
to destroy it, and taking a force of volunteers, with a couple of Chick-
asaw guides, crossed the Tennessee without being discovered and
surprised and burnt the town. The Indians, who numbered less than
fifty men, attempted to escape to the river, but were surrounded and
over twenty of them killed, with a loss of but one man to the Tennes-
seeans. In the town were found also several French traders. Three
of these, who refused to surrender, were killed, together with a white
woman who was accidentally shot in one of the boats. The others
were afterward released, their large stock of trading goods having
been taken and sold for the benefit of the troops. The affair took
place about the end of June. 1787. Through this action, and an effort
made by Robertson about the same time to come to an understanding
with the Chickaniauga band, there was a temporary cessation of
hostile inroads upon the Cumberland, but long before the end of the
year the attacks were renewed to such an extent that it was found
necessary to keep out a force of rangers with orders to scour the
country and kill every Indian found east of the Chickasaw boundary.2
The Creeks seeming now to be nearly as much concerned in these
raids as the Cherokee, a remonstrance was addressed to McGillivray,
their principal chief, who replied that, although the Creeks, like the
other southern tribes, had adhered to the British interest during the
Revolution, they had accepted proposals of friendship, but while
negotiations were pending six of their people had" been killed in the
affair at Coldwater. which had led to a renewal of hostile feeling. He
promised, however, to use his best efforts to bring about peace, and
seems to have kept his word, although the raids continued through
this and the next year, with the usual sequel of pursuit and reprisal.
In one of these skirmishes a company under Captain Murray followed
some Indian raiders from near Nashville to their camp on Tennessee
river and succeeded in killing the whole party of eleven warriors.1
A treaty of peace was signed with the Creeks in 1790, but, owing to
the intrigues of the Spaniards, it had little practical effect,4 and not
i Bledsoe and Robertson letter of June 12, 1787. in Ramsey, Tennessee, p. 465, 1853.
2 Ibid., with Robertson tetter, pp. 465-476.
a Ibid., pp. 479-486.
4 Monette, Valley of tin- Mi^i-Mppi, i. p ■■"'• lMr;.
68 MTTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [bth.ass.19
until Wayne'- decisive victory over the confederated northern tribes
in L 794 and the final destruction of the Nickajack towns in tin- same
\ ear did real peace came to the frontier.
I!v deed of cession of February .!•">. 17'.»n. Tennessee ceased to be a
pari of North < larolina and was organized under federal laws as " The
Territory of the United Mate- south of the < >hio river," preliminary
to taking full rank as a state six year- later. William Blount (27)
was appointed lir-t territorial governor and also superintendent for the
southern Indian-, with a deputy resident with each of the four prin-
cipal tribes.1 Pensacola, Mobile, St. Louis, and other southern posts
were -till held by the Spaniard-, who claimed the whole country south
of the Cumberland, while the British garrisons had not yet been with-
drawn from the north. The resentment of the Indians at the occupancy
of their reserved and guaranteed lands by the whites was sedulously
encouraged from both quarters, and raids alone- the Tennessee fron-
tier were of common occurrence. At this time, according to the
official report of President Washington, over five hundred families of
intruders were settled upon lands belonging rightly to the Cherokee.
in addition to those between the French Broad and the Holston.2
More than a year before the Secretary of War had stated that "the
disgraceful violation of the treaty of Hopewell with the Cherokee
requires the serious consideration of Congress. If so direct and man-
ifest contempt of the authority of the United States tie suffered with
impunity, it will he in vain to attempt to extend the arm of govern-
ment to the frontiers. The Indian tribes can have no faith in such
imbecile promises, and the lawless whites will ridicule a government
which shall on paper only make Indian treaties and regulate Indian
boundaries."3 To prevent any increase of the dissatisfaction, the
general government issued a proclamation forbidding any further
encroachment upon the Indian kinds on Tennessee river; notwith-
standing which, early in L791, a party of men descended the river in
boats, and. landing on an island at the Muscle shoals, near the present
ruscumbia, Alabama, erected a blockhouse and other defensive works.
Immediately afterward the Cherokee chitd'. Class, with about sixty
warriors, appeared and quietly informed them that if they did notat
once withdraw he would kill them. After some parley the intruders
retired to their boats, when the Indians set tire to the buildings and
reduced them to ashes.'
To forestall more serious difficulty it was necessary to negotiate a
new treaty with a view to purchasing the disputed territory. Accord-
ingly, through the efforts of Governor Blount, a convention was held
with the principal men of the Cherokee at White's fort, now Knox-
1 Ramseyj Tennessee, pp. 522, ~<M ,56] . 1853.
» Washington to the Si nate, lugusl 11, 1790, American State Papers: Indian Airuir*. [,p.83 1832
Knox to Presldenl Washington, July 7, 1789, ibid., p.58.
* Ramsey, op. clt., pp. 550, 551.
moosey] TREATY OF HOLSTON 1791 69
ville, Tennessee, in the summer of 1791. AYith much difficulty the
Cherokee were finally brought to consent to a cession of a triangular
section in Tennessee and North Carolina extending from Clinch river
almost to the Blue ridge, and including nearly the whole of the
French Broad and the lower Holston, with the sites of the present
Knoxville, Greenville, and Asheville. The whole of this area, with a
considerable territory adjacent, was already fully occupied by the
whites. Permission was also given for a road from the eastern
settlements to those on the Cumberland, with the free navigation of
Tennessee river. Prisoners on both sides were to be restored and
perpetual peace was guaranteed. In consideration of the lands sur-
rendered the Cherokee were to receive an annuity of one thousand
dollars with some extra goods and some assistance on the road to
civilization. A treaty was signed by forty-one principal men of the
tribe and was concluded July 2, 1791. It is officially described as being
held "on the bank of the Holston, near the mouth of the French
Broad." and is commonly spoken of as the "treaty of Holston."
The Cherokee, however, were dissatisfied with the arrangement,
and before the end of the year a delegation of six principal chiefs
appeared at Philadelphia, then the seat of government, without any
previous announcement of their coming, declaring that when they had
1 n summoned by Governor Blount to a conference they were not
aware that it was to persuade them to sell lands; that they had
resisted the proposition for days, and only yielded when compelled
by the persistent and threatening demands of the governor; that the
consideration was entirely too small; and that they had no faith that
the whites would respect the new boundary, as they were in fact
already settling beyond it. Finally, as the treaty had been signed,
they asked that these intruders be removed. As their presentation of
the case seemed a just one and it was desirable that they should carry
home with them a favorable impression of the government's attitude
toward them, a supplementary article was added, increasing- the
annuity to eight thousand five hundred dollars. On account of renewed
Indian hostilities in Ohio valley and the desire of the government to
keep the good will of the Cherokee long enough to obtain their help
against the northern tribes, the new line was not surveyed until 17'.*7.'
As illustrating Indian custom it may be noted that one of the prin-
cipal signers of the original treaty was among the protesting delegates,
but having in the meantime changed his name, it appears on the
supplementary paragraph as "Iskagua. or Clear Sky, formerly
Nenetooyah, or Bloody Fellow.'"' As he had been one of the prin-
i Indian Treaties, pp. 34-38, 1837; Secretary of War, report, January 5, 1798, in American State
Papers, I, pp. 628-631, 1832; Ramsey, Tennessee, pp. 554-560, 1853; Etoyee, Cherokee Nation, Fifth
Ann. Rep. Bureau of Ethnology, pp. 158-170. with full discussion and map, 1888.
'- Indian Treaties, pp. 37, 38, 1837.
Til MTTH8 OF THE CHEROKEE [bth.akn.19
cipal raiders on the Tennessee frontier, the new name may have been
symbolicof bis change of bear! at the prospectof a return of peace.
The treaty seems to have bad little effect in preventing Indian hos-
tilities, probabrj because the intruders still remained upon the Indian
lands, and raiding still continued. The Creeks were known to be
responsible for someof the mischief, and the hostile Chickamaugas
were supposed to be the chief authors of the rest.1 Even while the
Cherokee delegates were negotiating the treaty in Philadelphia a boat
which had accidentally run aground on the Muscle shoals was attacked
by a party of Indians under the pretense of offering assistance, one
man being killed and another severely wounded with a hatchet.'
While these negotiations had been pending at Philadelphia a young-
man named Leonard D. Shaw, a student at Princeton college, had
expressed to the Secretary of War an earnest desire lor a commission
which would enable him to accompany the returning Cherokee dele-
gates to their southern home, there to study Indian life and charac-
teristics. As the purpose seemed a useful one. and he appeared well
qualified tor such a work, he was accordingly commissioned as deputy
agent to reside among- the Cherokee to observe and report upon their
movements, to aid in the annuity distributions, and to render other
assistance to Governor Blount, superintendent for the southern tribes,
to study their language and home life, and to collect materials for an
Indian history. An extract from the official instructions under which
this first Tinted States ethnologist began his work will he of interest.
After defining his executive duties in connection with the annuity
distributions, the keeping of accounts and the compiling of official
reports. Secretary Knox continues —
A ilin- performance of your duty will probably require the exercise of all your
patience ami fortitude ami all your knowledge of the human character. Tin- school
will 1 ie a severe but interesting one. [f you should succeed in acquiring the affections
and a knowledge of the characters of the southern Indians, yon may lie at once use-
ful to the United States ami advance your own interest.
You will endeavor to learn their languages; this is essential to your communica-
tions. You will collect materials for a history of all the southern tribes and all
things thereunto belonging. You will endeavor to ascertain their respective limits.
make a vocabulary of their respective languages, teach them agriculture and such
useful arts as you may know or can acquire. You will correspond regularly with
Governor Blount, who is superintendent fur Indian affairs, ami inform him of all
occurrences. You will also cultivate a correspondence with Brigadier-General
McGillivray [the Creek chief], ami you will also keep a journal of your proceedings
and transmit them to the War Office. . . . You are to exhibit to Governor
Blount the Cherokee hook and all the writings therein, the messages to the several
tribes' of Indians, ami these instructions.
Your route will he hence to Reading; thence Harris's ferry [Harrisburg, Penn-
sylvania] to Carlisle; to ferry on the Potomac; to Winchester; to Staunton: to
■ Ramsey, Tennessee, p. 557, is",:;.
2 Abel deposition, April 16, 1792, American state Papers: Indian Affairs, i, p. 274, 1882.
mooney] RENEWAL OF WAR 17112 71
, and t<i Holston. I should hope that you would travel upwards of twenty
mile* each day, and that you would reach Holaton in about thirty days.'
The journey, which seemed then so long, was to be made by wagons
from Philadelphia to the head of navigation on Holston fiver, thence by
boats to the Cherokee towns. Shaw seems to have taken up his resi-
dence at Ustanali, which had superseded Echota as the ( Iherokee capital.
We hear of him as present at a council there in June of the same year.
with no evidence of unfriendliness at his presence." The friendly feel-
ing was of short continuance, however, for a few months later we find
him writing from Ustanali to Governor Blount that on account of the
aggressive hostility of the Creeks, whose avowed intention was to kill
every white man they met, he was not safe 50 yards front the house.
Soon afterwards the Chickamauga towns again declared war, on which
account, together with renewed threats by the ('recks, he was advised
by the Cherokee to leave Ustanali, which he did early in September,
1792, proceeding to the home of General Pickens, near Seneca, South
Carolina, escorted by a guard of friendly Cherokee. In the follow-
ing winter he was dismissed front the service on serious charges, and
his mission appears to have been a failure.3
To prevent an alliance of the Cherokee, Creeks, and other south-
ern Indians with the confederated hostile northern tribes, the govern-
ment had endeavored to persuade the former to furnish a contingent
of warriors to act with the army against the northern Indians, and
special instruction had been given to Shaw to use his efforts for this
result. Nothing, however, came of the attempt. St Clair's defeat
turned the scale against the United States, and in September, 1792,
the Chickamauga towns formally declared war.1
In November of this year the governor of Georgia officially reported
that a party of lawless Georgians had gone into the Cherokee Nation,
and had there burned a town and barbarously killed three Indians,
while about the same time two other Cherokee had been killed within
the settlements. Fearing retaliation, he ordered out a patrol of troops
to guard the frontier in that direction, and sent a conciliatory letter to
the chiefs, expressing his regret for what had happened. No answer
was returned to the message, but a few days later an entire family was
found murdered — four women, three children, and a young man — all
scalped and mangled and witlt arrows sticking in the bodies, while,
according to old Indian war custom, two war clubs were left upon
1 Henry Kii.'\. Secretary of War. Instructions to Leonard Shaw, temporary agent to the Cherokee
Nation of Indians, February 17, 1792. in American State Papers: Indian Affairs, i. 217. 1832; also Knox.
letters to Governor Blount, January ;;i ami February 16, 1792, ibid., pp. 245, 246.
- Estanaula conference report, June 26, 1792, ibid., i>. 271; Deraque deposition, September 15, 1792,
ibid., p. 292; Pickens, letter, September 12, 1792, ibid., p.317.
8See letters of Shaw, Casey, Pickens, and Blount. 1792-93, ibid., pp. .'77, 278, 317, 136, 137, 140.
■"Knox, instructions to Shaw, February 17, 1792, ibid., p. 247; Blount, letter, March 20, 1792, ibid.,
p. 263; Knox, letters, October 9, 1792, ibid., pp. 261, 2U2.
72 SIXTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [kth.ami.19
the ground to -how by whom the deed wasd -. So swift was savage
vengeance.'
Early in 1792 a messenger who had been sent on business for Gov-
ernor Blount to the Chickamauga towns returned with the report thai
a party had just come in with prisoners and some fresh scalps, over
which the chiefs and warriors of two towns were then dancing; that
the SI ia\\ aiio were urging the Cherokee to join them against the Ameri-
cans; that a strong body of Creeks was on it- way against the Cum-
berland settlements, and that the ( 'reck chief. Met rillivray, was trying
to form a general confederacy of all the Indian tribes against the
whites. To understand this properly it must lie remembered that at
this time all the tribes northwest of the Ohio and as far as the heads
of the Mississippi were banded together in a grand alliance, headed
l>\ the warlike Shawano, for the purpose of holding the Ohio river as
the Indian boundary against the advancing tide of white settlement.
They had just cut to pieces one of the finest armies ever sent into the
West, under the veteran General St Clair (28), and it seemed for the
moment a- if the American advance would he driven hack behind the
Alleghenies.
In the emergency the Secretary of War directed Governor Blount
to hold a conference with the chiefs of the Chickasaw. Choctaw, and
Cherokee at Nashville in dune to enlist their warriors, if possible, in
active service against the northern tribes. The conference was held
as proposed, in August, but nothing seems to have come of it, although
the child's seemed to lie sincere in their assurances of friendship.
Very few of the Choctaw or Cherokee were in attendance. At the
annuity distribution of the Cherokee, shortly before, the chiefs had
also been profuse in declarations of their desire for peace.' Notwith-
standing all this the attacks along the Tennessee frontier continued to
such an extent that the blockhouses were again put in order ami gar-
risoned. Soon afterwards the governor reported to the Secretary of
War that the five lower Cherokee towns on the Tennessee (the Chicka-
mauga), headed by John Watts, had finally declared war against the
United State-, and that from three to six hundred warriors, including
a hundred Creeks, had started against the settlements. The militia
was at once called out. both in eastern Tennessee and on the Cumber-
land. On the Cumberland side it was directed that no pursuit should
he continued beyond the Cherokee boundary, the ridge between the
waters of Cumberland and Duck rivers. The order issued by Colonel
White, of Knox county, to each of his captains shows how great was
the alarm:
■ Governor Telfair's letters of November n ami December 5, with inclosure, 1792, American State
Papers: Indian Affairs, i, pp.332, 336, 887, 1832.
2Rainwy, Trancm1, i.|..;,r,_'-.«,:;,-V.is, is:,:;.
mooney] ATTACK ON BUCHANAN'S STATION — L792 73
Knoxville, September n. 1792.
Sir: You arc hereby commanded to repair with your company to Knoxville,
equipped, to protect the frontiers; there is imminent danger. Bring with you two
days' provisions, if possible; but you are not to delay an hour on that head.
I am. sir. yours,
James White.1
About midnight on the 30th of September, 1792, the Indian force,
consisting of several hundred Chickamaugas and other Cherokee,
("reeks, and Shawano, attacked Buchanan's station, a few miles south
of Nashville. Although numbers of families had collected inside the
stockade for safety, there were less than twenty able-bodied men
among them. The approach of the enemy alarmed the cattle, by
which the garrison had warning just in time to close the gate when
the Indians were already within a few yards of the entrance. The
assault wtis furious and determined, the Indians rushing up to the
stockade, attempting to set tire to it. and aiming their guns through
the port holes. One Indian succeeded in climbing upon the roof with
a lighted torch, but was shot and fell to the ground, holding his torch
against the logs as he drew his last breath. It was learned afterward
that he was a half blood, the stepson of the old white trader who had
once rescued the boy Joseph Brown at Nickajack. He was a desperate
warrior and when only twenty-two years of age had already taken six
white scalps. The attack was repulsed at every point, and the assail
ants finally drew off, with considerable loss, carrying their dead and
wounded with them, and leaving a number of hatchets, pipes, and other
spoils upon the ground. Among the wounded was the chief John
Watts. Not one of those in the fort was injured. It has been well
said that the defense of Buchanan's station by such a handful of men
against an attacking force estimated all the way at from three to seven
hundred Indians is a feat of bravery which has scarcely been surpassed
in the annals of border warfare. The effect upon the Indians must
have been thoroughly disheartening.2
In the same month arrangements were made for protecting the fron-
tier along the French Broad by means of a series of garrisoned block-
houses, with scouts to patrol regularly from one to another. North
Carolina cooperating on her side of the line. The hostile inroads still
continued in this section, the Creeks acting with the hostile Cherokee.
One raiding party of Creeks having been traced toward Chilhowee
town on Little Tennessee, the whites were about to burn that and a
neighboring Cherokee town when Sevier interposed and prevented.3
There is no reason to suppose that the people of these towns were
directly concerned in the depredations along the frontier at this period,
1 Ramsey, Tennessee, pp. 662-565, ls:>:v
2 Blount, letter. October 2, 1792, in American State Papers: Indian Affairs, i, p. 294, 1832; Blount, letter,
etc., in Ramsey, op. cit., pp. 566, 567, 599-601; see also Brown's narrative, ibid., 511, 512; Royce, Cherokee
Nation, Fifth Ann. Rep. Bureau of Ethnology, p. 170, 1888.
3 Ramsey, op. cit., 569-571.
74 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE unt.M
the mischief I >< ■ i 1 1 <j- done by those farther to the south, in conjunction
with the ( ireeks.
Toward the close of this year, L792, Captain Samuel Handley, while
leading ;i small party of men to reenforce the ( Cumberland settlement,
was attacked by a mixed force of Cherokee, Creeks, and Shawano,
near the Grab Orchard, west of the presenl Kingston, Tennessee.
Becoming separated from his men he encountered a warrior who had
lifted his hatchet to >trikc when Handley seized the weapon, crying
out "Canaly" (for higtona'lii), "friend," to which the Cherokee
responded with tin' same word, at oner lowering his arm. Handley
was carried to Willstown, in Alabama, where he was adopted into the
Wolf elan (29) and remained until the next spring. After having
made use of his services in writing a peace letter to Governor Blount
the Cherokee finally sent him home in safety to his friends under a
protecting escort of eight warriors, without any demand for ransom.
He afterward resided near Tellico blockhouse, near Loudon, where,
after the wars were over, his Indian friends frequently came to visit
and stop with him.1
The year 1T'.»H began with a series of attacks all along the Tennes-
see frontier. As before, most of the depredation was by Chicka-
maugas and Creeks, with some stray Shawano from the north. The
Cherokee from the towns on Little Tennessee remained peaceable, but
their temper was sorely tried by a regrettable circumstance which
occurred in June. While a number of friendly chiefs were assembled
for a conference at Echota, on the express request of the President,
a party of men under command of a Captain John Beard sud-
denly attacked them, killing about fifteen Indians, including several
chiefs and two women, one of them being the wife of Hanging-maw
(Ushwa'li-guta), principal chief of the Nation, who was himself
wounded. The murderers then tied, leaving others to suffer the conse-
quences. Two hundred warriors at once took up arms to revenge their
loss, and only the most earnest appeal from the deputy governor could
lest rain them from swift retaliation. While the chief , whose wife
was thus murdered and himself wounded, forebore to revenge himself,
in order not to bring war upon his people, the Secretary of War was
obliged to report. " to my great pain, I find to punish Beard by law just
now is out of the question." Beard was in fact arrested, but the trial
was a farce and he was acquitted.8
Believing that the Cherokee Nation, with the exception of the
Chickamaugas, was honestly trying to preserve peace, the territorial
government, while making provision for the safety of the exposed
settlements, had strictly prohibited any invasion of the Indian country.
The frontier people were of a different opinion, and in spite of the
prohibition a company of nearly two hundred mounted men under
i Ramsey, Tennessee, pp.571-673, 1863. »Ibid.,pp
moosey] MASSACRE AT CAVITTS STATION 1793 75
Colonels Doherty and McFarland crossed over the mountains in the
summer of this year and destroyed six of the middle towns, returning
with fifteen scalps and as many prisoners.'
Late in September a strong force estimated at one thousand war-
riors— seven hundred Creeks and three hundred Cherokee — under John
Watts and Doublehead, crossed the Tennessee and advanced in the
direction of Knoxville. where the public stores were then deposited.
In their eagerness to reach Knoxville they passed quietly by one or
two smaller settlements until within a short distance of the town, when,
at daybreak of the 25th, they heard the garrison tire the sunrise gun
and imagined that they were discovered. Differences had already
broken out among the leaders, and without venturing to advance
farther they contented themselves with an attack upon a small block-
house a few miles to the west, known as Cavitts station, in which at
the time were only three men with thirteen women and children.
After defending themselves bravely for some time these surrendered
on promise that they should be held for exchange, but as soon as they
came out Doublehead's warriors fell upon them and put them all to
death with the exception of a boy, who was saved by John Watts.
This bloody deed was entirely the work of Doublehead. the other
chiefs having done their best to prevent it.2
A force of seven hundred men under General Sevier wasat once put
upon their track, with orders this time to push the pursuit into the
heart of the Indian nation. Crossing Little Tennessee and Hiwassee
they penetrated to Ustanali town, near the present Calhoun, Georgia.
Finding it deserted, although well tilled with provision, they
rested there a few days, the Indians in the meantime attempting
a night attack without success. After burning the town. Sevier con-
tinued down the river to Etowah town, near the present site of Rome.
Here the Indians— Cherokee and Creeks — had dug intrenchments and
prepared to make a stand, but, being outflanked, were defeated with
loss and compelled to retreat. This town, with several others in the
neighborhood belonging to both Cherokee and Creeks, w-as destroyed,
with all the provision of the Indians, including three hundred cattle,
after which the army took up the homeward march. The Americans
had lost but three men. This was the last military service of Sevier.3
During the absence of Sevier's force in the south the Indians made
a sudden inroad on the French Broad, near the present Dandridge,
killing and scalping a woman and a boy. While their friends were
accompanying the remains to a neighboring burial ground for "inter-
ment, two men who had incautiously gone ahead were tired upon. One
1 Ramsey. Tennessee, p. 579.
2 Ibid., pp. 580-583 1853; Smith. letter, September 27, 1793, American stale Papers: Indian Affairs,
[, p. 468, 1832, Ramsey gives tin- Indian force 1,000 warriors; smith *nys that in many places they
marched in tiles of Js abreast, each tile being supposed to number 40 men.
aRamsey, up. cit., pp. 584-588. ■
76 MYTH- OF THE CHEROKEE [bth.akk.19
of them escaped, but the other one was fouud killed and scalped when
the resl of thecompany came up, and was buried with the first victims..
Sevier's success brought temporary respite to the Cumberland settle-
ments. During the early part of the year the Indian attacks by
small raiding parties had been so frequent and annoying that a force
of men had been kept out on patrol service under officers who adopted
with some success the policy of hunting the Indian- in their camping
places in the thickets, rather than waiting for them to come i n t < . the
settlements.'
In February, 1 T'.*4. the Territorial assembly of Tennessee met at
Knoxvillc and. among other business transacted, addressed a strong
memorial to Congress calling for mure efficient protection for the
frontier and demanding a declaration of war against the Creeks and
Cherokee. The memorial states that since the treaty of Eiolston (July,
L791), these two tribes bad killed in a most barbarous and inhuman
manner more than two hundred citizens of Tennessee, of both sexes.
had carried others into captivity, destroyed their stock, burned
their houses, and laid waste their plantations, had robbed the citizens
of their slaves and stolen at least two thousand horses. Special atten-
tion was directed to the two great invasion- in September, 17'.':.'. and
September, 1793, and the memorialists declare that there was scarcely
a man of the assembly hut could tell of "a dear wife or child, an aged
parent or near relation, besides friends, massacred by the hands of these
bloodthirsty nations in their house or fields."8
In the meantime the raids continued and every scattered cabin was a
target for attack. In April a party of twenty warriors surrounded
the house of a man named Casteel on the French Broad about nine
miles above Knoxville and massacred father, mother, and four children
in most brutal fashion. One child only was left alive, a girl of ten
years, who was found scalped and bleeding from six tomahawk gashes,
vet survived. The others were buried in one grave. The massacre
roused such a storm of excitement that it required all the effort
of the governor and the local officials to prevent an invasion in force
of the Indian country. Tt was learned that Doublehead. of the Chicka-
mauga towns, was trying to get the support of the valley towns, which,
however, continued to maintain an attitude of peace. The friendly
Cherokee also declared that the Spaniards were constantly instigating
the lower tow ns to hostilities, although John Watts, one of their prin-
cipal chiefs, advocated peace. '
In June a boat under command of William Scott, laden with pot-,
hardware, and other property, and containing six white men. three
women, four children, and twenty negroes, left Knoxville to descend
I Ramsey. Tennessee, pp. 590. 602-605. 1853.
i Haywood, civil and Political Historj of Tennessee, pp 800-802; Knoxville, 1828
ii, mi pp 308-308,1828; Ramsey, op. cit., pp. 591 594. Haywood's history of this period Is little more
than a continuous record of killings and petty encounters.
mooney] CONFLICTS WITH CREEKS — 1794 ii
Tennessee river to Natchez. As it passed the Chickamauga towns it
was fired upon from Running Water and Long island without damage
The whites returned the tire, wounding two Indians. A large party of
Cherokee, headed by White-man-killer (Une'ga-dihi"). then started in
pursuit of the boat, which they overtook at Muscle shoals, where they
killed all the white people in it. made prisoners of the negroes, an. I
plundered the goods. Three Indians were killed and one was wounded
in the action.1 It is said that the Indian actors in this massacre tied
across the Mississippi into Spanish territory and became the nucleus of
the Cherokee Nation of the West, as will be noted elsewhere.
On June 26, 1794, another treaty, intended to be supplementary to
that of Holston in 1791, was negotiated at Philadelphia, being signed
by the Secretary of War and by thirteen principal men of the Chero-
kee. An arrangement was made for the proper marking of the
boundary then established, and the annuity was increased to five
thousand dollars, with a proviso that fifty dollars were to be deducted
for every horse -tolen by the Cherokee and not restored within three
months.2
In July a man named John Ish was shot down while plowing in his
field eighteen miles below Knoxville. By order of Hanging-maw, the
friendly chief of Echota, a party of Cherokee took the trail and cap-
tured the murderer, who proved to be a Creek, whom they brought
in to the agent at Tellico blockhouse, where he was formally tried
and hanged. When asked the usual question he said that his people
were at war with the whites, that he had left home to kill or be killed.
that he had killed the white man and would have escaped but for the
Cherokee, and that there were enough of his nation to avenge his
death. A few days later a party of one hundred Creek warriors
crossed Tennessee river against the settlements. The alarm was given
by Hanging-maw. and fifty-three Cherokee with a few federal troops
started in pursuit. On the loth of August they came up with the
Creeks, killing one and wounding another, one Cherokee being slightly
wounded. The Creeks retreated and the victors returned to the
Cherokee towns, where their return was announced by the death song
and the tiring of guns. "The night was spent in dancing the scalp
dance, according to the custom of warriors after a victory over their
enemies, in which the white and red people heartily joined. The
Upper Cherokee had now stepped too far to go back, and their pro-
fessions of friendship were now no longer to be questioned." In the
same month there was an engagement between a detachment of about
1 Haywood, Civil and Political History of Tennessee, p. 308.1823; Ramsey, Tennessee, p. 594. 1853; see
also memorial in Putnam, Middle Tennessee, p. 502, 1859. Haywi lod calls the leader Unacala, which
should be Une'ga-dihl', " White-man-killer.* ' Compare Hayw 1's statement with that of Wash-
burn, on page 100.
^Indian Treaties, pp. 39,40, 1837; Royce, Cherokee Nation. Fifth Ann. Rep. Bureau of Ethnology,
pp. 171, 172, 1SS8: Documents of 17'.>7-v\ American State Papers: Indian Affairs, i, pp. 628-631, 1832.
The treaty is not mentioned by the Tennessee historians.
78 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ajhi.19
forty soldiers and a large body of Creeks near ('rah ( >rchard, in which
several of each were killed.1 It is evident that much of the damage
on hnth sides <>t' the Cumberland range was due to the Creeks.
In the meantime Governor Blount was trying to negotiate peace
with tin' whole Cherokee Nation, but with little success. The Cher-
okee claimed to he anxious for permanent peace, hut said thai it was
impossible to restore the property taken by them, as it had been taken
in war, and they had themselves been equal losers from the white-.
They said also that they COuld not prevent the hostile Creeks from
passing through their territory. About the end of July it was learned
that a strong body of ('reeks had started north against the settlements.
The militia was at once ordered out alone- the Tennessee frontier, and
the friendly Cherokees offered their services, while measures were
taken to protect their women and children from the enemy. The
( 'reeks advanced as far as Willstown, when the news came of the com-
plete defeat of the confederated northern tribes by General Wayne
(30), and fearing the same fate for themselves, they turned back and
scattered to their towns. -
The Tennesseeans. especially those on the Cumberland, had lone- ago
come to the conclusion that peace could he brought about only through
the destruction of the Chickamauga towns. Anticipating some action
of this kind, which the general government did not think necessary or
advisable, orders against any such attempt had been issued by the
Secretary of War to Governor Blount. The frontier people went
about their preparations, however, and it is evident from the result
that the local military authorities were in connivance with the under-
taking. General Robertson was the chief organizer of the volunteers
about Nashville, who were reenforced by a company id' Kentuckians
under Colonel Whitley. Major Ore had been sent by Governor
Blount with a detachment of troops to protect the Cumberland settle-
ments, and on arriving at Nashville entered as heartily into the project
as if no counter orders had ever been issued, and was given chief com-
mand of the expedition, which for this reason is commonly known as
■•( he's expedition."
< )n September 7. L794, the army of five hundred and fifty mounted
men left Nashville, and five days later crossed the Tennessee near the
mouth of the Sequatchee river, their guide being the same Joseph
Brown of whom the old Indian woman had said that he would one day
bring the soldiers to destroy them. Having left their horses on the
other side of the river, they moved up along the south hank just after
daybreak of the L3th and surprised the town of Nickajack, killing
several warriors and taking a Dumber of prisoners. Some who
attempted to escape in canoes were shot in the water. The warriors
-.1, Civil 1 Political Historj oi Tennessee, pp 809-311, 1828; Ramsey, rennessee, pp. 594,
-IImvu l,op.cit.,pp 314-316; Ramsey, op. eit., p, 06.
mooney] END OB1 CHEROKEE WAR J 79-1 79
iii Running Water town, four miles above, heard the firing and came
at once to the assistance of their friends, but wen1 driven back after
attempting to hold their ground, and the second town shared the fate
of the first. More than fifty Indians had been killed, a number were
prisoners, both towns and all their contents had been destroyed, with
a loss to the assailants of only three men wounded. The Breath, the
chief of Running Water, was among those killed. Two fresh scalps
with a large quantity of plunder from the settlements were found in
the towns, together with a supply of ammunition said to have been
furnished by the Spaniards.1
Soon after the return of the expedition Robertson sent a message to
John Watts, the principal leader of the hostile Cherokee, threatening
a second visitation if the Indians did not very soon surrender their
prisoners and give assurances of peace.2 The destruction of their
towns on Tennessee and Coosa and the utter defeat of the northern
confederates had now broken the courage of the Cherokee, and on their
own request Governor Blount held a conference with them at Tellico
blockhouse, November 7 and 8, 1794, at which Hanging-maw, head
chief of the Nation, and Colonel John Watt, principal chief of the hos-
tile towns, with about four hundred of their warriors, attended. The
result was satisfactory; all differences were arranged on a friendly
basis and the long Cherokee war came to an end.3
Owing to the continued devastation of their towns during the Rev-
olutionary struggle, a number of Cherokee, principally of the Chicka-
mauga band, had removed across the Ohio about 1782 and settled on
Paint creek, a branch of the Scioto river, in the vicinity of their
friends and allies, the Shawano. In 17*7 they were reported to num-
ber about seventy warriors. They took an active part in the hostili-
ties along the Ohio frontier and were present in the great battle at the
Maumee rapids, by which the power of the confederated northern tribes
was effectually broken. As they had failed to attend the treaty con-
ference held at Greenville in August, 1795, General Wayne sent them
a special message, through their chief Long-hair, that if they refused
to come in and make terms as the others had done they would be con-
sidered outside the protection of the government. Upon this a part
of them came in and promised that as soon as they could gather their
crops the wThole band would leave Ohio forever and return to their
people in the south.4
'Haywood, Political and civil History of Tennessee, pp. 392-396. 1823; Ramsey, Tennessee (with
Major Ore's report), pp. 608-618, 1853; Royce, Cherokee Nation. Fifth Ann. Rep. Bureau Ethnology, p L71,
1888; Ore, Robertson, and Blount, reports, American State Papers: Indian Affairs, i, pp. 632-634, 1832
-Ramsey, op. cit., p. 618.
Tellico lferenee, November 7-8, 1794, American State Papers: Indian Affairs, i. pp. 536-538, ls:!2,
Royce, op. cit.. p. 173; Ramsey, op. cit, p. 596.
'Beaver's talk. 17sl, Virginia state Papers, in, p. 571,1883; McDowell, report, 1786, ibid., iv, p. 118,
1884; McDowell, report, 1787, ibid., p. 286: Todd, letter, 1787, ibid., p. 277; Tellico conference. Novem-
ber 7, 1794, American State Papers; Indian Affairs, I, p. 538, 1832; Greenville treaty conference, August,
1795, ibid., pp. 582-583.
80 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.akn.19
The Creeks were -till hostile and continued their inroads upon the
western settlements. Early in January, 17'.i.">. Governor Blount held
another conference with the Cherokee and endeavored t" persuade
them i" organise a company of their young men to patrol the frontier
against the Creeks, but to this proposal the chiefs refused to consent.1
In the next year it was discovered that a movement was on foot to
take possession of certain Indian lands south of the Cumberland on
pretense of authority formerly granted by North Carolina for the
relief of Revolutionary soldiers. As such action would almost surely
have resulted in another Indian war. Congress interposed, on the rep-
resentation of President Washington, with an act for the regulation of
intercourse between citizens of the United States and the various
Indian tribes. Its main purpose was to prevent intrusion upon lands
to which the Indian title had not been extinguished by treaty with the
general government, and under its provisions a number of squatters
were ejected from the Indian country and removed across the boundary.
The pressure of border sentiment, however, was constantly for extend-
ing the area of white settlement and the result was an immediate agita-
tion to procure another treaty cession. :
In consequence of urgent representations from the people of Ten-
nessee, Congress took steps in IT'.tT for procuring a new treaty with
the Cherokee by which the ejected settlers might '»■ reinstated and the
boundaries of the new state so extended as to bring about closer com-
munication between the eastern settlements and those on the ( lumber-
land. Tin1 Revolutionary warfare had forced the Cherokee west and
south, and their capital and central gathering place was now Ustanali
town, near the present Calhoun. Georgia, while Echota, their ancient
capital and beloved peace town, was almost on the edge of the white
settlements. The commissioners wished to have the proceedings con-
ducted at Echota, while the Cherokee favored Ustanali. After some
debate a choice was made of a convenient place near Tellico block-
house, where the conference opened in July, hut was brought to an
abrupt (dose by the peremptory refusal of the Cherokee to sell any
land- or to permit the return of the ejected settlers.
The rest of the summer was spent in negotiation alone' the linos
already proposed, and on October 2, L798, a treaty, commonly known
as the "first treaty of Tellico." was concluded*at the same place, and
was signed by thirty-nine chiefs on behalf of the Cherokee. By this
t reaty the Indians ceded a tract between ( !linch river and the Cumber-
land ridge, another alone- the northern hank of Little Tennessee
extending up to Chilhowee mountain, and a third in North Carolina mi
the heads of French Broad and Pigeon rivers and including the sites
i Royce, Cherokee Nation, Fifth Ann Rep. Bureau of Ethnology, p. IT:;, 1888
s Ibid., pp. 174,175; Ramsey, Tennessee, pp ''7'.' • -
mooxey] CONDITION OF CHEROKEE IX 1800 81
of the present Waynesville and Hendersonville. These cessions
included most or all of the lands from which settlers had been ejected.
Permission was also given for laying out the "Cumberland road." to
connect the east Tennessee settlements with those about Nashville. In
consideration of the lands and rights surrendered, the United States
agreed to deliver to the Cherokee five thousand dollars in goods, and
to increase their existing annuity by one thousand dollars, and as usual,
to •■continue the guarantee of the remainder of their country forever."'
Wayne's victory over the northern tribes at the battle of the Mau-
niee rapids completely broke their power and compelled them to accept
the terms of peace dictated at the treaty of Greenville in the summer
of 1795. The immediate result was the surrender of the Ohio river
boundary by the Indians and the withdrawal of the British garrisons
from the interior posts, which up to this time they had continued to
hold in spite of the treaty made at the close of the Revolution. By
the treaty made at Madrid in October, L795, Spain gave up all claim
on the east side of the Mississippi north of the thirty-first parallel, but
on various pretexts the formal transfer of posts was delayed and a
Spanish garrison continued to occupy San Fernando de Barrancas, at
the present Memphis. Tennessee, until the fall of 1797, while that at
Natchez, in Mississippi, was not surrendered until March. 1798. The
Creeks, seeing the trend of affairs, had made peace at Colerain.
Georgia, in June, 179t>. With the hostile European influence thus
eliminated, at least for the time, the warlike tribes on the north and
on the south crushed and dispirited and the Chickamauga towns wiped
out of existence, the Cherokee realized that they must accept the
situation and, after nearly twenty years of continuous warfare, laid \^
aside the tomahawk to cultivate the arts of peace and civilization.
The close of the century found them still a compact people (the
westward movement having hardly yet begun) numbering probably
about 20,000 souls. After repeated cessions of large tracts of land, to
some of which they had but doubtful claim, they remained in recog-
nized possession of nearly 4:3,000 square miles of territory, a country
about equal in extent to Ohio. Virginia, or Tennessee. Of this 'terri-
tory about one half was within the limits of Tennessee, the remainder
being almost equally divided between Georgia and Alabama, with a
small area in the extreme southwestern corner of North Carolina.2
The old Lower towns on Savannah river had been broken up for
twenty years, and the whites had so far encroached upon the Upper
towns that the capital and council tire of the nation had been removed
from the ancient peace town of Echota to Ustanali, in Georgia. The
i Indian Treaties, pp. 78-82. 1837; Ramsey, Tennessee, pp. 692-697. ls.">:;; Royce, Cherokei
(with map and full discussion i, Fifth Ann. Rep. Bureau of Ethnology, pp. 174-lw, 1888.
-See table in Royce, op.cit., p. 378.
19 ETH— 01 6
82 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ank.19
towns on Coosa river and in Alabama were almost all of recent estab-
lishment, peopled by refugees from the east and north. The Middle
towns, in North Carolina, were still surrounded by Indian country.
Firearms had been introduced into the tribe about one hundred
years before, and the Cherokee had learned well their use. Such
civilized goods as hatchets, knives, clothes, and trinkets had become
so common before the first Cherokee war that the Indians had declared
that they could no longer live without the trader-. Horses and other
domestic animals had been introduced early in the century, and at the
opening of the war of L760, according to Adair, the Cherokee had "a
prodigious number of excellent horses." and although hunger had
compelled them t<> eat a great many of these during that period, they
still had, in 1775. from two to a dozen each, and bid fair soon to have
plenty of the best sort, as, according to the same authority, they were
skilful jockeys and nice in their choice. Some of them had grown
fond of cattle, and they had also an abundance of hoes and poultry,
the Indian pork being esteemed better than that raised in the white
settlements on account of the chestnut diet.1 In Sevier's expedition
against the towns on Coosa river, in 1793, the army killed three hun-
dred beeves at Etowah and left their carcasses rotting on the ground.
While crossing the Cherokee country in 1796 Hawkins met an Indian
woman on horseback driving ten very fat cattle to the settlements for
sale. Peach trees and potatoes, as well as the native corn and beans,
were abundant in their fields, and some had bees and honey and did a
considerable trade in beeswax. They seem to have quickly recovered
from the repeated ravages of war. and there was a general air of pros-
perity throughout the nation. The native arts ()f pottery and basket-
making were still the principal employment of the women, and the
warriors hunted with such success that a party of traders brought
down thirty wagon loads of skins on one trip." In dress and house-
building the Indian style was practically unchanged.
In pursuance of a civilizing policy, the government had agreed, by
the treaty of 17U1, to furnish the Cherokee gratuitously with farming
tools and similar assistance. This policy was continued and broadened
to such an extent that in L801 Hawkins reports that "in the Cherokee
agency, the wheel, the loom, and the plough is [sic] in pretty general
use. farming, manufactures, and stock raising the topic of conversation
among the men and women." At a conference held this year we find
the chiefs of the mountain towns complaining that the people of the
more western and southwestern settlements had received more than
their share of spinning wheels and cards, and were consequently more
advanced in making their own clothing as well as in farming, to which
1 Adair, American Indians, pp.280,281, I77.Y
2See Hawkins, MS journal from South Carolina to tin- Creeks, 17%, in library of Georgia Historical
Society.
N uney] INTERMARRIAGE WITH WHITES 83
the others retorted that these things had been offered to all alike at
the same time, but while the lowland people had been quick to accept,
the mountaineers had hung back. "Those who complain came in late.
We have got the start of them, which we are determined to keep."
The progressives, under John Watts, Doublehead. and Will, threatened
to secede from the rest and leave those east of Chilhowee mountain to
shift for themselves.1 We see here the germ of dissatisfaction which
led ultimately to the emigration of the western band. Along with
other things of civilization, negro slavery had been introduced and
several of the leading men were now slaveholders (31).
Much of the advance in civilization had been due to the intermar-
riage among them of white men, chiefly traders of the ante-Revolu-
tionary period, with a few Americans from the back settlements. The
families that have made Cherokee history were nearly all of this mixed
descent. The Doughertys, Galpins. and Adairs were from Ireland: the
Rosses, Vanns, and Macintoshes, like the McGillivrays and Graysons
among the Creeks, were of Scottish origin; the Waffords and others
were Americans from Carolina or Georgia, and the father of Sequoya
was a (Pennsylvania '.) German. Most of this white blood was of good
stock, very different from the "squaw man" element of the western
tribes. Those of the mixed blood who could afford it usually sent their
children away to be educated, while some built schoolhouses upon
their own grounds and brought in private teachers from the outside.
With the beginning of the present century we find influential mixed
bloods in almost every town, and the civilized idea dominated even the
national councils. The Middle towns, shut in from the outside world
by high mountains, remained a stronghold of Cherokee conservatism.
With the exception of Priber, there seems to be no authentic record
of any missionary worker among the Cherokee before 1800. There is,
indeed, an incidental notice of a Presbyterian minister of North Caro-
lina being on his way to the tribe in 1758, but nothing seems to have
come of it, and we find him soon after in South Carolina and separated
from his original jurisdiction.2 The first permanent mission was estab-
lished by the Moravians, those peaceful German immigrants whose
teachings were so well exemplified in the lives of Zeisberger and
Heckewelder. As early as 1734, while temporarily settled in Georgia,
they had striven to bring some knowledge of the Christian religion to
the Indians immediately about Savannah, including perhaps some
stray Cherokee. Later on they established missions among the Dela-
wares in Ohio, where their first Cherokee convert was received in
1773, being one who had been captured by the Delawares when a
boy and had grown up and married in the tribe. In 1752 they had
formed a settlement on the upper Yadkin, near the present Salem,
1 Hawkins, Treaty Commission, 1801, manuscript No. 5, m library of Georgia Historical Society.
-Foote (?), in North Carolina Colonial Records, v. p. 1'2'J6, 1887.
M MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE lbth.akh.1S
North Carolina, where 1 1 n - \ made friendly acquaintance with the
Cherokee.1 In L799, hearing thai the Cherokee desired teachers or
perhaps bj direct invitation of the chiefs two missionaries visited
the tribe to investigate the matter. Another visit wa- made in the
next summer, and a council was held at Tellico agency, where, after a
debate in which the Indians showed considerable difference <>t' opinion,
it was decided tn open a mission. Permission having been obtained
from the government, the work was begun in April. L801, by Rev.
Abraham Steiner and Rev. Gottlieb Byhan at the residence of David
Vann, a prominent mixed-blood chief, who lodged them in his own
bouse and gave them every assistance in building the mission, which
they afterward called Spring place, where now is the village of the
same name in Murray county, northwestern Georgia. They were
also materially aided by the agent, Colonel Return J. Meigs (32). It
was soon seen that the Cherokee wanted civilizers for their children,
and not new theologies, and when they found that a school could not
at once 1 pened the great council at I'stanali sent orders to the
missi iries to organize a school within six months or leave the nation.
Through Vann's help the matter was arranged and a school was
opened, several sons of prominent chiefs being among the pupils.
Another Moravian mission was established by Reverend .1. Gambold
at Oothcaloga, in the same county, in 1821. Roth were in flourishing
condition when broken up. with other Cherokee missions, by the Stair
of Georgia in 1834:. The work was afterward renewed beyond the
Mississippi.5
In 1804 the Reverend Gideon Blackburn, a Presbyterian minister of
Tennessee, opened a school among the Cherokee, which continued for
several years until abandoned for lack of funds.8
Notwithstanding the promise to the Cherokee in the treaty of 1798
that the Government would "continue the guarantee of the remain-
der of their country forever." measures were begun almost imme-
diately to procure another large cession of land and road privileges.
In spite of the strenuous objection of the Cherokee, who sent a
delegation of prominent chiefs to Washington to protest against any
further sales, such pressure was brought to hear, chiefly through the
efforts of the agent, Colonel Meigs, that the object of the Government
was accomplished, and in L804 and 1805 three treaties were negotiated
at Tellico agency, by which the Cherokee were shorn id' more than
eight thousand square miles of their remaining territory.
By the first of these treaties October 24, 1804 — a purchase was
made of a small tract in northeastern Georgia, known as the "Warlord
' North Carolina Colonial R rds, v. p. \, i.ss;.
JReichel, E. II.. Historical Sketch of the Church and Missions of the I nited Brethren, pp. 65 81;
hem en L848; Holmes, J. ait,. Sketches ol the Missions o! the United Brethren, pp. 124, 125,
109 i ! Dublin L818: II pson, A. ('.. Moravian Mis-ions, p. 341; New York, 1890; De Schweinitz,
Edmund, Life ol Zeisberger, pp. 894 196 Phils . 1870.
■ Morse, American Geography, i, p. 577, 1819.
mooney] TREATY OF WASHINGTON — 18(»6 85
settlement," upon which a party led by Colonel Wafford had located
some years before, under the impression that it was outside the bound-
ary established bythe Hopewell treaty. In compensation the Cherokee
were to receive an immediate payment of live thousand dollars in
goods or cash with an additional annuity of one thousand dollars. By
the other treaties — October 25 and u'7. L805 — a large tract was obtained
in central Tennessee and Kentucky, extending between the Cumber-
land range and the western line of the Hopewell treaty, and from
Cumberland river southwest to Duck river. One section was also
secured at Southwest point (now Kingston, Tennessee) with the design
of establishing there the state capital, which, however, was located at
Nashville instead seven years later. Permission was also obtained for
two mail roads through the Cherokee country into Georgia and Ala-
bama. In consideration of the cessions by the two treaties the United
States agreed to pay fifteen thousand six hundred dollars in working
implements, goods, orcash, with an additional annuity of three thousand
dollars. To secure the consent of some of the leading chiefs, the
treaty commissioners resorted to the disgraceful precedent of secret
articles, by which several valuable small tracts were reserved for
Doublehead and Tollunteeskee, the agreement being recorded as a part
of the treaty, but not embodied in the copy sent to the Senate for con-
firmation.1 In consequence of continued abuse of his official position
for selfish ends Doublehead was soon afterward killed in accordance
with a decree of the chiefs of the Nation, Major Ridge being selected
as executioner.2
By the treaty of October 25, 1805, the settlements in eastern Tennessee
were brought into connection with those about Nashville on the Cumber-
land, and the state at last assumed compact form. The whole southern
portion of the state, as defined in the charter, was still Indian coun-
try, and there was a strong and constant pressure for its opening, the
prevailing sentiment being in favor of making Tennessee river the
boundary between the two races. New immigrants were constantly
crowding in from the east. and. as Royce says, "the desire to settle
on Indian land was as potent and insatiable with the average border
settler then as it is now." Almost within two months of the last
treaties another one was concluded at Washington on January 7, 1806,
by which the Cherokee ceded their claim to a large tract between
Duck river and the Tennessee, embracing nearly seven thousand
' square miles in Tennessee and Alabama, together with the Long island
(Great island) in Holston river, which up to this time they had claimed
as theirs. They were promised in compensation ten thousand dollars
in five cash installments, a grist mill and cotton gin, and a life annuity
1 Indian treaties, pp.108, 121, 125, 1837; Royce, Cherokee Nation, Fifth Ann. Rep. Bureau of Ethnol-
ogy, pp. 183 193, 1888 (map and full discussion I.
-McKenney and Hall, Indian Tribes, n, p. 92, 1858.
86 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
of one hundred dollars for Black-fox, the aged head chief of the nation.
The signers of the instrument, including Doublehead and Tollunteeskee,
were accompanied to Washington by the same commissioners who had
procured the previous treaty. In consequence of some misunderstand
ing, the boundaries <>l' the ceded trad were Mill further extended in a
supple ntary treaty concluded at the Chickasaw Old Fields on the
Tennessee, on September 11. L807. As the country between Duck
river and the Tennessee was claimed also by t In- Chickasaw, their title
was extinguished by separate treaties.' The ostensible compensation
for this lust Cherokee cession, as shown by the treaty, was two thou
sand dollars, but it was secretly agreed by Agent Meigs that what he
calls a "silenl consideration" of one thousand dollars and some rifles
should be given to the chiefs who signed it.;
In L807 Colonel Elias Earle, with the consent of the Government,
obtained a concession from the Cherokee for the establishment of iron
works at the mouth of Chickamauga creek, on the south side of Ten-
nessee river, to be supplied from ores mined in the Cherokee country.
It was hoped that this would be a considerable step toward the civili-
zation of the Indians, besides enabling the Government to obtain its
supplies of manufactured iron at a cheaper rate, hut after prolonged
effort the project was finally abandoned on account of the refusal of
the state of Tennessee to sanction the grant.3 In the same year, by
arrangement with the general government, the legislature of Tennessee
attempted to negotiate with the Cherokee for that part of their unceded
lands lying within the state limits, but without success, owing to the
unwillingness of the Indians to part with any more territory, and their
special dislike for the people of Tennessee.*
In L810 the Cherokee national council registered a further advance
in civilization by formally abolishing the custom of clan revenge,
hitherto universal among the tribes. The enactment bears the signa-
tures of Black-fox (Ina'li), principal chief, and seven others, and reads
as follows:
In Council, Oostinaleh, April IS, 1810.
1. Be it known this .lay, That the various clans or tribes which compose the Cher-
okee nation have unanimously passed an act of oblivion for all lives for which they
may have been indebted one to the other, and have mutually agreed that after this
evening the aforesaid act shall become binding upon every clan or tribe thereof.
•1. Tlie aforesaid clans or tribes have also agreed that if, in future, any life should
be lost without malice intended, the innocent aggressor shall not be accounted guilty;
i Indian Treaties, pp. 132-136, 1837; Royce, Cherokee Nation, Fifth Ann. Kip. Bureau of Ethnology,
pp. 193-197, 1888.
2 Meigs, letter, September 28, 1807, American State Papers: Indian Affairs, i. p. 754, 1832 Royi
op.cit., p. 197.
si < treaty, December ^, 1807, and Jefferson's message, with inclosures, March 10, 1808, American
State Papers: Indian Affairs, i. pp. 752-754, 1832; Royce, op.cit., pp. 199-201.
• Ibid., pp. 201,202.
mooney] THE UNICOI TURNPIKE Si
and. should it so happen thai a brother, forgetting his natural affections, should
raise his hands in anger and kill his brother, he shall be accounted guilty of murder
and suffer accordingly.
::. If a man have a horse stolen, and overtake the thief, and sin mid his anger be
so great as to cause him to shed his hi 1, let it remain on his ow n conscience, bul
no satisfaction shall be required for his life, from his relative or clan he may have
belonged to.
Bj order of the seven clans. '
Under an agreement with the Cherokee in 1813a company composed
pf representatives of Tennessee, Georgia, and the Cherokee nation
was organized to lay out a free public road from Tennessee river to
the head of navigation on the Tugaloo branch of Savannah river, with
provision for convenient stopping places alone- the line. The road
was completed within the next three years, and became the great high-
way from the coast to the Tennessee settlements. Beginning on the
Tugaloo or Savannah a short distance below the entrance of Toccoa
creek, it crossed the upper Chattahoochee, passing through Clarkes-
ville, Nacoochee valley, the Unicoi gap. and Hiwassee in Georgia;
then entering North Carolina it descended the Hiwassee, passing
through Hayesville and Murphy and over the Great Smoky range into
Tennessee, until it reached the terminus at the Cherokee capital,
Echota, on Little Tennessee. It was officially styled the Unicoi turn-
pike,' but was commonly known in North Carolina as the Wachesa
trail, from Watsi'sa or Wachesa, a prominent Indian who lived near
the crossing-place on Beaverdam creek, below Murphy, this portion
of the road being laid out along the old Indian trail which already
bore that name.3
Passing over for the present some negotiations having for their pur-
pose the removal of the Cherokee to the West, we arrive at the period
of the Creek war.
Ever since the treaty of Greenville it had been the dream of Tecum-
tha, the great Shawano chief (33), to weld again the conf ederacj' of the
northern tribes as a harrier against the further aggressions of the white
man. His own burning eloquence was ably seconded by the subtler
persuasion of his brother, who assumed the role of a prophet with a
new revelation, the burden of which was that the Indians must return
to their old Indian life it' they would preserve their national existence.
The new doctrine spread among all the northern tribes and at hist
reached those of the south, where TecumAha himself had gone to enlist
the warriors in the great Indian confederacy. The prophets of the
Upper Creeks eagerly accepted the doctrine and in a short time their
warriors were dancing the "dance of the Indians of the lakes." In
iln American State Papers: Indian Affairs, n, p. 283, 1831.
2See contract appended to Washington treaty, 1819, Indian Treaties, pp. 269-271, 1837; Royce map,
Fifth Ann. Rep. Bureau of Ethnology, 1888.
3 Author's personal information.
MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE i ™
anticipation of an expected war with the United Stair- the British
agents in Canada had I n encouraging the hostile feeling toward the
Americans by talks and presents of goods and ammunition, while the
Spaniards also covertly fanned the flame of discontent.' At the beighl
of the ferment war was declared between thi- country and England on
June 28, 1812. Tecumtha, :it the bead of fifteen hundred warriors, at
once entered the British service with a commission as general, while
the Creeks began murdering and burning along the southern frontier,
after having vainly attempted to secure the cooperation of the ( Iherokee.
From the Creeks the new revelation was brought to the Cherokee,
whose priests at once began to dream dreams and to preach a return to
the old life as the only hope of the Indian rare. A greal medicine
dance was appointed at (Jstanali, the national capital, where, after the
dance was over, the doctrine was publicly announced and explained by
a Cherokee prophet introduced by a delegation from Coosawatee. He
began by saying that some of the mountain towns had abused him and
refused to receive his message, hut nevertheless he must continue to
hear testimony of his mission whatever might happen. The Cherokee
had broken the road which had been given to their fathers at the begin-
ningof the world. They hud taken the white man's clothes and trinkets.
they had beds and tables and mills; some even had hooks and cats. All
this was had, and because of it their gods were angry and the game
was leaving their country. If they would live and be happy as before
they must put off the white man's dress, throw away his mills and
looms, kill their cats, put on paint and buckskin, and be Indians again;
otherwise swift destruction would come upon them.
His speech appealed strongly to the people, who cried out in great
excitement that his talk was good. Of all those present only Major
Ridge, a principal child', had the courage to stand up and oppose it,
warning his hearers that such talk would inevitably lead to war with
the United States, which would end in their own destruction. The
maddened followers of the prophet sprang upon Ridge and would have
killed him hut for the interposition of friends. As it was. he was thrown
down and narrowly escaped with his life, while one of his defender-
was stabbed by his side.
The prophet had threatened after a certain time to invoke a terrible
storm, which should destroy all hut the true believers, who were
exhorted to gather for safety on one of the high peaks of the Great
Smoky mountains. In full faith they abandoned their bees, their
orchards, their slaves, and everything that had come to them from the
white man. and took up their toilsome march for the high mountains.
There they waited until the appointed day had come and passed, show-
1 Mooney, Ghost-dance Religion, Fourteenth Ami. Rep. Bim'au of Ethnology, p. 670 el passim,
1896; contemporary documents in American State Papers: [ndian Affairs,!, pp. 798-801, 845
moosev] BEGINNING OF CREEK WAR — 1813 89
in<r their hopes and fears t<> be groundless, when they sadly returned
to their homes and the great Indian revival among the Cherokee came
in an end.1
Among the ('recks, where other hostile influences were at work, the
excitement culminated in the Creek war. Several murders and outrages
had already been committed, but it was not until the terrible massacre
at Fort Minis (34), on August 30, L813, that the whole American nation
was aroused. Through the influence of Ridge and other prominent
chiefs the Cherokee had refused to join the hostile Creeks, and on the
contrary had promised to assist the whites and the friendly towns.2
More than a year before the council had sent a friendly letter to the
Creeks warning them against taking the British side in the approach-
ing war, while several prominent chiefs had proposed to enlist a Chero-
kee force for the service of the United States.' Finding that no help
was to be expected from the Cherokee, the Creeks took occasion to kill
a Cherokee woman near the town of Etowah, in Georgia. With the
help of a conjurer the murderers were trailed and overtaken and killed
on the evening of the second day in a thicket where they had concealed
themselves. After this there could be no alliance between the two
tribes.*
At the time of the Fort Mims massacre Mcintosh (35), the chief of
the friendly Lower Creeks, was visiting the Cherokee, among whom
he had relatives. By order of the Cherokee council he was escorted
home by a delegation under the leadership of Ridge. On his return
Ridge brought with him a request from the Lower Creeks that the
Cherokee would join with them and the Americans in putting down
the war. Ridge himself strongly urged the proposition, declaring
that if the, prophets were allowed to have their way the work of civil-
ization would be destroyed. The council, however, decided not to
interfere in the affairs of other tribes, whereupon Ridge called for
volunteers, with the result that so many of the warriors responded that
the council reversed its decision and declared war against the Creeks."
For a proper understanding of the situation it is necessary to state that
the hostile feeling was confined almost entirely to the Upper Creek
towns on the Tallapoosa, where the prophets of the new religion had
their residence. The half-breed chief, Weatherford (•".»'.). was the
leader of the war party. The Lower Creek towns on the Clu.ttahoo-
iSee Mooney, Ghost dance Religion, Fourteenth Aim. Rep. Bureau of Ethnology, pp. 670-677, 1896;
McKennej and Hall, Indian Tribes, II, pp. 93-95, 1858; see also contemporary letters (1813, etc.) by
Hawkins. Cornells, and others in American state Papers: Indian Affairs, i, 1S32.
-Letters of Hawkins, Pinckney, and Cussetah King, July, 1813, American State Papers: Indian
Affairs, II, pp. 847-849, 1832.
:l Meigs, letter, May s. 1812, and Hawkins, letter. May 11, 1812, ibid., p.809.
4 Author's information from James I). Wafford.
'MeKenney and Hall, Indian Tribes, n, pi.. 96-97, IS 8
■ Mi MYTHS OF THE CHKEOKEE [bth inn- .19
chec, under Mcintosh, another half-breed chief , were friendly, and
acted with the Cherokee and the Americans against their own brethren.
It is not our purpose to give a history of the Creek war, but only
to note the part which the Cherokee had in it. The friendly Lower
Creeks, under Mcintosh, with a few refugees from the Upper towns,
operated chiefly with the army under Genera] Floyd which invaded
the southern pari of the Creels country from Georgia. Some friendly
Choctaw and Chickasaw also lenl their assistance in tin- direction.
The Cherokee, with some friendly Creeks of the Upper towns, acted
with tli*' armies under Generals White and .lack-on. which entered
the Creek country from the Tennessee side. While some hundreds
of their warriors were thus fighting in the field, the Cherokee at home
were busily collecting provisions for the American troops.
As Jackson approached from the north, about the end of October,
L813, be wa- met by runners asking him to come to the aid of Path-
killer, a Cherokee chief, who was in danger of being cut off by the
hostilcs. at his village of Turkeytown, on the upper Coosa, near the
present Center. Alabama. A fresh detachment on its way from east
Tennessee, under General White, was ordered by Jackson to relieve
the town, and successfully performed this work. White's force con-
sisted of one thousand men. including four hundred Cherokee under
Colonel Gideon Morgan and .John Lowrey.1
As the army advanced down the Coosa the Creeks retired to Tallasee-
hatchee, on the creek of the same name, near the present Jacksonville,
Calhoun county. Alabama. One thousand men under General Coffee,
together with a company of Cherokee under Captain Richard Brown
and some few Creeks, were sent against them. The Indian auxiliaries
wore headdresses of white feathers and deertails. The attack was
made at daybreak of November •"». 1813, and the town was taken after
a desperate resistance, from which not one <ff the defenders escaped
alive, the Creeks having been completely surrounded on all sides.
Says Coffee in his official report:
They made all the resistance thai an overpowered soldier could '1<> — they fought as
long as "lie existed, but their destruction was very Boon completed. Our men rushed
up i" the doors of the house- ami in a few minutes killed the last warrior of then).
The enemy f ought with savage fury and met death with all its horrors, without
shrinking or complaining — not one asked to he spared, butfought as long as they
could stand or sit.
< )f such fighting stuff did the Creeks prove themselves, against over
whelming numbers, throughout the war. The bodies of nearly two
hundred dead warriors were counted on the field, and the general
reiterates that "not one of the warriors escaped." A number of
women and children were taken prisoners. Nearly every man of the
Creeks had a how with a bundle of arrows, which he used after the
'Drake, Indians, pp. 895-396, 1880; Pickett, Alabama, p, 556, reprint "i 1896.
mookey] BATTLES OF TALLADEGA AND HILLABEE — 1813 91
first fire with his gun. The American loss was only five killed and
forty-one wounded, which may not include the Indian contingent.1
White's advance guard, consisting chiefly of the four hundred other
Cherokee under Morgan and Lowrey, reached Tallaseehatchee the same
evening, only to find it already destroyed. They picked up twenty
wounded Creeks, whom they brought with them to Turkeytown.5
The next great battle was at Talladega, on the site of the present
town of the same name, in Talladega county. Alabama, on November 9,
1813. Jackson commanded in person with two thousand infantry and
cavalry. Although the Cherokee are not specifically mentioned they
were a part of the army and must have taken part in the engagement.
The town itself was occupied by friendly Creeks, who were besieged
l>y the hostiles, estimated at over one thousand warriors on the out-
side. Here again the battle was simply a slaughter, the odds being
two to one. the Creeks being also without cover, although they fought
.so desperately that at one time the militia was driven back. They
left two hundred and ninety-nine dead bodies on the field, which,
according to their own statement afterwards, was only a part of
their total loss. The Americans lost fifteen killed and eighty-five
wounded.3
A day or two later the people of Hillabee town, about the site of
the present village of that name in Clay county. Alabama, sent mes-
sengers to Jackson's camp to ask for peace, which that commander
immediately granted. In the meantime, even while the peace mes-
sengers were on their way home with the good news, an army of one
thousand men from east Tennessee under General White, who claimed
to be independent of Jackson's authority, together with four hundred
Cherokee under Colonel Gideon Morgan and John Lowrey. surrounded
the town on November 18, 1813, taking it by surprise, the inhabitants
having trusted so confidently to the success of their peace embassy
that they had made no preparation for defense. Sixty warriors were
killed and over two hundred and fifty prisoners taken, with no loss to
the Americans, as there was practically no resistance. In White's
official report of the affair he states that he had sent ahead a part of
his force, together with the Cherokee under Morgan, to surround the
town, and adds that "Colonel Morgan and the Cherokees under his
command gave undeniable evidence that they merit the employ of
their government."' Not knowing that the attack had been made
without Jackson's sanction or knowledge, the Creeks naturally con-
1 Coffee, report, etc., in Drake, Indians, p. 396, 1880; Lossing, Field Book of the War of 1812, pp.
762,763 [n. d. (1869)]; Pickett, Alabama, p. 553, reprint of 18%.
2Ibid.,p. 556.
3 Drake, Indians, p. 396, 1880; Pickett, op.cit., pp. 554, 555.
'White's report, etc., in Fay and Davison, Sketches of the War, pp. 240. 241: Rutland, Vt., 1815;
Low. John! Impartial History of the War, p. 199; New York, 1815; Drake, op. cit., p. 397; Pickett, op.
cit., p. 557; Lossing, op. cit., p. 767. Low says White had about 1,100 mounted men, -'including
upward "f 300 Cherokee Indians." Pickett gives White 400 Cherokee.
92 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.
eluded thai peace overtures were of no avail, and thenceforth until
tlir close of the war there was m> talk of surrender.
On November 29, L813, the Georgia army under General Floyd,
consisting of nine hundred and fifty American troops and four hun-
dred friendly Indian-, chiefly Lower Creeks under Mcintosh, took
and destroyed Autossee town on the Tallapoosa, west of the present
Tuskegee. killing about two hundred warriors and burning four hun-
dred well-buill nouses. On December .'•': the Creeks were again
defeated by General Claiborne, assisted by some friendly Choctaws,
at Ecanachaca or the Holy Ground on Alabama river, near the present
Benton in Low ndes county. This town and another a few miles awav
were also destroyed, with a great quantity of provisions and other
property.1 It is doubtful if any Cherokee were concerned in either
action.
Before the close of the year Jackson's force in northern Alabama
had been so far reduced by mutinies and expiration of service terms
that he had l>ut one hundred soldiers left and was obliged to employ
the Cherokee to garrison Fort Armstrong, on the upper Coosa, ami to
protect his provision depot.' With theopeningof the new year, L814,
having received reinforcements from Tennessee, together with about
two hundred friendly Creeks and sixty-five more Cherokee, he left his
camp on the Coosa and advanced against the towns on the Tallapoosa.
Learning, on arriving near the river, that he was within a few miles
of the main body of the enemy, he halted for a reconnoissance and
camped in order of Wattle on Fmukfaw creek, on the northern hank of
the Tallaj sa, only a short distance from the famous Horseshoe bend.
Here, on the morning of June 24, 1814, he was suddenly attacked by
the enemy with such fury that, although the troops charged with the
bayonet, the Creeks returned again to the fight and were at last broken
only by the help of the friendly Indians, who came upon them from
the rear. As it was, .lack-on was so badly crippled that he retreated
to Fort Strother on the Coosa, carrying his wounded, among them ( ren-
eral Coffee, on horse-hide litters. The Creeks pursued and attacked
him again as he was crossing Enotochopco creek on January 24, hut
after a severe fight were driven back with discharges of grapeshot from
a six-pounder at close range. The army then continued its retreat to
Fort Strother. The American loss in these two battles was about one
hundred killed and wounded. The loss of the ( 'reeks was much greater,
hut they had compelled a superior force, armed with bayonet and
artillery, to retreat, and without the aid of the friendly Indians it is
doubtful if Jackson could have saved his army from demoralization.
The Creeks themselves claimed a victory and boasted afterward
that they had " whipped Jackson and run him to the Coosa fiver."
Indian! pp 191, 898, 1880; Pickett, Alabama, pi 9 92 96 reprint of 189C
'Ibid., p. 579; Lossfng Field Book of the War of 1812, p. 77:;
hookey] BATTLE OF HORSESHOE BEND — 1814 V)3
Pickett states, on what seems good authority, that the Creeks engaged
did not number more than five hundred warriors. Jackson had prob-
ably at least one thousand two hundred men. including Indians.1
While these events were transpiring in the north, General Floyd
again advanced from Georgia with a force of about one thousand three
hundred Americans and four hundred friendly Indians, but was sur-
prised on Caleebee creek, near the present Tuskegee, Alabama, on the
morning of January 27, 1814, and compelled to retreat, leaving the
enemy in possession of the field.2
We come now to the final event of the Creek war, the terrible battle
of the Horseshoe bend. Having received large reenforcements from
Tennessee, Jackson left a garrison at Fort Strother, and. about the
middle of March, descended the Coosa river to the mouth of Cedar
creek, southeast from the present Columbiana, where he built Fori
Williams. Leaving his stores here with a garrison to protect them,
he began his march for the Horseshoe bend of the Tallapoosa, where
the hostiles were reported to have collected in great force. At this
place, known to the Creeks as Tohopki or Tohopeka, the Tallapoosa
made a bend so as to inclose some eighty or a hundred acres in a nar-
row peninsula opening to the north. On the lower side was an island
in the river, and about a mile below was Emukfaw creek, entering from
the north, where Jackson had been driven back two months before
Both locations were in the present Tallapoosa county. Alabama, within
two miles of the present post village of Tohopeka. Across the neck of
the peninsula the Creeks had built a strong breastwork of logs, behind
which were their houses, and behind these were a number of canoes
moored to the bank for use if retreat became necessary. The fort was
defended by a thousand warriors, with whom were also about three
hundred women and children. Jackson's force numbered about two
thousand men, including, according to his own statement, five hundred
Cherokee. He had also two small cannon. The account of the battle,
or rather massacre, which occurred on the morning of .March •_'". 1814,
is best condensed from the official reports of the principal commanders.
Having arrived in the neighborhood of the fort, Jackson disposed
his men for the attack by detailing General Coffee with the mounted
men and nearly the whole of the Indian force to cross the river at a
foi-d about three miles below and surround the bend in such manner
that none could escape in that direction. He himself, with the restof
his force, advanced to the front of the breastwork and planted hiscan-
• Fay and Davison, Sketches of the War. pp. 247-250, 1815; Pickett. Alabama, pp. 579-584, reprint of
1896; Drake, Indians, pp. 398-400, 1S80. Piekett says Jackson had "767 men. with mi friendly Indians " ;
Drake says he started with 930 men and was joined at Talladega by 200 friendly Indians; Jackson
himself, as quoted in Fay and Davison, says that In- started with 930 men, excluding Indians, and
was joined at Talladega " by between 200 and 300 friendly Indians;" ' > being Cherokee the resl
Creeks. The inference is that he already had a number of Indians with him at the start— probablj
the Cherokee who had been doing garrison duty.
2 Pickett, op. cit., pp. 584-586.
9 1 MYTH8 OF THE CHEROKEE [bth.ank.19
iiuii upon a slight rise within eighty yards of the fortification, tie then
directed a heavy cannonade upon the center of the breastwork, while
the rifles mid muskets kept up a galling fire upon the defenders when-
ever they showed themselves behind the logs. The breastwork was
very strongly and compactly built, from five to eight feel high, with a
double row of portholes, and so planned that no enemy could approach
without being exposed to a crossfire from those on the inside. After
about two hours of cannonading and rifle fire to no great purpose,
"Captain Russell's company of spies and a party of the Cherokee
tone, headed by their gallant chieftain, Colonel Richard Brown, and
conducted by the brave Colonel Morgan, crossed over to the peninsula
in canoes and set fire to a few of their buildings there situated. They
then advanced with great gallantry toward the breastwork and com-
menced firing upon the enemy, who lay behind it. Finding that this
force, notwithstanding the determination they displayed, was wholly
insufficient to dislodge the enemy, and that General Coffee had secured
the opposite hanks of the river. I now determined on taking possession
of their works by storm.'" '
Coffee's official report to his commanding officer states that he had
taken seven hundred mounted troops and about six hundred Indians,
of whom five hundred were Cherokee and the rest friendly Creeks,
and had come in behind, having- directed the Indians to take position
secretly along the bank of the river to prevent the enemy crossing, as
already noted. This was done, but with fighting going on so near at
hand the Indians could not remain quiet. Continuing, Coffee says:
The firing of your cannon and small arms in a short time l>ecame general and
heavy, which animated our Indians, and seeing about one hundred of the warriors
and all the squaws and children of the enemy running about among the huts of the
village, which was open to our view, they could no longer remain silent spectators.
While some kept up a fire across the river to prevent the enemy's approach to the
hank, others plunged into the water ami swam the river for canoes thai lay at the
other shore in considerable numbers and brought them over, in which crafts a num-
ber of them embarked and landed on the bend with the enemy. Colonel Gideon
Morgan, who < unanded the Cherokees, Captain Kerr, and Captain William Rus-
sell, with a part of his company of spies, were a lg the first that crossed the river.
They advanced into the village and very soon drove the enemy from the huts up
the river bank to the fortified works from which they were fighting you. They
pursued and continued to annoy during your whole action. This movement of my
Indian forces left the river bank unguarded and made it necessary that I should send
a part of my line to take possession of the river bank.9
According to the official report of Colonel Morgan, who commanded
the Cherokee and who was himself Severely wounded, the Cherokee
took the places assigned them along the bank in such regular order
■Jackson's report !<• Governor Blount, March 81, 1814, in Fay and Pavison, Sketches of the War,
pp. 253,234, 181 •
'General Coffee's report to General Jackson, April 1,1814, Ibid., i>. 267.
MoosEv] BATTLE OF HORSESHOE BEND — 1814 95
that no part was left unoccupied, and the few fugitives who attempted
to escape from the fort by water "fell an easy prey to their ven-
geance." Finally, seeing that the cannonade had no mure effect upon
the breastwork than to bore holes in the logs, some of the Cherokee
plunged into the river, and swimming over to the town brought back
a number of canoes. A part crossed in these, under cover of the guns
of their companions, and sheltered themselves under the bank while
the canoes were sent hack for reenforcements. In this way they all
crossed over and then advanced up the bank, where at once they were
warmly assailed from every side except the rear, which they kept open
only by hard righting.1
The Creeks had been righting the Americans in their front at such
close quarters that their bullets flattened upon the bayonets thrust
through the portholes. This attack from the rear by five hundred
Cherokee diverted their attention and gave opportunity to the Tennes-
seeans, Sam Houston among them, cheering them on. to swarm over
the breastwork. With death from the bullet, the bayonet and the
hatchet all around them, and the smoke of their blazing homes in their
eyes, not a warrior begged for his life. When more than half their
number lay dead upon the ground, the rest turned and plunged into
the river, only to rind the banks on the opposite side lined with enemies
and escape cut off in every direction. Says General Coffee:
Attempts to cross the river at all points of the bend were made by the enemy, but
nnt .me ever escaped. Very few ever reached the bank and that lew was killed the
instant they landed. From the report of my officers, as well as from my own obser-
vation, I feel warranted in saying that from two hundred and fifty to three hundred
of the enemy was buried under water and was not numbered with tin- dead that
were found.
Some swam for the island below the bend, but here too a detach-
ment had been posted and " not one ever landed. They were sunk by
Lieutenant Bean's command ere they reached the bank." :
Quoting again from Jackson —
The enemy, although many of them fought to the last with that kind of bravery
which desperation inspires, were at last entirely routed and cut to pieces. The battle
may be said to have continued with severity for about five hours, but the firing and
slaughter continued until it was suspended by the darkness of night. The next
morning it was resumed and sixteen of the enemy slain who had concealed them-
selves under the banks.3
It was supposed that the Creeks had about a thousand warriors,
besides their women and children. The men sent out to count the
dead found five hundred and fifty-seven warriors lying dead within the
inclosure, and Coffee estimates that from two hundred and fifty to
•Colonel Morgan's report to Governor Blount, in Fay and Davison, Sketches of tin- War, pp. 258,
259 1815.
2Coflee's report to Jackson, ibid., pp. 257,258.
3 Jackson's report to Governor Blount, ibid., pp. 255,256.
96 MYTH- 01 THE CHEROKEE ure.19
three hundred were shot in the water. How many more there may
have been can not be known, bul Jackson himself states that not more
than twenty could have escaped. There is no mention of any wounded.
About three hundred prisoners were taken, of whom only three were
men. The defenders of the Horseshoe had been exterminated.'
( )n the other side the loss vras 26 Americans killed and I07 wounded,
18 Cherokee killed and 36 wounded. 5 friendly Creeks killed and 11
wounded. It will be noted that the Loss of the Cherokee was out of
all proportion to their numbers, their fighting having been hand to
hand work without protecting cover. In view of the fact that Jack-
son had only a few weeks before been compelled to retreat before this
same enemy, and that two hours of artillery and rifle fire had produced
no result until the, Cherokee turned the rear of the enemy by their
daring passage of the river, there is considerable truth in the boast of
the Cherokee that they saved the day for Jackson at Horseshoe bend.
In the number of men actually engaged and the immense proportion
killed, this ranks as the greatest Indian battle in the history of the
United States, with the possible exception of the battle of Mauvila,
fought by the same Indians in De Soto's time. The result was decisive.
Two weeks later Weatherford came in and surrendered, and the Creek
war was at an end.
As is usual where Indians have acted as auxiliaries of white troops, it
is difficult to get an accurate statement of the number of Cherokee
engaged in this war or to apportion the credit among the various
leaders. Coffee's official report states that five hundred Cherokee
were engaged in the last great battle, and from incidental hints it
seems probable that others were employed elsewhere, on garrison duty
or otherwise, at the same time. McKenney and Hall state that Ridge
recruited eight hundred warriors for Jackson,8 and this may be near
the truth, as the tribe had then at least six times as many fighting men.
On account of the general looseness of Indian organization we com
monly find the credit claimed for whichever chief may be best known
to the chronicler. Thus. McKenney and Hall make Major Ridge the
hero of the war. especially of the Horseshoe fight, although he is not
mentioned in the official reports. Jackson speaks particularly of the
Cherokee in that battle as being "headed by their gallant chieftain,
Colonel Richard Brown, and conducted by the brave Colonel Mor-
gan." Coffee says that Colonel Gideon Morgan "commanded the
Cherokees," and it is Morgan who makes the official report of their
part in the battle. In a Washingtoi wspaper notice of the treaty
> Jackson a report and Colone] Morgan's report, in Fay and Davison, Sketches ol the War, pp. 255,
250,259, 1815. Pickett makes tin- lossoi the white troops 82 killed and 99 wounded, rhi Houston
reference Is (rom Lossing. The battle Is described also bj Pickett, Alabama, pp.588 691, reprint
ol 1896; Drake, in. Man-, pp. 891, 100, 1880; McKenney an.! Hall. Indian l ribes, n. pp.98,99, 1858.
'McKenney and Hull, op, .'it., p. 98.
MooNKYj TREATIES OF WASHINGTON 1816 97
delegation of 1816 the six signers arc mentioned as Colonel [John]
Lowrey, Major [John] Walker, Major Ridge, Captain [Richard] Taylor,
Adjutant [John] Ross, and Kunnesee (Tsi'yu-gunsi'm, Cheucunsene) and
are described as men of cultivation, nearly all of whom had served as
officers of the Cherokee forces w ith Jackson and distinguished themselves
as well by their bravery as by their attachment to the United States.1
Among the East Cherokee in Carolina the only name still remembered
is that of their old chief. Junaluska (Tsunu'Iahufl'ski), who said after-
ward: "If 1 had known that Jackson would drive us from our homes
u/' I would have killed him that day at the Horseshoe."
The Cherokee returned to their homes to rind them despoiled and
ravaged in their absence by disorderly white troops. Two years after-
ward, by treaty al Washington, the Government agreed to reimburse
them for the damage. Interested parties denied that they had suffered
any damage or rendered any services, to which their agent indignantly
replied: "It may he answered that thousands witnessed both; that in
nearly all the battles with the Creeks the Cherokees rendered the most
efficient service, and at the expense of the lives of many tine men.
whose wives and children and brothers and sisters are mourning their
fall."2
In the spring of 1816 a delegation of seven principal men. accom-
panied by Agent Meigs, visited Washington, and the result was the
negotiation of two treaties at that place on the Name date. March 22,
1816. By the first of these the Cherokee ceded for five thousand dollars
their last remaining territory in South Carolina, a small strip in the
extreme northwestern corner, adjoining Chattooga river. By the sec-
ond treaty a boundary was established between the lands claimed by the
Cherokee and Creeks in northern Alabama. This action was made
necessary in order to determine the boundaries of the great tract
which the Creeks had been compelled to surrender in punishment for
their late uprising. The li no was run from a point on Little Bear
creek in northwestern Alabama direct to the Ten islands of the
Coosa at old Fort Strother, southeast of the present Asheville. Gen-
era] Jackson protested strongly against this line, on the ground that
all the territory south of Tennessee river and west of the Coosa
belonged to the Creeks and was a part of their cession. The Chicka-
saw also protested against considering this tract as Cherokee terri-
tory. The treaty also granted free and unrestricted road privileges
throughout the Cherokee country, this concession being the result of
years of persistent effort on the part of the Government: and an
appropriation of twenty-five thousand five hundred dollars was made
1 Drake, Indians, p. 401, 1880.
- Indian Treaties, p. 187, 1837; Meigs' letter to Secretary of War, August 19, 1816, in American State
Papers: Indian Affairs, n, pp. 113, 114, 1X34.
It) ETH — 01— 7
98 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
for damages sustained i>\ the Cherokee from the depredations of the
troops passing through their country during the Creek war.1
At the lasl treaty the Cherokee had resisted r\<-\-\ efforl to induce
them i" cede more land on either side of the Tennessee, the Govern-
ment being especially desirous t" extinguish their claim north of thai
river within the- limit - of the state of Tennessee. Failing in this.
pressure was at once begun t<> bring about a cession in Alabama, with
the result thai on September 11 of the same year a treat] was con-
cluded at the Chickasaw council-house, and afterward ratified in gen-
eral council at Turkeytown on the Coosa, by which the Cherokee
ceded all their claims in thai state south of Tennessee river and wesl
of an irregular line running from Chickasaw island in thai stream,
below the entrance of Flint river, to the junction of Wills creek with
the Coosa, al the presenl Gadsden. For this cession, embracing an
area of nearlj three thousand five hundred square miles, they were to
receive sixty thousand dollars in ten annual payments, together with
five thousand dollars t'<>r the improvements abandoned.
We turn aside now for a time from the direel narrative to note the
developmenl of events which culminated in the forced expatriation of
the Cherokee from their ancestral homes and their removal to the far
western wilderness.
With a few notable exceptions the relations between the French
and Spanish colonists and the native tribes, after the first occupation
of the country, had been friendly and agreeable. Qnder the rule of
France or Spain there was never any Indian boundary. Pioneer and
Indian built their cabins and tilled their fields side by side, ranged
the w Is toe-ether, knelt before the >ame altar and frequently inter-
married on terms of equality, so far as race was concerned. The
7-esult is seen to-day in the mixed-blood communities of Canada, and
in Mexico, where a nation lias been built upon an Indian foundation.
Within the area of English colonization it was otherwise. From the
lir-t settlement to the recent inauguration of the allotment system it
never occurred to the man of Teutonic blood that he could have for a
neighbor anyone not of his own stock and color. While the English
colonists recognized the native proprietorship so far as to make trea-
ties with tile Indians, it was chiefly for the purpose of fixing limits
beyond which the Indian should never come after he had ;e parted
with his title for a consideration of goods and trinkets. In an early
Virginia treaty it was even stipulated that friendly Indians crossing
the line should sutler death. The Indian was regarded as an incum-
brance to be cleared oil', like the trees and tin- wolves, before white
men could live in the country. Intermarriages were practically
1 Indian Treaties, pp. 186 187, 1837; Royce, Cherokee Nation, Fifth Ann. Rep. Bureau of Ethnology,
pp. 197 209, 1888
'Indian Treaties, pp 199,200, 1887; Royce, op. cit., pp. 209-211.
mooney] EARLY WESTWARD EMIGRATION 99
unknown, and the children of such union were usually compelled by
race antipathy to cast their lot with the savage.
Under such circumstances the tribes viewed the advance of the
English and their successors, the Americans, with keen distrust, and
as early as the close of the French and Indian war we find some of
them removing from the neighborhood of the English settlements io
a safer shelter in the more remote territories still held by Spain, Soon
after the French withdrew from Fort Toulouse, in 1763, a part of the
Alabama, an incorporated tribe of the ('reek confederacy, left their
villages on the Coosa, and crossing the Mississippi, where they halted
for a time on its western bank, settled on the Sabine river under
Spanish protection.1 They were followed some years later by a part
of the Koasati. of the same confederacy." the two tribe.- subsequently
drifting into Texas, where they now reside. The Hichitee and others
of the Lower Creeks moved down into Spanish Florida, where the
Yamassee exiles from South Carolina had long before preceded them,
the two combining to form the modern Seminole tribe. When the
Revolution brought about a new line of division, the native tribes,
almost without exception, joined sides with England as against the
Americans, with the result that about one-half the Iroquois tied to
Canada, where they still reside upon lands granted by the British gov-
ernment. A short time before' Wayne's victory a part of the Shawano
and Delawares, worn out by nearly twenty years of battle with the
Americans, crossed the Mississippi and settled, by permission of the
Spanish government, upon lands in the vicinity of Cape Girardeau, in
what is now southeastern Missouri, for which they obtained a regular
deed from that government in 1793. 3 Driven out by the Americans
some twenty years later, they removed to Kansas and thence to Indian
territory, where they are now incorporated with their old friends, the
Cherokee.
When the first Cherokee crossed the Mississippi it is impossible to
say, but there was probably never a time in the history of the tribe
when their warriors and hunters were not accustomed to make excur-
sions beyond the great river. According to an old tradition, the
earliest emigration took place soon after the first treaty with Carolina,
when a portion of the tribe, under the leadership of Yunwi-usga'se'ti,
••Dangerous-man," forseeing the inevitable end of yielding to the
demands of tin3 colonists, refused to have any relations with the white
man, and took up their long march for the unknown West. Commu-
nication was kept up with the home body until after crossing the
Mississippi, when they were lost sight of and forgotten. Long years
'■Claiborne, letter to Jefferson, November 5, 1808, American State Papers, i, p. 755, 1832; Gatschet,
Creek Migration Legend, i, p. 88, 1884.
- Hawkins, 1799. quoted in Gatschet, op. cit., p. 89.
3 See Treaty of St Louis, 1S25, and of Castor hill, 1S52, in Indian Treaties, pp. 388, 539, 1837.
100 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE
afterward a rumor came from the west thai they were Mill livingnear
the base of the Rocky mountains.' In 1782 the Cherokee, who bad
fought faithfully on the British side throughout the long Revolution-
ary struggle, applied to the Spanish governor al New Orleans for
permission to settl > the wesl side of the Mississippi, within Spanish
territory. Permission was granted, and it i- probable that some of
them removed to the Arkansas country, although there seems to be no
definite record of the matter.' We learn incidentally, however, that
about this peried the hostile Cherokee, like the Shawano and other
northern tribes, were in the habit of making friendly visits to the
Spanish settlements in that quarter.
According to Reverend Cephas Washburn, the pioneer misssionary
of the western Cherokee, the first permanent Cherokee settlement
beyond the Mississippi was the direct result of the massacre, in L794,
of the Scott party at Muscle shoals, on Tennessee river, by the hostile
warriors of the Chickamauga towns, in the summer. As told by the
missionary, the story differs considerably from that given by IIa\ wood
and other Tennessee historians, narrated in another place. According
to Washburn, the whites were the aggressors, having first made the
Indians drunk and then swindled them out of the annuity money with
which they were just returning from the agency at Tellico. When
the Indians became sober enough to demand the return of their money
the whites attacked and killed two of them, whereupon the others
boarded the boat and killed every white man. They spared the wi n
and children, however, with their negro slaves and all their personal
belongings, and permitted them to continue on their way. the chief
and his party personally escorting them down Tennessee, Ohio, and
Mississippi rivers as far as the mouth of the St. Francis, whence the
emigrants descended in safety to New Orleans, while their captors,
under their chief. The Bowl, went up St. Francis river then a part of
Spanish territory — to await the outcome of the event. As soon as
the news came to the Cherokee Nation tin' chiefs formally repudiated
the action of the Howl party and volunteered to assist in arresting
those i cerned. Bowl and his men were finally exonerated, but had
conceived such bitterness at the conduct of their former friends, and.
moreover, had found the soil so rich and the game so abundant where
the] were, that they refused to return to their tribe and decided to
remain permanently in the West. Others joined them from time to
time, attracted by the hunting prospect, until they were in sufficient
number to obtain recognition from the Government.'
iSee number 107, " Hie Lost Cherokee."
-sri- lettei of Governor Estevan Mir., to Robertson, \pril 20,1783, in Roosevelt, Winning ol the
West, ii. p i". !•"'
iSee pp. 76-77.
i Washburn, Reminiscences, pp.76 79, 1869; -. • also Royce, Cherokee Nation, riiii. Ann. Rep. Bureau
..i I ilili. .!"«>. !•. '-'Ml. isss.
moosey] THE BOWL EMIGRATION 1794 101
While the missionary may be pardoned for making the best show-
ing possible for his friends, his statement contains several evident
errors, and it is probable that Haywood's account is more correct in
the main. As the Cherokee annuity at that time amounted to but
fifteen hundred dollars for the whole tribe, or somewhat less than ten
cents per head, they could hardly have had enough money from that
source to pay such extravagant prices as sixteen dollars apiece for
pocket minors, which it is alleged the boatmen obtained. Moreover,
as the Chickamauga warriors had refused to sign any treaties and were
notoriously hostile, they were not as yet entitled to receive payments.
Haywood's statement that the emigrant party was first attacked while
passing the ( Ihickamauga towns and then pursued to the Muscle shoals
and there massacred is probably near the truth, although it is quite
possible that the whites may have provoked the attack in some such
way as is indicated by the missionary. As Washburn got his account
from one of the women of the party, living long afterward in New
Orleans, it is certain that some at least were spared by the Indians,
and it is probable that, as he states, only the men were killed.
The Bowl emigration may not have been the first, or even the most
important removal to the western country, as the period was one of
Indian unrest. Small bands were constantly crossing the Mississippi
into Spanish territory to avoid the advancing Americans, only to find
themselves again under American jurisdiction when the whole western
country was ceded to the United States in 1803. The persistent land-
hunger of the settler could not be restrained or satisfied, and early in
the same year President Jefferson suggested to Congress the desira-
bility of removing all the tribes to the west of the Mississippi. In
the next year. 1804, an appropriation was made for taking prelimi-
nary steps toward such a result.1 There were probably but few Chero-
kee on the Arkansas at this time, as they are not mentioned in Sibley's
list of tribes south of that river in 1805.
In the summer of 1808, a Cherokee delegation being about to visit
Washington, their agent. Colonel Meigs, was instructed by the Secre-
tary of War to use every effort to obtain their consent to an exchange
of their lands for a tract beyond the Mississippi. By this time the
government's civilizing policy, as carried out in the annual distribution
of farming tools, spinning wheels, and looms, had wrought a consider-
able difference of habit and sentiment between the northern and
southern Cherokee. Those on Little Tennessee and Hiwassee were
generally farmers and stock raisers, producing also a limited quantity
of cotton, which the women wove into cloth. Those farther down in
Georgia and Alabama, the old hostile element, still preferred the
hunting life and rejected all effort at innovation, although the game
had now become so scarce that it was evident a change must soon
'Royee, Cherokee Nation, Filth Ann. Rep. Bureau of Ethnology, op. 202, 203, lsss.
lli-_' MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [sth.an.n.19
come. Jealousies bad arisen in consequence, and the delegates repre-
senting the progressive element now proposed to the government that
a line be run through the nation I" separate the two parties, allowing
t Ik ■-.• on the north to divide their lands in severalty and become citi-
zens of the United States, while those on the south might continue to
be bunters as long as the game should last. Taking advantage of this
condition of a Hairs, the government authorities instructed the agent to
submit t<> the conservatn es a proposition for a cession of their share of
the tribal territory in return for a tract west of the Mississippi of suf-
ficient area to enable them to continue the hunting life. The plan was
approved by President Jefferson, and a sum was appropriated to pay
the expenses of a delegation to visit and inspect the lands on Arkansas
and White rivers, with a view to removal. The visit was made in the
summerof 1809, and the delegates brought back such favorable report
that a large number of ( Iherokee signified their intention to remoi e at
once. A- no funds were then available for their removal, the matter
was held in abeyance for several years, during which period families
and individuals removed to the western country at their own expense
until, before the year 1817, they numbered in all two or three
thousand souls.1 They became known as the Arkansas, or Western.
Cherokee.
The emigrants soon became involved in difficulties with the native
tribes, the Osage claiming all the lands north of Arkansas river, while
the Quapaw claimed those on the south. Upon complaining to the
government the emigrant Cherokee were told that they had originally
been permitted to remove only on condition of a cession of a portion
of their eastern territory, and that nothing could he done to protect
them in their new western home until such cession had been carried
out. The body of the Cherokee Nation, however, was strongly opposed
to any such sale and proposed that the emigrants should he compelled
to return. After protracted negotiation a treaty was concluded at
the Cherokee agency (now Calhoun. Tennessee) on July 8, 1817, by
which the Cherokee Nation ceded two considerable tracts — the first in
Georgia, lying east of the Chattahoochee, and the other in Tennessee.
between Waldens ridge ami the Little Sequatchee — as an equivalent
for a tract to he assigned to those who had already removed, or
intended to remove, to Arkansas. Two smaller tracts on the north
bank of the Tennessee, in the neighborhood of the Muscle shoals.
were also ceded. In return for these cessions the emigrant Cherokee
were to receive a tract within the present limits of the state of Arkan-
■ Royce, Cherokee Nation, Fifth Aim. Rep. Bureau of Ethnology, pp. 202-204, 1888; see also Indian
Treaties, pp. 209-215, 1887. The preamble to the treaty of 1817 snys thut the delegation of 1808 had
de treda division of the tribal territory in order that the people of the Upper (northern townt might
"begin the establishment of fixed laws and « regular government," while those of tin- Lower
(southern) towns desired t.. remove t" the West Nothing i- said of severalty allotments >>r
citizenship.
mooney] TREATY OF CHEROKEE AGENCY — 1817 103
sas, bounded on the north and south by White river and Arkansas
river, respectively, on the east l>y a line running between those
.streams approximately from the present Ratesville to Lewisburg. and
on the west by a line to lie determined later. As afterward estab-
lished, this western line ran from the junction of the Little North
Fork with White river to just beyond the point where the present
western Arkansas boundary strikes Arkansas river. Provision was
made for taking the census of the whole Cherokee nation east and
west in order to apportion annuities and other payments properly in
the future, and the two hands were still to he considered as forming
one people. The United States agreed to pay for any substantial
improvements abandoned by those removing from the ceded lands,
and each emigrant warrior who left no such valuable property behind
was to be given as full compensation for his abandoned field and cabin
a rifle and ammunition, a blanket, and a kettle or a beaver trap. The
government further agreed to furnish boats and provisions for the
journey. Provision was also made that individuals residing upon
the ceded lands might retain allotments and become citizens, if they
so elected, the amount of the allotment to be deducted from the total
cession.
The commissioners for the treaty w*ere General Andrew Jackson,
General David Meriwether, and Governor Joseph McMinn of Ten-
nessee. On behalf of the Cherokee it was signed by thirty-one princi-
pal men of the eastern Nation and fifteen of the western band, who
signed by proxy.1
The majority of the Cherokee were bitterly opposed to any cession
or removal project, and before the treaty had been concluded a
memorial signed by sixty-seven chiefs and headmen of the nation was
.presented to the commissioners, which stated that the delegates who
had first broached the subject in Washington some years before had
acted without any authority from the nation. They declared that the
great body of the Cherokee desired to remain in the land of their
birth, where they were rapidly advancing in civilization, instead of
being compelled to revert to their original savage conditions and sur-
roundings. They therefore prayed that the matter might not lie
pressed further, but that they might be allowed to remain in peaceable
possession of the land of their fathers. No attention was paid to the
memorial, and the treaty was carried through and ratified. Without
waiting for the ratification, the authorities at once took steps for the
removal of those who desired to go to the West. Boats were provided
at points between Little Tennessee and Sequatchee rivers, and the
emigrants were collected under the direction of Governor McMinn.
Within the next year a large number had emigrated, and before the
'Indian Treaties, pp. 209-215, 1837; Royee, Cherokee Nation, Fifth Ann. Rep. Bureau of Ethnology,
pp. 212-217, 1888; see also maps in Royce.
104 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
end of 1819 the number of emigrants was said to have increased to six
thousand. "Flic chiefs of the nation, however, claimed that the esti-
mate was greatly in excess of the truth.1
"There can be no question that a very large portion, and probably
a majority, of the Cherokee nation residing east of the Mississippi had
been and still continued bitterly opposed to the terms of the treaty of
18 L 7. They viewed with jealous and aching hearts all attempts to
drive them from the homes of their ancestors, for they could not but
consider the constant and urgent importunities of the federal authori-
ties in the light of an imperative demand for the cession of more
territory. They felt that they were, as a nation, being slowly but
surely compressed within the contracting coils of the giant anaconda
of civilization; yet they held to the vain hope that a spirit of justice
and mercy would be born of their helpless condition which would
anally prevail in their favor. Their traditions furnished them no
guide by which to judge of the results certain to follow such a conflict
as that in which they were engaged. This difference of sentiment in
the nation upon a subject so vital to their welfare was productive of
much bitterness and violent animosities. Those who had favored the
emigration scheme and had been induced, either through personal
preference or by the subsidizing influences of the government agents,
to favor the conclusion of the treaty, became the object of scorn and
hatred to the remainder of the nation. They were made the subjects
of a persecution so relentless, while they remained in the eastern
country, that it was never forgotten, and when, in the natural course
of events, the remainder of the nation was forced to remove to the
Arkansas country and join the earlier emigrants, the old hatreds and
dissensions broke out afresh, and to this day they find lodgment in
some degree in the breasts of their descendants."2
Two months after the signing of the treaty of July 8, 1817, and
three months before its ratification, a council of the nation sent a dele-
gation to Washington to recount in detail the improper methods and
influences which had been used to consummate it. and to ask that it be
set aside and another agreement substituted. The mission was without
result.3
In 1817 the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions
established its first station among the Cherokee at Brainerd, in Ten-
nessee, on the west side of Chickamauga creek, two miles from the
Georgia line. The mission took its name from a distinguished pioneer
worker among the northern tribes (37). The government aided in the
erection of the buildings, which included a schoolhouse, gristmill,
and workshops, in which, besides the ordinary branches, the boys were
taught simple mechanic arts while the girls learned the use of the
' Royce, Cherokee Nation, Fifth Ann. Rep. Bureau of Ethnology, 217-218, 1888.
•Ibid., pp. 218-219. "Ibid., p. 219.
« mn PRESSURE FOB REMOVAL 105
needle and the spinningwheel. There was also a large work farm.
The mission prospered and others were established at Willstown,
Hightower, and elsewhere by the same board, in which two hundred
pupils were receiving instruction in L820.] Among the earliest and
most noted workersat the Brainerd mission were Reverend I). S. But
trick and Reverend S. A. Worcester {'■'■*<). the latter especially having
done much for the mental elevation of the Cherokee, and more than once
having suffered imprisonment for his zeal in defending their cause.
The missions flourished until broken up by the state of Georgia at the
beginning of the Removal troubles, and they were afterwards renewed
in the western country. Mission ridge preserves the memory of the
Brainerd establishment.
Early in 1818 a delegation of emigrant Cherokee visited Washing-
ton for the purpose of securing a more satisfactory determination of
the boundaries of their new lands on the Arkansas. .Measures were
soon afterward taken for that purpose. They also asked recognition in
the future as a separate and distinct tribe, but nothing was done in the
matter. In order to remove, if possible, the hostile feeling between
the emigrants and the native Osage, who regarded the former as
intruders. Governor William Clark, superintendent of Indian affairs
for Missouri, arranged a conference of the chiefs of the two tribes at
St. Louis in October of that year, at which, after protracted effort, he
succeeded in establishing friendly relations between them. Efforts
were made about the same time, both by the emigrant Cherokee and
by the government, to persuade the Shawano and Delawares then
residing in Missouri, and the Oneida in New York, to join the western
Cherokee, but nothing- cameof the negotiations.2 In 1825 a delegation
of western Cherokee visited the Shawano in < )hio for the same purpose,
but without success. Their object in thus inviting friendly Indians to
join them was to strengthen themselves against the Osage and other
native tribes.
In the meantime the government, through Governor McMinn, was
bringing- strong pressure to bear upon the eastern Cherokee to compel
their removal to the West. At a council convened by him in November,
L818, the governor represented to the chiefs that it was now no longer
possible to protect them from the encroachments of the surrounding
white population: that, however the government might wish to help
them, their lands would be taken, their stock stolen, their women cor-
rupted, and their men made drunkards unless they removed to the
western paradise. He ended by proposing to pay them one hundred
thousand dollars for their whole territory, with the expense of removal,
if they would go at once. Upon their prompt and indignant refusal
he offered to double the amount, but with as little success.
•Morse, Geography, i, p.577, 1819; and p. 185, 1822.
-Rc.yiT, Cherokee Nation, Fifth Ann. Rep. Bureau ol Ethnology, pp. 221-222, 18S8,
106 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
Every point of the negotiation having failed, another course was
adopted, and a delegation was selected to visit Washington under the
conduct of Agent Meigs. Here the effort was renewed until, wearied
and discouraged at the persistent importunity, the chiefs consented
to a large cession, which was represented as necessary in order to com-
pensate in area for the tract assigned to the emigrant Cherokee in
Arkansas in accordance with the previous treaty. This estimate was
based on the tigures given by Governor McMinn, who reported 5,291
Cherokee enrolled as emigrants, while the eastern Cherokee claimed
that not more than 3,500 had removed and that those remaining num-
bered 12.544, or more than three-fourths of the whole nation. The
governor, however, chose to consider one-half of the nation as in favor
of removal and one-third as having already removed.1
The treaty, concluded at Washington on February 27, 1819, recites
that the greater part of the Cherokee nation, having expressed an
earnest desire to remain in the East, and being anxious to begin the
necessary measures for the civilization and preservation of their nation,
and to settle the differences arising out of the treaty of 1817, have
offered to cede to the United States a tract of country "at least as
extensive" as that to which the Government is entitled under the
late treaty. The cession embraces (1) a tract in Alabama and Ten-
nessee, between Tennessee and Flint rivers; (2) a tract in Tennessee,
between Tennessee river and Waldens ridge; (3) a large irregular tract
in Tennessee, North Carolina, and Georgia, embracing in Tennessee
nearlyr all the remaining Cherokee lands north of Hiwassee river, and
in North Carolina and Georgia nearly everything remaining to them
east of the Nantahala mountains and the upper western branch of the
Chattahoochee; (4) six small pieces reserved by previous treaties. The
entire cession aggregated nearly six thousand square miles, or more
than one-fourth of all then held by the nation. Individual reservations
of one mile square each within the ceded area were allowed to a num-
ber of families which decided to remain among the whites and become
citizens rather than abandon their homes. Payment was to be made
for all substantial improvements abandoned, one-third of all tribal
annuities were hereafter to be paid to the western hand, and the treaty
was declared to be a final adjustment of all claims and differences aris-
ing from the treaty of 1817. 2
Civilization had now progressed so far among the Cherokee that in
the fall of 1820 they adopted a regular republican form of govern-
ment modeled after that of the United States. Under this arrangement
the nation was divided into eight districts, each of which was entitled
1 Royce, Cherokee Nation, Fifth Ann. Rep. Bureau of Ethnology, pp. 222-228, 1888.
^Indian Treaties, pp. 265-269, 1S37; Royce, op. cit., pp. 219-221 and table, p. 378.
mooney] CHEEOKEE GOVEENMENX — Missions 107
to send lour representatives to the Cherokee national legislature,
which met at Newtown, or New Echota, the capital, at the junction
of Conasauga and Coosawatee rivers, a few miles above the present
Calhoun, Georgia. The legislature consisted of an upper and a
lower house, designated, respectively (in the Cherokee language), the
national committee and national council, the members being elected
for limited terms by the voters of each district. The principal officer
was styled president of the national council; the distinguished John
Ross was the first to hold this office. There was also a clerk of the
committee and two principal members to express the will of the coun-
cil or lower house. For each district there were appointed a council
house for meetings twice a year, a judge, and a marshal. Companies
of "light horse" were organized to assist in the execution of the laws,
with a "ranger" for each district to look after stray stock. Each head
of a family and each single man under the age of sixty was subject to
a poll tax. Laws were passed for the collection of taxes and debts,
for repairs on loads, for licenses to white persons engaged in farming
or other business in the nation, for the support of schools, for the
regulation of the liquor traffic and the conduct of negro slaves, to pun-
ish horse stealing and theft, to compel all marriages between white
men and Indian women to be according to regular legal or church
form, and to discourage polygamy. By special decree the right of
blood revenge or capital punishment was taken from the seven clans
and \ested in the constituted authorities of the nation. It was made
treason, punishable with death, for any individual to negotiate the sale
of lands to the whites without the consent of the national council (39).
White men were not allowed to vote or to hold office in the nation.1
The system compared favorably with that of the Federal government
or of any state government then existing.
At this time there were five principal missions, besides one or two
small branch establishments in the nation, viz: Spring Place, the oili-
est, founded by tin1 Moravians at Spring place, Georgia, in 1801;
Oothcaloga, Georgia, founded by the same denomination in 1S21 on
the creek of that name, near the present Calhoun; Brainerd, Tennes-
see, founded by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign
Missions in L817; "Valley-towns." North Carolina, founded by the
Baptists in 1820, on the site of the old Natchez town on the north side
of Hiwassee river, just above Peachtree creek; Coosawatee, Georgia
("Tensawattee," by error in the State Papers), founded also by the
Baptists in fs2L. near the mouth of the river of that name. All were
in flourishing condition, the Brainerd establishment especially, with
nearly one hundred pupils, being obliged to turn away applicants for
1 Laws of theCherol Nation several documents), 1820, American State Papers: Indian Affairs, it,
pp. 279-283, 1834; letter quoted by McKei y, 1825, ibid., pp. 651, 652; Drake, In. linn-, pp. 137, 138 i
108 MYTHS OF THE CHEBOKEE [eth.ann.19
lack of accommodation. The superintendent reported that the children
were apt to learn, willing to labor, and readily submissive to discipline,
adding- that the Cherokee were fast advancing toward civilized life and
generally manifested an ardent desire for instruction. The Valley-
towns mission, established at the instance of Currab.ee Dick, a promi-
nent local mixed-blood chief, was in charge of the Reverend Evan
Jones, known as the translator of the New Testament into the Cherokee
language, his assistant being James D. Watford, a mixed-blood pupil,
who compiled a spelling book in the same language. Reverend S. A.
Worcester, a prolific translator and the compiler of the Cherokee
almanac and other works, was stationed at Brainerd, removing thence
to New Echota and afterward to the Cherokee Nation in the West.1
Since 1817 the American Board had also supported at Cornwall, Con-
necticut, an Indian school at which a number of young Cherokee were
being educated, among them being Elias Boudinot, afterward the
editor of the Cherokee Phcenix.
About this time occurred an event which at once placed the Cherokee
in the front rank among native tribes and was destined to have profound
influence on their whole future history, viz., the invention of the
alphabet.
The inventor, aptly called the Cadmus of his race, was a mixed-
blood known among his own people as Sikwa'yi (Sequoya) and
among the whites as George Gist, or less correctly Guest or Guess.
As is usually the case in Indian biography much uncertainty exists in
regard to his parentage and early life. Authorities generally agree
that his father was a white man, who drifted into the Cherokee Nation
some years before the Revolution and formed a temporary alliance
with a Cherokee girl of mixed blood, who thus became the mother of
the future teacher. A writer in the Cherokee Phnni.r, in lsi's. says
that only his paternal grandfather was a white man." McKenney and
Hall say that his father was a white man named Gist.3 Phillips
asserts that his father was George Gist, an unlicensed German trader
from Georgia, who came into the Cherokee Nation in 1708.4 By a
Kentucky family it is claimed that Sequoya's father was Nathaniel Gist,
son of the scout who accompanied Washington on his memorable
excursion to the Ohio. As the story goes, Nathaniel Gist was cap-
tured by the Cherokee at Braddock's defeat (1755) and remained a
prisoner with them for six years, during which time he became the
father of Sequoya. On his return to civilization he married a white
woman in Virginia, by whom he had other children, and afterward
1 List of missions and reports of missionaries, etc., American State Papers: Indian Affairs, n, pp.
277-279, 159, 1834; personal information from James D. Warlord concerning Valley-towns mission.
For notices of Worcester, Jones, and Watford, see Pilling, Bibliography of the Iroqnoian Languages,
1888. "
'-'<;. < '., in Cherokee Phoenix; reprinted in Christian Advocate and Journal, New York, September 26,
1828.
;i McKenney and Hall. Indian Tribes. I, p. 35, et passim, 1858.
* Phillips, Sequoyah, in Harper's Magazine, pp. 542-548, September, 1870.
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY
NINETEENTH ANNUAL REPORT PL. IV
SEQUOYA SIKWAYi
l-'r McKenney and Hill copi uf Hi ginal [iiiimiiiK of IS2S)
mooney] 8EQUOYA AM> III- ALPHABET 109
removed to Kentucky, where Sequoya, then a Baptist preacher, fre~
(| in- nt ly visit ed hin i and was always recognized by the family as his son.1
Aside from the fact thai the Cherokee acted as allies of the English
during the war in whim Braddock's defeat occurred, and that Sequoya,
so far from being a preacher, was not even a Christian, the story con-
tains other elements of improbability and appears to he one of those
genealogical myths built upon a chance similarity of name. On the
other hand, it is certain that Sequoya was horn before the dale that
Phillips allows. On his mother's side he was of good family in the
tribe, liis uncle being a chief in Echota.2 According to personal infor-
mation of dames Watford, who knew him well, being his second cousin,
Sequoya was probably horn about the year L760, and lived as a boy
with his mother at Tuskegee town in Tennessee, just outside of old
Fort Loudon. It is quite possible that his white father may have been
a soldier of the garrison, one of those lovers for whom the Cherokee
women risked their lives during the siege.3 What became of the
father is not known, but the mother lived alone with her son.
The only incident of his boyhood that has come down to us is his
presence at Echota during the visit of the Iroquois peace delegation,
about the year 17Ty.' His early years were spent amid the stormy
alarms of the Revolution, and as he grew to manhood he devel-
oped a considerable mechanical ingenuity, especially in .silver work-
ing. Like most of his tribe he was also a hunter and fur trader.
Having nearly reached middle age before the first mission was estab-
lished in the Nation, he never attended school and in all his life never
learned to speak, read, or write the English language. Neither did
he ever abandon his native religion, although from frequent visits to
the .Moravian mission he became imbued with a friendly feeling
toward the new civilization. Of an essentially contemplative disposi-
tion, he was led by a chance conversation in 1809 to reflect upon the
ability of the white men to communicate thought by means of writing,
with the result that he set about devising a similar system for his <>w n
people. By a hunting accident, which rendered him a cripple for life,
lie was fortunately afforded more leisure for study. The presence of
his name. George Guess, appended to a treaty of 1816, indicates that
he «;i- already of some prominence in the Nation, even before the per-
fection of his great invention. After years of patient and unremitting
labor in the face of ridicule, discouragement, and repeated failure, he
finally evolved the Cherokee syllabary and in 1821 submitted it to a
public test by the leading men of the Nation. By this time, in con-
sequence of repeated cessions, the Cherokee had been dispossessed of
the country about Echota, and Sequoya was now living at Willstown,
■ Manuscript letters by John Mason Brown, January 17. 18, 22, and Februarj I. 1889, In archives oi
tli- Bureau of American Ethnology
SMcKenney and Hall. Lndian Tribes, i. p. 15, 1858.
*See page 43. *See nunibrr s'.i. "Thu lru<iiu>is wars."
110 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
on an upper branch of Coosa river, in Alabama. The syllabary was
soon recognized as an invaluable invention for the elevation of the
tribe, and within a few months thousands of hitherto illiterate Chero-
kee were able to read and write their own language, teaching each
other in the cabins and along the roadside. The next year Sequoya
visited the West, to introduce the new science among those who had
emigrated to the Arkansas. In the next year, 1823, he again visited
the Arkansas and took up his permanent abode with the western band,
never afterward returning to his eastern kinsmen. In the autumn of
the same year the Cherokee national council made public acknowledg-
ment of his merit by sending to him, through John Ross, then presi-
dent of the national committee, a silver medal with a commemorative
inscription in both languages.1 In 1828 he visited AVashington as one
of the delegates from the Arkansas band, attracting much attention,
and the treaty made on that occasion contains a provision for the pay-
ment to him of five hundred dollars, "for the great benefits he has
conferred upon the Cherokee people, in the beneficial results which
they are now experiencing from the use of the alphabet discovered by
him.1' 2 His subsequent history belongs to the West and will be treated
in another place (40). 3
The invention of the alphabet had an immediate and wonderful
effect on Cherokee development. On account of the remarkable adapta-
tion of the syllabary to the language, it was only necessary to learn
the characters to be able to read at once. No schoolhouses were built
and no teachers hired, but the whole Nation became an academy for the
study of the system, until, "in the course of a few months, without
school or expense of time or money, the Cherokee were able to read
and write in their own language.4 An active correspondence began
to be carried on between the eastern and western divisions, and plans
were made for a national press, with a national library and museum to
be established at the capital, New Echota.5 The missionaries, who had
at first opposed the new alphabet on the ground of its Indian origin,
now saw the advisability of using it to further their own work. In
the fall of 1821 Atsi or John Arch, a young native convert, made a
manuscript translation of a portion of St. John's gospel, in the sylla-
bary, this being the first Bible translation ever given to the Cherokee.
It was copied hundreds of times and was widely disseminated through
1 AtcKenneyand Hall, Indian Tribes, i, p. 46, 1858; Phillips, in Harper's Magazine, p. 547, September,
18711.
- Indian Treaties, p. 425, 1837.
:1 Fur details concerning the life and invention of Sequoya, see McKenney and Hall, Indian Tribes,
1, 1858; Phillips, Sequoyah, in Harper's Magazine, September 1870- Foster, Sequoyah, 1885, and Story
of the Cherokee Bible, 1S99, based largely on Phillips' article; G. C, Invention of the Cherokee
Alphabet, in Cherokee Pbcenix, republished in Christian Advocate and Journal, New York, Septem-
ber 26, 1828: Pilling, Bibliography of the Iroquoian Languages, 1888.
4G. C, Invention of the Cherokee Alphabet, op. cit.
6 (Unsigned) letter of David Brown, September 2, 1825, quoted in American State Papers: Indian
Affairs, n, p. 652, 1834.
uooney] THE CHEKOKEE PHOENIX 111
the Nation.1 In September, L825, David Brown, a prominent half-
breed preacher, who had already made some attempt al translation in
the Roman alphabet, completed a translation of the N i • w Testament in
the new syllabary, the work being handed about in manuscript, as
there were asyet no typescast in the Sequoya characters.8 In the same
month he forwarded to Thomas McKenney, chief of the Bureau of
Indian Affairs at Washington, a manuscript table of the characters,
with explanation, this being probably its first introduction to official
notice. ;
In L827 the Cherokee council having formally resolved to establish
a national paper in the Cherokee language and characters, types for
that purpose were cast in Boston, under the supervision of the noted
missionary, Worcester, of the American Hoard of Commissioners for
Foreign Missions, who. in December of that year contributed to the
Missionary Herald five verses of Genesis in the new syllabary, this
seeming to be its first appearance in print. Early in the next year
the press and types arrived at New Echota, and the first number of
the new paper, Tsa'lagi Tsu'lehisanun' hi, the Cherokee Phoenix, printed
in both languages, appeared on February 21, 1828. The first printers
were two white men. Isaac N. Harris and .John F. Wheeler, with
John Candy, a half-blood apprentice. Elias Boudinot (Galagi'na, ••The
Buck"), an educated Cherokee, was the editor, and Reverend S. A.
Worcesterwas the guiding spirit who brought order out of chaos and set
the work in motion. The office was a log house. The hand press and
types, aftei having been shipped by water from Boston, were trans-
ported two hundred miles by wagon from Augusta to their destination.
The printing paper had been overlooked and had to be brought by the
same tedious process from Knoxville. Cases and other equipments
had to be devised and fashioned by the printers, neither of whom
understood a word of Cherokee, but simply set up the characters, as
handed to them in manuscript by Worcester and the editor. Such was
the beginning of journalism in the Cherokee nation. After a precari-
ous existence of about six years the Phoenix was suspended, owiny to
the hostile action of the Georgia authorities, who went so far as to
throw Worcester and Wheeler into prison. Its successor, after the
removal of the Cherokee to the West, was the Oheroke* Advocate, of
which the first number appeared at Tahlequah in 1S44. with William
P. Ross as editor. It is still continued under the auspices of the
Nation, printed in both languages and distributed free at the expense
of the Nation to those unable to read English — an example without
parallel in any other government.
In addition to numerous Bible translations, hymn books, and other
1 Poster, Sequoyah, pp. 120, 121,1885. ! Filling, Iroquoiun Bibliography, p. 21, ls.sf<.
'Brown letter (unsigned I, in American State Papers: Indian Affairs, n. p. 652, 1S34.
112 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE
religious works, there have been printed in the Cherokee language and
syllabary the Cheroket Phcenioo (journal), Cheroket Advocate (journal),
Cherokei Messenger (periodical). Cheroket Almanac (annual). Cherokee
spelling books, arithmetics, and other schoolbooks for those unable to
read English, several editions of the laws of the Nation, and a large
body of tracts and minor publications. Space forbids even a mention
of the names of the devoted workers in this connection. Besides this
printed literature the syllabary is in constant and daily use among the
non-English-speaking element, both in Indian Territory and in North
Carolina, for letter writing, council records, personal memoranda, etc.
What is perhaps strangest of all in this literary evolution is the fact
that the same invention has been seized by the priests and conjurers
of the conservative party for the purpose of preserving to their suc-
cessors the ancient rituals and secret knowledge of the tribe, whole
volumes of such occult literature in manuscript having been obtained
among them by the author.1
In L819 the whole Cherokee population had been estimated at 15.000,
one-third of them being west of the Mississippi. In 1825 a census of
the eastern Nation showed: native Cherokee, 13,563; white men mar-
ried into the Nation, 117; white women married into the Nation, 73;
negro slaves, 1,277. There were large herds of cattle, horses, hogs,
and sheep, with large crops of every staple, including cotton, tobacco,
and wheat, and some cotton was exported by boats as far as New Or-
leans. Apple and peach orchards were numerous, butter and cheese
were in use to some extent, and both cotton and woolen cloths, espe-
cially blankets, were manufactured. Nearly all the merchants were
native Cherokee. Mechanical industries nourished, the Nation was out
of debt, and the population was increasing.'- Estimating one-third
beyond the Mississippi, the total number of Cherokee, exclusive of
adopted white citizens and negro slaves, must then have been about
20,000.
Simultaneously with the decrees establishing a national press, the
Cherokee Nation, in general convention of delegates held for the pur-
pose at New Echota on July 26, 1827, adopted a national constitution,
based on the assumption of distinct and independent nationality. John
Ross, so celebrated in connection with the history of his tribe, was
president of the convention which framed the instrument. Charles R.
Hicks, a Moravian convert of mixed blood, and at that time the most
influential man in the Nation, was elected principal chief, with John
1 For extended notice of Cherokee literature and authors see numerous references in Pilling, Bibli-
ography of the Iroquoian Languages, 1888: also Foster, Sequoyah, 1885, and Story of the Cherokee
Bible, 1899. The largest body of original Cherokee manuscript material in existence, including
hundreds of ancient ritual formulas, was obtained by the writer anions lie Ivist Cherokee, and is
now in possession of the Bureau of American Ethnology, to be translated at some future time.
Brown letter (unsigned), September 2, 1825, American State Papers: Indian Affairs, n, pp. 651,652,
1884.
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY
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THE CHEROKEE ALPHABET
hooney] WHITE-PATH'S REBELLION 1828 II .">
Boss as assistant chief.1 With a constitution and national press, a
well-developed system of industries and home education, and a gov-
ernment administered by educated Christian men. the Cherokee were
now justly entitled to be considered a civilized people.
The idea of a civilized Indian government was not a new one. The
lirst treaty ever negotiated by the United States with an Indian tribe,
in 177s. held out to the D( da wares the hope that by a confederation id'
friendly tribes they might he aide "to form a stale, whereof the 1 >ela-
ware nation shall he the head and have a representation in Con-
gress.'" Priber, the Jesuit, had already familiarized the Cherokee
with the formsof civilized government before the middle of the eight-
eenth century. As the cap between the conservative and progressive
elements widened after the Revolution the idea grew, until in L808
representatives of both parties visited Washington to propose an
arrangement by which those who clung to the old life might he allowed
to remove to the western hunting grounds, while the rest should remain
to take up civilization and "begin the establishment of fixed law- and
a regular government." The project received the warm encourage-
ment of President Jefferson, and it was with this understanding that
the western emigration was first officially recognized a few years later.
Immediately upon the return of the delegates from Washington the
Cherokee drew up their first brief written code of laws, modeled agree-
ably to the friendly suggestions of Jefferson. ;
By this time the rapid strides of civilization and Christianity had
alarmed the conservative element, who saw in the new order of things
only7 the evidences of apostasy and swift national decay. In 1828
"White-path (Nun'na-tsune'ga), an influential full-blood and councilor,
living at Turniptown (U'lun'yi), near the present Ellijay, in Gilmer
county. Georgia, headed a rebellion against the new code of laws, with
all that it implied. He soon had a large band of followers, known to
the whites as "Red-sticks," a title sometimes assumed by the more
warlike element among the Creeks and other southern tribes. From
the townhouse of Ellijay he preached the rejection of the new consti-
tution, the discarding of Christianity and the white man's ways, and
a return to the old tribal law and custom — the same doctrine that had
more than once constituted the burden of Indian revelation in the past.
It was now too late, however, to reverse the wheel of progress, and
under the rule of such men as Hicks and Ross the conservative oppo-
sition gradually melted away. White-path was deposed from his seat
'SeeRoyee, Cherokee Nation, Fifth Ann. Rep. Bureau of Ethnology, p. 241, 1888; Meredith, inTheFive
Civilized Tribes. Extra Census Bulletin, i>. 41, 1894; Morse, American Geography, i, p. 677, 1819 (for
Hicks,.
= Fort Pitt treaty, September 17, 1778. Indian Treaties, p. 3, 1837.
3 Cherokee Agency treaty, July 8, 1817, ibid., p. 209; Drake, Indians, p. 450, ed. 1880; Johnson in
Senate Report on Territories; Cherokee Memorial, Januarj is. 1831; see lawsof 1808, ism. and Inter,
in American State Papers: Indian Affairs, II, pp. 279-283, 1834. The volume of Cherokee laws, com-
piled in the Cherokee language by the Nation, in 1850, begins with the year 1808.
19 ETH— 01 8
114 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
in council, but subsequently made submission and was reinstated. He
was afterward one of the detachment commanders in the Removal, but
died while on the march.1
In this year, also, John Ross became principal chief of the, Nation,
a position which he held until his death in 1866, thirty-eight years
later.'' In this long period, comprising the momentous episodes of
the Removal and the War of the Rebellion, it may lie truly said that
his history is the history of the Nation.
And now. just when it seemed that civilization and enlightenment
wcic about to accomplish their perfect work, the Cherokee began to
hear the first low muttering of the coming storm that was soon to
overturn their whole governmental structure and sweep them forever
from the land of their birth.
By an agreement between the United States and the state of Georgia
in L802, the latter, for valuable consideration, had ceded to the general
government her claims west of the present state boundary, the United
States at the same time agreeing to extinguish, at its own expense,
but for the benefit of the state, the Indian claims within the state
limits, "as early as the same can be peaceably obtained on reasonable
terms."3 In accordance with this agreement several treaties had
already been made with the Creeks and Cherokee, by which large
tracts had been secured for Georgia at the expense of the general
government. Notwithstanding this fact, and the terms of the. proviso,
Georgia accused the government of bad faith in not taking summary
measures to compel the Indians at once to surrender all their remaining
lands within the chartered state limits, coupling the complaint with a
threat to take the matter into her own hands. In 1820 Agent Meigs had
expressed the opinion that the Cherokee were now so far advanced that
further government aid was unnecessary, and that their lands should
be allotted and the surplus sold for their benefit, they themselves to
be invested with full rights of citizenship in the several states within
which they resided. This .suggestion had been approved by President
Monroe, but had met the most determined opposition from the states
concerned. Tennessee absolutely refused to recognize, individual
reservations made by previous treaties, while North Carolina and
Georgia bought in all such reservations with money appropriated
by Congress.* No Indian was to be allowed to live within those states
on any pretext whatsoever.
In the meantime, owing to persistent pressure from Georgia,
repeated unsuccessful efforts had been made to procure from the
Cherokee a cession of their lands within the chartered limits of the
1 Persona] information from Jnines D. Wafford. So far as is known this rebellion of the conservatives
lias never hitherto been noted in print.
=See Resolutions of Honor, in Laws of the Cherokee Nation, pp. 137-140, 1868: Meredith, in The
Five civilized Tribes, Extra Census Bulletin, p. 41, 1894; Appleton, Cyclopedia of American Biography.
3 See fourth article of "Articles of agreement and cession," April 24, 1802, in American State Papers:
class viu. Public Lands, i, quoted also by Greeley, American Conflict, I, p. 103, 1864.
< Royce, Cherokee Nation, Fifth Ann. Rep. Bureau of Ethnology, pp. 231-233, 1888.
hookey] PRESSURE FOE REMOVAL — 1823 24 L15
state. Every effort met with a firm refusal, the [ndians declaring
that having alreadjr made cession after cession from a territory once
extensive, their remaining lands were no more than were needed for
themselves and their children, more especially as experience had
shown that each concession would be followed by a further demand.
They conclude: " It is the fixed and unalterable determination of this
nation never again to cede one foot more of land." Soon afterward
they addressed to the President a memorial of similar tenor, to which
^Calhoun, as Secretary of War. returned answer that as Georgia
objected to their presence either as a tribe or as individual owners or
citizens, they must prepare their minds for removal beyond the Mis-
sissippi.'
In reply, the Cherokee, by their delegates — John Ross. George
Lowrey, Major Ridge, and Elijah Hicks — sent a strong letter calling
attention to the fact that by the very wording of the L802 agreement
the compact was a conditional one which could not he carried out
without their own voluntary consent, and suggesting that Georgia
might be satisfied from the adjoining government lands in Florida.
Continuing, they remind the Secretary that the Cherokee are not
foreigners, but original inhabitants of America, inhabiting and stand-
ing now upon the soil of their own territory, with limits denned by
treaties with the United States, and that, confiding in the good faith
of the government to respect its treaty stipulations, they do not hesitate
to say that their true interest, prosperity, and happiness demand their
permanency where they are and the retention of their lands. '
A copy of this letter was sent by the Secretary to Governor Troup
of Georgia, who returned a reply in which he blamed the missionaries
for the refusal of the Indians, declared that the state would not permit
them to become citizens, and that the Secretary must either assist the
state in taking possession of the Cherokee lands, or. in resisting that
occupancy, make war upon and shed the blood of brothers and friends.
The Georgia delegation in Congress addressed a similar letter to Presi-
dent Monroe, in which the government was censured for ha\ ing
instructed the Indians in the arts of civilized life and having therebj
imbued them with a de-ire to acquire property."
For answer the President submitted a report by Secretary Calhoun
showing that since the agreement had been made with Georgia in 1802
the government had. at its own expense, extinguished the Indian claim
to 24,600 square miles within the limits of that state, or more than
three-fifths of the whole Indian claim, and had paid on that and other
accounts connected with the agreement nearly seven and a half million
'Cherokee correspondence 1823 and 1824, American State Papers: Indian Affairs, n, pp. 168 it::,
1834; Royce, Cherokee Nation, Fifth Ann. Rep. Bureau of Ethnology, pp. j 16 237, 1888.
'Cherokee memorial, February 11. 1824, in American State Papers: Indian Lffairs, a, pp. II I 194,
1834 Royce, op cit, p J 17
i Letters of Governor Troup of Georgia, February 28, 1824, and of Georgia delegates, March 10,1824,
American State Papers Indian Affairs, n. pp. 475, 177, 1834; Royce, op. cit., pp. 287, 238.
V
116 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
dollars, of which by far the greater part had gone to Georgia or her
citizens. In regard to the other criticism the report states that the
civilizing policy was as old as the government itself, and that in per-
forming the high duties of humanity to the Indians, it had never been
conceived that the stipulation of the convention was contravened. In
handing in the report the President again called attention to the con-
ditional nature of the agreement and declared it as his opinion that the
title of the Indians was not in the slightest degree affected by it and
that there was no obligation on the United States to remove them by
force.1
Further efforts, even to the employment of secret methods, were
made in 1827 and 1828 to induce a cession or emigration, but without
avail. On July 26, 1827, as already noted, the Cherokee adopted a
constitution as a distinct and sovereign Nation. Upon this the Georgia
legislature passed resolutions affirming that that state "had the power
and the right to possess herself, by any means she might choose, of
the lands in dispute, and to extend over them her authority and laws,1'
and recommending that this be done by the next legislature, if the
lands were not already acquired by successful negotiation of the gen-
eral government in the meantime. The government was warned that
the lands belonged to Georgia, and she must and would have them. It
was suggested, however, that the United States might be permitted to
make a certain number of reservations to individual Indians.2
Passing over for the present some important negotiations with the
western Cherokee, we come to the events leading to the final act in the
drama. Up to this time the pressure had been for land only, but now
a stronger motive was added. About the year 1815 a little Cherokee
boy playing along Chestatee river, in upper Georgia, had brought in
to his mother a shining yellow pebble hardly larger than the end of his
thumb. On being washed it proved to be a nugget of gold, and on
her next trip to the settlements the woman carried it with her and sold
it to a white man. The news spread, and although she probably con-
cealed the knowledge of the exact spot of its origin, it was soon known
that the golden dreams of DeSoto had been realized in the Cherokee
country of Georgia. Within four years the whole territory east of
the Chestatee had passed from the possession of the Cherokee. They
still held the western bank, but the prospector was abroad in the
mountains and it could not be for long.3 About 1828 gold was found
on Ward's creek, a western branch of Chestatee, near the present
Dahlonega.4 and the doom of the nation was sealed (11).
1 Monroe, message to the Senate, with Calhoun's report, March 30, 1824, American State Papers:
Indian Affairs, II, pp. 460, 462, 1834.
2 Royce, Cherokee Nation, Fifth Ann. Rep. Bureau of Ethnology, pp. 241, 242, 1888.
3Personal information from J. D. Warlord.
4Nitze, H. B. C. , in Twentieth Annual Report United States Geological Survey, part 6 (Mineral
Resources), p. 112,1899.
hookey] EXTENSION OF GEORGIA LAWS —1830 117
In November, L828, Andrew Jackson was elected to succeed John
Quinoy Adams as President. He was a frontiersman and Indian bater,
and the change boded no good to the ( Jherokee. His position was we'd
understood, and there is good ground for believing thai the action at
once taken by Georgia was at bis own suggestion.1 On December 20,
1828, a month after his election, Georgia passed an act annexing thai
part of the Cherokee countrj within her chartered limits and extending
over it her jurisdiction; all laws and customs established among the
Cherokee were declared null and void, and no person of Indian Mood
or descent residing within the Indian country was henceforth to he
allowed as a witness or party in any suit where a white man should be
defendant. The act was to take effect June 1. L830 (42). The whole
territory was soon after mapped out into counties and surveyed by
state surveyors into •'land lots" of L60 acres each, and "gold lots" of
40 acres, which were put up and distributed among the white citizens
of Georgia by public lottery, each white citizen receiving a ticket.
Every Cherokee head of a family was. indeed, allowed a reservation
of 160 acres, hut no d 1 was given, and his continuance depended
solely on the pleasure of the legislature. Provision was made for the
settlement of contested lottery claims among; the white citizens, hut
by the most stringent enactments, in addition to the sweeping law
which forbade anyone of Indian blood to bring suit or to testify
against a white man, it was made impossible for the Indian owner to
defend his right in any court or to resist the seizure of his homestead,
or even his own dwelling house, and anyone so resisting was made sub-
ject to imprisonment at the discretion of a Georgia court. Other laws
directed to the same end quickly followed, one of which made invalid
any contract between a white man and an Indian unless established by
the testimony of two white witnesses — thus practically canceling all
debts due from white men to Indians — while another obliged all white
men residing in the Cherokee country to take a special oath of allegi-
ance to the state of Georgia, on penalty of four years' imprisonment
in the penitentiary, this act being intended to drive out all the mis-
sionaries, teachers, and other educators who refused to countenance
the spoliation. About the same time the Cherokee were forbidden to
hold councils, or to assemble for any public purpose,2 or to dig for
gold upon their own lands.
1 See Butler letter, quoted in Etoyce, Cherokee Nation, Fifth Ann. Rep. Bureau of Ethnology, p. '-".>7,
ee also Everett, speech in the House of Representatives on May 31, 1838, pp. 16-17, 3 s-33, i "
-For extracts and synopses of these nets sit Royce, op. clt., pp. 259-264; Drake, indians, pp. 43! i 6,
1880; Greeley, American Conflict, i, pp. 105, 106, 1864; Edward Everett, speech in the House of Rep-
resentatives, February 14, 1831 I lottery law). The Hold lottery is also noted incidentally by Lanman,
Charles, Letters from the Alleghany Mountains, p. 10; New York. 1849, and by Nitze, in his repO] l >n
the Georgia gold fields, in the Twentieth annual Report of the United States Ge
part 6 I Mineral Resources |, p. L12, 1899. The author has himseli seen in a mountain villas in Georgia
an old book titled "The Cherokee Land and Gold Lottery," containing map' and plats covering the
whole Cherokee country of Georgia, with each lot numbered, aid descriptions of the watercourses,
soil, and supposed mineral veins.
118 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.ij
The purpose of this legislation was to render life in their own
country intolerable to the Cherokee by depriving them of all legal
protection and friendly counsel, and the effect was precisely as
intended. In an eloquent address upon the subject before the House
of Representatives the distinguished Edward Everett clearly pointed
out the encouragement which it gave to lawless men: "They have but
to cross the Cherokee line; they have but to choose the time and the
place where the eye of no white man can rest upon them, and they
may burn the dwelling, waste the farm, plunder the property, assault
the person, murder the children of the Cherokee subject of Georgia,
and though hundreds of the tribe may be looking on. there is not one
of them that can be permitted to bear witness against the spoiler."1
Senator Sprague, of Maine, said of the law that it devoted the prop-
erty of the Cherokee to the cupidity of their neighbors, leaving them
exposed to every outrage which lawless persons could inflict, so that
even robbery and murder might be committed with impunity at noon-
day, if not in the presence of whites who would testify against it.2
The prediction was fulfilled to the letter. Bands of armed men
invaded the Cherokee country, forcibly seizing horses and cattle,
taking possession of houses from which they had ejected the occu-
pants, and assaulting the owners who dared to make resistance.3 In
one instance, near the present Dahlonega, two white men, who had
been hospitably received and entertained at supper by an educated
Cherokee citizen of nearly pure white blood, later in the evening,
during the temporary absence of the parents, drove out the children
and their nurse and deliberately set fire to the house, which was
burned to the ground with all its contents. They were pursued and
brought to trial, but the case was dismissed by the judge on the
ground that no Indian could testify against a white man.1 Cherokee
miners upon their own ground were arrested, fined, and imprisoned,
and their tools and machinery destroyed, while thousands of white
intruders were allowed to dig in the same places unmolested.5 A
Cherokee on trial in his own nation for killing another Indian was
seized by the state authorities, tried and condemned to death, although,
not understanding English, he was unable to speak in his own defense.
A United States court forbade the execution, but the judge who had
conducted the trial defied the writ, went to the place of execution, anil
stood beside the sheriff while the Indian was being hanged.6
1 -I eh of May 19, 1830, Washington; printed by Gales & Seaton,1830.
^Speech in the Senate of the United States, April 16, 1830; Washington, Peter Force, printer, 1830.
BSee Cherokee Memorial to Congress, January 18, 1831.
* Personal information from Prof. Clinton Duncan, of Tahlequah, Cherokee Nation, whose father's
house \\:is the one thus burned.
^Cherokee Memorial to Congress January 18, 1831.
clbid.; see also speech of Edward Everett in House of Representatives February 14, 1831; report >>i
the select committee of the senate of Massarhusettsupon t lie Georgia resolutions, Boston, 1831; Greeley,
American Conflict, I, p. 106, 1864; Abbott, Cherokee Indians in Georgia; Atlanta Constitution. October
27, 1889.
koonki ARREST OF MISSIONARIES — 1831 119
Immediately on the passage of the first ad the ( Iherokee appealed to
President Jackson, but were told that no protection would be afforded
tlirni. Other efforts were then made — in 1829 — to persuade them to
removal, or to procure another cession this time of all their lands in
North Carolina but the Cherokee remained firm. The Georgia law
was declared in force on June :;. L830, whereupon the Presidenl
directed that the annuity payment due the < Iherokee Nation under pre-
vious treaties should no longer lie jiaid to their national treasurer, as
hitherto, but distributed per capita by the agent. As a national fund
it had been used for the maintenance of their schools and national
press. A- a per capita payment it amounted to forty-two cents to each
individual. Several years afterward it still remained unpaid. Fed-
eral troops were also sent into the Cherokee country with orders to
prevent all mining by either whites or Indians unless authorized by the
state of Georgia. All these measures served only to render the Chero-
kee more bitter in their determination. In September, 1830, another
proposition was made for the removal of the tribe, but the national
council emphatically refused to consider thesubject.1
In January, 1831, the Cherokee Nation, by John Ross as principal
chief, brought a test suit of injunction against Georgia, in the United
States Supreme Court. The majority of the court dismissed the suit
on the ground that the Cherokee were not a foreign nation within the
meaning of the Constitution, two justices dissenting from this opinion.8
Shortly afterward, under the law which forbade any white man to
reside in the Cherokee Nation without taking an oath of allegiance to
Georgia, a number of arrests were made, including Wheeler, the
printer of the Cherokei Phmnix, and the missionaries. Worcester. But-
ler. Thompson, and Proctor, who. being there by permission of the
agent and feeling that plain American citizenship should hold good in
an\ part of the United States, refused to take the oath. Soi if
those arrested took the oath and were released, but Worcester and
Butler, still refusing, were dressed in prison garb and put at hard
labor among felons. Worcester had plead in his defense that he was a
citizen of Vermont, and had entered the Cherokee country by permis-
sion of the President of the United Statesand approval of the Cherokee
Nation: and that as the United States by several treaties had acknowl-
edged the Cherokee to be a nation with a guaranteed and definite ter-
ritory, the state had no right to interfere with him. 1 Ie was sentenced
to four year- in the penitentiary. On March 3, 1832, the matter was
appealed as a test ease to the Supreme Court of the United States,
which rendered a decision in favor of Worcester and the Cherokee
Nation and ordered his release. Georgia, however, through her ^n
ernor. had defied the summons with a threat of opposition, even tothe
i erokee Nation, Fifth Ann. Rep. Bureau of Ethnology, pp. 261,262,
2 Ibid., p. 262.
120 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [etb.ann.19
annihilation of the Union, and now ignored the decision, refusing to
release the missionary, who remained in prison until set free by the
will of the governor nearly a year later. A remark attributed to
President Jackson, on hearing of the result in the Supreme Court, may
throw some light on the whole proceeding: ■•John Marshall has made
his decision, now let him enforce it."1
On the 19th of July. 1832, a public fast was observed throughout
the Cherokee Nation. In the proclamation recommending it, Chief
Ross observes that "Whereas the crisis in the affairs of the Nation
exhibits the day of tribulation and sorrow, and the time appears to be
fast hastening when the destiny of this people must be sealed; whether
it has been directed by the wonted depravity and wickedness of man,
or by the unsearchable and mysterious will of an allwise Being, it
equally becomes us, as a rational and Christian community, humbly to
bow in humiliation," etc.2
Further attempts were made to induce the Cherokee to remove to
the West, but met the same firm refusal as before. It was learned that
in view of the harrassing conditions to which they were subjected the
Cherokee were now seriously considering the project of emigrating to
the Pacific Coast, at the mouth of the Columbia, a territory then
claimed by England and held by the posts of the British Hudson Bay
Company. The Secretary of War at once took steps to discourage the
movement.3 A suggestion from the Cherokee that the government
satisfy those who had taken possession of Cherokee lands under the
lottery drawing by giving them instead an equivalent from the unoc-
cupied government lands was rejected by the President.
In the spring of 1834 the Cherokee submitted a memorial which,
after asserting that they would never voluntarily consent to abandon
their homes, proposed to satisfy Georgia by ceding to her a portion of
their territory, they to be protected in possession of the remainder
until the end of a definite period to be fixed b}^ the United States, at
the expiration of which, after disposing of their surplus lands, they
should become citizens of the various states within which they resided.
They were told that their difficulties could be remedied only Iry their
removal to the west of the Mississippi. In the meantime a removal
treaty was being negotiated with a self-styled committee of some fif-
teen or twenty Cherokee called together at the agency. It was carried
through in spite of the protest of John Ross and the Cherokee Nation,
as embodied in a paper said to contain the signatures of 13,000 Chero-
kee, but failed of ratification.*
Despairing of any help from the President, the Cherokee delega-
1 Royce, Cherokee Nation, Fifth Ann. Rep. Bateau of Ethnology, pp. 264-2titi, 1SS8; JJrake, Indians,
pp i.ii i .T. L880; Greeley, American Conflict, i. 106,1864.
s Drake, Indians, p 158, 1880.
;| Royce, up. cit., pp. 262-264, -~-. 273.
* [bid., pp.274, 275.
' ' TREATY WITH RIDGE PARTY— 1835 121
tion, headed by John Ross, addressed another earnest memorial to
Congress on May 17. 1834. Royee quotes the document at length,
with the remark, "Without affecting to pass judgment on the merits
of the controversy, the writer thinks this memorial well deserving of
reproduction here as evidencing the devoted and pathetic attachment
wilh which the Cherokee clung to the land of their fathers, and,
remembering the wrongs and humiliations of the past, refused to he
convinced that justice, prosperity, and happiness awaited them beyond
the Mississippi." '
In August of this year another council was held at Ued Clay, south-
eastward from Chattanooga and just within the Georgia line, where
the question of removal was again debated in what i- officially
described a- a tumultuous and excited meeting. One of the prin-
cipal advocates of the emigration scheme, a prominent mixed-blood
named John Walker, jr.. was assassinated from ambush while return-
ing from the council to his home a few miles north of the present
Cleveland, Tennessee. On account of his superior education and
influential connections, his wife being a niece of former agent Return
,1. Meigs, the affair created intense excitement at the time. The
assassination has been considered the first of the long series of political
murders growing out of the removal agitation, but, according to the
testimony of old Cherokee acquainted with the facts, the killing was
due to a more personal motive.*
The Cherokee were now nearly worn out by constant battle against
a fate from which they could see no escape. In February, 1835, two
rival delegations arrived in Washington, One, the national party,
headed by John Ross, came prepared still to tight to the end for home
and national existence. The other, headed by Major John Ridge, a
prominent subchief, despairing of further successful resistance, was
prepared to negotiate for removal. Reverend J. F. Schermerhorn
was appointed commissioner to arrange with the Ridge party a treaty
to he confirmed later by the Cherokee people in general council. On
this basis a treaty was negotiated with the Ridge party by which the
Cherokee were to cede their whole eastern territory and remove to
the West in consideration of the sum id' $3,250,000 with some addi-
tional acreage in the West and a small sum for depredations com-
mitted upon them by the whites. Finding that these negotiation- were
proceeding, the Ross party tiled a counter proposition for $20,000, P,
which was rejected by the Senate as excessive. The Schermerhorn
compact with the Ridge party, with the consideration changed to
$4,500,000, was thereupon completed and signed on March 14. Ism;,.
hut with the express stipulation that it should receive the approval of
•Royce.Chi tion, Fifth Ann. Report Bureau of Etl logy, p. 276, 1888.
* Commissioner Elbert Herring, November 25, Report of Indian Commissioner, p. 240, L834; author's
personal information from Major R. C Jackson and J. D. Wafford.
122 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE
the Cherokee nation in full council assembled before being considered
of any binding force. This much accomplished, Mr. Schermerhorn
departed for the Cherokee country, armed with an address from
President Jackson in which the great benefits of removal were set
forth to the Cherokee. Having exhausted the summer and fall in
fruitless effort to secure favorable action, the reverend gentleman
notified the President, proposing either to obtain the signatures of
the leading Cherokee by promising them payment for their improve-
ments at their own valuation, if in any degree reasonable, or to con-
clude a treaty with a part of the Nation and compel its acceptance
by the rest. He was promptly informed by the Secretary of War,
Lewis Cass, on behalf of the President, that the treaty, if concluded
at all, must be procured upon fair and open terms, with no particular
promise to any individual, high or low, to gain his aid or influence,
and without sacrificing the interest of the whole to the cupidity of a
fev^ He was also informed that, as it would probably be contrary to
his wish, his letter would not be put on file.1
In October, 1835, the Ridge treaty was rejected by the Cherokee
Nation in full council at Red Clay, even its main supporters, Ridge
himself and Elias Boudinot, going over to the rnajoruy, most unex-
pectedly to Schermerhorn, who reports the result, piously adding,
"but the Lord is able to overrule all things for good." During the
session of this council notice was served on the Cherokee to meet
commissioners at New Echota in December following for the purpose
of negotiating a treaty. The notice was also printed in the Cherokee
language and circulated throughout the Nation, with a statement that
those who failed to attend would be counted as assenting to any treaty
that might be made.2
The council had authorized the regular delegation, headed by John
Ross, to conclude a treaty either there or at Washington, but, finding
that Schermerhorn had no authority to treat on any other basis than
the one rejected by the Nation, the delegates proceeded to Washing-
ton.8 Before their departure John Ross, who had removed to Ten-
nessee to escape persecution in his own state, was arrested at his home
by the Georgia guard, all his private papers and the proceedings of
the council being taken at the same time, and conveyed across the line
into Georgia, where he was held for some time without charge against
him, and at last released without apology or explanation. The poet,
John Howard Payne, who was then stopping with Ross, engaged in
the work of collecting historical and ethnologic material relating to the
Cherokee, was seized at the same time, with all his letters and scien-
i Royce, Cherokee Nation, Fifth Ann. Rep. Bureau of Ethnology, pp. 278-280, 1888; Everett speech
in House of Representatives, May 31, 1838, pp. 28, 29, 1839, in which the Secretary's reply is given in
full.
= Royce, op. cit., pp. 280-281. » Ibid., p. 281.
hooney] TKKATY OF NEW ECHOTA 1835 L23
tific manuscripts. The national paper, the Cheroket Phamix, had been
suppressed and its oilier plant seized by the same guard a few days
before.1 Thus in their greatest need the Chei'okee were deprived of
the help and counsel of their teachers, their national press, and their
chief.
Although for two months threats and inducements had been held
out to secure a full attendance at the December conference at New
Echota, there were present when the proceedings opened, according
to the report of Schermerhorn himself , only from three hundred to
five hundred men. women, and children, out of a population of over
lT.ooii. Notwithstanding the paucity of attendance and the absence
of the principal officers of the Nation, a committee was appointed to
arrange the details of a treaty, which was finally drawn up and
signed on December 29, L835.s
Briefly stated, by this treaty id' New Echota, Georgia, the Cherokee
Nation ceded to the United States its whole remaining territory cast
of the Mississippi for the sum of five million dollars and a common
joint interest in the territory already occupied by the western Chero-
kee, in what is now Indian Territory, with an additional smaller tract
adjoining on the northeast, in what is now Kansas. Improvements
were to be paid for. and the Indians were to lie removed at the expense
of the United States and subsisted at the expense of the Government
for one year after their arrival in the new country. The removal was
to take place within two years from the ratification of the treaty.
On the strong representations of the Cherokee signers, who would
probably not have signed otherwise even then, it was agreed that a
limited number of Cherokee who should desire to remain behind in
North Carolina. Tennessee, and Alabama, and become citizens, having
first been adjudged "qualified or calculated to become useful citizens."'
might so remain, together with a few holding individual reservations
under former treaties. This provision was allowed by the commis-
sioners, hut was afterward struck out on the announcement by Presi-
dent Jackson of his determination "not to allow any preemptions or
reservations, his desire being that the whole Cherokee people should
remove together."
Provision was made also for the payment of debts due by the Indians
out of any moneys coming to them under the treaty: for the reestab-
lishment of the missions in the West; for pensions to Cherokee
wounded in the service of the government in the war of 1812 and the
Creek war; for permission to establish in the new country such military
posts and roads for the use of the United States as should he deemed
necessary; for satisfying Osage claims in the western territory and
iRoyce, Cherokee Nation, op. cit. (R.'ss arrest), p. 281; Drake, Indian- Ross Paj le, Phcenix),
p. 159, 1880; Bee also Everett speech .»■" May 31, 1888, op. cit.
-Royce, op. cit., pp. :M i m [>n .[..,■! ii is:>.
124 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE Leth.ann.19
for bringing about a friendly understanding between the two tribes;
and for the commutation of all annuities and other sums due from the
■United States into a permanent national fund, the interest to be placed
at the disposal of the officers of the Cherokee Nation and by them
disbursed, according to the will of their own people, for the care of
schools and orphans, and for general national purposes.
The western territory assigned the Cherokee under this treaty was
in two adjoining tracts, viz, (1) a tract of seven million acres, together
with a "perpetual outlet west." already assigned to the western
Cherokee under treaty of 1833, as will hereafter be noted,1 being
identical with the present area occupied by the Cherokee Nation in
Indian Territory, together with the former "Cherokee strip," with
the exception of a two-mile strip along the northern boundary, now
included within the limits of Kansas; (2) a smaller additional tract of
eight hundred thousand acres, running fifty miles north and south
and twenty-five miles east and west, in what is now the southeastern
corner of Kansas. For this second tract the Cherokee themselves
were to pay the United States five hundred thousand dollars.
The treaty of 1833, assigning the first described tract to the western
Cherokee, states that the United States agrees to "guaranty it to
them forever, and that guarantee is hereby pledged." By the same
treaty, "in addition to the seven millions of acres of land thus pro-
vided for and bounded, the United States further guaranty to the
Cherokee nation a perpetual outlet west and a free and unmolested
use of all the country lying west of the western boundary of said
seven millions of acres, as far west as the sovereignty of the United
States and their right of soil extend . . . and letters patent shall be
issued by the United States as soon as practicable for the land hereby
guaranteed." All this was reiterated by the present treaty, and made
to include also the smaller (second) tract, in these words:
Art. o. The United States also agree that the lands above ceded by the treaty of
February 14, 1833, including the nutlet, and those ceded by this treaty, shall all be
included in one patent, executed to the Cherokee nation of Indians by the President
of the United States, according to the provisions of the act of May 28, 1S30. . . .
Art. 5. The United States hereby covenant and agree that the lands ceded to the
Cherokee nation in the foregoing article shall in no future time, without their con-
sent, be included within the territorial limits or jurisdiction of anystate or territory.
But they shall secure to the Cherokee nation the right of their national councils to
make ami carry into effect all such laws as they may deem necessary for the govern-
ment ami pre itection of the persons and property within their own country belonging
to their people or such persons as have connected themselves with them: Provided
always, that they shall not be inconsistent with the Constitution of the United States
and such acts of Congress as have been or may be passed regulating trade and inter-
course with the Indians; and also that they shall not be considered as extending to
such citizens and army of the United States as may travel or reside in the Indian
!See Fort Gibson treaty, 1833, p. 142.
mooned TREATY OF NEW ECHOTA — 1835 125
country by permission, according to tl»- lu«> and regulations established by the gov-
ernment of the same. . . .
\ki. 6. Perpetual peace and friendship shall exist between the citizens of the
I'niti'.l States nail the Cherokee Indians. The United stales agree to protect the
Cherokee nation from domestic strife and foreign enemies and against intestine wars
between the several tribes. The Cherokees shall endeavor to preserve and maintain
the peace of the country, and not make war upon their neighbors; they shall also be
protected against interruption and intrusion from citizens of the United stairs who
may attempt to settle in the country without their consent; an. 1 all such persons
shall be removed from the same' by order of the President of the United States. But
this is not intended to prevent the residence among them of useful farmers, mechan-
ics, and teachers for the instruction of the Indians according to treaty stipulations.
Ajrticle 7. The Cherokee nation having already made great progress in civiliza-
tion, and deeming it important that every proper and laudable inducement should
be offered to their people to improve their condition, as well as to guard and secure
in the most effectual manner the rights guaranteed to them in this treaty, and with
a view to illustrate tin- liberal and enlarged policy of the government of the United
States toward the Indians in their removal beyond the territorial limits of the states.
it is stipulated that they shall be entitled to a Delegate in the Hou i Representa-
tives of the United States whenever Congress shall make provision for the same.
The instrument was signed by (Governor) "William Carroll of Ten-
nessee and (Reverend) .1. F. Schermerhorn as commissioners— the
former, however, having been unable to attend by reason of illness
and by twenty Cherokee, among whom the most prominent were Major
Ridge and Elias Boudinot, former editor of the Phoenix. Neither
John Ross nor any one of the officers of the Cherokee Nation was present
or represented. After some changes by the Senate, it was ratified
May 23, 1S36.1
Upon the treaty of New Echota and the treaty previously made with
tlie western Cherokee at Fort Gibson in 1833, the united Cherokee
Nation based it> claim to the present territory held by the tribe in
Indian Territory and to the Cherokee outlet, and to national self-govern-
ment, with protection from outside intrusion.
An official census taken in L835 showed the whole number of Chero-
kee in Georgia, North Carolina, Alabama, and Tennessee to he 16,542,
exclusive of 1,592 negro slaves and 201 whites intermarried with
Cherokee. The Cherokee were distributed as follows: Georgia, 8,946;
North Carolina, 3,644; Tennessee, 2,528; Alabama, 1 .4i4.2
Despite the efforts id' Ro~s and the national delegates, who presented
protests with .signatures representing nearly Id.ooot 'herokee. the treaty
■ See New Echota treaty, 1835, and Fort Gibson treaty, 1833 Indian Treaties, pp. 633-64* and »i I -
1837; also, for full di sen-, ion of l.nlli t rallies [;. ,vee, Cherokee Nat inn. Fifth Ann. iep. I tun an , . I i h
nology, pp. 249-298. For a summary of all the measures of pressure brought to bear upon the Cher
okee up to the final removal see also Everett, speech in the House of Representative-, May 31, 1838;
the chapters on "Expatriation of the Cherokees," Drake, Indians, 1880; and tin' chapter on - 1 1 1.-
Rights— Nullification," in Greeley, American Conflict, i, 1864. The Georgia side of the controversy is
presented in E..t.Harden'sLifeof (Governor! George M. Troup, 1849.
- Ri iyee. op. cit., p. 289. The Indian total is also given in the Report of the Indian Commissioner,
p. 369, 1836.
126 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ank.19
had been ratified by a majority of one vote over the necessary number,
and preliminary steps were at once taken to carry it into execution.
Councils were held in opposition all over the Cherokee Nation, and
resolutions denouncing the methods used and declaring the treaty
absolutely null and void were drawn up and submitted to General
Wool, in command of the troops in the Cherokee country, by whom
they were forwarded to Washington. The President in reply expressed
his surprise that an officer of the army should have received or trans-
mitted a paper so disrespectful to the Executive, the Senate, and the
American people; declared his settled determination that the treaty
should be carried out without modification and with all consistent
dispatch, and directed that after a copy of the letter had been delivered
to Ross, no further communication, by mouth or writing, should be held
with him concerning the treaty. It was further directed that no coun-
cil should be permitted to assemble to discuss the treaty. Ross had
already been informed that the President had ceased to recognize any
existing government among the eastern Cherokee, and that any fur-
ther effort by him to prevent the consummation of the treaty would be
suppressed.1
Notwithstanding this suppression of opinion, the feeling of the
Nation was soon made plain through other sources. Before the ratifi-
cation of the treaty Major W. M. Davis had been appointed to enroll
the Cherokee for removal and to appraise the value of their improve-
ments. He soon learned the true condition of affairs, and, although
holding his office by the good will of President Jackson, he addressed
to the Secretary of War a strong letter upon the subject, from which
the following extract is made:
I conceive that my duty to the President, to yourself, and to my country reluc-
tantly compels me to make a statement of .facts in relation to a meeting of a small
number of Cherokees at New Echota last December, who were met by Mr. Scher-
merhorn and articles of a general treaty entered into between them fur the whole
Cherokee nation. . . . Sir, that paper, . . . called a treaty, is no treaty at all,
because not sanctioned by the great body of the Cherokee and made without their
participation or assent, I solemnly declare to you that upon its reference to the
Cherokee people it would be instantly rejected by nine-tenths of them, and I believe
by nineteen-twentieths of them. There were not. present at the conclusion of the
treaty mere than one hundred Cherokee voters, and not more than three hundred,
including women and children, although the weather was everything that could be
desired. The Indians had long been notified of the meeting, and blankets were
promised to all who would come and vote for the treaty. The most cunning and
artful means were resorted to to conceal the paucity of numbers present at the treaty.
No enumeration of them was made by Schermerhorn. The business of making the
treaty was transacted with a committee appointed by the Indians present, so as not
to expose their numbers. The power of attorney under which the committee acted
was signed only by the president and secretary of the meeting, so as not to disclose
their weakness. . . . Mr. Schermerhorn's apparent design was to conceal the real
number present and to impose on the public and the government upon this point.
■Royce, Cherokee Nation, op. eit., pp. 283,284; Report of Indian Commissioner, pp. 285, 286, 1836.
> seyJ GENERAL wniil.'s REPORTS — 1837 I "J 7
The delegation taken to Washington by Mr. Schermerhorn had no more authority
to make a treaty than any other dozen Cherokee accidentally picked up for the
purpose. I no« warn you and the President thai if this paper of Schermerhorn's
called a treaty is sent t" the Senate and ratified you «ill bring trouble upon the
government arid eventual!) destroy this [the < Iherokee] Nat inn. The Cherokee are
a peaceable, harmless people, bul you may drive them to desperation, and this
treaty can not be carried into effect except bj the strong arm of force.1
General Wool, who had been placed in command of the troops con-
centrated in the Cherokee country to prevent opposition to the enforce-
ment of the treaty, reported on February L8, 1837, thai he had called
them toe-ether and made them an address, but "'it is. however, vain to
talk to a people almost universally opposed to the treaty and who
maintain that they never made such a treaty. So determined are they
in their opposition that not one of all those who were present ami voted
at tin' council held hut a day or two since, however poor or destitute,
would receive either rations or clothing from the United States lest
they might compromise themselves in regard to the treaty. These
same people, as well as those in the mountains of North Carolina.
during the summer past, preferred living upon the roots and sap of
trees rather than receive provisions from the United States, and
thousands, as I have been informed, had no other food for weeks.
Many have said they will die before they will leave the country."2
Other letters from General Wool while engaged in the work of
disarming and overawing the Cherokee show how very disagreeable
that duty was to him and how strongly his sympathies were with the
Indians, who were practically unanimous in repudiating the treaty.
In one letter he says:
The whole scene since I have hern in this country has been nothing but a heart-
rending one. and such a one as I would he glad to get rid of as soon as circumstances
will permit. Because I am firm and decided, do not believe I would be unjust. If
I could, and I could not do them a greater kindness, I would remove every Indian
to-morrow beyond the reach of the white men. who, like vultures, are watching,
ready to pounce upon their prey and strip them of everything they have or expert
from the government of the Dinted state-. Yes, sir, nineteen-twentieths, if not
ninety-nine out of every hundred, will go penniless to the West.:l
How it was to be brought about is explained in part by a letter
addressed to the President by Major Ridge himself, the principal
signer of the treaty:
We now come to address you on the subject of our griefs and afflictions from the
acts of the white people. They have got our lands and now they are preparing to
fleece US of the money accruing from the treaty. We found our plantations taken
either in whole or in part by the Georgians — suits instituted against us for back rents
for our own farms. These suits are commenced in the inferior courts, with the
i Quoted by Royce, Cherokee Nation, op. «-i r . . pp. 284-285; quoted also, with some verbal differ*
by Everett, speech in House oi Representatives on Maj 31,1838.
i .i in Royce, op 'it., p 286.
» Letter of General Wool, September 10, 1836, in Everett, speeeh in Hous ol Representatives, May
31, 1838.
128 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [bth.ann.19
evident design that, when we are ready to remove, to arrest our people, and on these
vile claims to induce us to com promise for our own release, to travel with our families.
Thus our funds will lie filched from mir people, and we shall he compelled to leave
our country as beggars and in want.
Even the Georgia laws, which deny us our oaths, are thrown aside, and notwith-
standing the cries of our people, and protestation of our innocence and peace, the
lowest classes of the white people are flogging the Cherokees with cowhides, hick-
ories, and clubs. We are not safe in our houses — our people are assailed by day and
night by the rabble. Even justices of the peace and constables are concerned in this
business. This barbarous treatment is not confined to men, but the women are
stripped also and whipped without law or mercy. . . . Send regular troops to protect
us from these lawless assaults, and to protect our people as they depart for the West.
If it is not done, we shall carry off nothing but the scars of the lash on our backs, and
our oppressors will get all the money. We talk plainly, as chiefs having property
and life in danger, and we appeal to you for protection. . . .'
( reneral Dunlap, in command of the Tennessee troops called out to
prevent the alleged contemplated Cherokee uprising, having learned
for himself the true situation, delivered an indignant address to his
men in which he declared that he would never dishonor the Tennessee
arms by aiding to carry into execution at the. point of the bayonet a
treaty made by a lean minority against the will and authority of the
Cherokee people. He stated further that he had given the Cherokee
all the protection in his power, the whites needing none.2
A confidential agent sent to report upon the situation wrote in Sep-
tember, 1837, that opposition to the treaty was unanimous and irrecon-
cilable, the Cherokee declaring that it could not bind them because
they did not make it. that it was the work of a few unauthorized indi
viduals and that the Nation was not a party to it. They had retained
the forms of their government, although no election had been held
since 1830, having continued the officers then in charge until their gov-
ernment could again be reestablished regularly. Under this arrange-
ment John Ross was principal chief, with influence unbounded and
unquestioned. "The whole Nation of eighteen thousand persons is
with him. the few — about three hundred — who made the treaty having
left the country, with the exception of a small number of prominent
individuals — as Ridge, Boudinot, and others — who remained to assist
in carrying it into execution. It is evident, therefore, that Ross and
his party are in fact the Cherokee Nation. ... 1 believe that the mass
of the Nation, particularly the mountain Indians, will stand or fall
with Ross. . . .'"''
So intense was public feeling on the subject of this treat}* that it
became to some extent a part}- question, the Democrats supporting
President Jackson while the Whigs bitterly opposed him. Among
1 Letter of .nine 30, 1836, to President Jackson, in Everett, speech in the House of Representatives,
May 31, 1S38.
- Quoted by Everett, ibid,; also by Royce, Cherokee Nation, op. cit.,p.286.
3 Letter of J.M.Mason, jr., to Secretary of War, September 25, 1837, in Everett, speech in House of
Representatives, May 31, 1838; also quoted in extract by Royce, op. cit., pp. 286-287.
MuusF.Y] ARRIVAL OF TROOPS 129
notable leaders of the opposition were Henry Clay, Daniel Webster,
Edward K\ erett, Wise of Virginia, and 1 >avid ( Ii'ockett. The speeches
in Congress upon the subject ••were characterized by a depth and bit-
terness of feeling such as had never been exceeded even on the slavery
question."1 It was considered not simply an Indian question, but an
issue between state rights on the one hand and federal jurisdiction and
the ( institution on the other.
In spite of threats of arrest and punishment, Ross still continued
active effort in behalf of his people. Again, in the spring of I 838, t wo
months before the time fixed for the removal, he presented to Con-
gress another protest and memorial, which, like the others, was tabled
by the Senate. Van Buren had now succeeded Jackson and was dis-
posed to allow the Cherokee a longer time to prepare for emigration,
but was met by the declaration from Governor < rilmer of Georgia that
any delay would be a violation of the rights of that state and in oppo-
sition to the rights of tht owners of tin sot?, and that if trouble came
from any protection afforded by the government troops to the Chero-
kee a direct collision must ensue between the authorities of the state
and general go^ ernment.8
Up to the last moment the Cherokee still believed that the treaty
would not he consummated, and with all the pressure brought to bear
upon them only about 2,000 of the 17,000 in the eastern Nation had
removed at the expiration of the time fixed for their departure, May
26, 1838. As it was evident that the removal could only he accom-
plished by force. Genera] Winfield Scott was now appointed to that
duty with instructions to start the Indians for the West at the earliest
possible moment. For that purpose he was ordered to take command
of the troops already in the Cherokee country, together with addi-
tional reenforcements of infantry, cavalry, and artillery, with authority
to call upon the governors of the adjoining states for as many as 4,000
militia and volunteers. The whole force employed numbered about
7,000 men -regulars, militia, and volunteers.3 The Indian- had already
been disarmed by General Wool.
On arriving in the Cherokee country Scott established headquarters
at the capital, New Echota, whence, on May 10, he issued a proclama-
tion to tin* ( Iherokee, warning them that the emigration must he com-
menced in haste and that before another moon had passed every
Cherokee man. woman, and child must he in motion to join his
brethren in the far West, according to the determination id' the Presi-
dent, which he. the general, had come to enforce. The proclamation
conclude-: •• My troops already occupy many positions . . . and
' Royce, Cherokee Nation, up. eit. pp. 287, 289.
- [bid., pp. 289,290.
> Ibid., p. 291. The statement "( the total number of trooj
in tin- House "i Representatives, May 31, 1838, covering the whole stion of the treaty.
lit ETH— 01 9
130 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
thousands and thousands are approaching from every quarter to render
resistance and escape alike hopeless. . . . Will you. then, by
resistance compel us to resort to arms . . . or will you by night
seek to hide yourselves in mountains and forests and thus oblige us to
hunt you down?" — reminding them that pursuit might result in con-
flict and bloodshed, ending in a general war.1
Even after this Ross endeavored, on behalf of his people, to secure
some slight modification of the terms of the treaty, but without avail.2
THE REMOVAL — 1838-39
The history of this Cherokee removal of 1838, as gleaned by the
author from the lips of actors in the tragedy, may well exceed in
weight <if grief and pathos any other passage in American history.
Even the much-sung exile of the Acadians falls far behind it in its
sum of death and misery. Under Scott's orders the troops were dis-
posed at various points throughout the Cherokee country, where
stockade forts were erected for gathering in and holding the Indians
preparatory to removal (43). From these, squads of troops were sent
to search out with rifle and bayonet every small cabin hidden away in
the coves or by tin1 sides of mountain streams, to seize and bring in as
prisoners all the occupants, however or wherever they might be found.
Families at dinner were startled by the sudden gleam of bayonets in
the doorway and rose up to be driven with blows and oaths along the I
weary miles of trail that led to the stockade. Men were seized in
their fields or going along the road, women were taken from their
wheels and children from their play. In many cases, on turning for
one last look as they crossed the ridge, they saw their homes in flames.
fired by the lawless rabble that followed on the heels of the soldiers to
loot and pillage. So keen were these outlaws on the scent that in
some instances they were driving off the cattle and other stock of the
Indians almost before the soldiers had fairly started their owners in
the other direction. Systematic hunts were made by the same men
for Indian graves, to rob them of the silver pendants and other valu-
ables deposited with the dead. A Georgia volunteer, afterward a
colonel in the Confederate service, said: " I fought through the civil
war and have seen men shot to pieces and slaughtered by thousands,
but the Cherokee removal was the cruelest work I ever knew."
To prevent escape the soldiers had been ordered to approach and
surround each house, so far as possible, so as to come upon the occu-
pants without warning. One old patriarch, when thus surprised,
calmly called his children and grandchildren around him, and. kneel-
ing down, bid them pray with him in their own language, while the
astonished soldiers looked on in silence. Then rising he led the way into
1 Royce, Cherokee Nation, op. cit., p. 291. = Ibid, p. 291.
hoonby] OONCENTEATION INTO STOCKADES — 1838 18]
exile. A woman, on finding the house surrounded, went to the door
and <al l>'i I up the chickens to be fed for the last time, after which,
taking her infant on her back and her two other children by the hand,
she followed her husband with tin' soldiers.
All were not thus submissive. One old man named Tsall, "( lharley,"
was seized with his wife, his brother, his three sons ami their families.
Exasperated at the brutality accorded his wife, who, being unable to
travel fast, was prodded with bayonets to hasten her steps, he urged
the other men to join with him in a dash for liberty. As he spoke in
Cherokee the soldiers, although they heard, understood nothing until
each warrior suddenly sprang upon the one nearest ami endeavored to
wfeheE hi- gun from him. The attack was so suddenand unexpected
that one soldier was killed and the rest fled, while the Indians escaped
to the mountains. Hundreds ofothers^some ofthem from the various
stockadesj managed also to escape to the mountains from time to time,
where those who did not die of starvation subsisted on foots and wild
berries until the hunt was over. Finding it impracticable to secure
these fugitives, General Scott finally tendered them a proposition,
through ('( olonel) W. II. Thomas, their most trusted friend, that if
they would surrender Charley and his party for punishment, the rest
would he allowed to remain until their ease could lie adjusted by the
government. On hearing of the proposition, Charley voluntarily
came in with his sons, offering himself as a sacrifice for his people. By
command of General Scott, Charley, his brother, and the two elder
-oils were -hot near the mouth of Tuckasegee,a detachment of Chero-
kee prisoners being compelled to do the shooting in order to impress
upon the Indians the fact of their utter helplessness. From those
fugitives thus permitted to remain originated the present eastern
band oft Iherokee.'
When nearly seventeen thousand Cherokee had thus been gathered
into the various stockades the work of removal began. Early in June
several parties, aggregating about five thousand persons, were brought
down by the troops to the old agency, on Hiwassee, at the present
Calhoun. Tennessee, and to Ros-"s landing (now Chattanooga), and
Gunter's Landing (now Guntersville, Alabama), lower down on the
Tennessee, where they were put upon steamers and transported down
the Tennessee and Ohio to the farther side of the Mississippi, when
the journey was continued by land to Indian Territory. This removal.
1 The notes on the Cherokee round-up and Removal are almost entirely from author's information
asfumishedby actors in the events, both Cherokee and white, among whom may benamed the
ne] W. It. Thomas; the late Colonel /.. A. Zile, of Atlanta, of the Georgia volunteers; the
Bryson, of Dlllsboro, North Carolina, a ho a volunteer; James l». Wafford, of ■
Cherokee Nation, who commanded oi i the emigrant detachments; and old [ndians, both east and
west, who remembered tin- Removal and had heard the story from their parents. Charley's story is
a matter of common note among the ha-: Cherokee, and was heard in full detail from Colonel Thomas
and from Wasituna ("Washington" , Charley's youngest -on, who alone was spared bj <■■ ■
on account of his youth. The incident is also noted, with some slight inaccuracies, in Lanmau,
Letters from the Alleghany Mountains. See i> 157,
182 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
in the hottest part of the year, was attended with so great sickness and
mortality that, by resolution of the Cherokee national council, Ross
and the other chiefs submitted to General Scott a proposition that the
Cherokee be allowed to remove themselves in the fall, after the sickly
season had ended. This was granted on condition that all should
have started by the 20th of October, excepting the sick and aged who
might not be able to move so rapidly. Accordingly, officers were
appointed by the Cherokee council to take charge of the emigration;
the Indians being organized into detachments averaging one thousand
each, with two leaders in ehai"ge of each detachment, and a sufficient
number of wagons and horses for the purpose. In this way the
remainder, enrolled at about 13,000 (including negro slaves), started on
the long march overland late in the fall (11).
Those who thus emigrated under the management of their own
officers assembled at Rattlesnake springs, about two miles south of
Hiwassee river, near the present Charleston, Tennessee, where a final
council was held, in which it was decided to continue their old consti-
tution and laws in their new home. Then, in October, 1S3S, the long
procession of exiles was set in motion. A very few went by the river
route; the rest, nearly all of the 13,000, went overland. Crossing to
the north side of the Hiwassee at a ferry above Gunstocker creek,
the}' proceeded down along the river, the sick, the old people, and the
smaller children, with the blankets, cooking pots, and other belong-
ings in wagons, the rest on foot or on horses. The number of wagons
was fI45.
It was like the march of an army, regiment after regiment, the
wagons in the center, the officers along the line and the horsemen on
the flanks and at the rear. Tennessee river was crossed at Tuckers (?)
ferry, a short distance above Jollys island, at the mouth of Hiwassee.
Thence the route lay south of Pikeville, through McMinnville and
on to Nashville, where the Cumberland was crossed. Then they went
on to Hopkinsville, Kentucky, where the noted chief White-path,
in charge of a detachment, sickened and died. His people buried
him by the roadside, with a box over the grave and poles with stream-
ers around it, that the others coming on behind might note the spot
and remember him. Somewhere also along that march of death — for
the exiles died by tens and twenties every day of the journey — the
devoted wife of John Ross sank down, leaving him to go on with the
bitter pain of bereavement added to heartbreak at the ruin of his
nation. The Ohio was crossed at a ferry near the mouth of the Cum-
berland, and the army passed on through southern Illinois until the
great Mississippi was reached opposite Cape Girardeau, Missouri. It
was now the middle of winter, with the river running full of ice. so
that several detachments were obliged to wait some time on the east-
ern bank for the channel to become clear. In talking with old men
HOOKEY] VIJKIYAl. IN INDIAN TKKKIToRY 1839 133
and women ;it Tahlequafa tln> author found that the lapse of over half a
century had not sufficed to wipe <>ut the memory of the miseries of
thai hall beside the frozen river, with hundreds of sick and dying
penned up in wagons or stretched upon the ground, with only a blanket
overhead to keep out the January blast. The crossing was made at
last in two divisions, at Cape Girardeau and at Green's ferry, a short
distance below, whence the march was on through Missouri to Indian
Territory, the later detachments making a northerly circuit l>y Spring-
field, because those who had gone before had killed oil all the game
along the direct route. At last their destination was reached. They
had started in October, 1838, and it was now March. 1839, the journey
having occupied nearly six mouths of the hardest part of the year.'
It i- difficult to arrive at any accurate statement of the number of
Cherokee who died as the resull of the Removal. According to the
official figures those who removed under the direction of Ross lost over
L,600 on the journey.- The proportionate mortality among those
previously removed under military supervision was probably greater,
as it was their suffering that led to the proposition of the Cherokee
national officers to take charge of the emigration. Hundreds died in
the stockades and the waiting camps, chiefly by reason of the rations
furnished, which were of flour and other provisions to which they were
unaccustomed and which they did not know how to prepare properly.
Hundreds of others died soon after their arrival in Indian territory,
from sickness and exposure on the journey. Altogether it is asserted,
probably with reason, that over 4. nun Cherokee died as the direct
result of the removal.
On their arrival in Indian Territory the emigrants at once set about
building houses and planting crop-, the government having agreed
under the treaty to furnish them with rations for one year after arrival.
They were welcomed by their kindred, the •'Arkansas Cherokee"
hereafter to be known for distinction as the "Old Settlers" — who
held the country under previous treaties in 1828 and Is:'.::. These,
however, being already regularly organized under a government and
chiefs of their own. were by no means disposed to be swallowed by
the governmental authority of the newcomers. Jealousies developed
in which the minority or treaty party of the emigrants, headed by
Ridge, took sides with the Old Settlers against the Ross or national
party, which outnumbered both the other- nearly three to one.
While these differences were at their height the Nation was thrown
into a feverof excitement by the news that Major Ridge, his son John
Ridge, and Elias Boudinot all leaders of the treaty party had been
killed by adherent- of the national party, immediately after the close
onal information, aa before cited.
= Asquo1 rokee Nation. Fifth Ann Rep.Bureauoi
makesthen ber unaccounted for 1,428; the receiving agent, who t'".], chargi
on their arrival, makes it 1.645.
134 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
of a general council, which had adjourned after nearly two weeks of
debate without having been able to bring about harmonious action.
Major Ridge was waylaid and shot close to the Arkansas line, his son
was taken from bed and cut to pieces with hatchets, while Boudinot
was treacherously killed at his home at Park Hill. Indian territory,
all three being killed upon the same day. June 22, 1839.
The agent's report to the Secretary of War, two days later, says of
the affair:
The murder of Boudinot was treacherous and cruel. He was assisting some
workmen in building a new house. Three men called upon him and asked for
medicine. He went off with them in the direction of Wooster's, the missionary,
who keeps medicine, about three hundred yards from Boudinot's. When they got
about half way two of the men seized Boudinot and the other stabbed him, after
which the three cui him to pieces with their knives and tomahawks. This murder
taking place within two miles of the residence of John Ross, his friends were appre-
hensive it might be charged to his connivance: and at this moment I am writing
there are six hundred armed ( Iherokee around the dwelling of Ross, assembled for
his protection. The murderers of the two Ridges and Boudinot are certainly of the
late Cherokee emigrants, and. of course, adherents of I loss, but I can not yet believe
that Ross has encouraged the outrage. He is a man of too much good sense to em-
broil his nation at this critical time: and besides, his character, since I have known
him, which is now twenty-five years, has been pacific. . . . Boudinot's wife is a
white woman, a native of New Jersey, as I understand. He has six children. The
wife of John Ridge, jr.. is a white woman, but from whence, or what family left, I
am not informed. Boudinot was in moderate circumstances. The Ridges, both
father and son, were rich. . . .'
While till the evidence shows that Ross was in no way a party to the
affair, there can be no question that the men were killed in accordance
with the law of the Nation — three times formulated, and still in exist-
ence— which made it treason, punishable with death, to cede away
lands except by act of the general council of the Nation. It was for
violating a similar law among the Creeks that the chief. Mcintosh, lost
his life in 1825. and a party led by Major Ridge himself had killed
Doublehead years before on suspicion of accepting a bribe for his
part in a treaty.
On hearing of the death of the Ridges and Boudinot several other
signers of the repudiated treaty, among whom were John Bell,
Archilla Smith, and James Starr, tied for safety to the protection of
the garrison at Fort Gibson. Boudinot's brother, Stand Wade,
vowed vengeance against Ross, who was urged to flee, but refused.
declaring his entire innocence. His friends rallied to his support,
stationing a guard around his house until the first excitement had sub-
sided. About three weeks afterward the national council passed
decrees declaring that the men killed and their principal confederates
i Agent Stokes to Secretary of War, June 24, 1839, in Report Indian Commissioner, p. 365, 1839;
Royce, Cherokee Nation, Fifth Ann. Rep. Bureau of Ethnology, p. 293, 1888; Drake, Indians, pp. 159-460,
1880; author's personal information. The agent's report incorrectly makes the killings occur on
three different days.
mooney] REUNION OF NATION— 1839 135
had rendered themselves outlaws by their own conduct, extending
amnesty on certain stringent conditions to their confederates, and
declaring the slayers guiltless of murder and fully restored to the con-
fidence and favor of the community. This was followed in August by
another council decree declaring the New Echota treaty void and reas-
serting the title of the Cherokee to their old country, and three weeks
later another decree summoned the signers of the treaty to appear and
answer for their conduct under penalty of outlawry. At this point
the United States interfered by threatening to arrest Ross as acces-
sory to the killing of the Ridges.1 In the meant i me the national part}
and the Old Settlers hail been eon line together, and a few of the latter
who had sided with the Ridge faction and endeavored to perpetuate a
division in the Nation were denounced in a council of the Old Settler-.,
which declared that "in identifying themselves with those individuals
known as the Ridge party, who by their conduct had rendered them-
selves odious to the ( 'herokee [ pie. they have acted in opposition to
the known sentiments and feelings of that portion of this Nation known
as Old Settlers, frequently and variously and publicly expressed."
The offending chief- were at the same time deposed from all authority.
Among tlie names of over two hundred signers attached thai of
•• ( i-eorge Guess" (Sequoya) come- second as vice-president.8
On July 1-. L839, a general convention of the eastern and western
Cherokee, held at the Illinois camp ground, Indian territory, passed
an act of union, by which the two were declared '"one body politic.
under the style and title of the Cherokee Nation." On behalf id' the
eastern Cherokee the instrument bears the signature of John Ross,
principal chief. George Lowrey, president of the council, and Going
snake (I'nadu-na'I), speaker of the council, with thirteen others. For
the western ('herokee it was signed by John Looney, acting principal
chief , George Guess (Sequoya), president of the council, and fifteen
others. On September r>. L839, a convention composed chiefry of
eastern ('herokee assembled at Tahlequah, Indian territory -then first
officially adopted as the national capital —adopted a new constitution,
which was accepted by a convention of the Old Settlers at Fort Gib-
son, Indian Territory, on June 26, 1840, an act which completed the
reunion of the Nation. :
Till: ARKANSAS BAND— 1817- L838
Having followed the fortunes of the main body of the Nation to
their final destination in the West, we now turn to review briefly
i: rokee Nation, op. eit, pp. 294
h ii- Lugusl 23, L839, in Report In. linn Commissioner, p. 387, 1839; Royce, op. 'it..
p j'.' i
Ictof Union " and •' Constitution " in Constitution and Laws of the Cherokee Nation, 1875;
[etti i to the Secretai ol Wai June 28, L840, In Eti | India
p, 16, 1-1"
186 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
the history of the earlier emigrants, the Arkansas or Old Settler
Cherokee.
The events leading to the first westward migration and the subse-
quent negotiations which resulted in the assignment of a territory in
Arkansas to the western Cherokee, by the treaty of L817, have been
already noted. The great majority of those thus voluntarily remov-
ing belonged to the conservative hunter element, who desired to rees-
tablish in the western wilderness the old Indian life from which,
through the influence of schools and intelligent leadership, the body
of the Cherokee was rapidly drifting away. As the lands upon which
the emigrants had settled belonged to the Osage, whose claim had not
yet been extinguished by the United States, the latter objected to
their presence, and the Cherokee were compelled to fight to maintain
their own position, so that for the first twenty years or more the his-
tory of the western band is a mere petty chronicle of Osage raids and
Cherokee retaliations, emphasized from time to time by a massacre on
a larger scale. By the treaty of 1*17 the western Cherokee acquired
title to a definite territory and official standing under Government pro-
tection and supervision, the lands assigned them Inning been acquired
by treaty from the Osage. The great body of the Cherokee in the
East were strongly opposed to any recognition of the western hand,
seeing in such action only the beginning of an effort looking toward
the ultimate removal of the whole tribe. The Government lent sup-
port to the scheme, however, and a steady emigration set in until, in
lM'.t. the emigrant^ were said to number several thousands. Unsuc-
cessful endeavors were made to increase the number by inducing the
Shawano and Delaware* of Missouri and the Oneida of New York to
join them.'
In L818 Tollunteeskee (Ata'lunti'ski), principal chief of the Arkan-
sas Cherokee, while on a visit to old friends in the East, had become
acquainted with one of the officers of the American Board of Commis-
sioners for Foreign Missions, and had asked for the establishment of
a mission among his people in the West. In response to the invitation
the Reverend Cephas Washburn and his assistant. Reverend Alfred
Finney, with their families, set out the next year from the old Nation.
and after a long and exhausting journey reached the Arkansas country,
where, in the spring of 1820, they established Dwight mission, adjoin-
ing the agency at the mouth of Illinois creek, on the northern bank
of the Arkansas, in what is now Pope county, Arkansas. The name
was bestowed in remembrance of Timothy Dwight. a Yale president
and pioneer organizer of the American Hoard. Tollunteeskee having
died in the meantime was succeeded as principal chief by his brother.
John Jolly,8 the friend and adopted father of Samuel Houston. Jolly
1 See ante, pp. 105-106; Nuttall. who was oil the ground, gives them only L.500.
2Washburn, Cephas, Reminiscences "i* the Indians, pp. 81,103; Richmond, 1869.
moosey] TROUBLES WITH OSAGE- 1SI7-^' 137
had removed from bis old borne at the mouth of Hiwassee, in Ten-
nessee, in 1 81 v.
In the spring of L819 Tl as Nuttall, the naturalist, ascended the
Arkansas, ami he gives an interesting accounl of the western Cherokee
as he found theinal the time, [n going up the stream, "both banks of
the river, as we proceeded, were lined with the houses and farms of
the Cherokee, and though their die-- was a mixture of indigenous
and European taste, yel in their houses, which are decently furnished,
and in their farms, which were well fenced and stocked with cattle, we
perceive a happy approach toward civilization. Their numerous fami-
lies, also, well fed and clothed, argue a propitious progress in their
population. Their superior industry either as hunters or farmers
proves the value of property among them, and they are no longer
strangers to avarice and the distinctions created by wraith. Some of
them are possessed of property to the amount of many thousands of
dollars, ha\ e houses handsomely and conveniently furnished, and their
tables spread with our dainties and luxuries." He mentions an engage-
ment some time before between them and the Osage, in which the
Cherokee had killed nearly one hundred of the Osage, besides taking
a number of prisoners. He estimates them at about fifteen hundred,
being about half the number estimated by the eastern Nation as hav-
ing emigrated to the West, and only one-fourth of the official estimate.
A few Delawares wen' living with them.2
The Osage troubles continued in spite of a treaty of peace between
the two tribes made at a council held under the direction of < rovernor
Clark at St. Louis, in October, L818.3 Warriors from the eastern
Cherokee were accustomed to make the long journey to the Arkansas
to assist their western brethren, and returned with scalps and captives.'
In the summer of L820 a second effort for peace was made by Gov-
ernor Miller of Arkansas territory. In reply to his talk the I (sage
complained that the Cherokee had failed to deliver their Osage cap
fives as stipulated in the previous agreement at St. Louis. This, it
appears, was due in part to the fact that some of these captives had
been carried to the eastern Cherokee, and a messenger was accordingly
dispatched to secure and bring them hack. Another peace conference
was held soon afterward at Fort Smith, hut to very little purpose, as
hostilities were soon resumed and continued until the United States
actively interposed in the fall of L822.5
In this year also Sequoya visited the western ( Jherokee to introduce
'Nuttall, Journal ol Travels into the Arkansas Territory, etc., p. 129; Philadelphia, 1821.
-Ibid., pp. 123-136. The battle mentioned seems t.> in- the same noted somewhat differently by
: Reminiscent es, p. 120
•Royce, Cherokee Nation, op. < it i>. 222
• Washburn, >>]■- fit.. i>. 160, and personal information trom .1. D, Wafford.
op. cit. pp. 242, 243; Washhum, op. cit., pp. 112-122 et passim; see also sk<
and Tooantuh or Spring-frog, in McKenney and Hall, Indian Tribes, i and ii, 185S.
138 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [bth.ass.19
to them the knowledge of his great invention, which was at once taken
up through the influence of Takatoka (IVgata'ga). a prominent chief
who had hitherto opposed every effort of the missionaries to intro-
duce their own schools and religion. In consequence perhaps of this
encouragement Sequoya removed permanently to the West in the fol-
lowing year and became henceforth a member of the western Nation.1
Like other Indians, the western ( iherokee held a firm belief in witch-
craft, which led to frequent tragedies of punishment or retaliation.
In L824 a step forward was marked by the enactment of a law making
it murder to kill any one for witchcraft, and an offense punishable
with whipping to accuse another of witchcraft.8 This law may have
been the result of the silent working of missionary influence, sup-
ported by such enlightened men as Sequoya.
The treaty which assigned the Arkansas lands to the western Cher-
okee had stipulated that a census should be made of the eastern and
western divisions of the Nation, separately, and an apportionment of the
national annuity forthwith made on that basis. The western line of
the Arkansas tract had also been left open, until according to another
stipulation of the same treaty, the whole amount of land ceded through it
to the United States by the Cherokee Nation in the East could be ascer-
tained in order that an equal quantity might be included within the
boundaries of the western tract.3 These promises had not yet been
fulfilled, partly because of the efforts of the Government to bring
about a larger emigration or a further cession, partly on account of
delay in the state surveys, and partly also because the Osage objected
to the running of a line which should make the Cherokee their next
door neighbors.4 With their boundaries unadjusted and their annui-
ties withheld, distress and dissatisfaction overcame the western Cher-
okee, many of whom, feeling themselves absolved from territorial
restrictions, spread over the country on the southern side of Arkansas
river,"' while others, under the lead of a chief named The Bowl
(Diwa'di). crossed Red river into Texas — then a portion of Mexico — in
a vain attempt to escape American jurisdiction."
A provisional western boundary having been run, which proved
unsatisfactory both to the western Cherokee and to the people of
Arkansas, an effort was made to settle the difficulty by arranging an
exchange of the Arkansas tract for a new country west of the Arkansas
line. So strongly opposed, however, were the western Cherokee to
this project that their council, in L825, passed a law. as the eastern
Cherokee and the Creeks had already done, fixing the death penalty
1 Washburn. Reminiscences, p. 17s. lsii'.l; see also ante p. 206.
°- Ibid, p. 138.
»See Treaty of 1S17. Indian Treaties, 1837.
» Royce, Cherokee Nation, Fifth Report Bureau of Ethnology, pp. 243, 244, 1888.
5 Ibid, p. 243.
6 Author's personal information; see p. 143.
TREAT* OF WASHINGTON- L82S 139
for anyone of the tribe who should undertake to cede or exchange iand
belonging to the Nation.'
After a long series of negotiations such pi'essure was brought to
bear upon a delegation which visited Washington in 1828 thai consent
was al last obtained to an exchange of the Arkansas tract for another
piece of seven million acres lying farther west, together with "a per-
petual outlet west" of the trad thus assigned, as fat- west a- the
sovereignty of the United States migh< extend.4 The boundaries
given for this seven-million-acre tract and the adjoining western
outlet were modified by treat \ at Fort Gibson five years later so as to
he practically equivalent to the present territory of the Cherokee
Nation in Indian Territory, with the Cherokee strip recently ceded.
The preamble of the Washington treaty of May 6, L828, recites that
" Whereas, it being the anxious desire of thet rovernment of the United
States to secure to the Cherokee nati f Indians. ;ls well those now
living within the limits of the territory of Arkansas as those of their
friends and brothers who reside in state- east of the Mississippi,
and who may wish to join their brothers of the West, a permanent
//"///-.and which shall, under the mosl solemn guarantee of the United
States, he and remain theirs forever a home that shall never, in all
future time, he eml larrassed by having extended around it the lines
or placed over it the jurisdiction of a territory or state, nor he pressed
upon by the extension in any way of any of the limits of any existing
territory or state; and whereas the present location of the Cherokees
in Arkansas being unfavorable to their present repose, and tending,
a- the past demonstrates, to their future degradation and misery, and
the ( 'herokees being anxious to avoid such consequences," etc. there-
fore, they vfd>' everything confirmed to them in 1817.
Article 2 defines the boundaries of the new tract and the western
outlet to lie given in exchange, lying immediately west of the present
Arkansas line, while the next article provides for the removal of all
whites and others residing within the said boundaries, "so that no
obstacles arising out of the presence of a white population, or anj
population of any other sort, -hall exist to annoy the Cherokees, and
also to keep all such from the west of said line in future.*'
Other articles provide for payment for improvements left behind;
for a cash sum of §50,000 to pay for trouble and expense of removal
and to compensate for the inferior quality of the lands in the new
tract: for $6,000 to pay for recovering stock which may stray away
•■ in quest of the pastures from which they may he driven ;" $8,760 for
spoliations committed by Osage and whites; $500 to George Guess
(Sequoya)- who was himself one of the signers— in consideration of
the beneficial results to his tribe from the alphabet invented by him:
120,000 in ten annual payments for education; $1,000 for a printing
1 Royce, Cherokee Saturn, op cit., p. 215. - [bid. pp H7 248.
140 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
press and type to aid in the enlightenment of the people "in their own
and our language"; a personal indemnity for false imprisonment: and
for the removal and reestablishment of the Dwight mission.
In article 6 "it is moreover agreed by the United States, whenever
the Cherokee may desire it. to give them a set of plain laws, suited to
their condition: also, when they wish t<> lay off their lands and own
them individually, a surveyor shall be sent to make the surveys at the
cost of the United States." This article was annulled in 1833 by
request of the Cherokee.
Article 9 provides. for the Fort Gibson military reservation within
the new tract, while article 7 hinds the Cherokee to surrender and
remove from all their lands in Arkansas within fourteeiijnonths.
Article 8 shows that all this was intended to he only preliminary to
the removal of the whole Cherokee Nation from the east of the Missis-
sippi, a consummation toward which the Jackson administration and
the state of Georgia immediately began t<> bend every effort. It is as
follows:
Article S. The Cherokee nation, west of tin- Mississippi, having bythis agreement
freed themselves from the harassing and ruinous effects consequent upon a location
amidst a white population, ami secured to themselves and their posterity, under the
solemn sanction of the guarantee of the United States as contained in this agreement,
a large extent of unembarrassed country; and that their brothers yet remaining in
the states may he induced to join them and enjoy the repose and blessings of such a
state in the future, it i.- further agreed mi the part of the United States that to each
h, ul of a ( herokee fannh now reoi ling within the chartered limits cf 1 eorgi i, or
of either of the states oast of the Mississippi, who may desire to remove west, shall
he given, mi enrolling himself for emigration, a g 1 rifle, a blanket, a kettle, and
five pounds of tobacco; (and to each member of his family one blanket), also a just
compensation fur the property lie may abandon, to he assessed by persons to he
app anted by the President .if the United states. The cost of the emigration of all
such shall also he borne by the United states, ami good and suitable ways opened
ami procured for their comfort, accomi latioh, and support by the way. and pro-
visions fur twelve months after their arrival at the agency; and to each person, or
head of a family, if he take along with him four persons, shall ho paid immediately
on his arriving at the agency and reporting himself and his family or followers as
emigrants or permanent settlers, in addition to the above, provided he and they shall
have , migrated from within the chartered limits of the st.it, of Georgia, the sum of fifty
dollars, and this sum in proportion to any greater or less number that may accompany
him from within the aforesaid chartered limits of the State of Georgia.
A Senate amendment, defining the limits of the western outlet, was
afterward found to he impracticable in its restrictions and was can-
celed by the treaty made at Fort Gibson in is:;:;.1
Tin" Washington treaty was signed by several delegates, including
Sequoya, four of them signing in Cherokee characters. As the laws
iTreatj of Washington, May 6, 1828, Indian Treaties, pp 123-428,1837; treaty of Fort Gibson, 1-:;:;,
ibid., pp.56] 65 see also for synopsis, Eoyce, Cherokee Nation, Fifth Ann. Rep. Bureau of Ethnology,
pp 229,230,1888.
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY
NINLTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT PL. VI
TAHCHEE ITATSh OR DUTCH
From Catlin's painting of 183-1
t nkv] EMIGRATION TO TEXAS 1828 111
of the western Cherokee made it a capital offense to negotiate any sale
or exchange of land excepting l>y authority of council, and the dele-
gates had acted without such authority, they were so doubtful as to
what might happen on their return that the Secretary of War senl
with them a letter of explanation assuring the Cherokee thai their
representatives had acted with integrity and earnest zeal for their
people and had done the best that could be done with regard to the
treaty. Notwithstanding this, they found the whole tribe so strongly
opposed to the treaty that their own lives and property were unsafe.
The national council pronounced them guilty of fraud and deception
and declared the treaty null and void, as having been made without,
authority, and asked permission to send on a delegation authorized to
arrange all differences.1 In the meantime, however, the treaty had
been ratified within three weeks of its conclusion, and thus, hardly ten
years after they had cleared their fields on the Arkansas, the western
Cherokee were forced to abandon their cabins and plantations and
move once more into the wilderness.
A considerable number, refusing to submit to the treaty or to trust
longer to guarantees and promises, crossed Red river into Texas and
joined the Cherokee colony already located there by The Bowl, under
Mexican jurisdiction. Among those thus removing was the noted
chief Tahchee (Tatsi') or •■Dutch," who had been one of the earliest
emigrants to the Arkansas country. After several years in Texas,
during which he led war parties against the wilder tribes, he recrossed
Red river and soon made himself so conspicuous in raids upon the
Osage that a reward of five hundred dollars was ottered by General
Arbuckle for his capture. To show his defiance of the proclamation,
he deliberately journeyed to Fori Gibson, attacked a party of Osage
at a trading- post near by, and scalped one of them within hearing of
the drums of the fort. With rifle in one hand and the bleeding scalp
in the other, he leaped a precipice and made his escape, although a
bullet grazed his cheek. On promise of amnesty and the withdrawal
id' the reward, he afterward returned and settled, with his followers,
on the Canadian, southwest of Fort Gibson, establishing a reputation
among army officers as a valuable scout and guide.8
By treaties made in L826 and L827 the Creeks had ceded all their
remaining lands in Georgia and agreed to remove to Lndian Territory.
Some of these emigrants had settled alone- the northern bank of
the Arkansas and on Verdigris river, on lands later found to he
within the limits of the territory assigned to the western Cherokee
by the treaty of L828. This led to jealousies and collisions between
■ Royce, Cherokee Nation, Fifth Aim. Rep. Bureau of Ethnology, !■. 248, 1888.
2 For a sketch of Tahchee, with portraits, see McKenney and Hall, i, pp.
American Indians ii, pp. 121,122, 1844. Washburn also mentions the emigration to Texas
upon the treaty of 1828 i Reminiscences, p. -ii'. 1869).
142 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
the two tribes, and in order to settle the difficulty the United States
convened a joint council of ("recks and Cherokee at Fort Gibson, with
the result that separate treaties were concluded with each on February
14. 1833, defining- their respective bounds to the satisfaction of all
concerned. By this arrangement the upper Verdigris was confirmed
t<> the Cherokee, and the Creeks who had settled along that portion of
the stream agreed to remove to Creek territory immediately adjoining
on the south.'
By the treaty made on this occasion with the Cherokee the bound-
aries of the tract of seven million acres granted by the treaty of L828
are denned so as to correspond with the present boundaries of the
Cherokee country in Indian territory, together with a strip two miles
wide along the northern border, which was afterward annexed to the
state ot' Kansas liy the treaty of 1866. A tract in the northeastern
corner, between Neosho or Grand river and the Missouri line, was set
apart for the use of the Seneca and several other remnants of tribes
removed from their original territories. The western outlet estab-
lished by the treaty of 1828 was reestablished as a western extension
from the seven-million-acre tract thus bounded, being what was after-
ward known as the Cherokee strip or outlet plus the two-mile strip
extending westward along the south line of Kansas.
After describing the boundaries of the main residence tract, the first
article continues:
In addition to the seven millions of acres of land thus provided for and bounded
the United States further guarantee to the Cherokee nation a perpetual outlet west
and a tree and unmolested use of all the country lying west of the western boundary
of said seven millions of acres, as far west as the sovereignty <>f the United States and
their right ef soil extend — provided, however, that if the saline or salt plain on the
great western prairie shall fall within said limits prescribed for said outlet the right
is reserved to the United States to permit other tribes of red men to get salt on said
plain in common with the Cherokees — and letters patent shall be issued by the
United staters as soon as iiractieable for the lands hereby guaranteed.
The third article cancels, at the particular request of the Cherokee,
that article of the treaty of 1838 by which the government was to give
to the Cherokee a set of laws and a surveyor to survey lands for indi-
viduals, when so desired by the Cherokee.2
Their differences with the Creeks having been thus adjusted, the
Arkansas Cherokee proceeded to occupy the territory guaranteed to
them, where they were joined a few years later by their expatriated
kinsmen from the east. By tacit agreement some of the Creeks who
had settled within the Cherokee bounds were permitted to remain.
Among these were several families of Uchee — an incorporated tribe
i Treaties at Fort Gibson. February 14. 1833, with Creeks and Cherokee, in Indian Treaties, pp.
56] "■'.'. 1837.
s Treaty of 1833, Indian Treaties, pp. 561-665,1837; Etoyce, Cherokee Nation, Fifth Ann. Rep. Bureau
of Ethnology, pp. 249-253. 1888; see also Treaty of New Eehota, 1835, ante, pp. 123-125.
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY
NINETEENTH ANNUAL REPORT PL. VII
SPRING-FROG OR TOOANTUH DU'TSU'i
i From McKcnney and Ball's copy of the original painting ol aboul L830)
THE SPANISH GKAN1 143
of the Creek confederacy who had fixed their residence al the spot
where the town of Tahlequah \\:i- aftei'ward established- They
remained here until swept off by smallpox some sixty years ago. '
THE TEXAS BAND L817 1900
As already stated, a band of western Cheixikee under Chief Bowl,
dissatisfied \\ itli the delay in fulfilling the terms of the treaty of L817,
bad Left Arkansas and crossed Red river into Texas, then under
Mexican jurisdiction, where the} were joined a few years later by
Tahchee and other- of the western band who were opposed to the
treat} of L828. Here they united with other refugee Indians from
the United States, forming together a loose confederacy known after-
ward as "the Cherokee and their associated bands," < sisting of
Cherokee, Shawano, Delaware, Kickapoo, Quapaw, Choctaw, Biloxi,
"Iawanie" (Heyowani, Yowani), "Unataqua" (Nada'ko or Ana-
darko, another Caddo subtribe), "Tahookatookie" (?), Alabama (a
(reek subtribe), and "Cooshatta" (Koasa'ti, another Creek subtribe).
The Cherokee being the largest and most important band, their child'.
Bowl — known to the whites as Colonel Bowles— was regarded as the
chief and principal man of them all.
The refugees settled chiefly alone- Angelina, Neches, and Trinity
rivers in eastern Texas, where Bowl endeavored to obtain a grant of
land for their use from the Mexican government. According to the
Texan historians they were tacitly permitted to occupy the country
and hope- were held out that a grant would lie issued, hut the papers
had not been perfected when the Texas revolution began.2 According
to the Cherokee statement the grant was actually issued and the Span-
ish document inclosed in a tin box was on the person of Bowl when he
was killed.3 On complaint of some of the American colonists in Texas
President Jackson issued a proclamation forbidding any Indian- to
cross the Sabine river from the United States.4
In L826-27 a dissatisfied American colony in eastern Texas, under the
leader-hip of Hayden Edward-, organized what was known a- the
"Fredonia rebellion" against the Mexican government. To secure
the alliance of the Cherokee and their confederates the Americans
entered into a treaty by which the Indians were guaranteed the lands
■ Author's personal information. In 189] the author opened two Uehee graves on the grounds of
Cornelius Boudinot, at Tahlequah, finding with one body a number of French, Spanish, and Imeri
can silver coins wrapped in cloth and deposited in two packages on each sidi of the head They are
now in the National Museum at Washington,
- Bonnell, Topographic Description of Texas, p, ill; Austin, 1840; Thrall, History of Texas, p. 58;
New York, 1876.
'Author's personal information from J. D. Wafford and other old Cherokee residents and fr recenl
Cherokee delegates. Bancroft agrees with Bonnell and Thrall that no grant was formally issued,
but states that the Cherokee chiei established In* people in Texas " confiding in promises made to
bim, and a conditional agreement in 1822 ' with the Spanish governor Historj "i the North Mexican
States and Texas, u, p 103, 1889). It i> probable that the paper carried to Bowl was the later
Houston treaty. See next page. 'Thrall, op. cit,,s, p. 58.
144 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ass.19
occupied by them, but without specification as to boundaries. The
Fredonia movement .soon collapsed and nothing tangible seems to have
come of the negotiations.1
In the fall of 1835 the Texan revolution began, resulting in the seces-
sion of Texas from Mexico and her establishment as an independent
republic until annexed later to the United States. General Samuel
Houston, a leading member of the revolutionary body, was an old
friend of the Cherokee, and set forth so strongly the claims of them
and their confederates that an act was passed by the convention pledg-
ing to these tribes all the lands which they had held under the Mexican
government. In accordance with this act General Houston and John
Forbes were appointed to hold a treaty with the Cherokee and their
associated bands. They met the chiefs, including Bowl and Big-mush
(( .atun'wa'll. "Hard-mush"), of the Cherokee, at Bowl's village on Feb-
ruary 23, L836, and concluded a formal trinity by which the Cherokee
and their allies received a fee simple title to all the land lying " west of
the San Antonio road and beginning on the west at a point where the
said road crosses the river Angelina, and running up said river until
it reaches the mouth of the first large creek below the great Shawnee
village, emptying into the said river from the northeast, thence run-
ning with said creek to its main source and from thence a due north
line to the Sabine and with .said river west. Then starting where the
San Antonio road crosses the Angelina and with said road to where it
crosses the Nechesand thence running up the east side of said river in
a northwest direction." The historian remarks that the description is
somewhat vague, but is a literal transcription from the treaty.2 The
territory thus assigned was about equivalent to the present Cherokee
county. Texas.
The treaty provoked such general dissatisfaction among the Texans
that it was not presented to the convention for ratification. General
Houston became President of Texas in November. 1836, but notwith-
standing all his efforts in behalf of the Cherokee, the treaty was
rejected by the Texas senate in secret session on December It',. 1837
Texas having in the meantime achieved victorious independence was
now in position to repudiate her engagements with the Indians, which
she did. not only with the Cherokee, but with the Comanche and
other wild tribes, wdiich had been induced to remain neutral during
the struggle on assurance of being secured in possession of their
lands.
In the meantime President Houston was unremitting in his effort to
secure the ratification of the Cherokee treaty, but without success.
On the other hand the Cherokee were accused of various depreda-
tions, and it was asserted that they had entered into an agreement with
i Thrall, Texas, p. 46, 1879. ; Ibid., p. 143, 1840.
-Bunnell, Te.xiis, pp. 14J.14::. 1840.
EXPULSION FROM l i:\.\s — 1839 1 1 5
Mexico by which they were to be secured in the territory in question
on condition of assisting to drive oul the Americans.1 The cha
runic rather late in the day. and it was evident thai Presidenl Houston
put no faith in it, as be still continued his efforts in behalf of the
( Iherokee, e\ en so far as to order the boundary line to be run. accord-
ing to the terms of the treaty i to).
In December, 1838, Houston was succeeded as Presidenl l>\ Mirabeau
B. Lamar, who at once announced his intention to expel every Indian
tribe from Texas, declaring in his inaugural message that "the sword
<hould mark the boundaries of the republic." At this time the Indians
in eastern Texas, including the ( Iherokee and their twelve confederated
bands and some others, were estimated at L,800 warriors, or perhaps
8,1 persons/'
A small force of troops sent to take possession of the salt springs in
the Indian country at the head of the Neches was notified by Bowl
that such action would be resisted. The Indians were then informed
that they musl prepare to leave the country in the fall, bul thai they
would be paid for the impi-ovements abandoned. In the meantime
the neighboring Mexicans made an effort to free themselves from
Texan rule and sent overtures to the Indians to make common cause
with them. This being discovered, the crisis was prei ipitated, and a
commission consisting of General Albert Sidney Johnston (secretary
of war of the republic), Vice-President Burnet, and some other
officials, backed up by several regiments of troops, was sent to the
Cherokee village on Angelina river- to demand of the Indians that they
remove at once across the border. The Indians refused and were
attacked and defeated on July L5, L839, by the Texan troops under
command of General Douglas. They were pursued and a second
engagement took place the next morning, resulting in the death of
Bowl himself and his assistant chief < iatfuYwa'li. "Hard-mush," and the
dispersion of the Indian forces, with a loss in the two engagements of
about 55 killed and 80 wounded, the Texan loss being comparatively
trifling. The first fight took place al a hill close to the main Cherokee
village on the Angelina, where the Indian- made a stand and defended
their position well for some time. The second occurred at a ravine
near Neches river, where they wire intercepted in their retreat. Says
Thrall, "After this fight the Indians abandoned Texas, leaving their
tine lands in possession of the w hites." '
By these two defeats the forces of the Cherokee and their confeder-
ates were completely broken up. A part of the Cherokee recrossed
Red river and rejoined their kinsmen in Indian territory, bringing
with them the blood-stained canister containing the patent for their
'Bonm-ll. Texas, pp. 1 1 :. 1 il.
I pp. 144, 146.
< Bonnell, op. eit., pp. 116-150; Thrall, op. 'it., pp. 118-120.
19 ETH— 01 10
146 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
Texas land, which Row] had carried about with him since the treaty
with Houston and which he had upon his person when shot. It is
still kept in the Nation.' Others, with the Kickapoo, Delawares,
and Caddo, scattered in small hands along the western Texas frontier,
where they were occasionally heard from afterward. On Christmas
day of the same year a fight occurred on Cherokee creek. San Saba
count}', in which several Indians were killed and a number of women
and children captured, including the wife and family of the dead chief
Bowl.2 Those of the Cherokee wTho did not return to Indian territory
gradually drifted down into Mexico, where some hundreds of them
are now permanently and prosperously domiciled far south in the
neighborhood of Guadalajara and LakeChapala, communication being
still kept up through occasional visits from their kinsmen in the terri-
tory.3
THE CHEROKKE NATION IN THE WEST — 1840-1900
With the final removal of the Cherokee from their native country
and their reunion and reorganization under new conditions in Indian
Territory in L840 their aboriginal period properly comes to a close
and the rest may be dismissed in a few paragraphs as of concern rather
to the local historian than to the ethnologist. Having traced for three
full centuries their gradual evolution from a savage tribe to a civilized
Christian nation, with a national constitution and national press printed
in their own national alphabet, we can afford to leave the rest to
others, the principal materials being readily accessible in the Cherokee
national archives at Tahlequah, in the tiles of the Gheroket Advocate
and other newspapers published in the Nation, and in the annual
reports and other documents of the Indian office.
For many years the hunter and warrior had been giving place to the
farmer and mechanic, ami the forced expatriation made the change
complete and final. Torn from their native streams and mountains,
their council fires extinguished and their townhouses burned behind
them, and transported bodily to a far distant country where every-
thing was new and strange, they were obliged perforce to forego the
old life and adjust themselves to changed surroundings. The ballplay
was neglected and the green-corn dance proscribed, while the heroic
tradition of former days became a fading memory or a tale to amuse a
child. Instead of ceremonials and peace councils we hear now" of rail-
road deals and contracts with cattle syndicates, and instead of the old
warrior chiefs who had made the Cherokee name a terror — Oconostota,
Hanging-maw, Poublehead. and Pathkiller — we find the destinies of the
1 Author's personal information from .1. I'. Wafford and other old western Cherokee, and recent
Cherokee delegates; by some this is said u> have been :i Mexican patent, lint it is probably the "ik-
given by Texas. See ante, i>. 143.
"Thrall, Texas, p. 120, 1876.
3 Author's personal information from Mexican and Cherokee sources
REORGANIZATION IN THE WEST 1840 117
nation guided henceforth by shrewd mixed-blood politicians, bearing
white men's names and speaking the white man's language, and fre
quentlj with hardlj enough Indian blood to show itself in the features.
The change was no< instantaneous, nor is ii even yet complete, for
although tin- tendency is constantly away from the old things, and
although frequent intermarriages are rapidlj blea'ching out the brown
of the Indian skin, there are still several thousand full-blood Chero-
kee —enough to constitute a large 1 1- i 1 >* • if set off by themselves who
speak only their native language and in secret bow down to the nature-
gods <>!' their fathers. Here, as in other lands, the conservative
element has taken refuge in the mountain districts, while the mixed-
bloods and the adopted whites are chiefly on the richer low grounds
and in the railr I towns.
On the reorganization of the united Nation the council ground at
Tahlequah was designated as the seat of government, and the present
town was soon afterward laid out upon the spot, taking its name from
the old Cherokee town of Talikwa,', or Tellico, in Tennessee. The
missions were reestablished, the Acfrvocatt was revived, and the work
of civilization was again taken up, though under great difficulties, as
continued removals and persecutions, with the awful suffering and
mortality of the last great emigration, had impoverished and more
than decimated the Nation and worn out the courage even of the
bravest. The bitterness engendered by the New Echota treaty led
to a series of murders and assassinations and other acts of outlawry.
amounting almost to civil war between the Ross and Ridge factions,
until the Government was at last obliged to interfere. The Old Set-
tler- also had their grievances and complaints against the newcomer-.
so that the history of the Cherokee Nation for the next twenty years
i- largely a chronicle of factional quarrels, through which civilization
and every good work actually retrograded behind the condition of a
generation earlier.
Sequoya, who had occupied a prominent position in the affairs of
the Old Settlers and assisted much in the reorganization of the Nati
had become seized with a desire to make linguistic investigations among
the remote tribes, very probably with a view of devising a universal
Indian alphabet. His mind dwelt also on the old tradition of a lost
band of Cherokee living somewhere toward the western mountains.
In 1841 and L842, with a few Cherokee companions and with hi- pro-
visions and papers loaded in an ox cart, he made several journey- into
the West, received everywhere with kindness by even the wildest t ribes.
Disappointed in his philologic results, he started out in L843 in quest
of the lost Cherokee, who were believed to be somewhere in northern
Mexico, but. being now an old man and worn out by hardship, he sank
under the effort and died alone and unattended, it i< said — near the
148 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
village of San Fernando, Mexico, in August of that year. Rumors
having come of his helpless condition, a party had been sent out from
the Nation to bring him back, but arrived too late to find him alive.
A pension of three hundred dollars, previously voted to him by the
Nation, was continued to his widow — the only literary pension in the
United States. Besides a wife he left two sons and a daughter.1
Sequoyah district of the Cherokee Nation was named in his honor, and
the great trees of California (Sequoia gigantea) also preserve his
memory.
In L846 a treaty was concluded at Washington by which the con-
flicting claims of the Old Settlers and later emigrants were adjusted,
reimbursement was promised for sums unjustly deducted from the
five-million-dollar payment guaranteed under the treaty of 1835, and
a general amnesty was proclaimed for all past offenses within the
Nation." Final settlement of the treaty claims has not yet been made,
and the matter is still a subject of litigation, including all the treaties
and agreements up to the present date.
In 1859 the devoted missionary Samuel Worcester, author of
numerous translations and first organizer of the Advocate, died at
Park Hill mission, in the Cherokee Nation, after thirty-five years
spent in the service of the Cherokee, having suffered chains, impris-
onment, and exile for their sake.3
The breaking out of the civil war in 1861 found the Cherokee
divided in sentiment. Being slave owners, like the other Indians
removed from the southern states, and surrounded by southern influ-
ences, the agents in charge being themselves southern sympathizers,
a considerable party in each of the tribes was disposed to take active
part with the Confederacy. The old Ridge part}', headed by Stand
Watie and supported by the secret secession organization known as
the Knights of the Golden Circle, declared for the Confederacy. The
National party, headed by John Ross and supported by the patriotic
organization known as the Kitoowah society — whose members were
afterward known as Pin Indians — declared for strict neutrality. At
last, however, the pressure became too strong to be resisted, and on
October T, L'861, a treaty was concluded at Tahlequah, with General
Albert Pike, commissioner for the Confederate states, by which the
Cherokee Nation cast its lot with the Confederacy, as the Creeks,
Choctaw, Chickasaw, Seminole, Osage, Comanche, and several smaller
tribes had already done.4
iW. A. Phillips. Sequoyah, in Harper's Magazine, September, 1*70; Foster. Sequoyah, 1885; Royc.e,
Cherokee Nation, Fifth Ann. Hep. Bureau of Ethnology, p. 302, 1888; letter of William P. Ross, former
editor of Cherokee Advocate, March 11, 18S9, in archives of Bureau of American Ethnology; Cherokee
Advocate, October 19, 1844, November J, 1844, and March 6, 1845; author's personal information. San
Fernando seems to have been a small village in Chihuahua, but is not shown on the maps.
-For full discussion see Royee, op. eit., pp. 298-812.
3 Pilling, Bibliography of the Iroquoian Languages i bulletin of the Bureau of Ethnology), p. 17 1, 1888.
<See treaties with Cherokee, October 7,1861,and with other tribes.in Confederate States Statutes
at Large, 1804; Royee, op. cit., pp. 324-828; Greeley, American Conflict, n, pp. 30-31. 1866; Reports of
Indian Commissioner for i860 to 1862.
thk u\ 11. w \i: 149
Two Cherokee regiments were raised for the Confederate service,
under c mand of Stand Watie and Colonel Drew, respectively, the
former being commissioned as brigadier-general. Thej participated
in several engagements, chief among them being the battle of Pea
Ridge, Arkansas, on .March 7. 1m'>2.' In the following summer the
Union forces entered the Cherokee country and senl a proposition i<>
Ross, urging him to repudiate the treaty with the Confederate states,
but the offer was indignantlj declined. Shortly afterward, however,
the men of Drew's regiment, finding themselves unpaid and generally
neglected by their allies, went over almost in a body to the Union
side, thus compelling Ross to make an arrangement with the Union
commander, Colonel Weir. Leaving the Cherokee country, Ross
retired to Philadelphia, from which be did not return until the close
of the war. In the meantime Indian Territory was ravaged alter-
nately by contending factions and armed bodies, and thousands of
loyal fugitives were obliged to lake refuge in Kansas, where they
were eared for by the government. Among these, at the close of 1862,
were two thousand Cherokee. In the following spring thej were sent
hack to their homes under an 1 escort to give them an opportunity
to put in a crop, seeds and tools being furnished for the purpose, hut
had hardly begun work when they were forced to retire by the
approach of Stand Watie and his regiment of Confederate Cherokee,
estimated at seven hundred men. Stand Watie and his men. with the
( !onfederate ( Ireeks and others, scoured the country at will, destroying
or carrying off everything belonging to the loyal Cherokee, who had
now. to the number of nearly seven thousand, taken refuge at Fort
Gibson. Refusing to lake sides againsl a government which was still
unable to protect them, they were forced to see all the prosperous
accumulations of twenty years of industry swept off in this guerrilla
warfare. In stock alone their losses were estimated at more than
300, head.
"The events of the war brought to them more of desolation and
ruin than perhaps to any other community. Raided and sacked alter-
nately, not only by the Confederate and Union forces, bul I » s the vin-
dictive ferocity and hate of their own factional divisions, their country
became a blackened and desolate waste. Driven from comfortable
home-, exposed to want, misery, and the element-, they perished like
sheep in a -now storm. Their houses, fence-, and other improve-
ments were burned, their orchard- destroyed, their flocks and herds
slaughtered or driven off, their schools broken up, their schoolhouses
given to the flames, and their churches and public buildings sub-
jected to a similar fate; and that entire portion of their country which
' In this battle the Con assisted by from 4,000 to 5,000 Indians of the southern ■
i erokee, under command of General Albert Pike.
- l:, >yce • in, Fifth Ann. Rep. Bureau of Ethnolog; i
p.331.
150 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
had been occupied by their settlements was distinguishable from the
virgin prairie only by the scorched and blackened chimneys and the
plowed but now neglected fields."1
After rive years of desolation the Cherokee emerged from the war
with their numbers reduced from 21,000 to 14,000,a and their whole
country in ashes. On July 19, 1866, by a treaty concluded at Tahle-
quah. the nation was received back into the protection of the United
States, a general amnesty was proclaimed, and all confiscations on
account of the war prohibited; slavery was abolished without compen-
sation to former owners, and all negroes residing within the Nation
were admitted to full Cherokee citizenship. By articles L5 and 16
permission was given tin1 United States to settle friendly Indians
within the Cherokee home country or the Cherokee strip by consent
and purchase from the Nation. By article 17 the Cherokee sold the
800,000-acre tract in Kansas secured by the treaty of 1835, together
with a two-mile strip running along the southern border of Kansas,
and thereafter to be included within the limits of that state, thus leav-
ing the Cherokee country as it was before the recent cession of the
Cherokee strip. Payment was promised for spoliations by United
States troops during the war; and $3,000 were to be paid out of the
Cherokee funds to the Reverend Evan Jones, then disabled and in
poverty, as a reward for forty years of faithful missionary labors.
By article 26 ""the United States guarantee to the Cherokees the quiet
and peaceable possession of their country and protection against
domestic feuds and insurrection as well as hostilities of other tribes.
They shall also be protected from intrusion by all unauthorized citi-
zens of the United States attempting to settle on their lands or reside
in their territory."3
The missionary, Reverend Evan Jones, who had followed the Cher-
okee into exile, and his son, John B. Jones, had been admitted to
Cherokee citizenship the year before by vote of the Nation. The act
conferring this recognition recites that "we do bear witness that they
have done their work well."*
John Ross, now an old man, had been unable to attend this treaty,
being present at the time in Washington on business for his people.
Before its ratification he died in that city on August 1, 1866, at the
age of seventy-seven years, fifty-seven of which had been given to
the service of his Nation. No finer panegyric was ever pronounced
than the memorial resolution passed by the Cherokee Nation on learn-
ing of his death."' Notwithstanding repeated attempts to subvert his
authority, his people had remained steadfast in their fidelity to him,
1 Royce, Cherokee Nation, op. cit.. p. 376.
- 1 1 1 i < 1 . . p. 376. A census of 1867 siw~ them 13,566 I ibid., p. :'.">l I.
»See synopsis and full discussion in Royce, op. cit.. pp. 334-340.
* Act of Citizenship, November 7, 1865, Laws of the Cherokee Nation, p. it.'; St. Louis, 1868.
&See Resolutions of Honor, ibid., pp. 137-140.
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNL
METEENTH ANNUAL REPORT PL. VIII
m
I
JOHN ROSS (GU'WISGUWI'.
j and II ill's i ..|- of il riginal painting ol aboul 183 i
mooney] FIRST RAILROAD — LITERAR'X REVIVAL L870 151
and be died, as be bad lived for nearly forty years, the official!; recog
nixed chief of the Nation. With repeated opportunities to enrich
himself at the expense of his tribe, he died a poor man. His bodj
was brought back and interred in the territorj of the Nation. In
remembrance of the great chief one of the nine districts of the Chero-
kee Nation has been called by his Indian name. Cooweescoowee I t6).
Under the provisions of the late treaty the 1 >ela wares in Kansas, to
the number of 985, removed t<> Indian territory in 1867 and became
incorporated as citizens <d' the Chei-okee Nation. They were followed
in 1870 by the Shawano, chiefly also from Kansas, to the number of
770.1 These immigrants settled chiefly along the Verdigris, in the
northwestern part of the Nation. Under the same treaty the Osage,
Kaw, Paw nee. Ponca, < )to and Missouri, and Tonkawa were afterward
settled (in the western extension known then as the Cherokee strip.
The captive Nez Perces of Joseph's hand werealso temporarily located
there, but have since been removed to the states of Washington and
Idaho.
In 1870 the Missouri, Kansas and Texas railway, a branch of the
Union Pacific system, was constructed through the lands of the Chero-
kee Nation under an agreement ratified by the Government, it being
the first railroad to enter that country.-' Several others have since
been constructed or projected.
The same year saw a Cherokee literary revival. The publication of
the Advocate, which had been suspended since some years before the
war, was resumed, and by authority of the Nation John B. Jones
began the preparation of a series of schoolbooks in the Cherokee
language and alphabet for the benefit of those children who knew no
English.3
In the spring of L881 a delegation from the Cherokee Nation visited
tin East Cherokee still remaining in the mountains of North Carolina
and extended to them a cordial and urgent imitation to remove and
incorporate upon equal terms with the Cherokee Nation in the Indian
territory, [n consequence several parties of East Cherokee, number-
ing in all 161 persons, removed during the year to the western Nation.
the expense being paid by the Federal government. < >thers afterwards
applied for assistance to remove, but as no further appropriation was
made for the purpose nothing more was done.* iii 1883 the East
Cherokee brought suit for a proportionate division of the Cherokee
funds and other interests under previous treaties,5 but their claim was
i tee Nation, Fifth Ann. Rep. Bureau of Ethnology, pp. 356-358 1888 Constitution and
Laws of the Cherokee Nation, pp. 277-284; St. Louis, 1875.
-Ruviv, op. ril
'Foster, Sequoyah, pp. 1 17. 148, 1885; Pilling, Iroquoian Bibliography, 1888, articles" Chero
eate" and "John B. Jones." Tbescl to have ended with the arithmetic— cause,
as the Cherokee national superintendent ol irhiteman."
-n'U'T H.Price, Report of Indian Commissioner, p.lxv,1881,and p. lxx, 1882; see also p. 175.
» Report of Indian Commissioner, p. Ixi
152 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth. a.nn.19
finally decided adversely three years later on appeal to the Supreme
Court.1
In L889 the Cherokee female seminary was completed at Tahlequah
at a cost of over $60,000, supplementing the work of the male sem-
inary, built some years before at a cost of $90,000. The Cherokee
Nation was now appropriating annually over $80,000 for school pur-
poses, including the support of the two seminaries, an orphan asylum,
and over one hundred primary schools, besides which there were a
number of mission schools.2
For a number of years the pressure for the opening of Indian terri-
tory to white settlement had been growing in strength. Thousands
of intruders had settled themselves upon the lands of each of the
five civilized tribes, where they remained upon various pretexts in
spite of urgent and repeated appeals to the government by the
Indians for their removal. Under treaties with the five civilized
tribe-, the right to decide citizenship or residence claims belonged to
the tribes concerned, but the intruders had at last become so numerous
and strong that they had formed an organization among themselves to
pass upon their own claims, and others that might lie submitted to
them, with attorneys and ample funds to defend each claim in outside
courts against the decision of the tribe. At the same time the Gov-
ernment policy was steadily toward the reduction or complete breaking
up of Indian reservations and the allotment of lands to the Indians in
severalty, with a view to their final citizenship, and the opening of
the surplus lands to white settlement. As a part of the same policy
the jurisdiction of the United States courts was gradually being
extended over the Indian country, taking cognizance of many things
hitherto considered by the Indian courts under former treaties with
the United States. Against all this the Cherokee and other civilized
tribes protested, but without avail. To add to the irritation, com-
panies of armed " boomers " were organized for the express purpose
of invading and seizing the Cherokee outlet and other unoccupied
portions of the Indian territory — reserved by treaty for future Indian
settlement — in defiance of the civil and military power of the Gov-
ernment.
We come now to what seems the beginning of the end of Indian
autonomy. In 1889 a commission, afterward known as the Cherokee
Commission, was appointed, under act of Congress, to '•negotiate
with the Cherokee Indians, and with all other Indians owning or
claiming lands lying west of the ninety-sixth degree of longitude in
the Indian territory, for the cession to the United States of all their
title, claim, or interest of every kind or character in and to said
lands." In August of that year the commission made a proposition to
1 Commissioner J. D. C. Atkins, Report of Indian Commissioner, p.xlv, 1886, and p. lxxvii, 1887.
'i>t L. E. Bennett, in Report of Indian Commissioner, p. 93, 1S90.
CESSION OF CHEROKEE STRIP— 1892 153
Chief J. B. Mayes for the cession of all the Cherokee lands thus de-
scribed, being that portion known as the Cherokee outlet or strip.
The proposition was declined on the ground thai the Cherokee con
stitution forbade its consideration.1 Other tribes were approached for
a similar purpose, and the commission was continued, with changing
personnel from year to year, until agreements for cession and the
taking of allotments had been made with nearly all the wilder tribes
in what is now Oklahoma.
[n the meantime the Attorney -< 1-eneral had rendered a decision deny-
ing the right of Indian tribes to lease their kind- without permission
of the Government. At this time the Cherokee were deriving an
annual income of $150,000 from the lease of grazing privileges upon
the strip, hut by a proclamation of President Harrison on February
17. 1890, ordering the cattlemen to vacate before the end of the year.
this income was cut oil and the strip was rendered practically value-
less to them.8 The Cherokee were now forced to come to terms, and
a second proposition for the cession of the Cherokee strip was finally
accepted by the national council on January 1. 1892. "It was known
to the Cherokees that for some time would-be settlers on the land- of
the outlet had been encamped in the southern end of Kansas, and by
every influence at their command had been urging the Government to
open the country to settlement and to negotiate with the Cherokees
afterwards, and that a bill for that purpose had been introduced in
Congress." The consideration was nearly $8,600,000, or about $1.25
per acre, for something over 6,000,000 acres of land. One article of
the agreement stipulates for ■"the reaffirmation to the Cherokee Nation
of the right of local self-government."8 The agreement having been
ratified by Congress, the Cherokee strip was opened h\ Presidential
proclamation on September 16, Is'.':;.'
The movement for the abolition of the Indian governments and the
allotment and opening of the Indian country had now gained such force
thai by act of Congress approved March 3, 1893, the President was
authorized to appoint a commission of three -known later as the
Dawes Commission, from its distinguished chairman. Senator Henry
L. Dawes of Massachusetts to negotiate with the five civilized tribes
of Indian territory, viz. the Cherokee. Choctaw. Chickasaw, Creek,
and Seminole, for ■■the extinguishment of tribal titles to any land-
within that territory, now held by any and all of such nations and
tribe-, either by cession of the same or some part thereof to the Unit-
ed States, or by the allotment and division of the same in severalty
among the Indian- of such nation- or tribes respectively as may be
■ of Indian < knnmissioni r, p, 22, 1889
ion by President Harrison and order from Indian C missi n in deport of Indian
Commissioner, pp. lxxii-lxxiii, i-ji 122, 1890 rhi tease figures are from personal information.
■ rT. J. Morgan, Report of Indian C aissioner, pp, 79 80, 1892.
'Commissioner I). M. Browning, Report of Indian Commissionei pp
154 MYTHS OF THE CHEKOKEE [eth.
entitled to the same, or by such other method as may be agreed upon
. . . to enable the ultimate creation of a state or states of the
Union, which shall embrace the land within the said Indian territory."1
The commission appointed arrived in the Indian territory in January,
1894, and at once began negotiations.2
At this time the noncitizen element in Indian Territory was officially
reported to number at least 200,000 souls, while those having rights
as citizens of the five civilized tribes, including full-blood and mixed-
blood Indians, adopted whites, and negroes, numbered but 70, 500. s
Not all of the noncitizens were intruders, many being there by per-
mission of the Indian governments or on official or other legitimate
business, but the great body of them were illegal squatters or unrecog-
nized claimants to Indian rights, against whose presence the Indians
themselves had never ceased to protest. A test case brought this year
in the ( 'herokee Nation was decided by the Interior Department against
the claimants and in favor of the Cherokee. Commenting upon threats
made in consequence by the rejected claimants, the agent for the five
tribes remarks: "It is not probable that Congress will establish a
court to nullify and vacate a formal decision of the Interior Depart-
ment."4 A year later he says of these intruders that "so long as they
have a foothold — a residence, legal or not — in the Indian country they
will be disturbers of peace and promoters of discord, and while they
cry aloud, and spare not, for allotment and statehood, they arc but
stumbling blocks and obstacles to that mutual good will and fraternal
feeling which must be cultivated and secured before allotment is prac-
ticable and statehood desirable."' The removal of the intruders was
still delayed, and in 1896 the decision of citizenship claims was taken
from the Indian government and relegated to the Dawes Commission.6
In 1895 the commission was increased to rive members, with enlarged
jiowers. In the meantime a survey of Indian Territory had been
ordered and begun. In September the agent wrote: "The Indians
now know that a survey of their lands is being made, and whether
with or without their consent, the survey is going on. The meaning
of such survey is too plain to be disregarded, and it is justly con-
sidered as the initial step, solemn and authoritative, toward the oxer-
throw of their present communal holdings. At this writing surveying
corps are at work in the Creek. Choctaw, and Chickasaw Nation-, and
therefore each one of these tribes has an ocular demonstration of the
actual intent and ultimate purpose of the government of the United
States." :
1 Quotation from act. etc.. Report of Indian Commissioner lor lsil-l, p. J7, ls'.i.Y
2 Report of Agent D.M. Wisdom, ibid., p. Ml.
sibid., and statistical table, p. 570.
' Report '■! Agent D. M. Wisdom, ibid., p. 1 15.
5 Agent I>. M. Wisdom, in Report Indian Commissioner for 1S95, p. 155, 1896.
1 Commissioner I'. M. Browning, Report <>i Indian Commissioner, p. si. 1896.
; Report of Agent I). M. Wisdom. Report of Indian Commissioner for 1895, pp. 159,160.1896.
! by] i 1 1\ DITIOH in 1895 1 55
The genera] prosperity and advancement of the Chei"okee Nation at
this time may be judged from the report of the secretary of the < !her-
okee national board of education to |A.gen1 Wisdom. He reports 1,800
children attending two seminaries, male and female, two high schools,
and one hundred primary schools, teachers being paid from |35 to
$100 per month for nine months in the year. Fourteen primary
schools were for the use of the negro citizens of the Nation, besides
which they had a fine high school, kept up, like all the others, at the
expense of the Cherokee goverment. Besides the national schools
there were twelve mission schools helping to do splendid work for
children of both citizens and noncitizens. Children of noncitizens
were not allowed to attend the Cherokee national schools, but had
their o\\ n subscription schools. The orphan asylum ranked as a high
school, in which L50 orphans were hoarded and educated, \\ ith gradu-
ates every year. It was a large brick building of three stories. 80 by
240 feet. The male seminary, accommodating 200 pupils, and the
female seminary, accommodating 225 pupils, were also large brick
structures, three stories in height and L50 by 240 feet on the ground.
Three members, all Cherokee by blood, constituted a board of educa-
tion. The secretary adds that the Cherokee are proud of their scl Is
and educational institutions, and that no other country under the sun
is so Messed with etlucat ional advantages at large.1
At this time the Cherokee Nation numbered something over 25,000
Indian, white, and negro citizens; the total citizen population of the
three races in the five civilized tribes numbered about 70,000, while
the noncitizens had increased to 250,000 and their number was being
rapidly augmented.2 Realizing that the swift, inevitable end must be
the destruction of their national governments, the Cherokee began
once more to consider the question of removal from the United States.
Thescheme is outlined in a letter written by a brother of the principal
chief of the Cherokee Nation under date of May 31. 1895, from which
we quote.
After prefacing that the government of the United State- seems
determined to break up the tribal autonomy of the five civilized
tribes and to divide their lands, thus bringing about conditions
under which the Cherokee could not exist, he continues:
Then for a remedy that will lead us nut of it, away from it. and one that pr isea
niir preservation as a distinct race of people in the enjoyment of customs, social ami
political, that have been handed down to us from remote generations of the past.
My plan is for the- Cherokees to sell their entire landed possessions to the United
^tatcs. divide the proceeds thereof per capita, then such as desire to do so unit.' in
ili.' formation of an Indian colony, and with their funds jointly purchase in Mexico
iLetterol \ r . : of the Board of Education, in Report of Indian Commissioner for
1895, p. I'll. 1896. I he authoi can add personal testimony as to tin npletenesa <>! tbi
establishment
= Report of Agent Wisdom, ibid., p. 162.
156 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
<>r Smith America a body of land sufficient for all their purposes; to be forever their
joint home. ... I believe also that for such fndians as did not desire to join
the colony and leave the country provision should be made for them to repurchase
their old homes, or such < it her lands in the country here as they might desire, and
they could remain here and meet such fate as awaits them. I believe this presents '
the mi i-t feasible and equitable solution of the questions that we must decide in the
near future, and will prove absolutely just and fair to all classes and conditions of
our citizens. 1 also believe thai the same could be acted upon by any or all of the
five civilized tribes. . . . l
The final chapter is nearly written. I5y successive enactments
within the last ten years the jurisdiction of the Indian courts has
been steadily narrowed and the authority of the Federal courts pro-
portionately extended; the right to determine Indian citizenship has
been taken from the Indians and vested in a Government commission;
the lands of the five tribes have been surveyed and seetionized by
Government surveyors: and by the sweeping provisions of the Curtis
act of June 28, L898, "for the protection of the people of the Indian
Territory." the entire control of tribal revenues is taken from the five
Indian tribes and vested with a resident supervising inspector, the
tribal courts are abolished, allotments are made compulsory, and
authority is given to incorporate white men's towns in the Indian
tribes.8 By this act the five civilized tribes are reduced to the
condition of ordinary reservation tribes under government agents
with white communities planted in their midst. In the meantime the
Dawes commission, continued up to the present, has by unremitting
effort broken down the opposition of the Choctaw and Chickasaw,
who have consented to allotment, while the Creeks and the Seminole
are now wavering.3 The Cherokee still hold out, the Ketoowah secret
society (47) especially being strong in its resistance, and when the end
conies it is possible that the protest will take shape in a wholesale
emigration to Mexico. Late in 1897 the agent for the live tribes
reports that "there seems a determined purpose on the part of many
fullbloods ... to emigrate to either Mexico or South America
and there purchase new homes for themselves and families. Such
individual action may grow to the proportion of a colony, and it is
understood that liberal grants of land can be secured from the coun-
tries mentioned.' Mexican agents are now (1901) among the Cherokee
advocating the scheme, which may develop to include a large propor-
tion of the five civilized tribes.6
By the census of 1898, the most recent taken, as reported by Agent
1 Letter oi Bird Harris, May 31, 1895, in Report of Indian Commissioner fur 189ft, p. 160. 1896.
^Synopsis of Curtis act, pp. T.v-vn. and Curtis act in full, p. 425 et seq., in Report of Indian Commis-
sioner tor 1898; noted also in Report of Indian Commissioner, p. 84 et seq., 1899.
1 Commissioner W. A. Jones, ibid., pp. i, 84 et seq. (Curtis act and Dawes commission).
1 Report of Agent I». M. Wisdom, Report of Indian Commissioner, pp. 141-144, 1*97
6 Author's personal information: see also House bill No. 1165 " for the relief of certain Indians in
Indian Territory," etc., Fifty-sixth Congress, first session. l'.HHi.
i nei (' I'SAI.A AND < HAKLEY L57
Wisdom, the Cherokee Nation numbered 34,46] persons, as follows:
Cherokee by blood (including all degrees of admixture), 26,£ : inter
married whites, 2,300; negro Ereedmen, 1,000; Delaware, 871; >ha«
nee, 7: mi. The total acreage of the Nation was 5,031,351 acres, which,
if divided per capita under the provisions of the Curtis bill, after
deducting 60,000 acres reserved for town-site and other purposes,
would give to each Cherokee citizen 111 acres.1 It tnusl be noted
that the official rolls include a large number of persons whose claims
are disputed by the Cherokee authorities.
nil: EASTERN BAND
It remains to speak of the eastern hand of Cherokee -the remnant
which still dines to the woods and waters of the old home country.
As has been said, a considerable number had eluded the troop-- in the
general round-up of 1838 and had tied to the fastnesses of the high
mountains. Here they were joined by others who had managed to
break through the guard at Calhoun and other collecting stations, until
the whole number of fugitives in hiding amounted to a thousand or
more, principally of the mountain Cherokee of North Carolina, the
purest-blooded and mosl conservative of the Nation. About one-half
the refugee warriors had put themselves under command of a noted
Leader named U'tsala, '"Lichen."' who made his headquarters amid the
lofty peaks at the head of Oconaluftee, from which secure hiding
place, although reduced to extremity of suffering from starvation and
exposure, they defied every effort to effect their capture.
The work of running down these fugitives proved to be so difficult
an undertaking and so well-nigh barren, of result that when Charley
and his sons made their bold stroke for freedom5 General Scott eagerly
seized the incident as an opportunity for compromise. To this end he
engaged the services of William 11. Thomas, a trader who for more
than twenty years had been closely identified with the mountain Cher-
okee and possessed their full confidence, and authorized him to submit
to U'tsala a proposition that if the latter would seize Charley and the
others who had been concerned in the attack upon the soldiers and
surrender them for punishment, the pursuit would be called off and
the fugitives allowed to stay unmolested until an effort could be made
to secure permission from the general government for them to remain.
Thomas accepted the commission, and taking with him one or two
Indian- made his way over secret paths to U'tsala's hiding place. He
presented Scott's proposition and represented to the chief that by
aiding in bringing Charley's party to punishment according to the
rule- of war he could secure respite tor his sorely pressed followers,
with the ultimate hope that they might he allowed to remain in their
1 Report of Agent I). M. Wisdom, Report "i [ndian Commissioner, p. 159, 189S.
ge 131.
158 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
own country, whereas if he rejected the offer the whole force of the
seven thousand troops which hud now completed the work of gather-
ing up and deporting the rest of the tribe would be set loose upon his
own small hand until the last refugee had been either taken or
killed.
U'tsala turned the proposition in his mind long and seriously. His
heart was hitter, for his wife and little son had starved to death on the
mountain side, but he thought of the thousands who were already on
their Long march into exile and then he looked round upon his little
band of followers. If only they might stay, even though a few must
lie sacrificed, it was better than that all should die — for they had sworn
never to leave their country. He consented and Thomas returned to
report to General Scott.
Now occurred a remarkable incident which shows the character of
Thomas and the masterly influence which he already had over the
Indians, although as yet he was hardly more than thirty years old. It
was known that Charley and his party were in hiding in a cave of the
Great Smokies, at the head of Deep creek, but it was not thought
likely that he could be taken without hloodshed and a further delay
which might prejudice the whole undertaking. Thomas determined to
go to him and try to persuade him to come in and surrender. Declin-
ing Scott's otter of an escort, he went alone to the cave, and, getting
between the Indians and their guns as they were sitting around the
tire near the entrance, he walked up to Charley and announced his
message. The old man listened in silence and then said simply, "I
will come in. I don't want to be hunted down by my own people."
They came in voluntarily and were shot, as has been already narrated,
one only, a mere boy, being spared on account of his youth. This
boy, now an old man, is still living. Wasitu'na, better known to the
whites as Washington.1
A respite having thus been obtained for the fugitives, Thomas next
went to Washington to endeavor to make some arrangement for their
permanent settlement. Under the treaty of New Echota, in 1835, the
Cherokee were entitled, besides the lump sum of five million dollars
for the lands ceded, to an additional compensation for the improve-
ments which they were forced to abandon and for spoliations by white
citizens, together with a per capita allowance to cover the cost of
removal and subsistence for one year in the new country. The twelfth
article had also provided that such Indians as chose to remain in the
East and become citizens there might do so under certain conditions.
i Charley's story as here given is from the author's personal information, derived chiefly from con-
versations with Colonel Thomas and with Wasitu'na and other old Indians. An ornate but some
u hat inaccurate account is given also in Lanman's Letters from the Alleghany Mountains, written on
the ground ten years after the events deseribed. The leading lactsare noted in General Scott's official
dispatches.
PURCHASE OF Ql AM. A KI--I IM \TI<>.\- 1842 L59
cadi head of a family thus remaining to be confirmed in a preemption
right i" L60 acres. In consequence of the settled purpose of President
Jackson to deport e\ cry Indian, this permission was canceled and sup
plementary articles substituted by which some additional compensation
was allowed in lieu of the promised preemptions and all individual
reservations granted under previous treaties.1 Every Cherokee was
thus made a landless alien in his original country.
The last party of emigrant Cherokee had started for the West in
December, L838. Nine months afterwards the refugees still scattered
about in the mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee were reported
to number L,046.! By persistent effort at Washington from L836 to
L842, including one continuous stay of three years at the capital city,
Thomas finally obtained governmental permission for these to remain,
and their share of the moneys due for improvements and reservations
confiscated was placed at his disposal, as their agent and trustee, for the
purpose of buying lands upon which they could be permanently settled.
Under this authority he bought for them, at various times up to the
year L861, a number of contiguous tracts of land upon Oconaluftee
river and Soco creek, within the present Swain and Jackson counties
of North Carolina, together with several detached tracts in the more
western counties of the same state. The main body, upon the waters
of Oconaluftee, which was chiefly within the limits of the cession of
L819, came afterward to he known as the Qualla boundary, or Qualla
reservation, taking the name from Thomas' principal trading store
and agency headquarters. The detached western tracts were within
the final cession of 1835, hut all alike were bought by Thomas from
\\ hite owners. As North ( Jarolina refused to recognize Indians a- land-
owners within the state, and persisted in this refusal until L866,3
Thomas, as their authorized agent under the Government, held the
deeds in his own name. Before it was legally possible under the state
laws to transfer the title to the Indians, his own affairs had become
involved and his health impaired by age and the hardships of military
service so that his mind gave way. thus leaving the whole question of
the Indian title a subject of litigation until its adjudication by the
United States in 1875, supplemented by further decisions in 1894.
To Colonel William Holland Thomas the East Cherokee of to-day
owe their existence as a people, and for half a century he was as inti-
mately connected with their history as was John Ross with that of the
main Cherokee Nation. Singularly enough, their connection with
Cherokee affairs extended o\-er nearly the same period, hut while
Ross participated in their national matters Thomas cave his effort to
■ Bchota u<'. ii :• ! supplementary articles, March I. 1836, in Indian
Treaties pp. I ilso full discussion of sami treat) in i: Sation, Fifth Ann.
Rep. Bureau of Ethnology, 1888.
op -II ,p.292 I ibid.,p.31 i
160 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.asn.19
\
a neglected bund hardly known in the councils of the tribe. In his
many-sided capacity he strikingly resembles another white man promi-
nent in Cherokee history, General Sam Houston.
Thomas was born in the year 1805 on Raccoon creek, about two miles
from Waynesville in North Carolina. His father, who was related to
President Zachary Taylor, came of a Welsh family which had immi-
grated to Virginia at an early period, while on his mother's side he
was descended from a Maryland family of Revolutionary stock. He
was an only and posthumous child, his father having been accidentally
drowned a short time before the boy was born. Being unusually
bright for his age, he was engaged when only twelve years old to
tend an Indian trading store on Soco creek, in the present Jackson
county, owned by Felix Walker, son of the Congressman of the same
name who made a national reputation by "talking for Buncombe."
The store was on the south side of the creek, about a mile above the
now abandoned Macedonia mission, within the present reservation, and
was a branch of a larger establishment which Walker himself kept at
Waynesville. The trade was chiefly in skins and ginseng, or "sang,"
the latter for shipment to China, where it was said to be worth its
weight in silver. This trade was very pi'ofitable. as the price to the
Indians was but ten cents per pound in merchandise for the green root,
whereas it now brings seventy-five cents in cash upon the reservation,
the supply steadily diminishing with every year. The contract was
for three years' service for a total compensation of one. hundred dollars
and expenses, but Walker devoted so much of his attention to law
studies that the Waynesville store was finally closed for debt, and at
the end of his contract term young Thomas was obliged to accept a
lot of second-hand law books in lieu of other payment. How well he
made use of them is evident from his subsequent service in the state
senate and in other official capacities. *
Soon after entering upon his duties he attracted the notice of Yon-
aguska. or Drowning-bear (Ya'na-giin'ski, "Bear-drowning-him"), the
acknowledged chief of all the, Cherokee then living on the waters of
Tin kasegee and Oconaluftee — the old Kituhwa country. On learning
that the boy had neither father nor brother, the old chief formally
adopted him as his son. and as such he was thenceforth recognized in
the tribe under the name of Wil-Usdi', or "Little Will." he being of
small stature even in mature age. From his Indian friends, particu-
larly a boy of the same age who was his companion in' the -tore, he
learned the language as well as a white man has ever learned it. so that
in his dec lining years it dwelt in memory more strongly than his
mother tongue. After the invention of the Cherokee alphabet, he
learned also to read and write the language,,
In L819 the lands on Tuckasegee and its branches were sold by the
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY NINETEENTH ANNUAL REPORT PL. IX
COL. W. H. THOMAS WIL-USDI'i
Ft photogra 1 1858 kindly loaned by Capt. James \v. Terrell)
WILLIAM II. THOMAS L61
Indian-, and Thomas's mother soon after removed from Waj nes^ ille to
a farm which she purchased on the west bank of Oconaluf tee, opposite
the month of Soco, where her son went to live with her, having now
--ft up in business lor himself at Qualla. Ybnaguska and his immedi-
ate connection continued to reside on a -mall reservation in the same
neighborhood, while the rest of the Cherokee retired to the west of
the Nantahala mountains, though still visiting and trading on Soco.
After several shiftings Thomas finally, soon after the removal in ls".s.
bought a farm on the northern hank of Tuckasegee, just above the
present town of Whittier in Swain county, and built there a home-
stead which he called Stekoa, after an Indian town destroyed by
Rutherford which had occupied the same site. At the time of the
removal he was the proprietor of five trading stores in or adjoining the
Cherokee country, viz. at Qualla town, near the mouth of Soco creek;
on Scott's creek, near Webster; on Cheowa, near the present Robbins
ville; at the junction of Valley river and Hiwassee, now Murphy; and
at the Cherokee agency at Calhoun (now Charleston). Tennessee.
Besides carrying on a successful trading business he was also studying
law and taking an active interest in local politics.
In his capacity as agent for the eastern Cherokee he laid off the.
lands purchased for them into five districts or "towns," which he
named Bird town. Paint town. Wolf town, Yellow hill, and Big cove,
the name- which they -till retain, the first three beingthose of Chero-
kee clans.1 He also drew up for them a simple form of government,
the execution of which was in his own and Ybnaguska's hands until the
death of the latter, after which the hand knew no other chief than
Thomas until his retirement from active life. In 1848 he was elected
to the state senate and continued to serve in that capacity until the
outbreak of the civil war. As state senator he inaugurated a system of
road improvements for western North Carolina and was also the father
of the Western North Carolina Railroad (now a part of the Southern
-\ stem), originally projected to develop the copper mines of Ducktown,
Tennessee.
With his colleagues in the state senate he voted for secession in 1861,
and at once resigned to recruit troops for the Confederacy, to which,
until the close of the war. he gave his whole time, thought, and effort.
In 1862 he organized the Thomas Legion, consisting of two regiments
of infantry, a battalion of cavalry, a company of engineers, and a field
battery, he himself commanding as colonel, although then nearly sixty
years of age. Four companies were made up principally of his own
Cherokee. The Thomas Legion operated chiefly as a frontier guard
i In the Cherokee language rsiskwa'hl, --Bird place," Ani'-Wa'dihl, "Paint place, (Va'ya'hl, "Wolf
place," E'lawa'di, "Red earth" (now Cherokee post-office and tanufi'yl "Raven
place." There was also, for a tune, a " Pretty-woman town" Ani'-Gila'hl?).
19 KTH— Ul 11
162 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ans.19
for the Confederacy along the mountain region southward from Cum-
berland gap.
After tlic close of the conflict he returned to his home at Stekoa and
again took charge, unofficially, of the affairs of the Cherokee, whom
lie attended during the smallpox epidemic of 1866 and assisted through
the unsettled conditions of the reconstruction period. His own
resources had been swept away by the war. and all his hopes had gone
down with the lost cause. This, added to the effects of three years of
hardship and anxiety in the field when already almost past the age
limit, soon after brought about a physical and mental eollapse, from
which lie never afterward rallied except at intervals, when for a short
time the old spirit would Hash out in all its brightness. He died in
1893 at the advanced age of nearly ninety, retaining to the last the
courteous manner of a gentleman by nature and training, with an
exact memory and the clear-cut statement of a lawyer and man of
affairs. To his work in the state senate the people of western North
Carolina owe more than to that of any other man, while among the
older Cherokee the name of Wil-Csdi' is still revered as that of a
father and a great chief.1
Yonaguska. properly Ya'iui-giifi'ski, the adopted father of Thomas,
is the most prominent chief in the history of the East Cherokee,
although, singularly enough, his name does not occur in connection
with any of the early wars or treaties. This is due partly to the fact
that he was a peace chief and counselor rather than a war leader, and
in part to the fact that the isolated position of the mountain Cherokee
kept them aloof in a gnat measure from the tribal councils of those
living to the west anil south. In person he was strikingly handsome,
being six feet three inches in height and strongly built, with a faint
tinge of red. due to a slight strain of white blood on his father's side.
relieving the brown of his cheek. In power of oratory he is said to
have surpassed any other chief of his day. When the Cherokee lands
on Tuckasegee were sold by the treaty of 1819, Yonaguska continued
to reside on a reservation of 640 acres in a bend of the river a short dis-
tance above the present Bryson City, on the site of the ancient
Kituhwa. 1 le afterward moved over to Oconaluftee, and finally, after
the Removal, gathered his people about him and settled with them on
Soco creek on lands purchased for them by Thomas.
'The fact? concerning Colonel Thorna-- '* < :nvi t uiv .1' -rived chiefly from the author's conversations
with Thomas himself, supplemented by information from his former assistant, Capt. James W.
Terrell, and others who knew him. together with an admirable sketch in the North Carolina Univer-
sity Magazine for May 1899, by Mrs. A. c. Avery, his daughter. He is also frequently noticed, in con-
nection with East Cherokee matters, in the annual reports of the Commissioner of Indian Affairs; in
the North Carolina Confederate Roster; in Lanman's Letters from the Alleghany Mountains; and in
Zeiglerand Grosscup's Heart of the Alleghanies, etc. Some manuscript contributions to the library
of the Georgia Historical Society in Savannah— now unfortunately mislaid— show his interest in
Cherokee linguistics.
> sey] YONAGUSKA L63
Ilr was a prophel and reformer as well a~ a chief. When about
sixty years of age be had a severe sickness, terminating in a trance,
dui'ing which his people mourned him as dead. At the end of twent}
four hours, however, he awoke to consciousness and announced thai he
hail been to the spirit world, where he had talked with friends who
had gone before, and with God, who had sent him hark witli a message
to the Indians, promising to call him again at a later time. From
that day until his death his words were Listened to as those of our
inspired. He had been somewhat addicted to liquor, but now. on the
recommendation of Thomas, not only quit drinking himself. hut organ
ized his tribe into a temperance society. To accomplish this he called
his people together in council, and. after clearly pointing out to them
the serious effect of intemperance, in an eloquent speech that moved
some of his audience to tears, he declared that God had permitted him
to return to earth especially that he might thus warn his people and
banish whisky from among them. He then had Thomas write out a
pledge, which was signed first by the chief and then by each one of the
council, and from that time until after his death whisky was unknown
among the East Cherokee.
Although frequent pressure was brought to bear to induce him and
bis people to remove to the West, he firmly resisted every persuasion,
declaring that the Indians were safer from aggression among their
locks and mountains than they could ever be in a land which the while
man could find profitable, and that the Cherokee could he happy only
in the country w here nature had planted him. While counseling peace
and friendship with the white man, he held always to his Indian faith
and was extremely suspicious of missionaries. On one occasion, after
the first Bible translation into the Cherokee language and alphabet,
some one brought a copy of Matthew from New Echota, hut Yona-
guska would not allow it to he read to his people until it had first been
read to himself. After listening to one or two chapters the old chief
dryly remarked: "Well, it seems to be a good book — strange that the
white people are not better, after having had it so long."
He died, aged about eighty, in April. 1839, within a year after the
Removal. Shortly before the end he had himself carried into the
townhouse on Soeo. of which he had supervised the building, where,
extended on a couch, he made a last talk to his people, commend-
ing Thomas to them as their chief and again warning them earnestly
against ever leaving their own country. Then wrapping his blanket
around him. he quietly lay hack and died. He was buried beside
Soco. about a mile below the old Macedonia mission, with a rude
mound of stones to mark the spot. He left two wives and consid-
erable property, including an old negro slave named Cudjo, who was
devotedly attached to him. One of his daughters. Kata'Ista. still sur-
104 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE
vives, and is the last conservator of the potter's art among the East
Cherokee.1
Yonaguska had succeeded in authority to Yane'gwa, "Big-bear,"
w ho appears to have been of considerable local prominence in his time,
but wlio.se name, even with the oldest of the band, is now but a mem-
ory. He was among the signers of the treaties of 1798 and 1805, and
by the treaty of L819 was confirmed in a reservation of 640 acres as
one of those living within the ceded territory who were "believed to
be persons of industry and callable of managing their property with
discretion," and who had made considerable improvements on the
tracts reserved. This reservation, still known as the Big-bear farm,
was on the western bank of Oconaluftee, a few miles above its mouth,
and appears to have been the same afterward occupied by Yonaguska.2
Another of the old notables among the East Cherokee was Tsunu'la-
hufi'ski, corrupted by the whites to Junaluska, a great wTarrior, from
whom the ridge west of YVayncsville takes its name. In early life he
was known as (Ifir'kala'skiV1 On the outbreak of the Creek war
in 1813 he raised a party of warriors to go down, as he boasted, "to
exterminate the Creeks.'" Not meeting with complete success, he
announced the result, according to the Cherokee custom, at the next
dance after his return in a single word, (htxiiiu'lilhilngiji', "I tried, but
could not," given out as a cue to the song leader, who at once took it
as the burden of his song. Thenceforth the disappointed warrior was
known as Tsunu'lahufi'ski, "'One who tries, but fails." He distinguished
himself at the Horseshoe bend, where the action of the Cherokee
decided the battle in favor of Jackson's army, and was often heard to
say after the removal: "If I had known that Jackson would drive us
from our homes, I would have killed him that day at the Horseshoe."
He accompanied the exiles of 1838, but afterward returned to his old
home; he was allowed to remain, and in recognition of his serv-
ices the state legislature, by special act, in 1847 conferred upon
him the right of citizenship and granted to him a tract of land in fee
simple, but without power of alienation.4 This reservation was in the
Cheowa Indian settlement, near the present Robbinsville, in Graham
county, where he died about the year 185S. His grave is still to be
seen just outside of Robbinsville.
1 The facts concerning Yonaguska are based on the author's personal information obtained from
Colonel Thomas, supplemented from conversations with old Indians. The date of his death ami his
approximate age are taken from the Terrell roll. He is also noticed at length in Lanman's Letters from
the Alleghany Mountains, 1848, and in Zeigler and Grosseup's Heart of the Alleghanies, 1883. The
trance which, according to Thomas and Lanman, lasted about one day, is stretched by the last-named
authors to fifteen .lays, with the whole 1,200 Indians marching and countermarching around the
sleeping b< dy '.
° The name in the treaties occurs as Yonahequah (1798), Yohanaqua (1805), and Yonah (1819).—
Indian Treaties, pp. 82, 123, 268; Washington, 1837.
; The name refers to something habitually falling from a leaning position.
* Act quoted in Report of Indian Commissioner for 1895, p. 636, 1896.
TEMPORARY INCORPORATION OF CATAWBA L65
As illustrative of his shrewdne&s it is t < > 1 < I thai he once tracked a
little Indian girl to Charleston, South Carolina, where she had been
carried by kidnappers and sold as a slave, and regained her freedom by
proving, from experl microscopic examination, that her hair had none
of the negro characteristics.1
Christianity was introduced among the Kituhwa Cherokee shortly
before the Removal through Worcester and Boudinot's translation of
Matthew, first published at New Echota in L829. In the absenceof
missionaries the book was read by the Indians from house to house.
After the Removal a Methodist minister. Reverend Ulrich Keener,
began to make visits for preaching at irregular intervals, and was fol-
lowed several years later by Baptist workers.2
In the fall of 1839 the C lissioner of Indian Affairs reported
that the East Cherokee had recently expressed a desire to join their
brethren in the West, but had been deterred from so doing by the
unsettled condition of affairs in the Territory. He states that " thej'
have a right to remain or to go," hut that as the interests of others
are involved in their decision they should decide without delay/'
In L840 about one hundred Catawba, nearly all that were left of the
tribe, being dissatisfied with their condition in South Carolina, moved
up in a body and took up their residence with the Cherokee. Latent
tribal jealousies broke out. however, and at their own request nego-
tiations were begun in 1848, through Thomas and others, for their
removal to Indian Territory. The effort being without result, they
.soon after began to drift back to their own homes, until, in 1852, there
were only about a dozen remaining among the Cherokee. In 1890
only one was left, an old woman, the widow of a Cherokee husband.
She and her daughter, both of whom spoke the language, were expert
potters according to the Catawba method, which differs markedly from
that of the Cherokee. There are now two Catawba women, both mar-
ried to Cherokee husbands, living with the tribe, and practicing their
native potter's art. While residing among the ( Jherokee, the ( 'atawba
acquired a reputation as doctors and leaders of the dance.1
On August 6, 1846, a treaty was concluded at Washington with the
representatives of the Cherokee Nation west by which the rights of
the East Cherokee to a participation in the benefits of the New Echota
treaty of L835 were distinctly recognized, and provision was made for
a final adjustment of all unpaid and pending claims due under that
treaty. The right claimed by the Hast Cherokee to participate in the
The facta concerning Junaluska are from the author's information obtained from i tolonel Tl m*.
i 'aptain James Terrell, and Cherokee informants.
- Author's information from Colonel rh as.
'Commissioner Crawford, November25, Report <>( Indian Commission! i
•Author's informiitic.n from Colonel Thomas, Captain Terrell, and Indian sources; Commissi rW.
Medill, Report of Indian Commissioner, p. 399, 1848; i lommissioner Orlando Broun. Report of Indian
Commissioner for 1849, p. 14, 1850.
166 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE
benefits of the New Echota treaty, although not denied by the gov-
ernment, had been held to be conditional upon their removal to the
West.1
In the spring of L848 the author. Lanman, visited the East Chero-
kee and has left an interesting account of their condition at the time,
together with a description of their ballplays, dances, and customs
generally, having been the guest of Colonel Thomas, of whom he
speaks as the guide, counselor, and friend of the Indians, as well as
their business agent and chief, so that the connection was like that
existing between a father and his children. He puts the number of
Indians at about sou Cherokee and 100 Catawba on the "Quallatown"
reservation — the name being in use thus early — with '200 more Indians
residing in the more westerly portion of the state. Of their general
condition he says:
About three-fourths of the entire population can read in their own language, ami,
though the majority of them understand English, a very few can speak the language.
They practice, to a considerable extent, the science of agriculture, ami have acquired
such a knowledge of the mechanic arts as answers them for all ordinary purposes,
for they manufacture their own clothing, their own ploughs, and other farming uten-
sils, their own axes, and even their own guns. Their women are no longer treated as
slaves, hut as equals; the men labor in the fields and their wives are devoted entirely
to household employments. They keep the same domestic animals that are kept by
their white neighbors, and cultivate all the common grains of the country. They
are probably as temperate as any other class of people on the face of the earth, honest
in their business intercourse, moral in their thoughts, words, and deeds, anil distin-
guished for their faithfulness in performing the duties of religion. They are chiefly
Methodists and Baptists, and have regularly ordained ministers, who preach to them
on every Sabbath, and they have also abandoned many of their mere senseless super-
stitions. They have their own court and try their criminals by a regular jury.
Their judges and lawyers are chosen from among themselves. They keep in order
the public roads leading through their settlement. By a law of the state they have
a right to vote, but seldom exercise that right, as they do not like the idea of being
identified with any of the political parties. Excepting on festive days, they dress
after the manner of the white man, but far more picturesquely. They live in small
log houses of their own construction, ami have everything they need or desire in the
way of food. They are, in fact, the happiest community that I have yet met with
in this southern country. -
Among the other notables Lanman speaks thus of Sala'li, "Squirrel,"
a born mechanic of the band, who died only a few years since:
He is quite a young man and has a remarkably thoughtful face. He is the black-
smith of his nation, and with some assistance supplies the whole of Quallatown with
all their axes and plows; but what is more, he has manufactured a number of very
superior rifles and pistols, including stock, barrel, and lock, ami he isalso the builder
of grist mills, which grind all the corn which his people eat. A specimen of his
workmanship in the way of a rifle may be seen at the Patent Office in Washington,
where it was deposited by Mr. Thomas; and I believe Salola is the first Indian who
' Syllepsis of the treaty, etc., in Royee, Cherokee Nation, Fifth Ann. Rep. Bureau of Ethnology,
pp. 300-313,1888; see also ante, ].. lis.
:Lanman, Letters from the Alleghany Mountains, pp. 94-95, 1849.
EAST CHEROKEE CENSUS — 1848 167
ever manufactured an entire gun. But when it is remembered thai he nevei
a particle of education in any of the mechanic arts but is entirely self taught, his
attainments must be considered truly remarkable.'
On July 29, 1848, Congress approved an art for taking a census of
all those Cherokee who bad remained in North Carolina after the
Removal, and who still resided east of the Mississippi, in order that
their share of the "removal and subsistence fund'1 under the New
Echota treaty might !><■ set aside for them. A sum equivalent to
s.v:. :',:'.' «^ at the same time appropriated for each one. or his repre
sentative, to be available for defraying the expenses of bis remoi a] to
the Cherokee Nation west and subsistence there for one year whenever
he should elect so to remove. Any surplus over such expense was tc
be paid to him in cash after his arrival in the west. The whole amount
thus expended was to be reimbursed to the Government from the gen-
eral fund to the credit of the Cherokee Nation under the terms of the
treaty of New Echota. In the meantime it was ordered that to each
individual thus entitled should be paid the accrued interest on this per
capita sum from the date of the ratification of the New Echota treaty
(May 23, L836), payment of interest at the same rate to continue
annually thereafter.-' In accordance with this act a census of the Cher-
okee then residing in North Carolina. Tennessee, and Georgia, was
completed in the fall of 1848 by .1. C. Mullay, making the whole num-
ber 2,133. On the basis of this enrollment several payments were
made to them by special agents within the next ten years, one being
a pet-capita payment by Alfred Chapman in 1851-52 of unpaid claims
arising under the treaty of New Echota and amounting in the aggre-
gate to $197,534.50, the others being payments of the annual interest
upon the •• removal and subsistence fund" set apart to their credit in
I 848. In the accomplishment of these payments two other enrollments
were made by D. W. Siler in 1851 and by Chapman in 1852, the last
being simply a corrected revision of the Siler roll, and neither vary-
ing greatly from the Mullay roll.3
Upon the appointment of Chapman to make the per capita payment
above mentioned, the Cherokee Nation west had filed a protest against
the payment, upon the double ground that the East Cherokee had for-
feited their right to participation, and furthermore that their census
was believed to lie enormously exaggerated. As a matter of fact the
number first reported by Mullay was only 1.517. to which so many
1 Lanman, Letters from the Alleghany Mountains, p. 111.
quoted in "The United States of America it. William II. Thomas cf al."\ also Royce, Cher-
okee Nation, Fifth Ann. Rep. Bureau of Ethnology, p 313, 1888. In the earlier notices the terms ' N'orth
Carolina Cherokee " ami ■■ Eastern Cherokee " are used synonymou ginal fugitives were
all in North Carolina.
'See Royce, op. ■ it-, pp. 313-314; Commissioner II- Price, Report of Ind
1884 Report of Indian Commissioner, p. 195, 1898; also references bj Commissioner W. Medill,
Report of Indian Commissioner, p. 399, 1848; ami Report of Indian Commissioner tor 1855, p, j i i 1856.
168 MYTHS OF THE CHEKOKEE [eth.ann.19
were subsequently added as to increase the number by more than 600.'
A census taken by their agent, Colonel Thomas, in 1N41. gave the
number of East Cherokee (possibly only those in North Carolina
intended) as L,220,2 while a year later the whole number residing in
North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia was officially esti-
mated at from l.ooo to L,200.3 It is not the only time a per capita
payment has resulted in a sudden increase of the census population.
In L852 (Capt.) James \V. Terrell was engaged by Thomas, then in
the state senate, to take charge of his store at Qualla, and remained
associated with him and inclose contact with the Indians from then until
after the close of the war. assisting, as special United States agent, in
the disbursement of the interest payments, and afterward as a Con-
federate officer in the organization of the Indian companies, holding a
commission as captain of Company A, Sixty-ninth North Carolina
Confederate infantry. Being of an investigating bent. Captain Terrell
was led to give attention to the customs and mythology of the Cher-
okee, and to accumulate a fund of information on the subject seldom
possessed by a white man. He still resides at Webster, a few miles
from the reservation, and is now seventy -one years of age.
In 1855 Congress directed the per capita payment to the East Cher-
okee of the removal fund established for them in 1848, provided that
North Carolina should first give assurance that they would be allowed
to remain permanently in that state. This assurance, however, was
not given until 1S66, a^nd the money was therefore not distributed,
but remained in the treasury until 1875, when it was made applicable
to the purchase of lands and the quieting of titles for the benefit of
the Indians.4
From 1855 until after the civil war we find no official notice of the
East Cherokee, and our information must be obtained from other
sources. It was, however, a most momentous period in their history.
At the outbreak of the war Thomas was serving his seventh consec-
utive term in the state senate. Being an ardent Confederate sym-
pathizer, he was elected a delegate to the convention which passed the
secession ordinance, and immediately after voting in favor of that
measure resigned from the senate in order to work for the southern
canst". As he was already well advanced in years it is doubtful if his
effort would have gone beyond the raising of funds and other supplies
but for the fact that at this juncture an effort was made by the Con
federate General Kirby Smith to enlist the East Cherokee for active
service.
The agent sent for this purpose was Washington Morgan, known to
the Indians as A'ganst&'ta, son of that Colonel Gideon Morgan who
i Royce, Cherokee Nation, op. eit., p. 313 and note.
- Report of tin- Indian Commissioner, pp. 459-460, ,1845.
3 Commissioner Crawford, Report of Indian Co
4 Royce, op. cit.. p. 314,
THE THOM \- LEGION 1 69
had commanded the Cherokee at the Horseshoe bend. By virtue of
his Indian blood and historic ancestry he was deemed the most fitting
emissary for the purpose. Early in 1862 be arrived among the
Cherokee, and by appealing to old-time memories so aroused the war
spirit among them that a large number declared themselves ready to
follow wherever he led. Conceiving the question at issue in the war
to be one that did not concern the Indians, Thomas had discouraged
their participation in it and advised them to remain at home in quiet
neutrality. Now. however, knowing Morgan's reputation for reckless
daring, he became alarmed at the possible result to them of such
leadership. Forced either to see them go from his own protection or
to lead them himself, he chose the latter alternative and proposed to
them to enlist in the Confederate legion which he was about to organize.
His object, as he himself has stated, was to keep them out of danger
so far as possible by utilizing them as scouts and home guards through
the mountains, away from the path of the large armies. Nothing of
this was said to the Indians, who might not have Keen satisfied with
such an arrangement. Morgan went back alone and the Cherokee
enrolled under the command of their white chief. '
The "Thomas Legion," recruited in 1862 by William H. Thomas for
the Confederate service and commanded by him as colonel, consisted
originally of one infantry regiment of ten companies (Sixty-ninth
North Carolina Infantry), one infantry battalion of six companies, one
cavalry battalion of eight companies (First North Carolina Cavalry
Battalion), one field battery (Light Battery) of 103 officers and men.
and one company of engineers; in all about 2.800 men. The infantry
battalion was recruited toward the close of the war to a full regiment
of ten companies. Companies A and B of the Sixty ninth regiment
and two other companies of the infantry regiment recruited later
were composed almost entirely of East Cherokee Indians, most of the
commissioned officers being white men. The whole number of Chero-
kee thus enlisted was nearly four hundred, or about every able-bodied
man in the tribe.8
In accordance with Thomas's plan the Indians were employed chiefly
as scouts and home guards in the mountain region along the Tennessee-
Carolina border, where, according to the testimony of Colonel String-
1 Tin- history of the events leading to the organization of the "Thomas Legion " is chiefly man the
author's conversations with Colonel Thomas himself, corroborated and supplemented from other
sources. In the words of Thomas, " If it had nol been for the Indians I would not have been in the
war."
-This is believed i" be i correct statement of the strength and make-up of tin- Thomas Legion,
Owing !■■ i in- Imperfection of the records and the absence of reliable memoranda among the surviv-
ing officers, no two accounts exactly coincide. The mil given in the North Carolina Confederate
Roster, handed in by captain Terrell, assistant quartermaster, was compiled early in the war and
- i tice "f tlu' engineer company "i "i the second Infantry regiment, which Included tun
[ndian companies, The information therein contained is supplemented Er :onversations
and personal letter laptain Terrell, and from letters and newspaper articles by Lieutenant Colonel
Stringfleld of the Sixty-ninth. Another statement isgivenin Mrs Avery's sketch of Colonel n as
in thi Sorth Carolina University Magazine for May, 1899.
170 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ass.1S
field, "they did good work and service for the South." The most
important engagement in which they were concerned occurred at
Baptist yap, Tennessee, September 15, 1862, where Lieutenant Astu'-
gata'ga, "a splendid specimen of Indian manhood," was killed in a
charge. The Indians were furious at his death, and before they could
he restrained they scalped one or two of the Federal dead. For this
action ample apologies were afterward given by their superior officers.
The war. in fact, brought out all the latent Indian in their nature.
Before starting to the front every man consulted an oracle stone to
learn whether or not he might hope to return in safety. The start
was celebrated with a grand old-time war dance at the townhouse on
Soco, and the same dance was repeated at frequent intervals there-
after, the Indians being "painted and feathered in good old style,"'
Thomas himself frequently assisting as master of ceremonies. The
ballplay, too, was not forgotten, and on one occasion a detachment of
Cherokee, left to guard a bridge, became so engrossed in the excite-
ment of the game as to narrowly escape capture by a sudden dash of
the Federals. Owing to Thomas's care for their welfare, they suffered
but slightly in actual battle, although a number died of hardship and
disease. When the Confederates evacuated eastern Tennessee, in the
winter of 1863-64, some of the white troops of the legion, with one or
two of the Cherokee companies, were shifted to western Virginia, and
by assignment to other regiments a few of the Cherokee were present
at the final siege and surrender of Richmond. The main body of the
Indians, with the rest of the Thomas Legion, crossed over into North
Carolina and did service protecting the western border until the close
of the war, when they surrendered on parole at Waynesville, North
Carolina, in May, 1865, all those of the command being allowed to
keep their guns. It is claimed by their officers that they were the
last of the Confederate forces to surrender. About fifty of the Cher-
okee veterans still survive, nearly half of whom, under conduct of
Colonel Stringfield, attended the Confederate reunion at Louisville,
Kentucky, in 1900, where they attracted much attention.1
In 1863, by resolution of February lii, the Confederate House of
Representatives called for information as to the number and condition
of the Fast Cherokee, and their pending relations with the Federal
government at the beginning of the war, with a view to continuing
these relations under Confederate auspices. In response to this
inquiry a report was submitted by the Confederate commissioner of
Indian affairs, S. S. Scott, based on information furnished by Colonel
Thomas and Captain James W. Terrell, their former disbursing agent,
showing that interest upon the " removal and subsistence fund " estab-
i Personal Information from Colonel W. H. Thomas, LieutenanW3olonel W. W. Stringfield Captain
James W. Terrell, Chief N. J. Smith (first sergeant Company B), and others, with other details from
Moore's (Confederate) Roster of North Carolina Troops, iv; Raleigh, 1S82: also list of survivors in
1890, bj Carrington, in Eastern Band of Cherokees, Extra Bulletin of Eleventh Census, p. _i. 1892.
CHEROKEE IN UNION \i:\IY 171
lished in 1848 had been paid annually up to and including the year
L859, at the rate of $3.20 per capita, or an aggregate, exclusive of
disbursing agent's commission, of $4,838.40 annually, based upon the
original Mullay enumeration of 1,517.
Upon receipt of this report it was enacted by the Confederate con-
gress thai the sum of $19,352.36 be paid the East Cherokee to cover
the interest period of four years from Maj 23, L860, to May 23, L864.
In this connection the Confederate commissioner suggested that the
payment be made in provisions, of which the Indians were then
greatly in need, and which, if the payment were made in cash, they
would be unable to purchase, on account of the general scarcity. He
adds that, according to his information, almost every Cherokee capable
of bearing arms was then in the Confederate service. The roll fur-
nished by Captain Terrell is the original .Mullay roll corrected to May.
L860, no reference being made to the later Mullay enumeration (2,133),
already alluded to. There i- no record to show that the payment thus
authorized was made, and as the Confederate government was then in
hard -traits it i> probable that nothing further was done in the matter.
In submitting his statement of previous payments, Colonel Thomas,
their former agent, adds:
As the North Carolina Cherokeea have, like their brethren west, taken up arms
against the Lincoln government, it is not probable that any further advances of
interest will be made bj that government to any portion of the Cherokee tribe. I
also enclose a copy of the act of July 29, 1848, so far as relates t<. the North Carolina
Cherokees, and a printed explanation of their rights, prepared by me in 1851, and
submitted to the attorney-general, and his opinion thereon, which may not be alto-
gether uninteresting to those who feed an interest in knowing something of the
history of the Cherokee tribe of Indians, whose destiny is so closely identified with
that of the Southern Confederacy.1
In a skirmish near Bryson City (then Charleston). Swain county.
North Carolina, about a year after enlistment, a small party of
Cherokee -perhaps a dozen in number — was captured by a detach-
nient of Union troops and carried to Knoxville, where, having become
dissatisfied with their experience in the Confederate service, they
were easily persuaded to go over to the Union side. Through
the influence of their principal man. Digane'skl, several other- were
induced to desert to the Union army, making about thirty in all. As a
part of the Third North Carolina Mounted Volunteer Infantry, they
served with the Union forces in the same region until the (dose of the
war. when they returned to their homes to find their tribesmen so
bitterly incensed against them that for some time their lives were in
danger. Eight of these are -till alive in 1900.2
One of these Union Cherokee had brought back with him the small-
1 Thomas-Terrell manuscript East Cherokee roll, with accompanying letters, 1864 (Bur.Am.Eth.
archives I.
'Personal information from Colonel VV H.Thomas, Captain J.W.Terrell, Chief S J.Smith, and
others; see also Carrington Eastern Band of Cherokees, Extra Bulletin of Eleventh Census, p 21 1892,
172 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ass.19
pox from sin infected camp near Knoxville. Shortly after his return
he became sick and soon died. As the characteristic pustules had not
appeared, the disease seeming to work inwardly, the nature of his
sickness was not at first suspected- smallpox having been an unknown
disease among the Cherokee for nearly a century — and his funeral was
largely attended. A week later a number of those who had been pres-
ent became sick, and the disease was recognized by Colonel Thomas as
smallpox in all its virulence. It spread throughout the tribe, this
being in the early spring of 1866, and in spite of all the efforts of
Thomas, who brought a doctor from Tennessee to wait upon them,
more than one hundred of the small community died in consequence.
The fatal result was largely due to the ignorance of the Indians, who.
finding their own remedies of no avail, used the heroic aboriginal
treatment of the plunge bath in the river and the cold-water douche,
which resulted in death in almost every case. Thus did the war bring
its harvest of death, misery, and civil feud to the East Cherokee.1
Shortly after this event Colonel Thomas was compelled by physical
and mental infirmity to retire from further active participation in the
affairs of the East Cherokee, after more than half a century spent in
intimate connection with them, during the greater portion of which
time he had been their most trusted friend and adviser. Their affairs
at once became the prey of confusion and factional strife, which con-
tinued until the United States stepped in as arbiter.
In 1868 Congress ordered another census of the East Cherokee, to
serve as a guide in future payments, the roll to include only those
persons whose names had appeared upon the Mullay roll of 1848 and
their legal heirs and representatives. The work was completed in the
following year by S. H. Sweatland, and a payment of interest then
due under former enactment was made by him on this basis.8 '"In
accordance with their earnestly expressed desire to be brought under
the immediate charge of the government as its wards." the Congress
which ordered this last census directed that the Commissioner of Indian
Affairs should assume the same charge over the East Cherokee as over
other tribes, but as no extra funds were made available for the pur-
pose the matter was held in abeyance.3 An unratified treaty made
this year with the Cherokee Nation west contained a stipulation that
any Cherokee east of the Mississippi who should remove to the Chero-
kee nation within three years should be entitled to full citizenship and
privileges therein, but after that date could be admitted only by act
of the Cherokee national council.*
After the retirement of Thomas, in the absence of any active
1 Author's information from Colonel Thomas and others. Various informants have magnified the
number of deaths to several hundred, but the estimate here given, obtained from Thomas, is proba-
bly more reliable.
- ■ Koyee. Cherokee Nation, Fifth Ann. Rep. Bureau of Ethnology, p. 314, 1888.
3 Commissioner F. A. Walker, Report of Italian Commissioner, p. 25, 1872.
'Koyee, op. eit., p. 353.
ADJUSTMENT OF TITLES 1873-76 17.".
governmental supervision, need was felt of some central authority.
( )n December 9, L86S, a general council of the East ( !herokee assembled
a i ( !heowa, in Graham county, North Carolina. took preliminary steps
toward the adoption of a regular form of tribal government under
a constitution. N. J. Smith, afterward principal chief, \\a> clerk
of the council. The new government was formally inaugurated on
December 1. L870. It provided for a first and a second chid' to
serve for a term of two years, minor officers to serve one year, and
an annual council representing each Cherokee settlement within the
stateof North Carolina. Ka'lahu', "All-bones," commonly known to the
whites as Flying-squirrel or Sawnook (Sawanu'gi), was elected chief.
A new constitution was adopted five years later, by which the chief's
term of office was tixed at four years.'
The status of the lands held by the Indians had now become a matter
of serious concern. As has been stated, the deeds had been made out
by Thomas in his own name, as the state laws at that time forbade Indian
ownership of real estate. In consequence of his losses during the
war and his subsequent disability, the Thomas properties, of which
the Cherokee lands were technically a part, had become involved, so
that the entire estate had passed into the hands of creditors, the most
important of whom. William Johnston, had obtained sheriff's deeds in
1869 for all of these Indian lands under three several judgments against
Thomas, aggregating $33,887. 1 1. To adjust the matter so as to secure
title and possession to the Indians. Congress in 1870 authorized suit to
he brought in their name for the recovery of their interest. This suit
was begun in May. Isj:;. in the United States circuit court for western
North Carolina. A year later the matters in dispute were submitted
by agreement to a board of arbitrators, whose award was continued by
the court in November. 1S74.
The award finds that Thomas had purchased with Indian funds a
tract estimated to contain 50,000 acres on Oconaluftee river and Soco
creek, and known as the Qualla boundary, together with a number of
individual tracts outside the boundary; that the Indians were Mill
indebted to Thomas toward the purchase of the Qualla boundary
lands for the sum of $18,250, from which should be deducted $6,500
paid by them to Johnston to release titles, with interest to date of
award, making an aggregate of $8,486, toe-ether with a further sum
of $2,478, which had been intrusted to Terrell, the business clerk and
assistant of Thomas, and by him turned over to Thomas, as creditor of
the Indians, under power of attorney, this latter sum. with interest to
date of award, aggregating $2,697.89; thus leaving a balance due from
the Indians to Thomas or his Legal creditor. Johnston, of $7,066.11.
The award declares that on account of the questionable manner in
> Constitution, etc., quoted in Carrington, Eastern Band of Cherokees, Extra Bulletin Eleventh
Census, pp. ls-ju, 1892; author's personal information
174 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE
which the disputed lands had been bought in by Johnston, he should
be allowed to hold them only as security for the balance due him until
paid, and that on the payment of the said balance of $7,066.11, with
interest at 6 per cent from the date of the award, the Indians should
be entitled to a clear conveyance from him of the legal title to all the
lands embraced within the Qualla boundary.1
To enable the Indians to clear off this lien on their lands and for
other purposes, Congress in LsT'> directed that as much as remained
of the •■ removal and subsistence fund" set apart for their benefit in
1848 should be used •"in perfecting the titles to the lands awarded to
them, and to pay the costs, expenses, and liabilities attending their
recent litigations, also to purchase and extinguish the titles of any
white persons to lands within the general boundaries allotted to them
by the court, and for the education, improvement, and civilization of
their people." In accordance with this authority the unpaid balance
and interest due Johnston, amounting to $7,212.76, was paid him in
the same year, and shortly afterward there was purchased on behalf of
the Indians some fifteen thousand acres additional, the Commissioner
of Indian Affairs being constituted trustee for the Indians. For the
better protection of the Indians the lands were made inalienable except
by assent of the council and upon approval of the President of the
United States. The deeds for the Qualla boundary and the 15.UO0
acre purchase were executed respectively on October 9, 1876, and
August 11, 1880. 2 As the boundaries of the different purchases were
but vaguely defined, a new survey of the whole Qualla boundary and
adjoining tracts was authorized. The work was intrusted to M. S.
Temple, deputy United States surveyor, who completed it in 1876, his
survey maps of the reservation being accepted as the official standard.3
The titles and boundaries having been adjusted, the Indian Office
assumed regular supervision of East Cherokee affairs, and in June.
1875, the first agent since the retirement of Thomas was sent out in
the person of W. C. McCarthy. He found the Indians, according to
his report, destitute and discouraged, almost without stock or farming
tools. There were no schools, and very few full-bloods could speak
English, although to their credit nearly all could read and write their
own language, the parents teaching the children. Under his authority
a distribution was made of stock animals, seed wheat, and farming
tools, and several schools were started. In the next year, however,
iSee award of arbitrators. Rufus Barringer, John H. Dillard, and T. Ruffln, with ftdl statement, in
Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians against W. T. Thomas et al. H. R. Ex. Doc. 128, 53d Cong., 2d sess.,
1894; summary in Royce, Cherokee Nation, Fifth Ann. Kep. Bureau of Ethnology, pp. 315-318, 1888.
-s<e Royce, op. Cit., pp. 315-318; Commissioner T. .1. Morgan. Report of Indian Commissioner,
p. xxix, 1890. The final settlement, under the laws of North Carolina, was not completed until 1894.
'Royce, op. cit., pp. 315-318; Carrington, Eastern Band of Cherokees, with map of Temple survey,
Extra Bulletin of Eleventh Census, 1892.
INVITATION FROM WESTERN BAND 188] 1 7.r)
the agency was discontinued and the educational interests of i he band
turned over to the state school superintendent.1
In the meantime Ka'lalnV had been succeeded as chief by Lloj'd K.
Welch i l>a 'si giya'gl), an educated mixed-blood of Cheowa, who served
about five years, dying shortly after his reelection to a second term
(48). He made a good record by his work in reconciling the various
faction- which had sprung up after the withdrawal of the guiding influ-
ence of Thomas, and in defeating the intrigues of fraudulent while
claimants and mischief makers. Shortly before his death the ( rovern-
ment, through Special Agent John A. Sibbald, recognized his authority
as principal chief, together with the constitution which had been
adopteil by the band under his auspices in 1ST5. N. J. Smith (Tsa'-
ladihi'). who had previously served as clerk of the council, was elected
to his unexpired term and continued to serve until the fall of L890.8
We find no further official notice of the East Cherokee until L881,
when Commissioner Price reported that they were still without agent
or superintendent, and that so far as the Indian Office was concerned
their affairs were in an anomalous and unsatisfactory condition, while
factional feuds were adding to the difficulties and retarding the prog-
ress of the band. In thespringof that year a visiting delegation from
the Cherokee Nation west had extended to them an urgent imitation
to remove to Indian Territory and the Indian Office had encouraged
the project, with the result that lt',1 persons of the band removed dur-
ing the year to Indian Territory, the expense being borne by the
Government. Others were represented as being desirous to remove,
and the Commissioner recommended an appropriation for the purpose,
but as Congress failed to act the matter was dropped.3
The neglected condition of the Ea.st Cherokee having been brought
to the attention of those old-time friends of the Indian, the Quakers,
through an appeal made in their behalf by members of that society
residing in North Carolina, the Western Yearly Meeting, of Indiana,
volunteered to undertake the work of civilization and education. On
May 31, L881, representatives of the Friends entered into a contract
with the Indians, subject to approval by the Government, to establish
and continue among them for ten years an industrial school and other
common schools, to lie supported in part from the annual interest of
the trust fund held by the Government to the credit of the East Chero-
kee and in part by funds furnished by the Friends themselves. Through
the efforts of Barnabas C. Hobbs, of the Western Yearly Meeting, a
yearly contract to the same effect was entered into with the Commis-
! Report of Agent W. C. McCarthy, Report of Indian Commissioner, pp. 343-344, 1875; and Report of
Indian Commissione, pp. 118-119, 1876.
'Author's personal information: sue also Carrington, Eastern Band of Cherokees; Zeigler and
Grosscup, Heart .,i the AUeghanies, pp. 35-36, 1883.
'Commissioner H.Price, Report of Indian Commissioner, pp. Ixiv-lxv, 1881, and Report of Indian
Commissioner, pp. Ixix-lxx, 1882; see also ante, p. 151.
17o MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE
sioner of Indian Affairs later in the same year, and was renewed by
successive commissioners to cover the period of ten years ending June
30, 1892, when the contract system was terminated and the Govern-
ment assumed direct control. Under the joint arrangement, with some
aid at the outset from the North Carolina Meeting, work was begun
in 1881 by Thomas Brown with several teachers sent out by the Indiana
Friends, who established a small training school at the agency head-
quarters at Cherokee, and several day schools in the outlying settle-
ments. He was succeeded three years later by H. W. Spray, an expe-
rienced educator, who, with a corps of efficient assistants and greatly
enlarged facilities, continued to do good work for the elevation of the
Indians until the close of the contract system eight years later.1 After
an interregnum, during which the schools suffered from frequent
changes, he was reappointed as government agent and superintendent
in 1898, a position which he still holds in 1901. To the work con-
ducted under his auspices the East Cherokee owe much of what they
have to-day of civilization and enlightenment.
From some travelers who visited the reservation about this time we
have a pleasant account of a trip along Soco and a day with Chief
Smith at Yellow Hill. They describe the Indians as being so nearly
like the whites in their manner of living that a stranger could rarely
distinguish an Indian's cabin or little cove farm from that of a white
man. Their principal crop was corn, which they ground for them-
selves, and they had also an abundance of apples, peaches, and plums,
and a few small herds of ponies and cattle. Their wants were so few
that they had but little use for money. Their primitive costume had
long been obsolete, and their dress was like that of the whites, except-
ing that moccasins took the place of shoes, and they manufactured
their own clothing by the aid of spinning-wheels and looms. Finely
cut pipes and well-made baskets were also produced, and the good
influence of the schools recently established was already manifest in
the children.8
In 1882 the agency was reestablished and provision was made for
taking a new census of all Cherokee east of the Mississippi, Joseph
G. Hester being appointed to the work.3 The census was submitted
as complete in June, 1881, and contained the names of 1,881 persons in
North Carolina, 758 in Georgia, 213 in Tennessee, 71 in Alabama, and
33 scattering, a total of 2,956. ' Although this census received the
approval and certificate of the East Cherokee council, a large portion
of the band still refuse to recognize it as authoritative, claiming that
a large number of persons therein enrolled have no Cherokee blood.
'See Commissioner T.J.Morgan, Report of [ndian Commissioner, pp. 141-14.S, 1892; author's per-
sonal information from B. ('. Hobbs, Chief N*. .1. Smith, ami others. For further notice of school
groM Hi see also Report of Indian Commissioner, pp. 426-427, 1897.
2Zeigler and Grosscup. Heart of the Alleghanies, pp. 36-42, 1883.
•^Commissioner H. Price, Report of Indian Commissioner, pp. Ixix-lxx, 1882.
* Kvport of Indian Commissioner, pp. li-lii, ls.s4.
SUIT AGAINST WESTERN CHEROKEE 1883 8G 177
The East Cherokee had never ceased to contend for a participation
in the rights and privileges accruing to the western Nation under
treaties with the Government. In L882 a special agenf hud been ap-
pointed to investigate their claims, and in the following year, under
authority of Congress, the eastern hand of Cherokee brought suit in
the ( lourt of Claims against the Tinted States and the Cherokee Nation
west to determine its rights in the permanent annuity fund and other
trust funds held by the United States for the Cherokee Indians.1 The
case was decided adversely t<> the eastern hand, first bj the Court of
Claim- in 1885, ! and finally, on appeal, by the Supreme Court on
March 1, lssti. that court holding in its decision that the Cherokee in
North Carolina had dissolved their connection with the Cherokee
Nation and ceased to he a part of it when they refused to accompany
the main body at the Removal, and that if Indians in North Carolina or
in any state east of the Mississippi wished to enjoy the benefits of the
common property of the Cherokee Nation in any form whatever they
must he readmitted to citizenship in the Cherokee Nation and comply
with its constitution and laws. In accordance with this decision the
agent in the Indian territory was instructed to issue no more resi-
dence permits to claimants tor Cherokee citizenship, and it was
officially announced that all persons thereafter entering that country
without consent of the Cherokee authorities would he treated as
intruders.3 This decision, cutting off the East Cherokee from all
hope of sharing in any of the treaty benefits enjoyed by their western
kinsmen, was a sore disappointment to them all. especially to Chief
Smith, who had worked unceasingly in their behalf from the institu-
tion of the proceedings. In view of the result. Commissioner Atkins
strongly recommended, as the best method of settling them in perma-
nent home-, secure from white intrusion and from anxiety on account
of their uncertain tenure and legal status in North Carolina, that
negotiations be opened through government channels for their
readmission to citizenship in the Cherokee Nation, to he followed, if
successful, by the sale of their lands in North Carolina and their
removal to Indian Territory.4
In order to acquire a more definite legal status, the Cherokee resid-
ing in North Carolina —being practically all those of the eastern
band having genuine Indian interests — became a corporate body
under the laws of the state in 1889. The act. ratified on March 11,
declares in its first section ••That the North Carolina or Eastern
Cherokee Indians, resident or domiciled in the counties of Jackson,
Swain. Graham, and Cherokee, he and at the same time are hereby
i Commissioner H. Price, Report of Indian Commissioner, pp. Ixix-lxxi, i lian legisla-
tion," ibid., p. 214; Commissioner H. Price, Report of Indian Commissioner, pp. Ixv Ixvi, 1883.
* Commissioner J. I». e. Atkins, Report of Indian Commissioner, p. l\ *. 1885.
'Same commissioner. Ke|».n .»i the Indian Commissioner, ]>. xlv, 1886; decision quoted by same
commissioner. Report of Indian Commissioner, p. lxxvii, l-s;
■Same commissioner, Report "i the Indian Commissioner, p. li, 1886; reiterated by him in Report
lxxvii.
[9 Kin — oi 12
17tS MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
created and constituted a body politic and corporate under the name,
style, and title of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, with all the
rights, franchises, privileges and powers incident and belonging to
corporations under the laws of the state of North Carolina.1
On August 2, 1893, ex-Chief Smith died at Cherokee, in the fifty-
seventh year of his life, more than twenty of which had been given
to the service of his people. Nimrod Jarrett Smith, known to the
Cherokee as Tsa'ladihi", was the son of a halfbreed father by an Indian
mother, and was born near the present Murphj1, Cherokee county.
North Carolina, on January 3. 1S3T. His earliest recollections were
thus of the miseries that attended the flight of the refugees to the
mountains during the Removal period. His mother spoke very little
English, but his father was a man of considerable intelligence, having
acted as interpreter and translator for Reverend Evan Jones at the old
Valleytown mission. As the hoy grew to manhood he acquired a fair
education, which, aided by a commanding presence, made him a per-
son of influence among his fellows. At twenty -five years of age he
enlisted in the Thomas Legion as first sergeant of Company B, Sixty-
ninth North Carolina (Confederate) Infantry, and served in that capacity
till the close of the war. He was clerk of the council that drafted the
first East Cherokee constitution in 186S, and on the death of Principal
Chief Lloyd Welch in 1880 was elected to fill the unexpired term,
continuing in office by successive reelections until the close of 1891, a
period of about twelve years, the longest term yet filled by an incum-
bent. As principal chief he signed the contract under which the school
work was inaugurated in 1881. For several years thereafter his
duties, particularly in connection with the suit against the western
Cherokee, required his presence much of the time at ATashington,
while at home his time was almost as constantly occupied in attending
to the wants of a dependent people. Although he was entitled under
the constitution of the band to a salary of five hundred dollars per year,
no part of this salary was ever paid, because of the limited resources of
his people, and only partial reimbursement was made to him, shortly
before his death, for expenses incurred in official visits to Washington.
With frequent opportunities to enrich himself at the expense of his
people, he maintained his honor and died a poor man.
In person Chief Smith was a splendid specimen of physical man-
hood, being six feet four inches in height and built in proportion,
erect in figure, with flowing black hair curling down over his shoulders.
a deep musical voice, and a kindly spirit and natural dignity that
never failed to impress the stranger. His widow — a white woman —
and several children survive him.2
■See act in full, Report of Indian Commissioner, vol. I, pp. 680-681, 1891.
• From author's personal acquaintance; see also Zeigler and Grosscup, Heart of the Alleghanies,
pp. 38-39, Issb; iVgent .1. L. Holmes, in Repiort of Indian Commissioner, p. 160, 1S85; Commissioner
T. .1. Morgan, Report of Indian Commissioner, p. 142, 1892; Moore, Roster of the North Carolina
Troops, iv, 1882.
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY NINETEENTH ANNUAL REPORT PL X
CHIEF N. J. SMITH iTSALADIHI'
hookey] PRESENT CONDITION L79
In isi»-t the long-standing litigation between the Eas< Cherokee
and a number of creditors and claimants to Indian land-, within and
adjoining the Qualla boundary was finally settled bj a compromise
by which the several white tenants and claimants within the boundary
agreed to execute a quitclaim and vacate on paymenl to them by the
Indians of sums aggregating $24,552, while for another disputed
adjoining tract of 33,000 acres the United Stales agreed to pay, for
the Indian-, at the rate of $1.25 per acre. The necessarj Government
approval having been obtained, Congress appropriated a sufficienl
amount for carrying into effect the agreement, thus at last completing
a perfect and unincumbered title t<> all the lands claimed by the
Indians, with the exception of a few outlying tracts of comparative.
unimportance.1
In 1895 the Cherokee residing- in North Carolina upon the reserva
tion and in the outlying settlements were officially reported to number
1.47'.'. ' A vear later an epidemic of grippe spread through the band,
with the result that the census of L897 shows but 1,312, s among those
who died at this time being Big-witch (Tskil-e'gwa), the oldest man of
the band, who distinctly remembered the Creek war. and Wadi'yahi,
the last old woman who preserved the art of making double-walled
baskets. In the next year the population had recovered to 1,351.
The description of the mode of living' then common to most of the
Indians will apply nearly as well to-day:
While they are industrious, these people are not progressive farmers ami have
learned nothing of modern methods. The same crops are raised continuously until
the soil will yield no more or is washed away, when new ground is cleared or broken.
The value of rotation ainl fertilizing has not yet been discovered or taught. . . .
That these people can live at all upon the products of their small farms is due to
the extreme simplicity of their food, dress, and manner of living. The typical
house is of logs, is about fourteen by sixteen feet, of one room, just high enough for
the occupants to stand erect, with perhaps a small loft for the storage of extras.
The roof is of split shingles or shakes. There is no window, the open door furnish-
ing what 1 i s_r 1 1 1 is required. At .me end of the house is the fireplace, with outside
chimney of stones or sticks chinked with clay. The furniture is simple and cheap.
An iron pot, a hake kettle, a coffeepot and mill, small table, and a few cups, knives,
and spoons arc all that is needed. These, with .me or two bedsteads, homemade, a
few pillows and quilts, with feather mattresses for « inter covering, as well as for the
usual purpose, constitute the principal house possessions. For outdoor work there
is an ax, hoe, ami shovel plow. A wagon or cart may 1 wned, hut i- uol essi u-
tial. The outfit is inexpensive and answers every purpose. The usual food is bean
bread, with coffee. In the fall chestnut bread is also used. Beef is seldom eaten.
but pork is highly esteemed, and a considerable number of hogs are kept, running
wild and untended in summer.4
By the most recent official count, in 1900, the East Cherokee resid-
ing in North Carolina under direct charge of the agent and included
I ommissioner D.M. Browning, Report of Indian Commissioner for 1894, pp. 81-82, 1 >'.>">: also Agent
T. W . Potti i. ibid . p 96
= Agent T. W. Potter, Report of Indian Commissioner for 1895, p. 887, 1896.
: C Hart, Report of Indian Commissioner, p 208,1897
'Agent J. C. Hart. Report of Indian Commissi r, pp. 218-219, 1898.
180 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.axn.19
within the act of incorporation number 1,376, of whom about L,100
are on the reservation, the rest living farther to the west, on Nanta-
hala, Cheowa, and Hiwassee rivers. This does not include mixed-
bloods in adjoining states and some hundreds of unrecognized claim-
ants. Those enumerated own approximately 100,000 acres of
land, of which 83,000 are included within the Qualla reservation
and a contiguous tract in Jackson and Swain counties. They receive
no rations or annuities and are entirely self-supporting, the annual
interest on their trust fund established in 1848, which has dwindled to
about $23,000, being applied to the payment of taxes upon their unoc-
cupied common lands. From time to time they have made leases of
timber, gold-washing, and grazing privileges, but without any great
profit to themselves. By special appropriation the government sup-
ports an industrial training school at Cherokee, the agency head-
quarters, in which 170 pupils are now being boarded, clothed, and
educated in the practical duties of life. This school, which in its work-
ings is a model of its kind, owes much of its usefulness and high
standing to the efficient management of Prof. H. W. Spray (Wilsini'),
already mentioned, who combines the duties of superintendent and
agent for the band. His chief clerk, Mr James Blythe (Diskwa''m,
"Chestnut-bread"), a Cherokee by blood, at one time tilled the posi-
tion of agent, being perhaps the only Indian who has ever served in
such capacity.
The exact legal status of the East Cherokee is still a matter of dis-
pute, they being at once wards of the government, citizens of the
United States, and (in North Carolina) a corporate body under state
laws. They pay real estate taxes and road service, exercise the voting
privilege,1 and are amenable to the local courts, but do not pay poll
tax or receive any pauper assistance from the counties; neither can
they make free contracts or alienate their lands (19). Under their
tribal constitution they are governed by a principal and an assistant
chief, elected for a term of four years, with an executive council
appointed by the chief, and sixteen councilors elected by the various
settlements for a term of two years. The annual council is held in
October at Cherokee, on the reservation, the proceedings being in
the Cherokee language and recorded by their clerk in the Cherokee
alphabet, as well as in English. The present chief is Jesse Keid
(Tse'si-Ska'tsi, '-Scotch Jesse"), an intelligent mixed-blood, who tills
the office with dignity and ability. As a people they are peaceable and
law-abiding, kind and hospitable, providing for their simple wants by
their own industry without asking or expecting outside assistance.
Their fields, orchards, and fish traps, with some few domestic animals
and occasional hunting, supply them with food, while by the sale of
i At the recent election in November, 1900, they were debarred by the local polling officers from
either registering or voting, and the matter is now being contested.
hooneyJ PRESENT CONDITION 1S1
ginseng and other medicinal plants gathered in the mountains, with
fruit and honey of their own raising, they procure what additional
supplies they need from the traders. The majority are fairly com-
fortable, far above the condition of most Indian tribes, and hut little,
if any. behind their white neighbors. In literary ability they may
even be -aid to surpass them, as in addition to the result of nearly
twenty years of school work among the younger people, nearly all the
men and some of the women can read and write their own language.
All wear civilized costumes, though an occasional pair of moccasins
is seen, while the women find means to gratify the racial love of
color in the wearing of red bandanna kerchiefs in place of bonnets. The
older people still cling to their ancient rites and sacred traditions, hut
the dance and the ballplay wither and the Indian day is nearly spent.
Ill— NOTES TO THE HISTORICAL SKETCH
(1) Tribal synonymy (page 15): Very few Indian tribes are known to us under
the names by which they call themselves. One reason for this is the fact that the
whites have usually heard of a tribe from its neighbors, speaking other languages,
before coming upon the tribe itself. Many of the popular tribal names were origi-
nally nicknames bestowed by. neigh boring tribes, frequently referring to some peculiar
custom, and in a large number of cases would be strongly repudiated by the people
designated by them. As a rule each tribe had a different name in every surrounding
Indian language, besides those given by Spanish, French, Dutch, or English settlers.
YCm'uiyii' — This word is compounded from yunirl (person) and yd (real or prin-
cipal). The assumption of superiority is much in evidence in Indian tribal names;
thus, the Iroquois, Delawares, and Pawnee call themselves, respectively, Ofiwe-
honwe, Leni-lenape', and Tsariksi-tsa'riks, all of which maybe rendered "men of
men," "men surpassing other men," or "real men."
KUu'hwagl — This word, which can not be analyzed, is derived from Kitu'hwa, the
name of an ancient Cherokee settlement formerly on Tuckasegee river, just above
the present Bryson City, in Swain county, North Carolina. It is noted in 1730 as
one of the "seven mother towns" of the tribe. Its inhabitants were called Ani'-
Kltu'hwagl (people of Kituhwa), and seem to have exercised a controlling influence
over those of all the towns on the waters of Tuckasegee and the upper part of Little
Tennessee, the whole body being frequently classed together as Ani'-KItu'hwagl.
The dialect of these towns held a middle place linguistically between those spoken
to the east, on the heads of Savannah, and to the west, on Hiwassee, Cheowah, and
the lower course of Little Tennessee. In various forms the word was adopted by
the Delawares, Shawano, and other northern Algonquian tribes as a synonym for
Cherokee, probably from the fact that the Kituhwa people guarded the Cherokee
northern frontier. In the form Cuttawa it appears on the French map of Vaugondy
in 1755. From a similarity of spelling, Schoolcraft incorrectly makes it a synonym
for Catawba, while Brinton incorrectly asserts that it is an Algonquian term, fanci-
fully rendered, ' ' inhabitants of the great wilderness. ' ' Among the western Cherokee
it is now the name of a powerful secret society, which had its origin shortly before the
War of the Rebellion.
Cherokee — This name occurs in fully fifty different spellings. In the standard recog-
nized form, which dates back at least to 1708, it has given name to counties in North
Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama, within the ancient territory of the
tribe, and to as many as twenty other geographic locations within the United States.
In the Eastern or Lower dialect, with which the English settlers first became famil-
iar, the form is Tsa'ragl', whence we get Cherokee. In the other dialects the form
is Tsa'lagK It is evidently foreign to the tribe, as is frequently the case in tribal
names, and in all probability is of Choctaw origin, having come up from the south
through the medium of the Mobilian trade jargon. It will be noted that De Soto,
whose chroniclers first use the word, in the form Chalaque, obtained his interpreters
from the Gulf coast of Florida. Fontanedo, writing about the year 1575, mentions
other inland tribes known to the natives of Florida under names which seem to be
182
mooney] TRIBAL SYNONYMY L83
of Choctaw origin; For instance, the Canogacole, interpreted "wicked ] ■• •< >j ■ I. •. " ' the
final part being apparently the ( Ihoctaw word okla or ogvla, "people", which appears
also in Pascagoula, Bayou Goula, and Pensacola. Shetimasha, Atakapa, and probably
Biloxi, are also Choctaw names, although the tribes themselves are of other origins.
As the Choctaw held much of the Gulf coast and were the principal traders of that
regi it was natural that explorers landing among them should adopt their names
for the more remote tribes.
The name seems t" refer to the fact that the tribe occupied a rave country. In the
"Choctaw Leksikon " of Allen Wright, 1880, page 87, we find ckolick, a noun, signify-
ing a hole, cavity, pit, chasm, etc., and as an adjective signifying hollow, fn the man-
uscript Choctaw dictionary of Cyrus Byington, in the library of the Bureau of
American Ethnology, we find chiluk, noun, a hole, cavity, hollow, pit, etc, with a
statement that in its usual application it means a cavity or hollow, and not a hole
through anything. A.- an adjective, the same form is given as signifying hollow,
having a hole, as iii chiluk, a hollow tree: aboha chiluk, an empty house; chiluk
chukoa, to enter a hole. Other noun forms given are chulukund achiluk in thesingu-
lar and chilukoa in the plural, all signifying hole, pit, or cavity. Verbal tonus are
chilukikbi, to make a hole, and chilukba, to open and form a fissure.
In agreement with the genius of the Cherokee language tin- root form of the tribal
name takes nominal or verbal prefixes according to its connection with the rest of
the sentence, and is declined, or rather conjugated, as follows: Singular — first per-
son. tsi-Tsa'l&ffl, I (am) a Cherokee: second person, hi-Tsa'l&gl, thou art a Chero-
kee; third person, a-lia'Ulgi, he is a Cherokee. Dual — first person, dsti-'Dsa'l&gl,
we two are Cherokee; second person, sli-Tsa'l>, you two are Cherokee; third
person, ani'-Tba'l&gi, they two are Cherokee. Plural — first person, atsi-Taa/Vigl,
we i several i are Cherokee; second person, liiixi-Tsn'liii/i. xt m (several) are Chero-
kee; third person, anV- Tsa/l&ffi, they (several) are Cherokee. It will be noti 1
that the third person dual and plural are alike.
Oyata' ge'ronon' , etc. — The [roquois (.Mohawk I form is given by Hewitt as O-yata'-
ge'ronofi', of which the root is yala, cave, o is the assertive prefix, ge is the locative at,
and romotV is the tribal suffix, equivalent to ( English I -to or people. The word, which
has several dialectic forms, signifies "inhabitants of the cave country," or "cave-
country people," rather than "people who dwell in caves," as rendered by Schoolcraft
The same radix yata occurs also in the Iroquois name for the opossum, which is a
burrowing animal. As is well known, the Allegheny region is peculiarly a cave coun-
try, the caves having been used by the Indians for burial and shelter purposes, as is
proved by numerous remains found in them. It is probable that the Iroquois simply
translated the name (Chalaque) current in the South, as we find is the case in the
West, where the principal plains tribes are known under translations of the same
names in all the different languages. The Wyandot name for the Cherokee,
Wataiyo-ronon', and their Catawba name, ManteraiV. both seem to refer to coming
out of the ground, and may have been originally intended to convey the same idea
of cave ] pie.
Rickahockan — This name is used by the German explorer. Lederer, in 1670, as the
name of the people inhabiting the i noun tains to the southwest of the Virginia settle-
ments. On his map he puts them in the mountains on the southern head streams
of Roanoke river, in western North Carolina. He states that, according to his Indian
informants, the Rickahockan lived beyond the mountains in a land of great waves,
which he interpreted to mean the sea shore i ! I, but it is more likely that the Indians
were trying to convey, by means of the sign language, the idea of a succession of
mountain ridges. The name was probably of Powhatan origin, and is evidently
identical with Rechahecrian of the Virginia chronicles of about the same period, the
/• in the latter form being perhaps a misprint. It may he connected with Righka-
hauk, indicated mi Smith's map of Virginia, in 1607, as the name of a town within the
184 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
Powhatan territory, and still preserved in Rockahock, the nameot an estate on lower
Pamunkey river. We have too little material of the Powhatan language to hazard
an interpretation, bui it may possibly contain the root of the word for sand, which
appears as lekawa, nikawa, negaw, rigawa, rekwa, etc, in various eastern Algonquian
dialects, whence Rockaway (sand), and Recgawawank (sandy place) . The Pow-
hatan form, as given by Strachey, iaracawh (sand). H e gives also rocoyhook (otter),
reihcahahcoik, hidden under a cloud, overcast, rirhthime or reilieoun (a comb), and
rich ii-h (to divide in halves).
TalligevA — As Brinton well says: "No name in the Lenape' legends has given rise to
more extensive discussion than this." On Oolden's map in his "History of the Five
Nations," 1727, we find the "Alleghens" indicated upon Allegheny river. Heckewel-
der, who recorded the Delaware tradition in 1819, says: "Those people, as I was told,
calledthemselvesTalligeu or Talligewi. Colonel John Gibson, however, agentleman
who has a thorough knowledge of the Indians, and speaks several of their languages,
is of the opinion that they were not called Talligewi, but Alligevvi; and it would
seem that he is right from the traces of their name which still remain in the country,
the Allegheny river and mountains having indubitably been named after them. The
Delawares still call the former Alligewi Sipu (the river of the Alligewi)" — Indian
Nations, p. 48, ed. 1876. Loskiel, writing on the authority of Zeisberger, says that
the Delawares knew the whole country drained by the Ohio under the name of
Alligewinengk, meaning "the land in which they arrived from distant places, " basing
his interpretation upon an etymology compounded from talli or alii, there, icku, to
that place, and ewak, they go, with a locative final. Ettwein, another Moravian
writer, says the Delawares called "the western country" Alligewenork, meaning a
warpath, and called the river Alligewi Sipo. This definition would make the word
come from palliton or attiton, to fight, to make war, ewak, they go, and a locative, i. e.,
"they go there to fight." Trumbull, an authority on Algonquian languages, derives
the river name from v<ulik, good, best, hanne, rapid stream, and sipu, river, of which
rendering its Iroquois name, Ohio, is nearly an equivalent. Rafinesque renders Tal-
ligewi as "there found," from talli, there, and some other root, not given (Brinton,
Walam Olum, pp. 229-230, 1885).
It must be noted that the names Ohio and Alligewi (or Allegheny) were not
applied by the Indians, as with us, to different parts of the same river, but to the
whole stream, or at least the greater portion of it from its head downward. Although
Brinton sees no necessary connection between the river name and the traditional
tribal name, the statement of Heckewelder, generally a competent authority on Dela-
ware matters, makes them identical.
In the traditional tribal name, Talligewi or Alligewi, wi is an assertive verbal suf-
fix, so that the form properly means " he is a Tallige," or "they are Tallige." This
comes very near to Tsa'lagi', the name by which the Cherokee call themselves, and
it may have been an early corruption of that name. In Zeisberger' s Delaware dic-
tionary, however, we find wuloh or walok, signifying a cave or hole, while in the
"Walam Olum" we have oligonunk rendered "at the place of caves," the region
being further described as a buffalo land on a pleasant plain, where the Lenape',
advancing seaward from a less abundant northern region, at last found food (Walam
Olum, pp. 194-195). Unfortunately, like other aboriginal productions of its kind
among the northern tribes, the Lenape chronicle is suggestive rather than complete
and connected. With more light it may be that seeming discrepancies would disap-
pear and we should find at last that the Cherokee, in ancient times as in the historic
period, were always the southern vanguard of the Iroquoian race, always primarily
a mountain people, but with their flank resting upon the Ohio and its great tribu-
taries, following the trend of the Blue ridge and the Cumberland as they slowly
gave way before the pressure from the north until they were finally cut off from the
parent stock by the wedge of Algonquian invasion, but always, whether in the north
TRIBAL SYNONYM? 1 85
or in t lie south, keeping their distinctive title among the tribes as the "] pie of the
cave country."
As the Cherokee have occupied a prominent place in history for so long a period
their name appears in many synonyms and diverse spellings. The following are
among the principal of these:
SYNONYMS
T~\ i u.i' (plural. Ani'-Tsa'l&gl') . Proper form in the Middle and Western Cherokee
dialects.
TSA RAGl'. Proper form in the Eastern or Lower Cherokee dialect.
Achalaque. Schoolcraft, Notes on Iroquois, 1847 (incorrectly quoting Garcilaso).
Chalakee. Nuttall, Travels, 124, L821.
Chalaque. Gentleman of Elvas, 1557; Publications of Hakluyt Society, IX, 60, 1851.
/•■•■<. Barcia, Ensayo, 335, 1723.
Charakeys. Homann heirs' map,about 17.">0.
Charikees. Document of 1718, ./Me Rivers, South Carolina, 55, 1856.
Charokees. Governor Johnson, 1720, fide Rivers, Early History South Carolina, 93,
1874.
( 'heelah . Barton, New Views, xli v, 1 798.
Ckeerake. Adair, American Indians, 226, 1775.
Cheerakee. Ibid., 137.
Cheerague's. Moore, 1704, in Carroll, Hist. Colls. South Carolina, n, 576, 1836.
i 'In f'/v./.v ,-. Ross I'.'i, 1776, in Historical Magazine, 2d series, n, 218, 1867.
Chel-a-ke. Long, Expedition to Rocky Mountains, n, lxx, 1823.
Chetakees. Gallatin, Trans. Am. Antiq. Soc, n, 90, 1836.
Chelaques. Nuttall, Travels, 247, 1821.
Chelekee. Keane, in Stanford's Compendium, 506, 1878.
Chellokee. Schoolcraft, Indian Tribes, n, 204, 1852.
Cheloculgee. White, Statistics of Georgia, 28, RS49 (given as plural form of Creek
name).
Chelokees. Gallatin, Trans. Am. Antiq. Soc, n, 104, 1836.
Cheokees. Johnson, 1772, in New York Doc. Col. Hist., vm, 314, 1857 (misprint
for Cherokees).
flu raguees. Coxe, Carolina, n, 1741.
Cherakees. Ibid., map, 1741.
Clu rnki.i. Chanvignerie, 1736, fide Schoolcraft, Indian Tribes, in, 555, 1853.
Clu raguees. Coxe, Carolana, 13, 1741.
Cheraguis. Penicaut, 1699, in Margry, v, 404, 1883.
Cherickees. Clarke, 1739, in New York Doc. Col. Hist, vi, 148, 1855.
Cherikee. Albany conference, 1742, ibid., 218.
Cherokee. Governor Johnson, 1708, in Rivers, South Carolina, 238, 1856.
Cherookees. Croghan, 1760, in Mass. Hist. Soc. Colls., 4th series, ix, 372, 1871.
Cheroquees. Campbell, 1761, ibid., 41'i.
Cherrackees. Evans, 1755, in Gregg, Old Cheraws, 15, 1867.
Cherrokees. Treaty of 1722, fide Drake, Book of Indians, bk. 4, 32, 1848.
( 1i, rrykees. Weiser, 1748, fide Kauffman, Western Pennsylvania, appendix, 18, 1851.
Chirakues. Randolph, 1699, in Rivers, South Carolina, 449, 1856.
( hirokys. Writer about 1825, Annales de la Prop, de la Foi, n, 384, 1841.
ChoraMs. Document of 1748, New York Doc. Col. Hist., x, 143, 1858.
Chreokees. Pike, Travels, 173, 1811 (misprint, transposed).
Shanaki. Gatschet, Caddo MS, Bureau Am. Ethn., 1882 (Caddo name).
Shan-nock. Matey, Red River. 273, 1854 I Wichita name).
Shannaki. Gatschet, Fox MS, Bureau Am. Ethn., 1882 (Fox name: plural form,
Shannakiak).
Shayage. Gatschet, Raw MS, Bur. Am. Ethn., Is7s i Raw name).
\ Rafinesque, in Marshall, Kentucky, i, 23, 1824.
Zulocans. I
186 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
Sulluggoes. Coxe, Carolana, 22, 1741.
TcdUce. Gatschet, TonkawaMS, Bur. Am. Ethn., 1882 (Tonkawa name, ChaUke).
TceroUec. Gatechet, Wichita Ms, Bur. Am. Ethn., 1882 (Wichita name, Cherokiih).
Tchatakei). La Salle, L682, in Margry, n, 1!<7, 1S77 (misprint).
TialaHes. Gallatin, Trans. Am. Antiq. Soc., n, 90, 1836.
Tsallakee. Schoolcraft, Notes on Iroquois, 310, 1847.
Tsa-16-kee. Morgan, Ancient Society, 113, 1878.
Tschirokesen. Wrangell, Ethn. Nachrichten, xni, 1839 (German form).
TMlahM. Grayson, Creek MS, Bur. Am. Ethn., 1885 (Creek name; plural form,
Tstilgdl'gn or Tstdgtil'gi — Mooney).
Tzerrickey. Urlsperger, fide Gatschet, Creek Migration Legend, i, 26, 1884.
Tzulukis. Rafinesque, Am. Nations, i, 123, 1836.
Znllli-illis.
Zulocans.
' I Heekewelder, 1819, Indian Nations, 48, reprint of 1876 (traditional Dela-
allhtEwi. > ware name. singular, Talliqe? or AUigef (see preceding explanation).
Alligewi. )
Alleg. Schoolcraft, Indian Tribes, v, 133, 1855.
AUegans. Colden, map, 1727, fide Schoolcraft, ibid., in, 525, 1853.
Allegeui. Schoolcraft, ibid., v, 133, 1855.
Alleghans. Colden, 1727, quoted in Schoolcraft, Notes on Iroquois, 147, 1847.
Alleghanys. Rafinesque, in Marshall, Kentucky, i, 34, 1824.
Alleghens. Colden, map, 1727, fide Schoolcraft, Notes on Iroquois, 305, 1847.
Allegvri. Squier, in Beach, Indian Miscellany, 26, 1877.
Alii. Schoolcraft, Indian Tribes, v, 133, 1855.
Attighewis. Keane, in Stanford's Compendium, 500, 1878.
Talagans. Rafinesque, in Marshall, Kentucky, i, 28, 1824.
Talega. Brinton, Walam Olum, 201, 1885.
TaVagewy. Schoolcraft, Indian Tribes, n, 36, 1852.
Tallegwi. Rafinesque, fide Mercer, Lenape Stone, 90, 1885.
TaMgwee. Schoolcraft, Notes on Iroquois, 310, 1847.
Tallike. Brinton, Walam Olum, 230, 1885.
Kiti-'hwagi (plural, Ani'-JCUu'hwagl. See preceding explanation).
< 'uttawa. Yaugondy, map, Partie de l'Amerique, Septentrionale 1755.
Gatohua. l
Oattochwa. \ Gatschet, Creek Migration Legend, i, 28, 1884.
Katowa (plural, Katowagi). )
Ketawaugas. Haywood, Natural and Aboriginal Tennessee, 233, 1823.
Kittuwa. Brinton, Walam Olum, 16, 1885 ( Delaware name) .
Kuttoowauw. Aupaumut, 1791, fide Brinton, ibid., 16 (Mahican name) .
Oyata'ge'honoS'. Hewitt, oral information (Iroquois (Mohawk) name. See preced-
ing explanation) .
Ojadagochroene. Livingston, 1720, in New York Doc. Col. Hist., v, 567, 1855.
<hiihide<„,irns. Bleeker, 1701, ibid., iv, 918, 1854.
Oyadackuehramo. Weiser, 1753, ibid., vi, 795, 1855.
Oyadagahroenes. Letter of 1713, ibid., v, 386, 1855 (incorrectly stated to be the Flat-
heads, i. e., either Catawbas or Choctaws) .
Oyadage'oho. Gatechet, Seneca MS, 1882, Bur. Am. Ethn. (Seneca name).
0-ya-da/-go-(H/io. Morgan, League of Iroquois, 337, 1851.
Oyaudah. Schoolcraft, Notes on Iroquois, 448, 1847 (Seneca name) .
I'lrnlii'-i/o-ro'-no. Gatschet, Creek Migration Legend, 28, 1884 (Wyandot name).
Uyada. Ibid. (Seneca name).
We-yau-dahi Schoolcraft, Notes on Iroquois, 253, 1847.
Wu-tai-yo-ro-nofl'\ Hewitt, Wyandot .Ms. 1893, Bur. Am. Ethn. (Wyandot name).
mooney] MOBILIAN TRADE LANGUAGE 187
Rickahockans. Lederer, 1672, Discoveries, 26, rt-print of L891 (see preceding
explanation i.
Rickohockans. Map. ibid.
ariam. Drake, Book of Indians, hook 4, l'l\ 1848 (from old Virginia docu-
ments !.
crians. Rafinesque, in Marshall, Kentucky, i, 36, L824.
M'vs i ri. \\'. Gatechet, Catawba Ms. 1881, Bur. Am. Ethn. (Catawba name. See
preceding explanation |.
„ rPotier, Racines Huronnea et Grammaire, MS. 17.M (Wyandot
names. I lie first, according to Hewitt, is equivalent in
OCHIETARIKOSXOX. ., , °
l "ndge, or mountain, people ).
T'kwe"-tah-e-i'-ha-nk. Beauchamp, in Journal Am. Folklore, v, 225, 1892 (given as
the t taondaga name and rendered, " people of a beautiful red color" |.
C '■(, viole(?). Fontanedo, about 1575, Memoir, translated in French Hist. Colls.,
ii, 2-i", 1875 (rendered "wicked people").
(2) Mobilian trade LANGU iGE (page 16): This trade jargon, based upon Choctaw,
but borrowing also from all the neighboring dialects and even from the more north-
ern Algonquian languages, was spoken and understood among all the tribes of the Gulf
states, probably as far west as Matagorda bay and northward along both hanks of
the Mississippi to the Algonquian frontier about the entrance of the Ohio. It was
called Mobilienne by the French, from Mobile, the great trading center of the i fulf
region. Along the Mississippi it was sometimes known also as the Chickasaw trade
language, the Chickasaw being a dialect of the Choctaw language proper. Jeffreys,
in 1761, compares this jargon in its uses to the lingua franca of the Levant, and it
wa.- evidently l>y the aid of this intertribal medium that I>e Soto's interpreter from
Tampa hay could converse with all the tribes they met until they reached the Missis-
sippi. Some of the names used hy Fontanedo about 1575 for the tribes northward
from Appalachee bay seem to be derived from this source, as in later times were the
names of the other tribes of the Gulf region, without regard to linguistic affinities,
including among others the Taensa, Tunica, Atakapa, and Shetimasha, representing
as many different linguistic stocks. In his report upon the southwestern tribes in
1805, Sibley says that the "Mobilian" was spoken in addition to their native lan-
guages by all the Indians who had come from the east side of the Mississippi.
Among those so using it lie names the Alabama, Apalachi, Biloxi, Chactoo, Pacana,
Pascagula, Taensa. and Tunica. Woodward, writing from Louisiana more than fifty
years later, says: '■There is yet a language the Texas Indians call the Mobilian
tongue, that ha.- been the trading language of almost all the tribes that have inhab-
ited the country. I know white men that now speak it. There is a man now living
near me that is fifty years of age, raised in Texas, that speaks the language well. It
is a mixture of Creek, Choctaw. Chickasay, Xetches [Natchez], and Apelash [Apa-
lachi]"— Reminiscences, 79. For further information see also Gatschet, (reek
Migration Legend, and Sibley, Report.
The Mobilian trade jargon was not unique of its kind. In America, as in other
parts Of the world, the common necessities of intercommunication have resulted in
the format] f several such mongrel dialects, prevailing sometimes over wide
area-. In some cases, also, the language of a predominant tribe serves as the com-
mon medium for all the tribes of a particular region. In South America we find the
lingoa geral, based upon the Tupi' language, understood tor everyday purposes by
all the tribes of the immense central region from Guiana to Paraguay, including
almost the w hole Amazon basin. On the northwest coast w> find the well-known
"Chinook jargon," which take> it- name from a -mall tribe formerly residing at the
mouth of the Columbia, in common use among all tie- tribes iron. California far up
MYTHS OF THE CHEKOKEE
[ETH. ANN. 19
into Alaska, and eastward to the great divide of the Rocky mountains. In the
southwest the Navaho-Apache language is understood by nearly all the Indians of
Arizona and New Mexico, whil i the plains the Sioux language in the north and
the Comanche in the south hold almost the same position. In addition to these we
have also the noted "sign language," a gesture system used and perfectly understood
as a fluent means of communication among all the hunting tribes of the plains from
the Saskatchewan to the Rio Grande.
(3) Dialects (page 17): The linguistic affinity of the Cherokee and northern
lroquoian dialects, although now well established, is not usually obvious on the
surface, but requires a close analysis of words, with a knowledge of the laws of pho-
netic changes, to make it appear. The superficial agreement is perhaps most apparent
between the Mohawk and the Eastern (Lower) Cherokee dialects, as both of these
lack the labials entirely and use r instead of /. In the short table given below the
Iroquois words are taken, with slight changes in the alphabet used, from Hewitt's
manuscripts, the Cherokee from those of the author:
Mohawk
Cherokee (East-
ern)
person
ongwe'
yufiwl
fire
otsi'ra'
atsi'ra (atsi'la)
water
awen'
awa' (ami')
stone
onefiya'
nimviV
arrow
ka'non'
kiuil'
pipe
kanonnawefi'
kanun'nawu
hand (arm)
owe'ya"
uwa'yl
milk
unefi'ta"
unuii'tl
five
wlsk
hlskl
tobacco
[tcarhu-, Tuscarora]
tsarfl (tsalu)
fish
otcofi'ta'
u'tsutl'
ghost
o'skefma'
asgi'na
snake
ennatuii
i'nadu'
Comparison of Cherokee dialects
Eastern
(Lower)
Middle
Western
1 Upper)
fire
atsi'ra
atsi'la
atsi'la
water
awa'
ama'
ama'
dog
gi'rl'
gi'll'
gi'll'
hair
gitsu'
gitsft'
gitlu'
hawk
tsa'nuwa'
IsVnmvn'
tlft'nuwa'
leech
tsanu'sl'
tsanu'sl'
tlanu'sl'
bat
tsa'weha'
tsa'meha'
tla'meha'
panther
tsuntu'tsl
tsuntu'tsl
ttuntu'tsl
jay
tsay'ku'
tsay'ku'
tlay'ku'
martin (bird)
tsutsu'
tsutsn'
tlutlti'
war-club
atasu'
atasu'
atasl'
heart
unahu'
unahu'
unahwl'
where?
ga'tsu
ga'tsfl
ha'tlu
how much?
hufigu'
hufigu'
hila'gu
key
stugi'stl
stugi'stl
stui'stl
I pick it up (long)
tslnigi'il
tslnigi'u
tsine'ii
my father
agida'ta
agida'ta
eda'ta
my mother
a'gitsl'
a'gitsl'
etsl'
my father's father
agini'sl
agini'sl
eni'sl
my mother's father
agidu'tti
agidu'td
edu'tO
mooney] IROQUOIAN MIGRATIONS 189
It will be noted that the Eastern and Middle dialects arc aboul the same, except-
ing for the change of I to r, and the entire absence of the labial m from the Eastern
dialect, while the Western differs considerably fr the others, particularly in the
greater frequency of the liquid J and the softening of the guttural g, the changes tend-
ing to render it the most musical of all the Cherokee dialects. It is also the stand-
ard literary dialect. In addition to these three principal dialects there are some
peculiar forms and expressions in use by a few individuals which indicate the former
existence of cue or more other dialects now too far extinct to be reconstructed. As
in most other tribes, the ceremonial forms used by the priestl I ate so filled with
archaic and figurative expressions as to !«■ almost unintelligible to the laity.
(4) Iroquoian nar.es and migrations (p. 17): The Iroquoian stock, taking its
name from the celebrated Iroquois confederacy, consisted formerly of from fifteen
to twenty tribes, speaking nearly as many different dialects, and including, among
others, the following:
Wyandot, or Huron. ~\
Tionontati, or Tobacco nation.
Attiwan'daron, or Neutral nation. \ Ontario, ( lanada.
Tohotaenrat.
Wenrorono.
Mohawk. |
Oneida.
Onondaga. > Iroquois, or Five Nations, New York.
( layuga.
Seneca. J
Erie. Northern t Mhio, etc.
Conestoga, or Susquehanna. Southern Pennsylvania and Maryland.
Nottoway. "I
Meherrim'.J S"»""'>'" Virginia.
Tnscarora. Eastern North Carolina.
Cherokee. Western Carolina, etc.
Tradition and history alike point to the St. Lawrence region as the early home
of this stock. Upon this point all authorities concur. Says Hale, in his paper on
Indian Migrations (p.4): "The constant tradition of the Iroquois represents their
ancestors a- emigrants from the region north of the Oreat lakes, where they dwelt in
early times with their Huron brethren. This tradition is recorded with much par-
ticularity by Cadwallader Colden, surveyor-general of New York, who in the early
part of the last century composed his well known 'History of the Five Nations.' It
is told in a somewhat different form by David { 'tisick. the Tnscarora historian, in his
'Sketchesof Ancient History of the Six .Nations,' and it is repeated by Mr. L. H.
Morgan in his now classical work. 'The League of the Iroquois,' for which he- pro-
cured his information chiefly among the Senecas. Finally, as we learn from the
narrative of the Wyandot Indian, Peter Clarke, in his 1 k entitled 'Origin ami Tra-
ditional History of the Wyandotts." the belief of the Hurons accords in this respect
with that of the Iroquois. Both point alike to the country immediately north of the
St. Lawrence, and especially to that portion of it lying east of Lake Ontario, as the
early home of the Huron-Iroquois nations." Nothing is known of the tradition- oi
the ( lonestoga or the Nottoway, hut the trail it inn of the Tnscarora. as given by Cusick
and other authorities, makes them a direct offsl ( from the northern [roquois, with
whom they afterward reunited. The traditions of the Cherokee also, as we have
seen, bring them from the north, thus npleting the cycle. "The striking fact has
become evident that the course of migration of the Huron-Cherokee family has been
from the northeast to the southwest — that is. from eastern Canada, on the Lower St.
Lawrence, to the mountains of northern Alabama. " — Hale, Indian Migrations, p. 11.
The retirement of the northern Iroquoian tribes from the St. Lawrence region was
190 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [cth.ann.19
due to the hostility of their Algonquian neighbors, by whom the Huronsand their
allies were forced to take refuge about Georgian hay and the head of Lake Ontario,
while the Iroquois proper retreated to central New York. In 1535 (artier found the
shores of the river from Quebec to Montreal occupied by anlroquoian people, but on
the settlement of the country seventy years later the same region was found in pos-
session of Algonquian tribes. The confederation of the five Iroquois nation-, probably
about the year 1540, enabled them to check the Algonquian invasion and to assume
the offensive. Linguistic and other evidence shows that the separation of the Chero-
kee from the parent stock must have far antedated this period.
(5) Waaam Ohm (p. 18): The name signifies "red score," from the Delaware
walam, "painted," more particularly "painted red." and <,hi,u. "a score, tally-
mark." The Walam Olum was first published in 1836 in a work entitled "The
American Nations." by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque, a versatile and voluminous,
but very erratic, French scholar, who spent the latter half of his life in this country,
dying in Philadelphia in 1840. He asserted that it was a translation of a manuscript
hi the Delaware language, which was an interpretation of an ancient sacred metrical
legend of the Delawares, recorded in pictographa cut upon wood, obtained in 1820 by
a medical friend of his among the Delawares then living in central Indiana. He
says himself: "These actual olum were first obtained in 1820 as a reward for a
medical cure, deemed a curiosity, and were unexplicable. In 1822 were obtained
from another individual the soul's annexed thereto in the original language, hut no
one could be found by me able to translate them. I had therefore to learn the
language since, by the help of Zeisberger, Heckewelder, and a manuscript diction-
ary, on purpose to translate them, which I only accomplished in 1833." On account
of the unique character of the alleged Indian record and Rafinesque's own lack of
standing among his scientific contemporaries, hut little attention was paid to the
discovery until Brinton took up the subject a few years ago. After a critical sifting
of the evidence from every point of view he arrived at the conclusion that the
work is a genuine native production, although the manuscript rendering is faulty.
partly from the white scribe's ignorance of the language and partly from the Indian
narrator's ignorance of the meaning of the archaic forms. Brinton's edition (q. v. ),
published from Rafinesque's manuscript, gives the legend in triplicate form — picto-
graph, Delaware, and English translation, with notes and glossary, and a valuable
ethnologic introduction by Brinton himself.
It is not known that any of the original woodcut pictographs of the Walam Olum
arc now in existence, although a statement of Rafinesque implies that he had seen
them. As evidence of the truth of his statement, however, we have the fact that
precisely similar pictographic series cut upon birch bark, each pictograph represent-
ing a line or couplet of a sacred metrical recitation, are now known to be common
among the Ojibwa, Menomini, and other northern tribes. In 1762 a Delaware
prophet recorded his visions in hieroglyphics cut upon a wooden stick, ami about
the year 1S'_>7 a Kickapoo reformer adopted the same method to propagate a w\\
religion among the tribes. One of these "prayer sticks" is now in the National
Museum, being all that remains of a large basketful delivered to a missionary in
Indiana by a party of Kickapoo Indians in 1830 (see plate and description, pp. 665,
697 et seq. in the author's Ghost-dance Religion, Fourteenth Annual Report of the
Bureau of Ethnology ).
(6) Fish riyek (p. 18): NamsesiSipu I Heckewelder, Indian Nations, 49), or Namas-
sipi (Walam olum, p.l9S). Deceived by a slight similarity of sound. Heckewelder
makes this river identical with the Mississippi, but as Schoolcraft shows (Notes on
Iroquois, p. 316) the true name of the Mississippi is simply Misi-sipi, "great river,"
and "fish river" would lie a most inappropriate name for such a turbulent current,
where only the coarser species can live. The mere fact that there can be a question
of identity among experts familiar with Indian nomenclature would indicate that it
DK soro's ROUTE 191
was Qot one of the larger streams. Although Heckewelder makes the Uligewi, as ne
prefers to call them, Bee down the Mississippi after their final defeat, the Walam
Olum chronicle says only "all the Talega go south." It was probahly a gradual
withdrawal, rather than a sudden and concerted flight (see Hale, Indian Migra-
tions, pp. 19-22) .
(7) First ippeabance of whites (p. 19): ft is possible that this may refer t ■
of the earlier adventurers who coasted along the North Atlantic in the first decades
after the discovery of America, among whom were Sebastian Cabot, in 1498; Verra-
zano, in 1">l'4; and Gomez, in 1525. As these voyages were not followed up by per-
manent occupation of the country it is doubtful if they made any lasting impressii m
upon Indian tradition. The author lias chosen to assume, with Brinton and Rati-
nesque, that the Walam Olum reference is to the .settlement of the Dutch at New
York and the English in Virginia sunn after 1600.
(8) 1 > i Soto's route (p. 26): On May 30, 1539, Hernando de Soto, of Spain, with
600 armed men and 213 horses, landed at Tampa hay, on the west coast of Florida, in
search of gold. Alter more than four year- of hardship and disappointed wandering
from Florida to the great plains of the West and back again to the Mississippi, where
De Soto died and his body was consigned to the great river, 311 men, all that were
left of the expedition, arrived finally at Pdnuco, in Mexico, on September in. 1543.
For the history of this expedition, the most important ever undertaken by Spain
within eastern United State.-, v.e have four original authorities. First is the
brief, hut evidently truthful (Spanish) report of Biedma, an officer of tin' expedi-
tion, presented to the King in 1544. immediately after the return to Spain. Next
in order, hut of first importance for detail and general appearance of reliability, is
the narrative of an anonymous Portuguese cavalier of the expedition, commonly
known as the i lentleman of Elvas, originally published in the Portuguese language
in 1557. Xext comes the (Spanish) narrative of Garcilaso, written, hut not pub-
lished, in 1587. t'nlike the others, the author was not an eyewitness of what lie
describes, hut made up his account chiefly from the oral recollections of an old
soldier of the expedition more than forty years after the event, this information
being supplemented from papers written by two other soldiers of De Soto. Is might
he expected, the ( iarcilaso narrative, although written in flowery style, abounds in
exaggeration and trivial incident, and com]. ares unfavorably with the other accounts,
while probably giving more of the minor happenings. The fourth original account
is an unfinished (Spanish) report by Ranjel, secretary of tin- expedition, written
-o ,ii after reaching Mexico, and afterward incorporated with considerable change by
Oviedo, in his "Historia natural j general de las Indias." As this fourth narrative
remained unpublished until 1851 and has never been translated, it has hitherto been
entirely overlooked by the commentators, excepting Winsor, who notes it inciden-
tally. In general it agrees well with the Klvas narrative and throws valuable light
upon the history of the expedition.
The principal authorities, while preserving a general unity of narrative, differ
greatly in detail, especially in estimates of numbers and distances, frequentl} to such
an extent that it is useless to attempt to reconcile their different statements. In gen-
eral the Gentleman of Klvas is most moderate in his expression, while Biedma takes
a middle ground and Garcilaso exaggerates greatly. Thus the first named gives
De Soto 600 men. Hied ma make- the number 620, while Garcilaso says 1,000. At a
certain stage of the joumej the Portuguese Gentleman gives De Soto Tun Indian- as
escort, Biedma say- sou, while < rarcilaso makes it 8,000 It the battle of Ma\ ilia the
Klvas account gives is Spaniards and 2,500 Indians killed. Biedmasays 20 Spaniards
killed, without giving an estimate of the Indians, while Garcilaso ha- 82 Spaniards
and over 1 l.iioo Indians killed. In distances there is as great discrepancy. Thus
Biedma makes the distance from ( luaxule to Chiaha four days, Garcilaso has it six
days, and Elvas seven days. As to the length of an average day's march we find it
192 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [bth.ash.19
estimated all the way from "four leagues, more or less" (< rarcilaso | to " every day
seven or eight leagues" (Elvas). In another place the Elvas chronicler state- thai
they usually made five or six leagues a day through inhabited territories, but that in
crossing uninhabited regions — as that between Canasagua and Chiaha, they marched
every day as far as possible for fear of running out of provisions. One of the most
glaring discrepancies appears in regard to the distance between Chiaha and Coste.
Both the Portuguese writer and Garcilaso put Chiaha upon an island — a statement
which in itself is at variance with any present conditions, — but while the former
makes the island a fraction over a league in length the latter says that it was five
leagues long. The next town was Coste, which Garcilaso puts immediately at the
lower end of the same island while the Portuguese Gentleman represents it as seven
days distant, although he himself has given the island the shorter length.
Notwithstanding a deceptive appearance of exactness, especially in the Elvas and
Banjel narratives, which have the form of a daily journal, the conclusion is irresist-
ible that much of the record was made after dates had been forgotten, and the
sequence of events had become confused. Considering all the difficulties, dangers,
and uncertainties that constantly beset the expedition, it would be too much to expect
the regularity of a ledger, and it is more probable that the entries were made, not
from day to day, but at irregular intervals as opportunity presented at the several
resting places. The story must be interpreted in the light of our later knowledge of
the geography and ethnology of the country traversed.
Each of the three principal narratives has passed through translations and later
editions of more or less doubtful fidelity to the original, the English edition in some
cases being itself a translation from an earlier French or Dutch translation. English
speaking historians of the expedition have usually drawn their material from one or
the other of these translations, without knowledge of the original language, of the
etymologies of the Indian names or the relations of the various tribes mentioned, or
of the general system of Indian geographic nomenclature. One of the greatest errors
has been the attempl to give in every case a fixed local habitation to a name which
in some instances is not a proper name at all, ami in others is merely a descriptive
term or a duplicate name occurring at several places in the same tribal territory.
Thus Tali is simply the Creek word talua, town, and not a definite place name as
represented by a mistake natural in dealing through interpreters with an unknown
Indian language. Tallise and Tallimuchase are respectively "Old town" and "New
town" in Creek, and there can lie no certainty that the same names were applied to
the same places a century later. Canasagua is a corruption of a Cherokee name
which occurs in at least three other places in the old Cherokee country in addition
to the one mentioned in the narrative, and almost every old Indian local name
was thus repeated several times, as in the case of such common names as Short
creek, Whitewater, Richmond, or Lexington among ourselves. The fact that only
one name of the set has been retained on the map does not prove its identity with the
town of the old chronicle. Again such loose terms as "a large river," "a beautiful
valley," have been assumed to mean something more definitely localized than the
wording warrants. The most common error in translation has been the rendering
of the Spanish "despoblado" as "desert." There are no deserts in the Gulf states,
and the word means simply an uninhabited region, usually the debatable strip
between two tribes.
There have been many attempts to trace lie Soto's route. As nearly every historian
who lias written of the southern states lias given attention to this subject it is
unnecessary to enumerate them all. ( if some thirty works consulted by tin- author,
in addition to the original narratives already mentioned, not more than two or three
can be considered as speaking with any authi irity, the rest simply copying from these
without investigation. The first attempt to locate the route definitely was made
by Meek (Romantic Passages, etc.) in 1839 (reprinted in 1857), his conclusions being
■■< i i DE BOTO S ROUTE 1 93
based upon his general knowledge of the geography of the region. In is:>i Picketl
tried to locate ttic route, chiefly, he asserts, from [ndian tradition as related by
mixed-bloods. How much dependence can be placed upon [ndian tradition as thus
interpreted three centuries after the event it is unnecessary to say. Both these
writers have brought De Soto down the Coosa river, in which they have been
followed without investigation by Irvine. Shea and others, but none of these was
awan- of the existence of a Suwali tribe or correctly acquainted with the Indian
nomenclature of the upper country, or of the Creek country as so well summarized
bj Gatschet in his Creek Migration Legend. They are also mistaken in assuming
that only De Soto passed through thi untry, whereas we now know thai several
Spanish explorers ami numerous French adventurers traversed the same territory,
the latest expeditions of course being freshest in Indian memory. Jones in his
"De Soto's March Through Georgia" simply dresses up the- earlier statements in
more literary style, sometimes changing surmises to positive assertions, without
mentioning his authorities. Maps of the supposed route, all bringing De Soto down
the ( loosa instead of the ( lhattahoochee, have been published in [rving's ( ionquest of
Florida, the Hakluyt Society's edition of the Gentleman of El va's account, and in
Buckingham Smith's translation of the same narrative, as well as in several other
works. For the eastern portion, with which we have to deal, all of these arc prac-
tically duplicates of one another. On several old Spanish and French maps the
names mentioned in the narrative seem to have been set down merely to till space,
without much reference to the text of the chronicle. For a list and notices of prin-
cipal writers who have touched upon this subject see the appendix to Shea's chapter
on "Ancient Florida" in Winsor's Narrative and Critical History of America, n; Bos-
ton, 1886. We shall speak only of that part of the route which lav near the < Iherokee
mountains.
The first location which concerns us in the narrative is: Cofitaehiqui, the town
from which De Soto set out for the Cherokee country. The name appears variously
as Cofitachequi (Ranjel), Cofitachique (Biedma), Cofachiqui (Garcilaso), Cutifa-
Chiqui (by transposition, Elvas), Cofetacque (Vandera), Catafachique (Williams)
and Cosatachiqui (misprint, Brooks MSS), and the Spaniards first heard of the
region as Yupaha from a tribe farther to the south. The correct form appeals to lie
that first given, which Gatschet, from later information than that quoted in his
(feck Migration Legend, makes a Hitchitee word about equivalent to "Dogwood
town," fromco/i, "dogw 1," coftta, "dogwood thicket," zndchiki, "house," orcol-
lectively "town." McCulloch puts the town upon the headwaters of the Ocmulgee;
Williams locates it on the Chattah dice; Gallatin on the Oconc r the Savannah;
Meek and Monette, following him, probably in the fork of the Savannah and the
Broad; 1'ickett. with Jones and others following him. at Silver bluff on the east
i north) hank of the Savannah, in Barnwell county, South Carolina, about 25 mile- by
water below the present Augusta. It will thus be seen that at the very outset of our
inquiry the commentators differ by a distance equal to more than half the width of
the stat i -of ( Jeorgia. It will suffice here to say, without going into the argument, that,
the author is inclined to believe that the Indian town was on or near Silver bluff,
which was noted for its extensive ancient remains as far back as Bartram's time
(Travels. 313), and where the noted George Galphin established a trading post in
1736. The original site has since been almost entirely worn away by the river.
According to the Indians of Cofitaehiqui, the town, which was on the farther i north)
bank of the stream, was tw o day's journey from the sea, probably by canoe, and the
sailors « ith the expedition believed tin- river to be the same one that entered al St.
Helena, which was a very close guess. The Spaniards were shown here European
articles which they were told had been obtained from white men who had entered the
river's mouth many years before. These they conjectured to have been the men
with Ayllon, who had landed on that coast in 1520 and again in 1524. The town was
probably the ancient capital of the I'.hee Indians, who, before their absorption by
!'.» F.TH- 111 13
194 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
the Creeks, held or claimed most of the territory on both banks of Savannah river
from the Cherokee border t" within about forty miles of Savannah ami westward to
the* >geeeheeand Cannouchee rivers (see Gatschet, ( Ireek Migration Legend, i, 17-34).
The country was already on the decline in 1540 from a recent fatal epidemic, but
was yet populous ami wealthy, and was ruled by a woman chief whose authority
extended for a considerable distance. The town was visited also by Pardoin 1567 and
again by Torres in HiL's, w hen it was still a principal settlement, as rich in pearls as in
De Soto's time i Brooks MSS, in the archives of the Bureau of American Ethnology).
Somewhere in southern Georgia De Soto had been told of a rich province called
Coca (Coosa, the Creek country) toward the northwest. At Cofltachiqui he again
heard of it and of one of its principal towns called ( 'hiaha (( heliaw ) as being twelve
da\ s inland. Although on first hearing of it lie had kept on in the other direction
in order to reach Cofltachiqui, he now determined to go there, and made the
queen a prisoner to compel her to accompany him a part of the way as guide. ( 'oca
province was. though he did not know it, almost due west, and he was in haste to
reach it in order to obtain corn, as his men and horses were almost worn out from
hunger. It is apparent, however, that the unwilling queen, afraid of being carried
beyond her own territories, led the Spaniards by a roundabout route in the hope of
making her escape, as she finally did, or perhaps of leaving them to starve and die in
the mountains, precisely the trick attempted by the Indians upon another Spanish
adventurer, Coronado, entering the great plains from the Pacific coast in search of
golden treasure in the .same year.
Instead therefore of recrossing the river to the westward, the Spaniards, guided
by the captive queen, took the direction of the north ("la vuelta del norte" —
Biedma), and, after passing through several towns subject to the queen, came in
seven days to "the province of Chalaque" (Elvas). Elvas, Garcilaso, and Ranjel
agree upon the spelling, but the last named makes the distance only two days from
Cofltachiqui. Biedma does not mention the country at all. . The trifling difference
in statement of live days in seven need not trouble us, as Biedma makes the whole
distance from Cofltachiqui to Xuala eight days, and from Guaxuleto Chiaha four days,
where Elvas makes it, respectively, twelve and seven days. Chalaque is, of course,
Cherokee, as all writers agree, and De Soto was now probably on the waters of
Keowee river, the eastern head stream of Savannah river, where the Lower Chero-
kee had their towns. Finding the country bare of corn, he made no stay.
Proceeding six days farther they came next to Guaquili, where they were kindly
received. This name occurs only in the Ranjel narrative, the other three being
entirely silent in regard to such a halting place. The name has a Cherokee sound
(Wakili), but if we allow for a dialectic substitution of / for r it may be connected
with such Catawba names as Congaree, Wateree, and Sugeree. It was probably a
village of minor importance.
They came next to the province of Xuala, or Xualla, as the Divas narrative more
often has it. In a French edition it appears as Chouala. Ranjel makes it three
days from Guaquili or five from Chalaque. Elvas also makes it live days from
Chalaque, while Biedma makes it eight days from Cofltachiqui, a total discrepancy
of four days from the last-named place. Biedma describes it as a rough mountain
country, thinly populated, but with a few Indian houses, and thinks that in these
mountains the great river of Fspiritu Santo (the Mississippi) had its birth. Ranjel
describes the town as situated in a plain in the vicinity of rivers and in a country
with greater appearance of gold mines than any they had yet seen. The Portuguese
gentleman describes it as having very little corn, and says that they reached it from
Cofltachiqui over a hilly country. In his final chapter he states that the course
from Cofltachiqui to this place was from south to north, thus agreeing with Biedma.
According to Garcilaso (pp. 136-137) it was fifty leagues by the road along which the
Spaniards had come from Cofltachiqui to the first valley of the province of Xuala,
moosey] . dk SOTO'S ROUTE I ".r>
with but few mountains on the way, ami the town itself was situated close under a
mi mil tain ( " a la tali la de una sierra " beside a small bul rapid stream which formed
the boundary of the territory of Cofitachiqui in this direction. From Ranjel we
learn that on the same day after leaving this place for the nexl "province" the
Spaniards crossed a very hi^l untain ridge ("una sierra tnuy alta"
Without mentioning the name, Pickett > 1851 refers to Kuala as "a town in the
present Habersham county, Georgia," but gives no reason for this opinion. Rye
and Irving, of the same date, arguing from a slight similarity of name, think it may
have been on the site of a fun hit Cherokee town, Qualatchee, on the head of Chat-
tahoochee river in Georgia. The resemblance, however, is rather farfetched, and
moreover this same name is found on Keowee river in South Carolina. .1 s
i De Soto in < reorgia, 1880) interprets ' rarcilaso's description to refer to " Sai :hee
valley. Habersham county" which should be White county— and the neighboring
Mount yonah, overlooking the fact that the same description of mountain, valley,
and swift flowing stream might apply equally well to any one of twenty other
localities in this southern mountain country. With direct contradiction Garcilaso
says that the Spaniards rested here fifteen days because they found provisions plenti-
ful, while the Portuguese Gentleman says that they stopped but two days because
they found so little corn! Ranjel makes them stop four days and says they found
abundant provisions and assistance.
However that maj have been, there can lie no question of tin- identity of the
name. As the province of Chalaque is the country of the Cherokee, so the province
of Xuala is the territory of the Suwali or Sara Indians, better known later as
Cheraw, who lived in early times in the piedmont country about the head of Broad
river in North Carolina, adjoining the Cherokee, who still remember them under
the name of Ani'-Suwa'li. A principal trail to their country from the west led up
Swannanoa river ami across the gap which, fur this reason, was kmiwn to the
( Jherokee as Suwa'li-nunna, " Suwali trail," corrupted by the whites to Swannanoa.
Leilerer. who found them in the same general region in 1670, calls this gap the
"Suala pass" ami the neighboring mountains the Sara mountains, "which," lie
says, "The Spaniards make Simla." They afterward shifted to the mirth and
finally returned ami were incorporated with the Catawba (see Mooney, Simian Tribes
• if the East, bulletin of the Bureau of Ethnology, 1894).
Up to this point the Spaniards had followed a mirth course from Cofitachiqui
(Biedma ami Elvas), but they now turned to the west i Elvas, final chapter). On
the same day on which they left Xnala they crossed "a very high mountain ridge,"
and descended the next day to a wide meadow bottom I "savana" I, through which
Qowed a river which they concluded was a part of the Espiritu Santo, the Mississippi
(Ranjel). Biedma speaks of crossing a mountain country ami mentions the river,
which he also says they thought to he a tributary of the Mississippi. ( ianilasu
Bays that this portion of their mute was through a mountain country without inhabi-
tants i "desp. ihladn" i ami the I'. .it iiL'iioe gentleman describes it as being over " very
rough ami high ridges." In live days of such travel — fur here, for a wonder, all the
narratives agree — they ram.- to Guaxule. This is the form given by Garcilaso and
the Gentleman of Elvas; Biedma has Guasula, and Ranjel Guasili or Guasuli. The
translators am! commentators have given its such forms as Guachoule, Quaxule,
Quaxulla, and Quexale. According to the Spanish method of writing Indian words
the name was pronounced Washule' or W'asuli, which has a Cherokee sound, although
it can not he translated. Buckingham Smith I Narratives, p. 222 I hints that the Span-
iards may have changed (oiasili to Guasule, because of the similarity of tin- latter
form to a town name in southern Spain. Smh corruptions of Indian name arc of
frequent occurrence. < rarcilaso speaks of it as a " province and town," while Biedma
ami Ranjel call it simply a town ("pueblo"). Before reaching this place the Indian
queen had managed to make her escape. All the chroniclers tell of the kind recep-
196 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
tion which the Spaniards met here, hut th<' only description of the town itself is from
Garcilaso, who says that it was situated in the midst of many small streams which
came down from the mountains round about, that it consisted of three hundred
houses, which is probably an exaggeration, though it goes to show that the village
was of considerable size, and that the chief's house, in which the principal officers
were lodged, was upon a high hill ( "un cerro alto" ), around which was a roadway
( " paseadero' ' ) wide enough for six men to walk abreast. By the "chief's house"
we are to understand the town-house, while from various similar references in other
parts of the narrative there can be no doubt that the "hill" upon which it stood was
an artificial mound. In modern Spanish writing such artificial elevations are more
often called lomas, but these early adventurers may be excused for not noting the
distinction. Issuing from the mountains round about the town were numerous small
streams, which united to form the river which the Spaniards henceforth followed
from here down to Chiaha, where it was as large as the Guadalquivir at Sevilla
( ( larcilaso).
Deceived by the occurrence, in the Portuguese narrative, of the name Canasagua,
which they assumed could belong in but one place, earlier commentators have
identified this river with the Coosa, Pickett putting Guaxule somewhere upon its
upper waters, while Jones improves upon this by making the site "identical, or very
nearly so, with Coosawattee Old town, in the southeastern corner of Murray county,"
Georgia. As we shall show, however, the name in question was duplicated in several
states, and a careful study of the narratives, in the light of present knowledge of the
country, makes it evident that the river was not the Coosa, but the Chattahoochee.
Turning our attention once more to Xuala, the most northern point reached by
De Soto, we have seen that this was the territory of the Suwala or Sara Indians, in
the eastern foothills of the Alleghenies, about the head waters of Broad and Catawha
rivers, in North Carolina. As the Spaniards turned here to the west they probably
did not penetrate far beyond the present South Carolina boundary. The "very high
mountain ridge" which they crossed immediately after leaving the town was in all
probability the main chain of the Blue ridge, while the river which they found after
descending to the savanna on the other side, and which they guessed to be a branch
of the Mississippi, was almost as certainly the upper part of the French Broad, the
first stream flowing in an opposite direction from those which they had previously
encountered. They may have struck it in the neighborhood of Hendersonville or
Brevard, there being two gaps, passable for vehicles, in the main ridge eastward
from the first-named town. The uninhabited mountains through which they strug-
gled for several days on their way to Chiaha and Coca (the Creek country) in the
southwest were the broken ridges in which the Savannah and the Little Tennessee
have their sources, and if they followed an Indian trail they may have passed through
the Rabun gap, near the present Clayton, Georgia. Guaxule, and hot Xuala, as Jones
supposes, was in Nacoochee valley, in the present White county, Georgia, and the
small streams which united to form the river down which the Spaniards proceeded
to Chiaha were the headwaters of the Chattahoochee. The hill upon which the
townhouse was built must have been the great Nacoochee mound, the most promi-
nent landmark in the valley, on the east bank of Sautee creek, in White county,
about twelve miles northwest of Clarkesville. This is the largest mound in upper
Georgia, with the exception of the noted Etowah mound near Cartersville, and is the
'only one which can fill the requirements of the case. There are but two consider-
able mounds in western North Carolina, that at Franklin and a smaller one on Oeona-
luftee river, on the present East Cherokee reservation, and as both of these are on
streams flowing away from the Creek country, this fact alone would bar them from
consideration. The only large mounds in upper Georgia are this one at Nacoochee
and the group on the Etowah river, near Cartersville. The largest of the Etowah
group is some fifty feet in height and is ascended on one side by means of a roadway
MOONKY]
DE SOTO'S EOUTE 197
about fifty feet wide at the base and narrowing gradually to the top. Had this been
the mound of the narrative it is hardly possible that the chronicler would have failed
to notice also the two other mounds of the group or the other one on the opposite
side of the river, each of these being from twenty to twenty-five feet in height, to say
nothing of the great ditch a quarter of a mile in length which encircles the group.
Moreover, Cartersville is at some distance from the mountains, and the Etowah river
at this point does not answer the description of a small rushing mountain stream.
There is no considerable mound at Coosawatee or in any of the thre< unties
adj. lining.
The Nacoochee mound has been cleared and cultivated for many years ami ih.es
not now show any appearance of a roadway up the Bide, but from its great height
We may he reasonably sure that some such means of easy ascent existed in ancient
times. In other respects it is the only mound in the whole upper country which
tills the conditions. The valley is one of the most fertile spots in Georgia and
numerous ancient remains give evidence that it was a favorite center of settlement in
early days. At the beginning of the modern historic period it was held by the
Cherokee, who had there a town called Nacoochee, but their claim was disputed by
the Creeks. The Gentleman of Elvas states that Guaxule was subject to the queen
of Cofitachiqui, but this may mean only that the people of the two towns or trihes
were in friendly alliance. The modern name is pronounced Nagutil' by the < Ihero-
kee, who say. however, that it is not of their language. The terminal may Ik- the
Creek udshi, "small." or it may have a connection with the name of the Tehee
Indians.
From Guaxule the Spaniards advanced toCanasoga (Ranjel) orCanasagua I Elvas I,
one or two days' march from Guaxule, according to one or the other authority.
Garcilaso and Biedma do not mention the name. As Garcilaso states that from
Guaxule to Chiaha the march was down the bank of the same river, which we
identify with the Chattahoochee, the town may have been in the neighborhood of
the present Gainesville. As we have seen, however, it is unsafe to trust the estimates
of distance. Arguing from the name, Meek infers that the town was about Cona-
sauga river in Murray county, and that the river down which they inarched to reach
it was "no doubt the Etowah," although to reach the first named river from the
Etowah it would be necessary to make another sharp turn to the north. From the
same coincidence Pickett puts it on the Conasauga, "in the modern county of Mur-
rav. Georgia," while Jones, on the same theory, locates it " at or near the junction
of the Connasauga and Coosawattee rivers, in originally Cass, now Gordon county."
Here his modern geography as well as his ancient is at fault, as the original Cass
county is now Bartow, the name having been changed in consequence of a local dis-
like for General Cass. The whole theory of a march down the Coosa river rests
upon this coincidence of the name. The same name however, pronounced G&nsd'ffl
by the Cherokee, was applied by them to at least three different locations within
their old territory, while the one mentioned in the narrative would make the fourth.
The others were (1) on Oostanaula river, opposite the mouth of the Conasauga. where
afterward was New Echota, in Cordon county, Georgia; (2) on Canasauga creek, m
McMinn county, Tennessee; (3) on Tuckasegee river, about two miles above Web-
ster, in Jackson county, North Carolina. At each of these places are remains of
ancient settlement. It is possible that the name of Kenesaw mountain, near .Mari-
etta, in Cobb county, < reorgia, may be a corruption of GansagI, and if so, theCanasagua
of the narrative may have been somewhere in this vicinity on the Chattahoochee.
The meaning of the name is lost.
On leaving Canasagua they continued down the same river which they had fol-
lowed from Cuaxule (Garcilaso I, and after traveling several days through an unin-
habited ( "despoblado" ,) country I HI vast arrived at Chiaha. which was subject to the
great chief of Coca (Elvasj . The name is spelled Chiaha by Ranjel and the < tenth-
198 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE Leth.ann.19
man of Elvas, Chiha by Biedma in the Documentos, China by a misprint in an
English rendering, and Ychiaha byGarcilaso. It appears as Chiha on an English map
of 17iii' reproduced in Winsor, Westward Movement, page 31, 1897. Gallatin spells
it Ichiaha, while Williams and Fairbanks, by misprint, make it Chiapa. According
t < < both Ranjel and Elvas the army entered it on the 5th of June, although the
former makes it tour days from Canasagua, while the other makes it five. Biedma
says it was four days from Guaxule, and, finally, Garcilaso says it was six days and
thirty leagues from Guaxule and on the same river, which was, here at Chiaha, as
large as the Guadalquivir at Sevilla. As we have seen, there is a great discrepancy
in the statements of the distance from ( lofitachiqui to this point. All four authorities
agree that the town was on an island in the river, along which they had been
marchingfor some time (Garcilaso, Ranjel), but while the Elvas narrative makes
the island "two crossbow shot" in length above the town and one league in length
below it, Garcilaso calls it a "great island more than five leagues long." On both
sides of the island the stream was very broad and easily waded (Elvas). Finding
welcome and food for men and horses the Spaniards rested here nearly a month
(June 5-28, Ranjel; twenty-six or twenty-seven days, Biedma; thirty days, Elvas).
In spite of the danger from attack De Soto allowed his men to sleep under trees in
the open air, "because it was very hot and the people should have suffered great
extremity if it had not been so" ( Elvas). This in itself is evidence that the place
was pretty far to the south, as it was yet only the first week in June. The, town was
subject to the chief of the great province of Coca, farther to the west. From here
onward they began to meet palisaded towns.
On the theory that the march was down Coosa river, every commentator hitherto
has located Chiaha at some point upon this stream, either in Alabama or Georgia.
Gallatin (1836) says that it "must have been on the Coosa, probably some distance
below tin- site of New Echota." He notesa similarity of sound between Ichiaha and
"Echoy." (Itseyl), a Cherokee town name. Williams (1837) says that it was on
Mobile (i. e., the Alabama or lower Coosa river). Meek (1839) says "there can be
little doubt that Chiaha was situated but a short distance above the junction of the
Coosa and Chattooga rivers," i. e., not far within the Alabama line. He notes the
occurrence of a "Chiaha" (Chehawhaw) creek near Talladega, Alabama. In regard
to the island upon which the town was said to have been situated he says: "There
is no such island now in the Coosa. It is probable that the Spaniards either mistook
the peninsula formed by the junction of two rivers, the Coosa and Chattooga, for an
island, or that those two rivers were originally united so as to form an island near
their present confluence. We have heard this latter supposition asserted by per-
sons well acquainted with the country." — Romantic Passages, p. 222, 1857. Monette
(1846) puts it on Etowah branch of the Coosa, probably in Floyd county, Georgia.
Pickett (1851), followed in turn by Irving, Jones, and Shea, locates it at "the site of
the modern Rome." The "island" is interpreted to mean the space between the
two streams above the continence.
Pickett, as has been stated, bases his statements chiefly or entirely upon Indian
traditions as obtained from halfbreeds or traders. How much information can be
gathered from such sources in regard to events that transpired three centuries before
may lie estimated by considering how much an illiterate mountaineer of the same
region might lie able to tell concerning the founding of the Georgia colony. Pickett
himself seems to have been entirely unaware of the later Spanish expeditions of
Pardo and De Luna through the same country, as he makes no mention of them
in his history of Alabama, but ascribes everything to De Soto. Concerning Chiaha
he says:
"The most ancient Cherokee Indians, whose tradition has been handed down to
us through old Indian trailers, disagree as to the precise place [!] where De Soto
crossed the Oostanaula to get over into the town of Chiaha— some asserting that he
]>K SOTO'S ROUTE 199
passed over that river seven miles above its junction with tin- Etowah, and that
he marched from thence down t" Chiaha, which, all contend, lay immediately ;it the
confluence of the two rivers; while other ancient Indians asserted thai lie crossed,
with his army, immediately opposite i In- town. Bu( this is no( verj important.
Coupling the Indian traditions with theaccounl by < larcellasso and thai by the Por-
tuguese rvi'H itness, we are inclined to believe the hitter traditi m thai the expedition
continued to advance down the western side of the Oostanaula until thej halted in
view of the mouth of the Etowah. De Soto, having arrived immediately opposite
the great town of Chiaha, uo\i the site of Rome, crossed the Oostanaula," etc. (His-
tory of Alabama, p. 23, reprint, 1896 . He overlooks the fai I thai 1 Ihiaha was nol a
Cherokee town, but belonged to the province of Coca — i. e., the territorj of the
Creek [ndians.
\ careful study of the four original narratives makes it plain that the expedition
did ii"t descend either the ' tostanaula or the Etowah, and thai consequently < ;hiaha
could not have been at their junction, the present site of Rome. On the othei hand
the conclusion is irresistible that the march was down the Chattal thee from its
extreme head springs in the mountains, and that the Chiaha of the narrative was
the Lower Creek town of the same name, more pommonly known as Chehaw, for-
merly on this river in the neighborh I of the modern city of Columbus, Georgia,
while Coste, in the narrative the next adjacent town, was Kasi'ta, "r Cusseta, of the
same group of villages. The falls at this point mark the geologic break line where
the river changes from a clear, swift current to a broad, slow-moving stream ol the
lower country. Attracted by the fisheries and the fertile bottom lands the Lower
Creeks established here their settlement nucleus, and here, up to the ln-ginning of
the present century, they had within easy distance of each other on both sides of
the river some fifteen towns, among which were Chiaha (Chehaw . I hiahudshi
(Little Chehaw), and Kasi'ta (Cusseta). Most of these settlements were within
what are now Muscogee and Chattahoochee counties, Georgia, and Lee and Russell
counties, Alabama (see town list and map in Gatschet, Creek Migration Legend).
Large mounds and other earthworks on both sides of the river in the vicinity of
Columbus attest the importance of tin- site in ancient days, while the general appear-
ance indicates that at times the adjacent low grounds were submerged or cut off by
Overflows from the main stream. A principal trail crossed here from the I Icniulgee,
pa — in- I iy Tuskegee to the Upper Creek towns about the junction of the Coosa and
Talla] sa in Alabama. \t the beginning of the present century this trail was
know n to the trailers a- " De Soto's trace " (W Iward, Reminiscences, p. 76). As
the Indian towns frequently shift their position within a limited range on account
of epidemics, freshets, or impoverishment of the soil, it is not neeessarj to assume
that they occupied exactly the same sites in 1540 as in 1800, 1 mt only that as a group
they were in the same general vicinity. Thus Kasi'ta itself was at one period above
the falls and at a later period some eight miles belowthem. Both Kasi'ta and Chiaha
were principal towns, with several branch villages.
The time given as occupied on the march from Canasagua to Chiaha would seem
too little for the actual distance, but as we have seen, the chroniclers do no1 agree
among themselves. We can easily believe that the Spaniards, buoyed up by the
certainty of finding f 1 and rest at their next halting place, made better progress
along the smooth rivertrail than while blundering helplessly through the mountains
at the direction of a most unwilling* guide. If Canasagua was any w here in the neigh-
borhood of Kenesaw, in Cobb county, the time mentioned in the Elvas or ( larcilaso
narrative would probably have been sufficient for reaching < Ihiaha at the falls. The
uninhabited country between the two towns was the neutral ground between the
two hostile tribes, the Cherokee and the ( 'reeks, and it is worth noting that Kene
saw mountain was made a point on the boundary line afterward established betwe< n
the two tribes through the mediation of the United States government.
200 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.anx. 1
There is no large island in either the Coosa or the Chattahoochee, and we are
forced to the conclusion that what the chronicle describes as an island was really a
portion of the bottom land temporarily cut off by back water from a freshet. In a
similar way "The Slue," east of Flint river in Mitchell county, may have been
formed by a shifting of the river channel. Two months later, in Alabama, the
Spaniards reached a river so swollen by rains that they were obliged to wait six
days before they could cross (Elvas). Lederer, while crossing South Carolina in
1670, found his farther progress barred by a "great lake," which he puts on his map
as "Ushery lake," although there is no such lake in the state; but the mystery is
explained by Lawson, who, in going over the same ground thirty years later, found
all the bottom lands under water from a great flood, the Santee in particular being
36 feet above its normal level. As Lawson was a surveyor his figures may be con-
sidered reliable. The "Ushery lake" of Lederer was simply an overflow of Catawba
river. Flood water in the streams of upper Georgia and Alabama would quickly be
carried off, but would be apt to remain for some time on the more level country
below the falls.
According to information supplied by Mr Thomas Robinson, an expert engineering
authority familiar with the lower Chattahoochee, there was formerly a large mound,
now almost entirely washed away, on the eastern bank of the river, about nine miles
below Columbus, while on the western or Alabama bank, a mile or two farther down,
there is still to be seen another of nearly equal size. "At extreme freshets both of
these mounds were partly submerged. To the east of the former, known as the
Indian mound, the flood plain is a mile or two wide, and along the eastern side of
the plain stretches a series of swamps or wooded sloughs, indicating an old river bed.
All the plain between the present river and the sloughs is river-made land. The
river bluff along by the mound on the Georgia side is from twenty to thirty feet above
tlie present low-water surface of the stream. About a mile above the mound arc the
remains of what was known as Jennies island. At ordinary stages of the river no
island is there. The eastern channel was blocked by government works some
years ago, and the whole is filled up and now used as a cornfield. The island
remains can be traced now, I think, for a length of half a mile, with a possible
extreme width of 300 feet. . . . This whole country, on both sides of the river,
is full of Indian lore. I have mentioned both mounds simply to indicate that this
portion of the river was an Indian locality, and have also stated the facts about the
remains of Jennies island in order to give a possible clew to a professional who might
study the ground." — Letter, April 22, 1900.
Chiaha was the first town of the " province of Coca," the territory of the Coosa or
Creek Indians. The next town mentioned, Coste (Elvas and Ranjel), Costehe
(Bieilma) or A coste (Garcilaso), was Kasi'ta, or Cusseta, as it was afterward known
to the whites. While Garcilaso puts it at the lower end of the same island upon
which Chiaha was situated, the Elvas narrative makes it seven days distant! The
modern towns of Chehaw and Cusseta were within a few miles of each other on the
Chattahoochee, the former being on the western or Alabama side, while Cusseta, in
1799, was on the east or Georgia side about eight miles below the falls at Columbus,
and in Chattahoochee county, which has given its capital the same name, Cusseta.
From the general tone of the narrative it is evident that the two towns were near
together in De Soto's time, and it may be that the Elvas chronicle confounded Kasi'ta
with Koasati, a principal Upper Creek town, a short distance below the junction of
the Coosa and Tallapoosa. At Coste they crossed the river ami continued westward
"through many towns subject to the cacique of Coca" (Elvas) until they came to the
great town of Coca itself. This was Kusa or Coosa, the ancient capital of the Upper
Creeks. There were two towns of this name at different periods. One, described by
Adair in 1775 as "the great and old beloved town of refuge, Koosah," was on the east
bank of Coosa river, a few miles southwest of the present Talladega, Alabama. The
muonf.vJ DK SOTO'S ROUTE 201
other, known as "Old < toosa," and probablj of more ancient origin, was on the west
side oi Alabama river, near the present site of Montgomery (see Gatschet, Creek
Migration Legend I. It was probablj the latter \\ bich was visited bj l>o Soto, and later
..ii by Iv Luna, in 1559. Beyond ( toca they passed through another < Ireek town, ap-
parently lower doy n on the Alabama, the name of which is variously spelled 5 taua
(Elvas, Force translation!. Ytava (Elvas, Hakluyt Society translation), or Ctaba
(Ranjel), and which may be connected with ['tiwft', Etowah or " Hightower," the
Dame of a former Cherokee settlement near the bead of Etowah river in Georgia.
The Cherokee regard this as a foreign name, and its occurrence in upper Georgia, as
well as in central Alabama, may help to support the tradition that the southern
Cherokee border was formerly held by the ('reeks.
1 1, Soto's route beyond the Cherokee country does not concern us except as it
throws light upon his previous progress. In the seventeenth chapter the Elvas nar-
rative summarizes that portion from the landing at Tampa bay toapoint insouthern
Alabama as follows: " From the Tort de Spirit.. Santo to Apalache, which is about an
hundred leagues, the governor went from east to west; an. 1 from Apalache to ( lutifa-
chiqui, which are 430 leagues, from the southwest to the northeast; ami from Cutifa-
chiqui to Xualla, which are about L'">0 leagues, from the south to the north; anil from
Xuallato Tascaluea, which are 250 leagues more, an hundred and ninety of them he
traveled from east to west, to wit. to the province of Coca; and the other 60, from
Coca to Tascaluca, from the north to the south."
Chisca (Elvas and Ranjel), the mountainous northern region in search of which
men were sent from Chiaha to look for copper and gold, was somewhere in the
Cherokee country of upper Georgia or Alabama. The precise location is not material,
as it i- now known that native copper, in such condition as to have been easily work-
able by the Indians, occurs throughout the whole southern Allegheny region from
about Anniston, Alabama, into Virginia. Notable timls of native copper have been
maileon the upper Tallapoosa, in Cleburne county, Alabama; about Ducktown, in
Polk county, Tennessee, and in southwestern Virginia, one. nugget from Virginia
weighing several pounds. From the appearance of ancient soapstone vessels which
have been found in the same region there is even a possibility that the Indians had
some knowledge of smelting, as the Spanish explorers surmised (oral information
from Mr \V. II. Weed, I'. S. Geological Survey). We hear again of this "province"
after De Soto had reached the Mississippi, and in one place Garcilaso seems to
confound it with another province called Quizqui (Ranjel) or Quizquiz (Elvas
and Biednia). The name has some resemblance to the Cherokee word tuiskwa,
''bird."
19) I>e Lex a AXii Rooei. | p. 27 'l: Jones, in his lie Soto's March through Georgia,
incorrectly ascribes certain traces of ancient mining operation- in the Cherokee
country, particularly on Valley river in North Carolina, to the followers of I >e I. una,
''who, in 1560 . . . came with 301) Spanish soldiers into this region, and spent
the summer in eager and laborious search for gold." Don Tristan de Luna, with
fifteen hundred men, landed somewhere about Mobile bay in 1559 with the design of
establishing a permanent Spanish settlement in the interior, but owing to
sioii of unfortunate happenings the attempt was abandoned the next year. In the
course of his wanderings he traversed the country of the CI taw, Chickasaw, and
Upper Creeks, as is shown by the names and other data in the narrative, but
returned without entering the mountains or doing any digging (see Barcia, Ensayo
Cronologico, pp. 32-41, 1723; Winsor, Narrative and Critical History, n, pp. 257 259) .
In 1569 the Jesuit Rogel — called Father John Roger by shea— began mission work
among the South Carolina tribes inland from Santa Elena I about Port Royal).
The mission, which at first promised well, was abandoned next year, owing to the
unwillingness of the Indians to give up their old habits and beliefs. Shea, in Ins
'•Catholic Mission.-," supposes that these Indians were probably a pari of the
202 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.
Cherokee, but a study of the Spanish record in Barcia (Ensayo, pp. 138—14] I shows
thai Rogel penetrated only a short distance from the coast.
(10) Davies' History of the Carribby Islands (p. 29): Tin- fraudulent char-
acter of this work, which is itself an altered translation of a fictitious history by
Rochefort, is noted by Buckingham Smith (Letter of Hernando de Soto, p. 36, 1854),
Winsor (Narrative and Critical History, n, p. 289), and Field (Indian Bibliography,
p. 95). Says Field: "This hook is an example of tin- most unblushing effrontery.
The jiseuilo author assumes the credit of the performance, with hut the faintest
allusion to its previous existence. It is a nearly faithful translation of Rochefort's
' Histoire des Antilles.' There is, however, a gratifying retribution in Davies' treat-
ment of Rochefort, for the work of the latter was fictitious in every part which was
not purloined from authors whose knowledge furnished him with all in his treatise
which was true."
(11) Ancient Spamsit Mixes i pp. 29, 31 I: As the existence of the precious metals
in the southern Alleghenies was known to the Spaniards from a very early period, it
is probable that more thorough exploration of that region will bring to light many
evidences of their mining operations. In his "Antiquities of the Southern Indians,''
Jones describes a sort of subterranean village discovered in 1834 on Dukes creek,
White county, Georgia, consisting of a row of small loir cabins extending along the
creek, hut imbedded several feet below the surface of the ground, upon which lame
trees were growing, the inference being that the houses had been thus covered by suc-
cessive freshets. The loss had been notched ami shaped apparently with sharp metal-
lic tools. Shafts have been discovered on Valley river, North Carolina, at the bottom
of one of which was found, in 1854, a well-] ■reserved windlass of hewn oak timbers,
showing traces of having once been banded with iron. Another shaft, passing through
hard rock, showed the marks of sharp tools used in the boring. The casing and
other timbers were still sound (Jones, pp. 48, 49). Similar ancient shafts have been
found in other places in upper Georgia and western Xorth Carolina, together with
some remarkable stone-built fortifications or corrals, notably at Fort mountain, in
Murray county, Georgia, and on Silver creek, a few miles from Rome, Georgia.
Very recently remains of an early white settlement, traditionally ascribed to the
Spaniards, have been reported from Lincolnton, North Carolina, on the edge of the
ancient country of the Sara, among whom the Spaniards built a fort in 1566. The
works include a dam of cut stone, a series of low pillars of cut stone, arranged in
squares as though intended for foundations, a stone-walled well, a quarry from which
the stone had been procured, a fire pit, and a series of sinks, extending along the
stream, in which were found remains of timbers suggesting the subterranean cabins
on Dukes creek. All these antedated the first settlement of that region, about the
year 1750. Ancient mining indications are also reported from Kings mountain,
about twenty miles distant (Reinhardt MS, 1900, in Bureau of American Ethnology
archives I. The Spanish miners of whom Lederer heard in 1670 and Moore in 1690
were probably at work in this neighborhood.
(12) Sir William Johnson (p. 38): This great soldier, whose history is so insep-
arably incited with that of the Six Nations, was born in the county Meath, Ireland,
in 1715, and died at Johnstown, New York, in 1774. The younger son of an Irish
gentleman, he left his native country in 1738 in consequence of a disappointment in
love, and emigrated to America, where he undertook the settlement of a large tract
of wild land belonging to his uncle, which lay along the south side of the Mohawk
river in what was then the wilderness of New York. This brought him into close
contact with the Six Nations, particularly the Mohawks, in whom he became SO much
interested as to learn their language and in some degree to accommodate himself to
their customs, sometimes even to the wearing of the native costume. This interest,
together with his natural kindness and dignity, completely won the hearts of the Six
iioosey] sik WILLIAM JOHNSON CAPT. JOHN ST1 \i:i 203
Nations, over whom he acquired a greater influence than has ever been exercised
bj an) other white man hefore or since. He was formally adopted as a chief by the
Mohawk tribe. In 17-1-1. being still a very young man, he "as placed in i
British affairs with the six Nations, and iii 1755 was regularly commissioned at
then own urgent request as superintendent for the Six Nations and their dependent
and allied tribes, a position which he held for the rest of his life. In 1748 he was
also placed ii mmand of the New York colonial forces, and two years later was
appointed to the governor's council. \t the beginning of the French and Indian war
he was commissioned a major-general. He defeated Dieskau at the battle of Lake
George, where he was severely wounded earl) in the art ion. bu( refused to leave the
field. For this service he received the thanks of Parliament, a grant of £5,000, and
a baronetcy. Healso distinguished himself at Ticonderoga and Fort Niagara, taking
the latter after routing the French army sent to its relief. At the head of his [ndian
and colonial forces he took part in other actions and expeditions, and was present at
the surrender of Montreal. For his services throughout the war he received a grant
ot 100,000 acres of land north of the Mohawk river, lien' he built "Johnson
Hall." which still stands, near the \ illage of Johnstovi n. w hich was laid out by him
with stores, church, and other buildings, at his own expense. \t Johnson Hall he
lived in the style of an old country baron, dividing his attention between Indian
affairs ami the raising of blooded stock, and dispensing a princely hospitality to all
comers. His influence alone prevented the six Nations joining Pontiac's great con-
federacy against the English. In 1768 he concluded the treaty of Fort Stanwix,
which fixed the Ohio as the boundary between the northern colonic- and the western
tribes, the boundary for which the Indians afterward contended against the Ameri-
cans until 1795. In 17:i!i he married a German girl of the Mohawk valley, who died
after bearing him three children. Later in life he formed a connection with the
sister of Brant, the Mohawk chief. He died from over-exertion at an Indian council.
His son, Sir John Johnson, succ led to his title and estates, and on the breaking out
of the Revolution espoused the British side, drawing with him the Mohawks and
a great part of the other Six Nations, who abandoned their homes and tied with
him to Canada I see \Y. L. Stone. Life of Sir William Johnson).
(13) Captain John Stc u;t (p. 44): This distinguished officer was itemporaneous
with Sir William Johnson, and sprang from the same adventurous Keltic stock
which has furnished so many men conspicuous in our early Indian history. Born in
Scotland about the year I7nn. he came to America in 1 7.'i.".. was appointed to a
subordinate command in the British service, and soon became a favorite with the
Indians. When Fort Loudon was taken by the Cherokee in 1760, he was second in
command, and his rescue by Ata-kullakulla is one of the romantic episodes of that
period. In 1763 he was appointed superintendent for the southern tribes, a position
which he continued to hold until his death. In 1768 he negotiated with the Chero-
kee the treaty of Hard Labor by which the Kanawha was lixed as the western
boundary of Virginia, Sir William Johnson at the same time concluding a treaty with
the northern tribes by which the boundary was continued northward along the Ohio.
At the outbreak of the Revolution he organized the Cherokeeand other southern
trilies, with the white loyalists, against the Americans, and was largely responsible
I'orthe Lndian outrages along the southern border. He planned a general invasion
by the southern trilies along the whole frontier, in i Deration with a British force
to be landed in western Florida, while a British licet should occupy the attention of
the American- on the coast side and the T< iries should rise in the interior. I In the
discovery of the plot and the subsequent defeat of the Cherokee by the Americans.
he tied to Florida and soon afterward sailed for England, where he die. 1 in 1770.
(14) Nancy Ward (p. 47): A noted halfbreed Cherokee woman, the date and
place of whose birth and death are alike unknown. It is said that her father was a
204 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE Teth. axn. 19
British officer named Ward and her mother a sister of Ata-kullakulla, principal
chief of the Nation at the time of the first Cherokee war. She was probably related
to Brian Ward, an oldtime trader among the Cherokee, mentioned elsewhere in con-
nection with the battle of Tali'wa. During the Revolutionary period she resided at
Echota, the national capital, where she held the office of "Beloved Woman," or
"Pretty Woman," by virtue of which she was entitled to speak in councils and to
decide the fate of captives. She distinguished herself by her constant friendship
for the Americans, always using her best effort to bring about peace between them
and her own people, and frequently giving timely warning of projected Indian raids,
notably on th :casion of the great invasion of the Watauga and Holston settle-
ments in 177ti. A Mrs Bean, captured during this incursion, was saved by her inter-
position after having been condemned to death and already bound to the stake. In
1780, on occasion of another Cherokee outbreak, she assisted a number of traders to
escape, and the next year was sent by the chiefs to make peace with Sevier and
Campbell, who were advancing against the Cherokee towns. Campbell speaks of
her in his report as "the famous Indian woman, Nancy Ward." Although peace
was not then granted, her relatives, when brought in later with other prisoners,
were treated with the consideration due in return for her good offices. She is
described by Robertson, who visited her about this time, as "queenly and com-
manding" in appearance and manner, and her house as furnished in accordance with
her liij;li dignity. When among the Arkansas Cherokee in 1819, Nuttall was told
that she had introduced the first cows into the Nation, and that by her own and her
children's influence the condition of the Cherokee had been greatly elevated. He was
told also that her advice and counsel bordered on supreme, and that her interference
was allowed to be decisive even in affairs of life and death. Although he speaks
in the present tense, it is hardly probable that she was then still alive, and he does
not claim to have met her. Her descendants are still found in the Nation. See
Haywood, Natural and Aboriginal Tennessee; Ramsey, Tennessee; Nuttall, Travels,
p. 130, 1821; Campbell letter, 1781, and Springstone deposition, 1781, in Virginia
State Papers i, pp. 435, 436, 447, 1875; Appleton's Cyclopaedia of American Biography.
(15) General James Robertson (p. 48): This distinguished pioneer and founder
of Nashville was born in Brunswick county. Virginia, in 1742, and died at the ( jhick-
asaw agency in west Tennessee in 1814. Like most of the men prominent in the
early history of Tennessee, he was of Scotch-Irish ancestry. His father having
removed about 1750 to western North Carolina, the boy grew up without education,
but with a strong love for adventure, which he gratified by making exploring expe-
ditions across the mountains. After his marriage his wife taught him to read ami
write. In 1771 he led a colony to the Watauga river and established the settlement
which became the nucleus of the future state of Tennessee. He took a leading part
in the organization of the Watauga Association, the earliest organized government
within the state, and afterward served in Dunmore's war, taking part in the bloody
battle of Point Pleasant in 1774. He participated in the earlier Revolutionary cam-
paigns against the Cherokee, and in 1777 was appointed agent to reside at their cap-
ital, Echota, and act as a medium in their correspondence with the state governments
of North Carolina (including Tennessee) and Virginia. In this capacity he gave
timely warning of a contemplated invasion by the hostile portion of the tribe early
in 17711. Si « >n after in the same year he led a preliminary exploration from Watauga
to the Cumberland. He brought out a larger party late in the fall, and in the spring
of 17sil built the first stockades on the site which he named Nashborough, now Nash-
ville. < >nly his force of character was able to hold the infant settlement together in
the lace of hardships and Indian hostilities, but by his tact and firmness he was
finally able to make peace with the surrounding tribes, and established the Cumber-
land settlement upon a secure basis. The Spanish government at one time unsuc-
cessfully attempted to engage him in a plot to cut off the western territory from the
mooney] rutheeford's route 205
United Stairs, but met a patriotic refusal. Having beei mmissioned a brigadier-
general in 1790, he continued to organize campaigns, resist invasions, and negotiate
treaties until the final close of the Indian wars in Tennessee. He afterward held the
appointment of Indian commissioner to the < !hickasa\* and Choctaw. See Ramsey,
Tennessee; Roosevelt, Winning of the West; Appleton's Cyclopaedia of American
Bii igraphy.
iliii General Griffith Rutherford (p. 48) : Although this Revolutionary offi-
ce] commanded the greatest expedition ever sent against the Cherokee, with such
distinguished success that both North Carolina and Tennessee have named counties
in his honor, little appears to be definitely known of his history. He was born in
Ireland about 1731, and, emigrating to America, settled near Salisbury, North Caro-
lina. On the opening of the Revolutionary struggle he became a member of the
Provincial Congress and Council of Safety. In June, I77ti, he was commissioned a
brigadier-general in the American army, and a few months later led his celebrated
expedition against the Cherokee, as elsewhere narrated. He rendered other impor-
tant sen ice in the Revolution, in one battle being taken prisoner by the British and
held by them nearly a year, lie afterward served in the state senate of North Caro-
lina, and, subsequently removing to Tennessee, was for some time a member of its
territorial council. He died in Tennessee about 1800.
i 17' Rutherford's route l p. 49): The various North Carolina detachments
which combined to form Rutherford's expedition against the Cherokee in the
autumn of 1770 organized at different points about the upper Catawba and probably
concentrated at Davidson's fort, now Old tort, in McDowell county. Thence,
advancing westward closely upon the line of the present Southern railroad and its
Western North Carolina branch, the army crossed the Blue ridge over the Swanna-
noa gap and went down the Swannanoa to its junction with the French Broad,
crossing the latter at the Warrior ford, below the present Asheville; thence up
Hominy creek and across the ridge to Pigeon river, crossing it a fewmiles below the
junction of the Ea^t and West forks; thence to Richland creek, crossing it just above
the present Waynesville; and over the dividing ridge between the present Hayw 1
and Jackson counties to the head of Scott's creek; thence down that creek by "a
blind path through a very mountainous bad way," as Moore's old narrative has it,
to its junction with the Tuckasegee river just below the present Webster: thence,
crossing to the west (south) side of the river, the troops followed a main trail down
the stream for a tew miles until they came to the first Cherokee town, Stekoa, on
the site of the farm formerly owned by Colonel William H. Thomas, just above tin'
present railroad village of Whittier. Swain county, North Carolina. After destroying
the town a detachment left the main body and pursued the fugitives northward on
tl ther sideof the river to Oconaluftee river and Soco creek, getting back afterward
to the settlements by steering an easterly course across the mountains to Richland
creek (Moore narrative). The main army, under Rutherford, crossed the dividing
ridge to the southward of Whittier and descended Cowee creek to the waters of Little
Tennessee, in the present Macon county. After destroying the towns in this vicinity
tlie army ascended Cartooyaja creek, west from the present Franklin, ami crossed the
Nantahala mountains at Waya gap — where a fight took place — to Nantahala river,
probably at the town of the same name, about the present Jarretts station. From
here the march was west across the mountain into the present Cherokee county and
down Valley river to its junction with the Hiwassee, at the present Murphy.
Authorities: Moore narrative and Wilson letter in North Carolina University Maga-
zine, February, 1888; Ramsey, Tennessee, p. 164; Roosevelt, Winning of the West,
t, pp. 300-302; Royce, Cherokee map; personal information from Colonel William
H. Thomas, Major James Bryson, whose grandfather was with Rutherford, and
Cherokee informant.-.
(18) Colonel William Christian (p. 50): Colonel William Christian, some-
206 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [bth.ask.19
Unit's incorrectly called Christy, was born in Berkeley county, Virginia, in 1732.
Accustomed to frontier warfare almost from boyhood, he served in the French and
Indian war with the rank of captain, and was afterward in command of the Ten-
nessee and North Carolina forces which participated in the great battle of Point
Pleasant in 1774, although he himself arrived too late for the fight. He organized
a regiment at the opening of the Revolutionary war, and in 1776 led an expedition
from Virginia against the Upper Cherokee and compelled them to sue fur peace.
In 1782, while upon an expedition against the Ohio tribes, he was captured and
burned at the stake.
( 19) The pBEAT Indian war path ( p. 50): This noted Indian thoroughfare from
Virginia through Kentucky and Tennessee to the Creek country in Alabama and
Georgia is frequently mentioned in the early narrative of that section, and is indi-
cated on the maps accompanying Ramsey's Annals of Tennessee and Royce's Chero-
kee Nation, in the Fifth Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology. Royce's map
shows it in more correct detail. It was the great trading and war path between the
northern and southern tribes, and along the same path Christian, Sevier, and others
of the old Indian fighters led their men to the destruction of the towns on Little
Tennessee, Hiwassee, and southward.
According to Ramsey (p. 88), one branch of it ran nearly on the. line of the
later Btage road from Harpers ferry to Knoxville, passing the Big lick in Bote-
tourt county, Virginia, crossing New river near old Fort Chiswell (which stood on
the south bank of Reed creek of New river, about nine miles east from Wytheville,
Virginia) crossing Holston at the Seven-mile ford, thence to the left of the stage road
near the river to the north fork of Holston, "crossing as at present" ; thence to Big
creek, and, crossing the Holston at Dodson'sford, to the Grassy springs near the former
residence of Micaiah Lea; thence down the Nolichucky to Long creek, up it to its
head, and down Dumplin creek nearly to its mouth, where the path bent to the left
and crossed French Broad near Buckinghams island. Here a branch left it and went
up the West fork of Little Pigeon and across the mountains to the Middle towns on
Tuckasegee and the upper Little Tennessee. The main trail continued up Boyd's
creek to its head, and down Ellejoy creek to Little river, crossing near Henry's place;
thence by the present Maryville to the mouth of Tellico, and, passing through the
Cherokee towns of Tellico, Echota, and Hiwassee, down the Coosa, connecting with
the great war path of the Creeks. Near the Wolf hills, now Abingdon, Virginia,
another path came in from Kentucky, passing through the Cumberland gap. It was
along this latter road that the early explorers entered Kentucky, and along it also
the Shawano and other Ohio tribes often penetrated to raid upon the Holston and
New river settlements.
On Royce's map the trail is indicated from Virginia southward. Starting from
the junction of Moccasin creek with the North fork of Holston, just above the
Tennessee state line, it crosses the latter river from the east side at its mouth or
junction with the South fork, just below Kingsport or the Long island; then follows
down along the west side of the Holston, crossing Big creek at its mouth, and crossing
to the south (east) side of Holston at Dodson's creek; thence up along the east side of
Dodson's creek and across Big Gap creek, following it for a short distance and con-
tinuing southwest, just touching Nolichucky, passing up the west side of Long creek
of that stream and down the same side of Dumplin creek, and crossing French Broad
just below the mouth of the creek; thence up along the west side of Boyd's creek to
its head and down the west side of Ellejoy creek to and across Little river; thence
through the present Maryville to cross Little Tennessee at the entrance of Tellico
river, where old Fort Loudon was built; thence turning up along the south side of
Little Tennessee river to Echota, the ancient capital, and then southwest across
Tellico river along the ridge between Chestua and Canasauga creeks, and crossing
the latter near its mouth to strike Hiwassee river at the town of the same name;
PEACE TOWNS AM) TOWNS OF REFUGE 207
thence southwest, crossing Ocoee river near its month, passing south of Cleveland,
through the present Ooltewah and across Chickamauga creek into Georgia and
Alabama.
According to Timberlake Memoirs, with map, 1765), the trail crossed Little Ten-
nessee from Echota, northward, in two places, just above and below Four-mile
creek, the first camping place being at the junction of Ellejoy creek and Little river,
at the old town sin-. It crossed Holston « ithin a mile of Fort Robinson.
According to Hutchins (Topographical Descripti f America, p. 24, 1778), tin-
road which went through Cumberland gap was the one taken by the northern
[ndians in their incursions into the "< iuttawa" country, and went from Sandusky,
on Lake Erie, by a direct path to the mouth of Scioto (where Portsmouth now is i
and thence across Kentucky to the gap.
(20) Peace downs ind towns oi refcoe (p. 51): Towns of refuge existed among
the Cherokee, the Creeks, and probably other Italian tribes, as well as among the
ancient Hebrews, the institution being a merciful provision for softening the harsh-
ness of tin1 primitive law, which required a life lor a life. We learn from Deuteron-
omy that Moses appointed three cities on tin- east side of Jordan "that the slayer
miirlit flee thither which should kill his neighbor unaware- and hated him not in
times past, and that fleeing into one of these cities he might live." It was also
ordained that as more territory was conquered from the heathen three additional
cities should be thus set aside as havens of refuge for those who should accidentally
take human lite, and w here they should be safe until the matter could lie adjusted.
The wilful murderer, however, was not to I ,e sheltered, hut delivered up to punish-
ment without pity (Dent, tv, 41-4:;. and \i\, 1-11).
Echota, the ancient Cherokee capital near the mouth of Little Tennessee, was the
Cherokee town of refuge, commonly designated as the "white town" or "peace
town." According to Adair, the Cherokee in his time, although extremely degen-
erate in other things, still observed the law so strictly in this regard that even a
wilful murderer who might succeed in making his escape to that town was safe so
long as he remained there, although, unless the matter was compounded in the
meantime, the friends of the slain person would seldom allow him to reach home
alive after leaving it. He tells how a trader who had killed an Indian to protect his
own property took refuge in Echota, and after having been there for some months
prepared to return to his trading store, which was hut a short distance away, hut was
assured by the chiefs that he would he killed if he ventured outside the town. He
was accordingly obliged to stay a longer time until the tears of the bereaved relatives
had been wiped away with presents. In another place the same author tells how a
Cherokee, having killed a trader, was pursued ami attempted to take refuge in the
town, hut was driven off into the river as soon as he came in sight by the inhabit-
ants, who feared either to have their tow n polluted by the shedding of blond or to
provoke the English bygivinghim sanctuary (Adair, American Indians, p. 158, 1775).
In 1768 ( fconostota, speaking on behalf of the Cherokee delegates who had come to
Johnson Hall to make peace with the [roquois, said: " We come from Cbotte, where the
wise [white?] house, the house of peace IS erei I'd" (treaty record, 17hS, New York
Colonial Documents, vm, p. 42, 1 sr>7 ) . In I786the friendly Cherokee made "Chota"
the watchword by which the Americans might he able to distinguish them from the
hostile Creeks ( Ramsey. Tennessee, p. 343). From conversati.m with old ( 'herokeeit
seems probable that in cases where no satisfaction was made by the relatives of the
man-slayer he continued to reside close within the limits of the town until the next
recurrence of the annual Green-corn dance, when a general a esty was pro-
claimed.
Among the Creeks the ancient town of Kusa or Coosa, on Coosa river in Alabama,
was a town of refuge. In Adair's time, although then almost deserted and in ruins, it
was still a place of safety for one who had taken human life without design. Certain
208 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ahn.19
towns were also known as peace towns, from their prominence in peace ceremonials
and treaty making. Upon this Adair says: "In almost every Indian nation there
are several peaerithlr twrns, which are called 'old beloved, ancient, holy, or white
towns.1 They seem to have been formerly towns of refuge, for it is not in the
memory of their oldest people that ever human blood was shed in them, although
they often force persons from thence and put them to death elsewhere." — Adair,
American Indians, 159. A closely parallel institution seems to have existed among
the Seneca. "The Seneca nation, ever the largest, and guarding the western door
of the.' long house,' which was threatened alike from the north, west, and smith,
had traditions peculiarly their own, besides those common to the other members of
the confederacy. The stronghold or fort, Gau-stra-yea, on the mountain ridge, four
miles east of Lewiston, had a peculiar character as the residence of a virgin queen
known as the 'Peacemaker. ' When the Iroquois confederacy was first formed the
prime factors were mutual protection and domestic peace, and this fort was designed
to afford comfort and relieve the distress incident to war. It was a true 'city of
refuge,' to which fugitives from battle, whatever their nationality, might flee for
safety and find generous entertainment. Curtains of deerskin separated pursuer and
pursued while they were being lodged and fed. At parting, the curtains were with-
drawn, and the hostile parties, having shared the hospitality of the queen, could
neither renew hostility or pursuit without the queen's consent. According to tra-
dition, no virgin had for many generations been counted worthy to fill the place or
possessed the genius and gifts to honor the position. In 1878 the Tonawanda band
proposed to revive the office and conferred upon Caroline Parker the title." — Car-
rington, in Six Nations of New- York, Extra Bulletin Eleventh Census, p. 73, 1892.
(21) Scalping by whites (p. 53) : To the student, aware how easily the civilized
man reverts to his original savagery when brought in close contact with its condi-
tions, it will be no surprise to learn that every barbarous practice of Indian warfare
was quickly adopted by the white pioneer and soldier and frequently legalized and
encouraged by local authority. Scalping, while the most common, was probably
the least savage and cruel of them all, being usually performed after the victim was
already dead, with the primary purpose of securing a trophy of the victory. The
tortures, mutilations, and nameless deviltries inflicted upon Indians by their white
conquerors in the early days could hardly be paralleled even in civilized Europe,
when burning at the stake was the punishment for holding original opinions and
sawing into two pieces the penalty for desertion. Actual torture of Indians by legal
sanction was rare within the English colonies, but mutilation was common ami
scalping was the rule down to the end of the war of 1812, and has been practiced
more or less in almost every Indian war down to the latest. Captain Church, who
commanded in King Philip's war in 1676, states that his men received thirty shil-
lings a head for every Indian killed or taken; and Philip's head, after it was cut off,
" went at the same price." When the chief was killed one of his hands was cut off
and given to his Indian slayer, "to show to such gentlemen as would bestow gratui-
ties upon him, and accordingly he got many a penny by it." His other hand was
chopped off and sent to Boston for exhibition, his head was sent to Plymouth and
exposed upon a scaffold there for twenty years, while the rest of his body was
quartered and the pieces left hanging upon four trees. Fifty years later Massachu-
setts offered a bounty of one hundred pounds for every Indian scalp, and scalp
hunting thus became a regular and usually a profitable business. On one occasion a
certain Lovewell, having recruited a company of forty men for this purpose, dis-
covered ten Indians lying asleep by their fire and killed the whole party. After
scalping them they stretched the scalps upon hoops and inarched thus into Boston,
where the scalps were paraded and the bounty of one thousand pounds paid for
them. By a few other scalps sold from time to time at the regular market rate,
Lovewell was gradually acquiring a competency when in May, 1725, his company
mooney] SCALPING LOWER CHEEOKEE REFUGEES 209
i net disaster, lie- discovered and vl >■ .t a solitary hunter, \\ ho was afterward scalped
by tin- chaplain of the party, bul the Indian managed to kill Lovewell i» i
being overpowered, on which the whites withdrew, but were pursued i>\ the tribes-
men of the slain hunter, with the result that but sixteen of them got homi
ius old ballad of the time tells how
"Our worthy Captain Lovewell among them there did die.
The) killed Lieutenant Robbins and wounded good young Frye,
Who was our English chaplain; he many Indians slew,
And some of them he scalped when bullets round him flew."
When the mission village of Xorridgewock was attacked by the New England men
about the same time, women and children were made to suffer the fate of the war-
riors. The scholarly missionary, Rasles, anther .if the Abnaki Dictionary, was shot
down at the foot of the cross, where he was afterward found with his body riddled
with halls, his skull crushed and scalped, Ins mouth and eyes filled with earth, his
limlis broken, and all his members mutilated- ami this by white men. The border
men .if the Revolutionary period ami later invariably scalped slain Indian- as often
as opportunity permitted, and. as has already Keen shown, both British and American
officials encouraged the practice by offers of bounties ami rewards, even, in the ease
of tin- former, when the seal] is were those of white people. < >ur difficulties with the
Apache date from a treacherous massacre of them in 1836 by a party of American
scalp hunters in the pay of the governor of Sonora. The bounty offered was one
ounce of gold per scalp. In lsi>4 the Colorado militia under Colonel Chivington
attaeked a party of Cheyennes camped under the protection of the United States
flag, and killed, mutilated, and scalped 1 70 men, women, and children, bringing the
scalps into Denver, when- the) were paraded in a public hall. One Lieutenant
Richmond killed and scalped three women and live children. Scalps were taken l,\
American troops in the Modoc war of is":!, and there is now living in the Comanche
tribe a woman who was scalped, though not mortally wounded, by white soldiers in
one of the later Indian encounters in Texas. Authorities: Drake, Indians (for New
England wars) ; Roosevelt, Virginia State Papers, etc; (Revolution, etc. ); Bancroft,
Pacific States (Apache); Official Report on the Condition of the Indian Tribes,
1867 (for Chivington episode); author's personal information.
(22) Lower Cherokee refugees (p.55): " In every hut I have visited I find the
children exceedingly alarmed at the sight of white men, and here [at Willstown] a
little hoy of eight years old was excessively alarmed and could not he kept from
Screaming out until he got out of the door, and then he ran and hid himself; lint as
soon a- I ran converse with them and they are informed who I am they execute any
order I give them with eagerness. 1 inquired particularly of the mothers what could
be the reason for this. They said, this town was the remains of several towns who
[sic] formerly resided on Tuvalu and Keowee. and had been much harassed b) the
whites; that the old people remembered their former situation and suffering, and fre-
quently spoke of them; that these tales wen- listened to by the children, and made an
impression which showed itself in the manner I had observed. The women told
me, who I saw gathering nuts, that they had sensations upon my coming to the
camp, in the highest degree alarming to them, and when I lit from my horse, took
them by the hand, and spoke to them, they at first could not reply, although one of
them underst 1 and spoke English very well." — Hawkins, manuscript journal,
1796, in library of Georgia Historical Society.
■ I':;! General Alexander McGilljvray (p. "->< ; > : This famous (reek chieftain,
like so many distinguished men of the southern tribes, was of mixed hi 1. being the
son of a Scotch trader. Lachlan McGillivray, by a halfbreed woman of influential
family, whose father was a French officer of Fort Toulouse. The future chief was
horn in the Creek Nation about 1740, and died at Pensacola, Florida, in 1793. lie
I'd ETH— 111 14
210 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ans.19
was educated at Charleston, studying Latin in addition to the ordinary branches, and
after leaving school was placed by his father witha mercantile firm in Savannah,
lh- remained but a short time, when he returned to the Creek country, where he soon
began to attract attention, becoming a partner in the firm of Panton, Forbes & Leslie,
of Pensacola, which had almost a monopoly of the Creek trade. He succeeded to
tl hieftainship on the death of his mother, who came of ruling stock, but refused
to accept the position until called to it by a formal council, when he assumed the title
of emperor of the Creek Nation. His paternal estates having been confiscated by
Georgia at the outbreak of the Revolution, he joined the British side with all his
warriors, and continued to bea leading instigator in the border hostilities until 1790,
when he visited New York with a large retinue and made a treaty of peace with the
United States on In-half of his people. President Washington's instructions to the
treaty commissioners, in anticipation of this visit, state that he was said to possess
great abilities and an unlimited influence over the Creeks and part of the Cherokee,
and that it was an object worthy of considerable effort to attach him warmly to the
United States. In pursuance of this policy the Creek chiefs were entertained by
the Tammany society, all the members being in full Indian dress, at which the vis-
itors wen- much delighted and responded with an Indian dance, while McGillivray
was induced to resign Ins commission as colonel in the Spanish service for a commis-
sion of higher grade in the service of the United States. Soon afterward, on account
of some opposition, excited by Bowles, a renegade white man, he absented himself
from his tribe for a time, but wass i recalled, and continued to rule over the Nation
until his death.
Mc( rillivray appears to have had a curious mixture of Scotch shrewdness, French
love of display, and Indian secretiveness. He fixed bis residence at Little Talassee,
on the Coosa, a few miles above the present Wetumpka, Alabama, where he lived in
a handsome house with extensive quarters for his negro slaves, so that his place had
the appearance of a small town. He entertained with magnificence and traveled
always in state, as became one who styled himself emperor. Throughout the Indian
wars he strove, so far as possible, to prevent unnecessary cruelties, being noted for
his kindness to captives; and his last years were spent in an effort to bring teachers
among Ins people. On the other hand, he conformed much to the Indian customs;
and be managed his negotiations with England, Spain, and the United States with
such adroitness that lie was able to play off one against the other, holding commis-
sions by turn in the service of all three. Woodward, who knew of him by later
re] hi tat ion, asserts positively that McGillivray' s mother was of pure Indian blood and
that he himself was without education, his letters having been written for him by
Leslie, of the trading firm with which be was connected. The balance of testimony,
however, seems to leave no doubt that he was an educated as well as an able man,
whatever may have been his origin. Authorities: Drake, American Indians; docu-
ments in American State Papers, Indian Affairs, i, 1832; Pickett, Alabama, 1896;
Appleton'a Cyclopaedia of American Biography; W Iward, Reminiscences, p. 59 et
passim, 1859.
(24) Govebnob John Sevier (p. 57): This noted leader and statesman in the
pioneer history of Tennessee was horn in Rockingham county, Virginia, in 1745, and
died at the Creek town of Tukabatchee. in Alabama, in 1815. His father was a French
immigrant of good birth and education, the original name of the family being Xavier.
The son received a good education, and being naturally remarkably handsome and
of polished manner, tine courage, and generous temperament, soon acquired a remark-
able influence over the rough border men with whom his lot was cast and among
whom he was afterward affectionately known as "Chucky Jack." To the Cherokee
be was known as Tsan-usdi', "Little John." After some service against the Indians
on the Virginia frontier be removed to the new Watauga settlement in Tennessee,
in 1 77-, and at once became prominently identified with its affairs. He took
HOPEWELL- OOL. BENJ. HAWKINS 211
pari in Dunmore'a war in 1771 and, afterward, from the opening of the Revolution
in 1775 until tin- close of the Indian wars in Tennessee a period extending over
nearly twentj years was the acknowledged leader or organizer in every impor-
tant Indian campaign along the Tennessee border. His services in this connection
have been already noted. He also c manded one wing of the American forces
al the battle of King's mountain in 1780, and in 17s:; led a body of mountain men to
the assistance of the patriots under Marion. At one time during the Revolution a
Tory plot to assassinate bim was revealed by the wife of the principal conspirator.
In I77!i he had been commissioned as commander of the militia of Washington
county, North Carolina — the nucleus of the present stair of Tennessee -a position
whirl i he had already held by coi n consent. Shortly after the close of the Revo-
lution lie Ih'IiI for a short time the office of governor of the seceding "state of
Franklin." for which he was arrested and brought to trial by the government of
North Carolina, but made his escape, when the matter was allowed to drop. The
question of jurisdiction was Snally settled in 1790, when North Carolina ceded the
disputed territory to the general government. Before this Sevier had been commis-
sioned as brigadier-general. When Tennessee was admitted as a stair in L796 he was
elected its first (state) governor, serving three terms, or six years. In 1803 he was
again reelected, serving three more terms. In lsi l he was elected to Congress, \\ here
he served two terms and was reelected to a third, but died before he could take his
seat, having contracted a fever while on duty as a boundary commissioner among the
Creeks, being then in his seventy-first year. Fur more than forty years he had been
continuously in the service of his country, and no man of his state was ever mure
loved and respected. In the prime of his manhood he was reputed the handsomest
man and the best Indian fighter in Tennessee.
(25) Hopewell, Sen tii Carolina (p. 61): This place, designated in early treaties
and also in Hawkins's manuscript journal as "Hopewell on the Keowee, " was the
plantation seat of I reneral Andrew Pickens, who resided there from the close of the
Revolution until his death in 1S17. It was situated on the northern edge of the
present Anderson county, on the east side of Keowee river, opposite and a short
distance helots the entrance of Little river, and about three miles from the present
Pendleton. In sight of it, on the opposite side of Keowee, was the old Cherokee
town of Seneca, destroyed liv the Americans ill 1 77H. Important treaties were made
here with the Cherokee in 17S5, and with the Chickasaw in 1786.
(26) Colonel Benjamin Hawkins (p. 61): This distinguished soldier, statesman,
and author, was horn in Warren county. North Carolina, in 1754, and died al llaw-
kinsville, Georgia, in 1816. His father. Colonel Philemon Hawkins, organized and
commanded a regiment in the Revolutionary war, and was a member of the conven-
tion that ratified the national constitution. At the outbreak of the Revolution young
Hawkins was a student at Princeton, hut offered his services to the American cause,
and on account of his knowledge of French and other modern languages was
appointed by Washington his staff interpreter for communicating with the French
officers cooperating with the American army. He took [part in several engagements
and was afterward appointed commissioner for procuring war supplies abroad. After
the close of the war he was elected to Congress, and in 1785 was appointed on the
commission which negotiated at Hopewell the first federal treaty with the Cherokee.
He served a second term in the House and another in the Senate, and in 1796 was
appointed superintendent for all the Indians south of the Ohio, lie thereupon
removed to the Creek country and established himself in the wilderness at what is
now Hawkinsville, Georgia, where he remained in the continuance of his office
until his death. As Senator he signed the deed by which North Carolina ceded
Tennessee to the United States in 17! HI, aid as Indian superintendent helped to nego-
tiate seven different treaties with the southern trihos. lie ha. I an extensive know I
edge of the customs and language of the Creeks, and his "Sketch of the Creek
212 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
Country," written in 1799 and published by the Historical Society of Georgia in
1848, remains a standard. His journal and other manuscripts are in possession of
the same society, while a manuscript Cherokee vocabulary is in possession of the
American Philosophical Society in Philadelphia. Authorities: Hawkins's manuscripts,
with Georgia Historical Society; Indian Treaties, 1837; American State Papers:
Indian Affairs, i, 1832; n, 1884; Gatschet, Creek Migration Legend; Appleton, Cyclo-
paedia of American Biography.
(27) Governor William Blount (p. 68): William Blount, territorial governor of
Tennessee, was born in North Carolina in 1744 and died at Knoxville, Tennessee,
in 1800. He held several important offices in his native state, including two terms in
the assembly and two others as delegate to the old congress, in which latter capacity
he was .me of the signers of the Federal constitution in 1787. On the organization
of a territorial government for Tennessee in 1790, he was appointed territorial
governor and also superintendent for the southern tribes, fixing his headquarters
at Knoxville. In 1791 he negotiated an important treaty with the Cherokee, and
had much to do with directing the operations against the Indians until the close
of the Indian war. He was president of the convention which organized the state of
Tennessee in 1796, and was elected to the national senate, but was expelled on the
charge of having entered into a treasonable conspiracy to assist the British in con-
quering Louisiana from Spain. A United States officer was sent to arrest him, but
returned without executing his mission on being warned by Blount's friends that
they would not allow him to be taken from the state. The impeachment proceedings
against him were afterward dismissed on technical grounds. In the meantime the
people of his own state had shown their confidence in him by electing him to the
state senate, of which he was chosen president. He died at the early age of fifty-
three, the most popular man in the state next to Sevier. His younger brother,
Willie Blount, who had been his secretary, was afterward governor of Tennessee,
1809-1815.
(28) St Clair's defeat, 1791 (p. 72): Early in 1791 Major-General Arthur St
Clair, a veteran officer in two wars and governor of the Northwestern Territory, was
appointed to the chief command of the army operating against the Ohio tribes. On
November 4 of that year, while advancing upon the Miami villages with an army of
1,400 men, he was surprised by an Indian force of about the same number under
Little-turtle, the Miami chief, in what is now southwestern Mercer county, Ohio,
adjoining the Indiana line. Because of the cowardly conduct of the militia he was
totally defeated, with the loss of 632 officers and men killed and missing, and 263
wounded, many of whom afterward died. The artillery was abandoned, not a horse
being left alive to draw it off, and so great was the panic that the men threw away
their arms and fled for miles, even after the pursuit had ceased. It was afterward
learned that the Indians lost 150 killed, besides many wounded. Two years later
General Wayne built Fort Recovery upon the same spot. The detachment sent to
do the work found within a space of 350 yards 500 skulls, while for several miles
along the line of pursuit the woods were strewn with skeletons and muskets. The
two cannon lost were found in the adjacent stream. Authorities: St Clair's report
and related documents, 1791; American State I'apers, Indian Affairs, i, 1832; Drake,
Indians 570, 571, 1880; Appleton' s Cyclopaedia of American Biography.
(29) Cherokee clans, (p. 74): The Cherokee have seven clans, viz: Ani'-Wa''ya,
Wolf; Ani'-Kawf, Deer; Ani'-Tsi'skwa, Bird; Ani'-Wa'dl, Paint; Ani'-Saha'ni;
Ani'-Ga'tage'wl; Ani'-Gila'hI. The names of the last three can not be translated
with certainty. The Wolf clan is the largest and most important in the tribe. It
is probable that, in accordance with the general system in other tribes, each clan
had formerly certain hereditary duties and privileges, but no trace of these now
remains. Children belong to the clan of the mother, and the law forbidding mar-
riage between persons of the same clan is still enforced among the conservative
koon] i w dyne's victory 2 1 3
full-bloods. The "seven clans" are frequently mentioned in the sacred formulas,
and even in some of the tribal laws promulgated with in the century There is evi-
dence that originally there were fourteen, which by extinction or absorption have
been reduced to seven; thus, the ancient Turtle-dove and Raven clans now constitute
a single Bird clan. The subject will be discussed more fully in a future Cherokee
paper.
30 Wayne's victory, L 794 (p. 78): Aiter tbe successive failures of Harmar and
si Clair in their efforts against the Ohio tribes the chief command was assigned, in
1793, t" Major-General Anthony Wayne, who had already distinguished himself by
his fighting qualities during the Revolution. Having built Fort Recovery on the
site "i >t Clair's defeat, he made that post his headquarters through the winter
of 1793-94. In the summer of 1794 he advanced down the Maumee with an army
of 3,000 men, two-thirds of whom were regulars, tin August I'd he encountered the
confederated Indian forces near the head of the Maumee rapids at a point know n as
the Fallen Timbers and defeated them with great slaughter, tbe pursuit being fol-
lowed up by the cavalry until the Indians took refuge under the guns of the
British garrison at Fort Miami, just below the rapids. His own toss was only 33
killed and 100 wounded, of w hom 1 1 afterward died of their wound-. The loss ofthe
Indians and their white auxiliaries was believed to be more than double this. The
Indian force was supposed to nn ii dier 2,000, while, on account of the impetuosity oi
Urn ne'- charge, the number of his troops actually engaged did not exceed 900. On
account of this defeat and the subsequent devastation of their towns and fields by
the victorious army the Indian- were compelled to sue tor peace, which was granted
by the treaty eon. -hided at Greenville, Ohio, August :!. 1795, by which the trihis
represented ceded awaj nearly their whole territory in Ohio. Authorities. Wayne's
report and related documents, 1794, American State Papers: Indian Affairs, i, 1832;
Drake. Indians, 571-577, 1880; Greenville treaty, in Indian Treaties, 1837; Appleton's
Cyclopaedia of American Biography.
(31) First things of civilization (p. 83): We usually find that the first things
adopted by the Indian from his white neighbor are improved weapons and cutting
tools, with trinkets and articles of personal adornment. Altera regular trade has
been established certain traders marry Indian wives, and, taking up their permanent
residence in the Indian country, engage in farming and stock raising according to
civilized methods, thus, even without intention, constituting themselves industrial
teachers for the tribe.
From data furnished by Haywood, guns appear to have been first introduced
among the ( Iherokee a hoi it the year 1700 or 1710, although he himself puts the date
much earlier. Horses were probably not owned in any great number before the
marking out of the horse-path for trader- from Augusta about 1740. The Cherokee,
however, took kindly to the animal, and before the beginning of the war of 1760
had a "prodigious number." In spite of their great losses at that time they had so
far recovered in 1775 that almost every man then had from two to a dozen I Adair,
p. 231 I. In the border war- following the Revolution companies of hundred- of
mounted Cherokee and ('reeks sometimes invaded the settlements The cow i-
called wa'ka by the Cherokee and maga by the ('reek.-, indicating thai their first
knowledge of it came through the Spaniards. Xnttall states that ii was first intro-
duce long the Cherokee by the celebrated Nancy Ward i Travels, p. 130). It was
not ill such favor as the horse. hoiiiL' valuable chiefly for food, of which at that time
there was an abundant supply from the wild game. \ potent reason for iis avoid-
ance was the Indian belief thai the eating of the flesh oi a slow \ ing animal brei ds
onding sluggishness in the eater. The same argument applied even more
strongly to the hog, and to this day a few of the old conservatives among
Cherokee will have nothing to do with beef, pork, milk, or butter. Nevei
Bartram tells of a trader in the Cherokee countrj a- earb a- 1775 who had a stock
214 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
of cattle, and whose Indian wife had learned to make butter and cheese (Travels, p.
347). In L796 Hawkins mentions meeting two Cherokee women driving ten very
fat cattle to market in the white settlements (manuscript journal, 1796). Bees, if
not native, as the Indians claim, were introduced at so early a period that the
Indians have forgotten their foreign origin. The De Soto narrative mentions the
finding of a pot of honey in an Indian village in Georgia in 1540. The peach was
cultivated in orchards a century before the Revolution, and one variety, known as
early as I7i«i as the Indian peach, the Indians claimed as their own. asserting that
they had had it before the whites came to America ( Lawson, Carolina, p. 182, ed. 1860).
Potatoes were introduced early and were so much esteemed that, according to one
old informant, the Indians in ( leorgia, before the Removal, "lived on them." Coffee
came later, and the same informant remembered when the full-bloods still consid-
ered it poison, in spite of the efforts of the chief, Charles Hicks, to introduce it
among them.
Spinning wheels and looms were introduced shortly before the Revolution.
According to the Wahnenauhi manuscript the first among the Cherokee were brought
over from England by an Englishman named Edward Graves, who taught his
Cherokee wife to spin and weave. The anonymous writer may have confounded
this early civilizer with a young Englishman who was employed by Agent Hawkins
in I si ) 1 to makewheels and looms for the ( 'reeks i Hawkins. 1801, in American State
Papers: Indian Affairs, i. p. 647). Waff ord, in his boyh 1, say about 1815, knewan
old man named Tsi'nawi on Young-cane creek of Nottely river, in upper Georgia,
who was known as a wheelwright and was reputed to have made the first spinning
w heel and loom ever made among the mountain Cherokee, or perhaps in the Nation,
long before Watford's time, or "about the time the Cherokee began to drop their
silver ornaments and go to work." In 1785 the commissioners for the Hopewell
treaty reported that some of the Cherokee women had lately learned to spin, and many
were very desirous of instruction in the raising, spinning, and weaving of flax, cotton,
and wool (Hopewell Commissioners' Report, 1785, American State Papers: Indian
\ Efa i is. i . p. 39) . In accordance with their recommendation the next treaty made with
the tribe, in 1791, contained a provision for supplying the Cherokee with farming
tools (Holston treaty, 1791, Indian Treaties, p. 36, 1837), and this civilizing policy
was continued and broadened until, in 1801, their agent reported that at the < !hero-
kee agency the wheel, the loom, and the plow were in pretty general use, and fann-
ing, manufacturing, and stock raising were the principal topics of conversation among
men and women ( Hawkins manuscripts, Treaty Commission of 1801 ).
(32) Colonel Return .1. Meigs ( p. 84): Return Jonathan Meigs was born in Mid-
dletown, Connecticut, December 17, 1734, and died at the Cherokee agency in Ten-
nessee, January 28, 1823. He was the first-born son of his parents, who gave him
the somewhat peculiar name of Return Jonathan to commemorate a romantic
incident in their own courtship, when his mother, a young Quakeress, called back
her lover as he was mounting his horse to leave the house forever after what he
had supposed was a final refusal. The name has been handed down through five
generations, every one of which has produced some man distinguished in the pub-
lic service. The subject of this sketch volunteered immediately after the open-
ing engagement of the Revolution at Lexington, and was assigned to duty under
Arnold, with rank of major. He accompanied Arnold in the disastrous march
through the wilderness against Quebec, and was captured in the assault upon the
citadel and held until exchanged the next year. In 1777 he raised a regiment and
was promoted to the rank of colonel. For a gallant and successful attack upon the
enemy at Sag harbor, Long island, he received a sword and a vote of thanks from
I longress, and by his conduct at the head of hisregimentatStony point won the favor-
able notice of Washington. After the close of the Revolution he removed to Ohio,
where, as a member of the territorial legislature, he drew up the earliest code of regula-
moosey] TECUM 111 \ 2 1 5
tions tor the pioneer settlers. In 1801 he was appointed agent for the Cherokee and
took up his resident-eat the agency al Tellico blockhouse, opposite the month ofTellico
river, in Tennessee, continuing to serve in that capacity until his death. He was
! as agent by Governoi VIcMinn, ol Ti nnessee. In the course of twenty two
years he negotiated several treaties with the Cherokee and did eh to further the
work of civilization among them and to defend them against unjust aggression. He
also wrote a journal of the expedition to Quebec. His grandson of the same name
was special agent for the Cherokee and Creeks in L834, afterward achieving a repu
tation in the legal profession both in Tennesssee and in the District of Columbia.
Authorities: Appleton, Cyclopsedia of American Biography, 1894; Royce, Cherokee
Nation, in Fifth Annual Report Bureau of Ethnology, 1888; documents in American
stale Papers, Indian Affairs, i and ii.
(33) Tecumtha (p. 87): This great chief of the Shawano and commander of the
allied northern tribes in the British service was born near the present Chillicothe, in
western Ohio, about 1770, and fell in the battle of the Thames, in Ontario, October
. i - : His name signifies a " flying panther" -i. e., a meteor. He came of fight-
ing -i. n'k g I even in a tribe distinguished for its warlike qualities, his father ami
elder brother having been killed in battle with the whites. His mother is said to have
died among the Cherokee. Tecumtha is firsl heard of as taking part in an engagement
with the Kentuckians when about twenty \ ears old, and in a few years he had secured
recognition as the ablest leader among the allied tribes. It is sai<l that he took part
in every important engagement with the Americans from the time of Harmar's defeat
in 1790 until the battle in which he lost his life. When about thirty years of age he
iceived the idea .if uniting the tribes northwest of the ( >lii> >. as Pontiac had united
them before, in a great confederacy to resist the further advance of the Americans,
taking the stand that the whole territory between the Ohio and the Mississippi
belonged to all these tribes in common and that no one tribe had tin- right to sell
any portion of it without the consent of the others. The refusal of the government
jo admit this principle led him to take active steps to unite the tribes upon that
basis, in which he was seconded by his brother, the Prophet, who supplemented
Tecumtha's eloquence with his own claims to supernatural revelation. In the
summer of 1810 Tecumtha held a conference with Governor Harrison at Vineennes
to protest against a recent treaty cession, and finding after exhausting his arguments
that the effort was fruitless, he closed the debate with the words: "The President is
far off and may sit in his town and drink his wine, but you and I will have to light
it out." Both sides at once prepared for war, Teeumtlia going south to enlist the
aid of the (reek. Choctaw, and other southern tribes, while Harrison took advan-
tage of hi- ah-eii re to (one the i — ue by marching against the Prophet's town on the
Tippecanoe river, where the hostile warriors from a dozen trihe- had gathered. A
battle fought before daybreak of November 6, 1811, resulted in the defeat of the
Indian- and the scattering of their forces. Tecumtha returned to find bis plans
brought to naught for the time, but the opening of the war between the United
states and England a few months later enabled him to rally the confederated tribes
once more to the support of the British against the Americans. As a commissioned
brigadier-general in the British service he commanded 2,000 warriors in the war of
1812, distinguishing himself no less by his bravery than by his humanity in pre-
venting outrages and protecting prisoners from massacre, at one time saving the
lives ol four hundred American prisoners who had been taken in ambush near Fort
Meigs and were unable to make longer resistance, lb- was wounded at Maguagua,
where nearly four hundred were killed and wounded on both sides, lie covered
the British retreat after the battle of Lake Erie, and, refusing to retreat farther,
compelled the British General Proctoi to make a stand at the Thames river. Al st
the whole force of the American attack fell on Tecumtha's division. Early in the
21 <> MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [ETH.Aira.19
engagement he was shot through the arm, but continued to fight desperately until
he received a bullet in the head and fell dead, surrounded by the bodies of 120 of
his slain warriors. The services of Tecumtha and his Indians to the British cause
have been recognized by an English historian, who says, "but for them it is proba-
ble we should not now have a Canada." Authorities: Drake, Indians, ed. 1880;
Appleton's Cyclopaedia of American Biography, 1N94; Eggleston, Tecumseh and the
Shaw nee Prophet.
(34) Fort Minis Massacre, 1813 (p. 89): Fort Minis, so called from an old Indian
trader on whose lands it was built, was a stockade fort erected in the summer of 1813
for the protection of the settlers in what was known as the Tensaw district, and was
situated on Tensaw lake. Alabama, one mile east of Alabama river and about forty
miles above Mobile. It was garrisoned by about 200 volunteer troops under Major
Daniel Beaslev, with refugees from the neighboring settlement, making a total at
the time of its destruction of 553 men. women, and children. Being carelessly
guarded, it was surprised on the morning of August 30 by about 1,000 Creek war-
riors led by the mixed-blood chief, William Weatherford, who rushed in at the
open gate, and, after a stout but hopeless resistance by the garrison, massacred all
within, with the exception of the few nygroes and halfbreeds, whom they spared,
ami about a dozen whites who made their escape. The Indian loss is unknow n. hut
was very heavy, as the fight continued at close quarters until the buildings were
fired over the heads of the defenders. The unfortunate tragedy was due entirely to
tl arelessness of the commanding officer, who had been repeatedly warned that
the Indians were about, and at the very moment of the attack a negro was tied up
waiting to be flogged for reporting that he had the day before seen a number of
painted warriors lurking a short distance outside the stockade. Authorities: Pickett,
Alabama, ed. 189G; Hamilton and Owen, note, p. 170. in Transactions Alabama His-
torical Society, n, 1898; Agent Hawkins's report, 1813, American State Papers: Indian
Affairs, i, p. 853; Drake, Indians, ed. 1880. The figures given are those of Pickett,
which in this instance seem most correct, while Drake's are evidently exaggerated.
(35) General William McIntosh (p. 98): This noted halfbreed chief of the
Lower Creeks was the son of a Scotch officer in the British army by an Indian
mother, ami was born at the Creek town of Coweta in Alabama, on the lower Chat-
tahoochee, nearly opposite the present city of Columbus, Georgia, and killed at
the same place by order of the Creek national council on April 30, 1825. Having
sufficient education to keep up an official correspondence, he brought himself to
public notice and came to be regarded as the principal chief of the Lower Creeks.
In the Creek war of 1813-14 he led his warriors to the support of the Americans
against his brethren of the Upper towns, and acted a leading part in the terrible
slaughters at Autossee and the Horseshoe bend. In 1817 he again headed his war-
riors on the government side against the Seminole :\nt\ was commissioned as major.
His common title of general belonged to him only by courtesy. In bSL'l he was the
principal supporter of the treaty of Indian springs, by which a large tract between
the Flint and Chattahoochee rivers was ceded. The treaty was repudiated by the
Creek Nation as being the act of a small faction. Two other attempts were made to
carry through the treaty, in which the interested motives of Mcintosh became so
apparent that he was branded as a traitor to his Nation and condemned to deat",
together with his principal underlings, in accordance with a Creek law making
death the penalty for undertaking to sell lands without tin- consent of the national
council. About the same time he was publicly exposed and denounced in the
( 'herokee council for an attempt to bribe John Koss and other chiefs of the Cherokee
in the same fashion. At daylight of April 30, 1825, a hundred or more warriors
sen! by the Creek national council surrounded his house and, after allowing the
women and children to come out, set tire to it and shot Mcintosh and another chief
mooneyJ WILLIAM WEATHERFORD — MISSIONARIES 217
us thej tried to escape. I [e left three wives, one of wl i was a t Iherokee. 1 uthori-
ties: Drake, [ndians, ed. L880; Letters from Mcintosh's son and widows, 1825, in
American State Papers: [ndian Affairs, n, pp. 764 and 768.
(36 \Vuii\m Weatherford p.89): This leader of the hostiles in the Creek
war was the son of a white father and a halfbreed woman of Tuskegee town whose
father had been a Scotchman. VVeatherford was born in the Creek Nation about
L780and died on Little river, in Monroe county, Alabama, in 1826. He caine first
into prominence by leading the attack upon Fort Minis, August 30, 1813, which
resulted in the destruction of the fori and the massacre of over five hundred inmates.
It is maintained, with apparent truth, that he <li'l his best to prevent the excesses
which followed tin- victory, and left the scene rather than witness the atrocities
when he found that he could not restrain his followers. The fact that Jackson
allowed him to go home unmolested after the final surrender is evidence that he
believed Weatherford guiltless. At the battle of the Holy Ground, in the following
December, he was defeated and narrow l\ escaped capture by the troops under i ten-
eral Claiborne. When the last hope of the Creeks had been destroyed and their
power of resistance broken by the bloody battle of the Horseshoe bend, March 27,
1814, Weatherford voluntarily walked into General Jackson's headquarters and sur-
rendered, creating such an impression by his straightforward and fearless manner
that the general, after a friendly interview . allowed him to go back alone to gather
up his people preliminary to arranging terms of peace. Alter the treaty he retired
to a i 'latitat ion in Monroe county, where he lived in comfort ami was greatly respected
by his white neighbors until hisdeath. As an illustration of his courage it istold how
he once, single-handed, arrested two murderers immediately after the crime, when the
local justice and a large crowd of bystanders were afraid to approach them. Jackson
declared him to be as high tone.] and tearless as any man lie had ever met. In person
he was tall, straight, and well proportioned, with features indicating intelligence,
bravery, and enterprise. Authorities: Pickett, Alabama, ed. 1896; Drake. Indians,
ed. 1880; Woodward, Reminiscences, 1859.
(37) Reverend David Brainerd (p. 104): The pioneer American missionary
from whom the noted Cherokee mission took its name was born at Haddam, Con-
necticut, April 20, 1718, and died at Northampton, Massachusetts. October 9, 17)7.
He entered Yale college in 1739, but was expelled on account of his religious opinions.
In 1741' he was licensed as a preacher and the next year began work as missionary to
the Mahican Indians of the village of Kaunameek, twenty miles from Stockbridge,
Massachusetts, lie persuaded them to remove to Stockbridge, where he put them
in chargeof a resident minister, after which he took up work with good result among
the Delaware and other tribes on the Delaware and Susquehanna rivers. In 1717
his health failed and he was forced to retire to Northampton, where he died a
few months later. He wrote a journal and an account of his missionary labors at
Kaunameek. His later mission work was taken up and continued by his brother.
Authority: Appleton's Cyclopaedia of American Biography, 1894.
38 Reverend Samuel Austin Worcester (p. 105): This noted missionary and
philologist, the son of a Congregational minister who was also a printer, was
born at Worcester, Massachusetts, January 19, 1798, and died at Dark Hill, in the
Cherokee Vat ion west. April 2D. 1859. Having removed to Vermont with his father
while still a child, he graduated with the honors of his class at the state university
at Burlington in 1819, and after finishing a course at the theological seminari at
Andover was ordained to the ministrj in 1825. A week later, withhisnewh wedded
bride, he left Boston to begin mission work among the Cherokee, and arrived in
October at the mission of the American hoard, at Brainerd, Tennessee, where he
remained until the end of 1827. He then, with his wife, removed to Sew Echota,in
i leorgia, the capital of the < Iherokee Nation, w here he was the principal worket
establishment of tl Ph(enix, the first newspaper printed in the Chei
218 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.anx.19
language and alphabet. Iii this labor his inherited printer's instinct came into play,
for he himself supervised the casting of the new types and the systematic arrangement
of them in the case. In March, 1831, he was arrested by the < leorgia authorities for
refusing to take a special oath of allegiance t< i the state. 1 [e was released, but was rear-
rested soon afterward, confined in the state penitentiary, and forced to wear prison
garb, until January, 1833, notwithstanding a decision by the Supreme Court of the
United States, nearly a year before, that his imprisonment was a violation of the law
of tin.' land. The Cherokee Phcenix having been suspended and the Cherokee Nation
brought into disorder by the extension over it of the state laws, lie then returned to
Brainerd, which was beyond the limits of Georgia. In 1835 he removed to the Indian
Territory, whither the Arkansas ( Jherokee had already gone, and after short sojourns
at Dwight and Union missions took up his final residence at Park Hill in December,
1S30. He had already set up his mission press at Union, printing both in the ( Siero-
kee and the Creek languages, and on establishing himself at Park Hill lie began a
regular series of publications in the Cherokee language. In 1843 he states that "at
Park Hill, besides the preaching of the gospel, a leading object of attention is the p rep-
aration and publication of books in the Cherokee language" (Letter in Report of
Indian ( lommissioner, p. 356, 1843 i. The list of his Cherokee publications Hirst edi-
tions) under his own name in Pilling' s Bibliography comprises about twenty titles,
including the Bible, hymn 1 ks, tracts, and almanacs in addition to the Phasnix
and large number of anonymous works. Says Pilling: "It is very probable that he
was the translator of a number of books for which he is not given credit here, espe-
cially those portions of the Scripture which are herein not assigned to any name.
Indeed it is safe to say that during the thirty-four years of his connection with the
Cherokee but little was done in the way of translating in which he had not a share."
He also began a ( Iherokee geography and had both a grammar and a dictionary of
the language under way when his work was interrupted by his arrest. The manu-
scripts, with all his personal effects, afterward went down with a sinking steamer on
the Arkansas. His daughter, Mrs A. E. W. Robertson, became a missionary among
the Creeks and has published a number of works in their language. Authorities:
Pilling, bibliography of the Iroquoian languages (articles Worcester, Cherokee
Phienix, etc. i, 1SSS; Drake, Indians, ed. 1880: Report of Indian Commissioner, 1843
( Worcester letter).
i Mil) Death penalty for selling lands (p. 107): In 1820 the Cherokee Nation
enacted a law making it treason punishable with death to enter into any negotiation
for the sale of tribal lands without the consent of the national council. A similar
law was enacted by the ( reeks at about the same time. It was for violating these laws
that Mcintosh and Ridge suffered death in their respective tribes. The principal
parts of the Cherokee law, as reenacted by the united Nation in the West in 1s4l'.
appear as follows in the compilation authorized in 1800:
"An act against sale of land, etc.: Whereas, The peace and prosperity of
Indian nations are frequently sacrificed or placed in jeopardy by the unrestrained
cupidity of their own individual citizens; and whereas, we ourselves are liable to suffer
from the same cause, and be subjected to future removal and disturbances: There-
fore, . . .
"Be it further rnitrt.nl, That any person or persons who shall, contrary to the will
and consent of the legislative council of this nation, in general council convened,
enter into a treaty with any commissioner or commissioners of the United States, or
any officer or officers instructed for the purpose, and agree to fi^\t\ exchange, or dis-
pose in any way any part or portion of the lands belonging to or claimed by the
Cherokees, west of the Mississippi, he or they so offending, upon conviction before
any judge of the circuit or supreme courts, shall suffer death, and any of the afore-
said judges are authorized to call a court for the trial of any person or persons
So transgressing.
mooney] THE CHEROKEE SYLLABARY 219
■• /;. Itfurlhei enacted, rhat am person or persons who shall violate the pj
of the second section of this act, and shall resist or refuse to appear at the place
designated for trial, or ahsi 1, are hereby declared to be outlaws; ami any person
or persons, citizens of this nation, may kill him or them so offending at am time
and in any manner most convenient, within the limits of this nation, and shall not
be held aci itable to the laws for the same.
i nacted, That no treaty shall be binding upon this nation which shall
not be ratified by the general council, and approved by the principal chief of the
nation. December2, 1842." -Laws of the Cherokee Nation, 1868.
i11 I'n r I in i;nk t i syllabari (p. 110): lii the various schemes of symbolic
thought representation, from the simple pictograph of the primitive man to the fin-
ished alphabet of the civilized nations, our own system, although not yet perfect,
stands at the head of the list, the result of three thousand years of development by
Egyptian, Phoenician, and Greek. Sequoya's syllabary, the unaided work of an
uneducated Indian reared amid semisavage surroundings, stands second.
Twelve years of his life are said to have been given to his great work. Being entirely
without instruction and ha\ ing no knowledge of the philosophy of language, being not
evi ii acquainted with English, his first attempts were naturally enough in the direc-
tion of the crude Indian pictograph. He set out to devise a symbol for each word of
the language, and after several years oi experiment, finding this an utterly hopeless
task, he threw aside the thousands of characters which he hail carved or scratched
uiion pieces of bark, and started in anew to study the constructii f the language
it-elf. By attentive observation for another long period lie finally discovered that
the sounds in the words used by the ( Iherokee in their daily conversation and their
public speeches could be analyzed and elassitied, and that the thousands of possible
Is were all formed fr varying combinations of hardly more than a hundred
distinct syllables; Having thoroughly tested his discovery until satisfied of its cor-
rectness, he next proceeded to formulate a symbol for each syllable. For this purpose
he made use of a number of characters which he found in an old English spelling
book, picking out capitals, lower-case, italics, and figures, and placing them right side
up or upside down, without any idea of their sound or significance as used in English
(see plate v). Having thus utilized some thirty-live ready-made characters, to which
must be added a dozen or more produced by modification of the same originals, he
• 1 1 •> i o l from his own imagination as many more as were necessary to his purpose,
making eighty-five in all. The complete syllabary, as first elaborated, would have
required someone hundred and fifteen characters, but after much hard study over
the hissing sound in its various combinations, be hit upon the expedient of repre-
senting the sound by means of a distinct character the exact equivalent of our letter
.v — whenever it formed the initial of a syllable. Says Gallatin, " It wanted bin one
step more, and to have also given a distinct character to each consonant, to reduce
the whole number to sixteen, and to have had an alphabet similar to ours. In prac-
tice, however, and as applied to his own language, the superiority of ( riie-s's alphabet
is manifest, and has been fully proved by experience. Yon must indeed learn and
remember eighty-five characters instead of twenty-five [sic]. But this once accom-
plished, the education of the pupil is completed; be can read and he i> perfect in his
orthography without making it the subject ofadistinct study. The boy learns in a
few weeks that which occupies two years of the time of ours." Says Phillips: " In
my own observation Indian children will take .me or two. at time- several, j ears to
master the English printed and written language, but in a few days can read and
write in Cherokee. They do the latter, in fact, as soon as thos learn to shape letters.
\- soon as they master the alphabet they have got rid of all the perplexing questions
in orthography that puzzle the brains of our children. It is not too much to say-
that a child will learn in a month, by the same effort, as thoroughly in the language
220 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [kth.axn.19
of Sequoyah, that which in ours consumes the time of our children for at least two
years."
Although in theory the written Cherokee word has one letter for each syllable, the
rule does not always hold good in practice, owing to the frequent elision of vowel
sounds. Thus the word for "soul" is written with four letters as arda-ntifi-ta,, but
pronounced in three syllables, mlnnta. In the same way tui'i-li'in-i-yurtti ("like
tobacco," the cardinal flower) is pronounced tsdliyusCl. There are also, as in other
languages, a number of minutesound variations not indicated in the written word,
so that it is necessary to have heard the language spoken in order to read with cor-
rect pronunciation. The old Upper dialect is the standard to which the alphabet
has been adapted. There is no provision for the r of the Lower or the sh of the
Middle dialect, each speaker usually making his own dialectic change in the reading.
The letters of a word are not connected, and there is no difference between the written
and the printed character. Authoritirx: Gallatin, Synopsis of the Indian Tribes, in
Trans. Am. Antiq. Soc, n, 1836; Phillips, Sequoyah, in Harper's Magazine, Septem-
ber, 1870; Filling, Bibliography of Iroquoian Languages i article on Guess and plate
of syllabary), 1888; author's personal information.
1] Southern gold fields (p. 116): Almost every valuable mineral and crystal
known to the manufacturer or the lapidary is found in the southern Alleghenies,
although, so far as present knowledge goes, but few of these occur in paying quanti-
ties. It is probable, however, that this estimate may change with improved methods
and enlarged railroad facilities. Leaving out of account the earlier operations by the
Spanish, French, and English adventurers, of which mention has already been made,
the first authentic account of gold finding in any of the states south of Mason and
Dixon's line within what may lie called the American period appears to be that
given by Jefferson, writing in 1781, of a lump of ore found in Virginia, which yielded
seventeen penny weights of gold. This was probably not the earliest, however, as
we find doubtful references to gold discoveries in both Carolinas before the Revolu-
tion. The first mint returns of gold were made from North Carolina in 17'.':;. ami
from South Carolina in 1829, although gold is certainly known to have been found in
tin- latter state some years earlier. The earliest gold records for the other southern
states are. approximately, Georgia (near Dahlonega). IkI.VIsl'O; Alabama, 1830;
Tennessee ildco creek. Monroe county), 1831; Maryland (Montgomery county),
1849. Systematic tracingof gold belts southward from North Carolina began in 1829,
anil speedily resulted in the forcible eviction of the Cherokee from the gold-bearing
region. Most of the precious metal was procured from placers or alluvial deposits
by a simple process of digging and washing. Very little quartz mining has yet been
attempted, and that usually by the crudest methods. In fact, for a long period gold
working was followed as a sort of side issue to farming between crop seasons. In
North Carolina prospectors obtained permission from the owners of the land to wash
or dig on shares, varying from one-fourth to one-half, and the proprietor was accus-
tomed to put his slaves to work in the same way along the creek bottoms after the
crops had been safely gathered. "The dust became a considerable medium of circu-
lation, and miners were accustomed to carry about with them quills tilled with gold,
and a pair of small hand scales, on which they weighed out gold at regular rates; for
instance, Si grains of gold was the customary equivalent of a pint of whisky." For
a number of years, about 1830 ami later, a man named Bechtler coined gold on his
own account in North Carolina, and these coins, with Mexican silver, are said to have
constituted the chief currency over a large region. A regular mint was established
at Dahlonegain 1838 and maintained for some years. From 1804 to 1827 all the gold
produced in the United States came from North < 'arolina. although the total amounted
to hut SH0,000. The discovery of the rich deposits in California checked mining
operations in the south, and the civil war brought about an almost complete suspen-
EXTENSION OF GEORGIA LAWS 221
siim, from which then' is hardly yet a revival. According to the best official esti-
mates the gold production of the southern Allegheny region for the century'from I7;t9
to 1898, inclusive, has been s ething over $46,000,000, distributed as follows:
North Carolina $21,926,376
( ;.•. >rgia 16, 658, 630
South Carolina 3,961,863
Virginia, slightly in excess of 3,216,343
Alabama, slightly in excess of 437,927
Tennessee, slightly in excess of 167,405
Maryland 17,068
Total, slightly in excess of 46, 415,612
Autiiorities: Becker, Gold Fields of the Southern Appalachians, in the Sixteenth
Annual Report United States Geological Survey. 1895; Day, Mineral Resources of
the United States, Seventeenth Annual Report United States Geological Survey,
part ■".. 1896; Nitze, Gold Mining and Metallurgy in the Southern States, in North
Carolina Geological Survey Report, republished in Mineral Resources of the t nited
states, Twentieth Annual Report United states Geological Survey, part 6, 1899;
Lanman, Letters from the Alleghany Mountains, 1849.
(42) Extension of Georgia laws, L830(p.ll7): "It is hereby ordained that all
the laws of Georgia are extended over the Cherokee cQuntry; that after the first day of
June, 1830, all Indians then and at that time residing in said territory, shall be liable
and subject to such laws and regulations as the legislature may hereafter prescribe;
that all laws, usages, and customs made and established and enforced in the sai'l terri-
tory, by the saiil Cherokee Indians, lie, ami the same are hereby, on ami after the
1st day of .lime. 1830, declared null ami void; ami no Indian, or descendant of an
Indian, residing within the ( 'reek or Cherokee nations of Indians, shall he deemed
a competent witness or party to any suit in any court where a white man is a defend-
ant."— Extract from the act passed by the Georgia legislature on December 20, 1828,
"to add the territory within this state and occupied by the Cherokee Indians to
the counties of DeKalb et al.; and to extend the laws of this state over the s ,"
Authorities: Drake. Indians, p. 439, ed. 1880; Royce, Cherokee Nation of Indians, in
Fifth Ann. Rep. Bureau of Ethnology, p. 260, 1888.
13 Removal ports, 1838 (p.130): For collecting the Cherokee preparatory to
the Removal, the follow ing stockade forts were built: In North Carolina. Fort Lind-
say, on the south side of the Tennessee river at the junction of Nantahala. in Swain
county: Fort Scott. at Aquone, farther up Nantahala river, in Macon county; Fort
Montgomery, at Robbinsville, in Graham county; Fort Hembrie, at Hayesville, in
Clay county: Fort Delaney, at Yalleytown, in Cherokee county; Fort Butler, at
Murphy, in tin- same county. In Georgia, Fort Scudder, on Frogtown creek, north
of Dahlonega, in Lumpkin county; Fort Gilmer, near Ellijay, in Gilmer county;
Fort Coosawatee, in Murray county; Fort Talking-rock, near Jasper, in Pickens
county; Fort Buffington, near Canton, in Cherokee county. In Tennessee, Fort
( lass, a! ( 'alhoun. on Hiwassee river, in McMinn county. In Alabama, Fort Turkey-
town, on Coosa river, at Center, in Cherokee county. Authority: Author's personal
information.
I 44 Mi Nair's GRAVE, (p. 132): Just inside the Tennessee line, where the Cona-
sauga river bends again into Georgia, is a stone-walled grave, with a slab, on which
is an epitaph which tells its own story of the Removal heartbreak. McNair was a
white man, prominent in the Cherokee Nation, whose wife was a daughter of the
chief, Vann, who welcomed the Moravian missionaries and gave his own house for
their use. The date shows that she died while tin- Removal was in progress, possibly
222 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE leth.ann.19
while waiting in the stockade camp. The inscription, with details, is given from
information kindly furnished by Mr D. K. Dunn of Conasauga, Tennessee, in a
letter dated August 16, 1890:
"Sacred to the memory of David and DelilahA. McNair, who departed this life, the
former on tlir 15th of August, L836, and the latter on the 30th of November, L838.
Their children, being members of the Cherokee Nation and having to go with their
j ico] ili' to the West, do leave this i lument, not only to show their regard for their
parents, but to guard their sacred ashes against the unhallowed intrusion of the white
man."
(45) President Samuel Houston, (p. 145) : This remarkable man was horn in Rock-
bridge county, Virginia, March 2, 1793, and died at Huntsville, Texas, July 25, 1863.
( if strangely versatile, but forceful, character, he occupies a unique position in Ameri-
can history, combining in a wonderful degree the rough manhood of the pioneer,
the eccentric vanity of the Indian, the stern dignity of the soldier, the genius of the
statesman, and withal the high chivalry of a knight of the olden time. His erratic
career has been the subject of much cheap romancing, hut the simple facts are of
sufficient interest in themselves without the aid of fictitious embellishment. To the
Cherokee, whom he loved so well, lie was known as Ka'lanu, "The Raven," an old
war title in the tribe.
His father having died when the boy was nine years old. his widowed mother re-
moved with him to Tennessee, opposite the territory of the Cherokee, whose boundary
was then the Tennessee river. Here he worked on the farm, attending school at
intervals; lint, being of adventurous disposition,' he left home when sixteen years old,
and, crossing over the river, joined the Cherokee, among whom he soon became a
great favorite, being adopted into the family of Chief Jolly, from whom the island at
the mouth of Hiwassee takes its name. After three years of this life, during which
time he wore the Indian dress and learned the Indian language, he returned to civili-
zation and enlisted as a private soldier under Jackson in the Creek war. He s i
attracted favorable notice and was promoted to the rank of ensign. By striking
bravery at the bloody battle of Horseshoe bend, where he scaled the breastworks with
an arrow in bis thigh and led his men into the thick of the enemy, he won the last-
ing friendship of Jackson, who made him a lieutenant, although he was then barely
twenty-one. He continued in the army after the war, serving for a time as subagent
for the Cherokee at Jackson's request, until the summer of 1818, when he resigned
on account of some criticism by Calhoun, then Secretary of War. An official investi-
gation, held at his demand, resulted in his exoneration.
Removing to Nashville, he began the study of law, and, being shortly afterward
admitted to the liar, set up in practice at Lebanon. Within five years he was succes-
sively district attorney and adjutant-general and major-general of state troops. In
1823 he was elected to ( '.ingress, serving two terms, at the end of which, in 1827, he
was elected governor of Tennessee by an overwhelming majority, being then thirty-
four years of age. Shortly before this time he had fought and wounded General White
in a duel. In January, L829, he married a young lady residing near Nashville, but
two months later, without a word of explanation to any outsider, he left her, resigned
his governorship ami other official dignities, and left the state forever, to rejoin his
old friends, tin- Cherokee, in the West. For years the reason for this strange conduct
was a secret, and Houston himself always refused to talk of it, but it is now under-
stood to have been due to the fact that his wife admitted to him that she loved
another and had only been induced to marry him by the over-persuasions of her
parents.
From Tennessee he went to Indian Territory, whither a large part of the Cher-
okee had already removed, and once more took up his residence near Chief Jolly,
who was now the principal chief of the western Cherokee. The great disap-
pointment which seemed to have blighted his life at its brightest was heavy at his
SAMUEL BOUSTOM 'J'-'-'?
heart, and he sought forgetfulness in drink to such an extent that for a time his
manl I seemed to have departed, notwithstanding which, such was his force of
character and his past reputation, he retained his hold upon the affections of the
Cherokee and his standing with the officers and their families at the neighboring posts
of Fort Smith, F"rt i iibson, and Fort ( loffee. In the meantime his former w ife in Den
nessee had obtained a divorce, and Houston being thus frei e more soon after
married Talihina, the youngest daughter of a prominent mixed-bl I Cherokee
named Rogers, who resided near Fort Gibson. She was the niece of Houston's
adopted father, Chief Jolly, and he had known her when a boy in the old Nation.
Being^a beautiful girl, and educated above her surroundings, she became a welcome
guest w herever her husband was received. He started a trading store near Webbers
Falls, but continued in his dissipated habits until recalled to his senses by the out-
come of a drunken affray in which he assaulted his adopted father, the old chief,
and was himself felled to the ground unconscious. Upon recover} from his injuries
he made a public apology for his < luct and thenceforward led asoberlife.
In 1832 he visited Washington in the interest >it' the western Cherokee, calling in
Indian costume upon President Jackson, who received him with old-time friendship.
Being accused while there of connection with a fraudulent Indian contract, he
administered a severe beating to his accuser, a member of Congress. For this he
»;i- lined $500 and reprimanded by the bar of the House, but Jackson remitted the
fine. Soon after his return to the West he removed to Texas to take part in the
agitation just started against Mexican rule. He was a member oi the convention
w hich adopted a separate constitution for Texas in 1833, and two years later aided in
forming a provisional government, and was elected commander-in-chief to organize
the new militia. In 1836 he was a member of the convention which declared the
independence of Texas. At the battle of San Jacinto in April of that year hedefeated
with 7.">n men Santa Ana's army of 1,800, inflicting upon the Mexicans the terrible
loss oi 630 killed and 730 prisoners, among whom was Santa Ana himself. Houston
received a severe wound in the engagement. In the autumn of the same year he
was elected first president of the republic of Texas, receiving more than four-fifths
of the Vote- cast. He served two years and retired at the end of his term, leaving
the country on good terms with both Mexico and the Indian tribes, and with its
note- at par. He was immediately elected to the Texas congress and served in that
capacity until 1841, when he was reelected president. It was during these years that
he made his steadfast fight in behalf of the Texas < Iherokee, as is narrated elsew here,
supporting their cause without wavering, at the risk of his own popularity and posi-
tion. He frequently declared that no treaty made and carried out in t: 1 faith had
ever I. ecu violated by Indians. His Cherokee w ife having died some time 1. el ore. he
was again married in ls4o. this time to a lady from Alabama, who exercised over
him a restraining and ennobling influence through the stormy vicissitudes of his
eventful life. In June, 1842, he vetoed a hill making him dictator for the purpose of
resisting a threatened invasion from Mexico.
(>n December 29, 1845, Texas was admitted to the Union, and in the following
March Houston was elected to the Senate, where he served continuously until 1859,
when he resigned to take his -eat as governor, to which position he had just been
elected. From 1852 to 1860 bis name was three times presented before national
presidential nominating conventions, the last time receiving 57 votes. He had taken
issue with the Democratic majority throughout his term in the Senate, and when
Texas passed the secession ordinance in February, 1861, being an uncompromising
Union man, he refused to take the oath of allegiance to the Confederacy and was
accordingly deposed from the office of governor, declining the proffered aid of federal
troops to keep him in his seat. Unwilling either to fight against the Union orto
take -ides against his friends, he held aloof from the great Struggle, and remained m
silent retirement until his death, two years later. No other man in American history
224 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.1W
has left such a record of continuoua election to high office while steadily holding to
hisown convictions in the faceof strong popular opposition. Antlmntii-s: Appleton's
Cyclopaedia of American Biography, 1894; Bonnell, Texas, 1840; Thrall, Texas, L876;
I.ossing. Field Book of the War of 1812, 1869; author's personal information; various
periodical and newspaper articles.
(46) Chief John Ross (p. 151): This great chief of the Cherokee, whose name is
inseparable from their history, was himself but one-eighth of Indian blood and showed
little of the Indian features, his father, Daniel Ross, having emigrated from Scotland
before the Revolution and married a quarter-blood* Iherokee woman whose fat her, John
McDonald, was also from Scotland. He was horn at or near the family residence at
Rossville, Georgia just across the line from Chattanooga, Tennessee. As ahoy, he
was known among the Cherokee as Tsan-usdi', " Little John," but after arriving at
manhood was called Guwi'sguwi', the name of a ran- migratory bird, of large size
and white or grayish plumage, said to have appealed formerly at long intervals in
the old Cherokee country. It may have been the egret or the swan. He was
educated at Kingston, Tennessee, and began his public career when barely nineteen
years of age. Ilis first wife, a full-blood Cherokee woman, died in consequence of
the hardships of the Removal while on the western march and was buried at Little
Rock, Arkansas. Some years later he married again, this time to a Miss Stapler of
Wilmington, Delaware, the marriage taking place in Philadelphia (author's per-
sonal information from Mr Allen Ross, son of John Ross; see also Meredith,
"The Cherokees," in the Five Civilized Tribes, Extra Bulletin Eleventh Census,
1S94. ) Cooweescoowee district of the Cherokee Nation west has been named in his
honor. The following biographic facts are taken from the panegyric in his honor,
passed by the national council of the Cherokee, on hearing of his death, "as feebly
expressive of the loss they have sustained."
John Ross was born October .'!, 1790, and died in the city of Washington, August
1, 1866, in the seventy-sixth year of his age. His official career began in 1809, when
he was intrusted by Agent Return Meigs with an important mission to the Arkansas
Cherokee. From that time until the close of his life, with the exception of two or
three years in the earlier part, he was in the constant service of his people, "furnish-
ing an instance of confidence on their part and fidelity on his which has never been
surpassed in the annals of history." In the war of 1813-14 against the Creeks he
was adjutant of the Cherokee regiment which cooperated with General Jackson, and
was present at the battle of the Horseshoe, where the Cherokee, under Colonel
Morgan, of Tennessee, rendered distinguished service. In 1817 he was elected a
member of the national committee of the Cherokee council. The first duty assigned
him was to prepare a reply to the United States commissioners who were present
for the purpose of negotiating with the Chen ikee for their lands east of the Mississippi,
in firm resistance to which he was destined, a few years later, to test the power of
truth and to attain a reputation of no ordinary character. In 1819, October 26, his
name first appeals on the statute book of the Cherokee Nation as president of the
national committee, and is attached to an ordinance which looked to the improve-
ment of the Cherokee people, providing for the introduction into the Nation of school-
masters, blacksmiths, mechanics, and others. He continued to occupy that position
till 1826. In 1827 he was associate chief with William Hicks, and president of the con-
vention which adopted the constitution of that year. That constitution, it is believed,
is the first effort at a regular government, with distinct branches and powers defined,
ever madeand carried intoeffect by any of the Indians of North America. From 1828
until the removal west, he was principal chief of the eastern Cherokee, and from
1839 to the time of his death, principal chief of the united Cherokee Nation.
In regard to the long contest which culminated in the Removal, the resolutions
declare that "The Cherokees, with John Ross at their head, alone with their
treaties, achieved a recognition of their rights, but they were powerless to enforce
booney] JOHN ROSS — THE KETOOWAH SOCIETV 225
them. They were compelled to yield, but not until the struggle had developed the
highest qualities of patience, fortitude, and tenacity of right and purpose on their
part, as well as that of their chief. The same may be said of their course after their
removal to this country, and Which resulted in the reunion of the eastern and west-
em I Iherokees as one i pie and in the adoption of the present constitution."
Concerning the events of the civil war and the official attempt to depose Ross from
his authority, they state that thes 'currences, with many others in their trying
historj as a people, are confidently committed to the future page of the historian.
••It is enough to know that the treaty negotiated at Washington in 1866 hore the
full and just recognition of John Hoss' name as principal chief of the Cherokee
nation."
The summing up of the [panegyric is a splendid tribute to a splendid maul I:
" Blessed with a line constitution and a vigorous niind, John Koss had the physi-
cal ability to follow the path of duty wherever it led. No danger appalled him.
He never faltered in Supporting what he believed to he right, hut clung to it with a
steadiness of purpose which alone could have sprung from the clearest convictions
of rectitude. He never sacrificed the- interests of his nation to expediency, lie
never lost sight of the welfare of the people. For them he labored daily for a long
life, and upon them he bestowed his last expressed thoughts. A friend of law, he
obeyed it: a friend of education, he faithfully encouraged schools throughout the
country, and spent liberally his means in conferring it upon others. Given to hos-
pitality, none ever hungered around his door. A professor of the Christian religion,
he practiced its precepts. His works are inseparable from the history of the Cher-
okee people for nearly half a century, while his example in the daily walks of life
will linger in the future and whisper words of hope, temperance, and charity in the
years i if posterity."
Resolutions were also passed for bringing his body from Washington at the expense
of the Cherokee Nation and providing for suitable obsequies, in order "that his
remains should rest among those he so long served" (Resolutions in honor of John
Ross, in Laws of the Cherokee Nation, 1869).
(47) The Ketoowah Society (p. l.MS): This Cherokee secret society, which has
recently achieved some newspaper prominence by its championship of Cherokee
autonomy, derives its name — properly Kitu'hwa, hut commonly spelled Ketoowah
in English print — from the ancient town in the old Nation which formed the nucleus of
the most conservative element of the tribe and sometimes gave a name to the Nation
itself i see KUu'hwatfl, under Tribal Synonyms). A strong band of comradeship, if
not a regular society organization, appears to have existed among the warriors and
leading men of the various settlements of the Kituhwa district from a remote period,
so that the name is even now used in councils as indicative of genuine Cherokee
feelingjn its highest patriotic form. When, some years ago, delegates from the
western Nation visited the East Cherokee to invite them to join their more pros-
perous brethren beyond the Mississippi, the speaker for the delegates expressed
their fraternal feeling for their separated kin-men by saying in his opening speech,
"We are all Kituhwa people" (Ani'-KItu'hwagl). The Ketoowah society in the
( In rokee Nation west was organized shortly before the civil war by John I'.. Jones,
son of the missionary, Evan Jones, and an adopted citizen of the Nation, as a secret
society for the ostensible purpose of cultivating a national feeling among the full-
bl Is. in opposition to the innovating tendencies of the mixed-bl 1 element. The
real purpose was to counteract the influence of the "Blue Lodge" and other secret
secessionist organizations among the wealthier slave-holding classes, made up chiefly
of mixed-bl Is and whites. It extended to the Creeks, and its members ill both
tribes rendered g 1 service to the Union cause throughout the war. The) were
frequently known as "Pin Indians," for a reason explained below. Since the close
of the great struggle tin- society has distinguished itself by its determined opposition
I'd KTH— 01 15
22*1 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
to every scheme looking i" the curtailment or destruction of < Sherokee national self-
government.
The 6 illowing account of the society was written shortly after the close of the civil
war:
"Those ( Sherokees who were loyal to the Union combined in a secret organization
for self-protection, assuming the designation of the Ketoowha society, which name
was s i merged in that of "Pins." The Pins were so styled because of a peculiar
manner they adopted of wearing a pin. The symbol was discovered by their ene-
mies, w ho applied the term in derision; but it was accepted by this loyal league, and
has almost superseded the designation which its members first assumed. The Pin
organization originated among the members of the Baptist congregation at Peavine,
Going-snake district, in the Cherokee nation. In a short time the society counted
nearly three thousand members, and had commenced proselytizing the Creeks,
when the rebellion, against which it was arming, preventing its further extension,
the | mi n- ('reeks having been driven into Kansas by the rebels of the Golden Circle.
Dining the war the Pins rendered services hi the Union cause in many bloody
encounters, as has been acknowledged by our generals. It was distinctly an anti-
slavery organization. The slave-holding Cherokees, who constituted the wealthy
and more intelligent class, naturally allied themselves with the South, while loyal
Cherokees became more and more opposed to slavery. .This was shown very clearly
when the loyalists lirst met in convention, in February, 1863. They not only abol-
ished slavery unconditionally and forever, before any slave state made a movement
toward emancipation, but made any attempts at enslaving a grave misdemeanor.
The scent signs of the Pins were a peculiar way of touching the hat as a salutation,
particularly when they were too far apart for recognition in other ways. They had
a peculiar mode of taking hold of the lapel of the coat, first drawing it away from
the body, and then giving it a motion as though wrapping it around the heart.
During the war a portion of them were forced into the rebellion, but quickly rebelled
against General Cooper, who was placed over them, and when they fought against
that general, at Bird Creek, they wore a bit of corn-husk, split into strips, tied in
their hair. In the night when two Pins met, and one asked the other, 'Who are
you?' the reply or pass was, 'Tahlequah — who are you'.'' The response was, 'I
am Kctoowha's son.'" — Dr D. J. MacGowan, Indian Secret Societies, in Historical
Magazine, x, 1866.
(4s i Farewell address of Lloyd Welch (p. 175): In the sad and eventful history
of the Cherokee their gifted leaders, frequently of white ancestry, have oftentimes
spoken tii the world with eloquent words of appeal, of protest, or of acknowledgment,
but never more eloquently than in the last farewell of Chief Lloyd Welch to the
eastern band, as he felt the end draw near I leaflet, MacGowan, Chattanooga [n.d.,
L880] i:
"To the Chairman and Council of tlu Eastern Band of Cherokees:
" My Brothers: It becomes my imperative duty to bid you an affectionate fan-well,
and resign into your hands the trust you so generously confided to my keeping, prin-
cipal chief of the Eastern Land. It is with great solicitude and anxiety for your
welfare that I am constrained to take this course. But the inexorable laws of
nature, and the rapid decline of my health, admonish me that soon, very soon, I
will have passed from earth, my body consigned to the tomb, ni\ spirit to God who
gave it, in that happy home in the beyond, where there is no sickness, no sorrow,
no pain, no death, but one eternal joy and happiness forever more.
"The oid\ regret that I feel for thus being so soon called from among you, at the
meridian of manh 1, when hope is sweet, is the great anxiety 1 have to serve and
benefit my race. For this I have studied and labored for the past ten years of my
life, to secure to my brothers equal justice from their brothers of the west and the
United States, and that you would no longer be hewers of w 1 and drawers of
FAREWELL ADDRESS OF LLOYD WELCH 227
water, but assume thai proud position among the civilized nations of the earth
intended by the Creator that we'should occupy, and which in the near future you
w ill take or I"- exterminated. When you become educated, as a natural consequence
you will become more intelligent, sober, industrious, and prosperous
■■ 1 1 ha- been the aim of ii iv lit".-. 1 1 ir chief object, to serve my race faithfully, hon-
estly, ami to tin- best of my ability. II"" well 1 have succeeded I will leave i" his-
tory and your magnanimity to decide, trusting an all-wise ami just God to guide and
protect you in the future, as lie will do all things well. We may fail w hen mi earth
to see the goodness ami wisdom of God in removing from us our best ami mosl use-
ful men, but when we have crossed over i ill the i it her shore to Our happy ami eternal
Inline in the far beyond then our eyes will be opened and we will he enabled to see
ami realize the goodness and mercy of God in thus afflicting us while here mi earth,
ami will he enabled inure fully to praise < rod, from whom all blessings come.
"I hope that when you come to select one from among you to take the responsible
position of principal chief of your ha ml you will lay aside all persi ma I considerations
and seleet one in every respect competent, without stain on his fair fame, a pure,
mil ile, honest, man — one who loves God ami all that is pure — with intellect sufficient
to know your rights, independence ami nerve to defend them. Should you he thus
fortunate in making your choice, all will he well. It has been truthfully said that
'when the righteous rule the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule the people
mourn.'
■1 am satisfied that you have among you many who are fully competent of tin-
task. If I was satisfied it was your wish ami for the good of my brothers I might
mention some of them, hut think it best to leave you in the hands of an all-wise God,
who does all things right, to guide ami direct you aright.
"Ami now. my brothers, in taking perhaps my last farewell on earth I do pray
God that you may so conduct yourselves while here on earth that when the last sail
rite i- performed by loved friends we may compose one unbroken family above in
that celestial city from whose bourne no traveler has ever returned to describe the
beauty, grandeur, and happiness of the heaven prepared for the faithful by God him-
self beyond the sky. And again, my brothers, permit me to bid you a fond, hut
perhaps a last, farewell on earth, until we meet again where parting is never known
and friends meet to part no more forever.
"L. R. "Welch,
"Principal Chief Eastern Band Cherokei Indians.
" Witness:
"Samuel W. Davidson.
"B. E. Mkrony."
(49) Status of eastern BAND i]>. 180): For some reason all authorities who have
hitherto discussed the status of the eastern band of Cherokee seem to have been
entirely unaware of the enactment of the supplementary articles to the treaty of New
Echota, by which all preemption and reservation rights granted under the twelfth
article were canceled. Thus, in the Cherokee case of "The United States etal against
D. T. Boyd it nl," we And the United States circuit judge quoting the twelfth article
in its original form as a basis for argument, while his associate judge says: "Their
forefathers availed themselves of a provision in the treaty of New Echota and
remained in the state of North Carolina." etc. (Report of Indian Commissionei lor
1895, pp. 633-635, 1896). The truth is that the treaty as ratified with its supplemen-
tary articles canceled the residence right of every Cherokee east of the Mississippi,
and it was not until thirty years afterwards that North ( 'arolina finally gave assurance
that the eastern band would he permitted to remain within her borders.
The twelfth article ..f the new Echota treaty of December 29, 1835, provides for a
pro rata apportionment to such Cherokee as desire to remain in the East, and con-
228 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eih.ann.19
tinues: "Such heads of Cherokee families as are desirous to reside within the states
of North Carolina, Tennessee, and Alabama, subject to the laws of the same, and
who are qualified or calculated to become useful citizens, shall be entitled, on the
certificate of the commissioners, to a preemption right to one hundred and sixty
acres of land, or one quarter section, at the minimum Congress price, so as to include
the present buildings or improvements of those who now reside there; and such as
do not live there at present shall be permitted to locate within two years any lands
not already occupied by person's entitled to preemption privilege under this treaty,"
etc. Article 13 defines terms with reference to individual reservatii ins granted under
former treaties. The preamble to the supplementary articles agreed upon on March
1, 1836, recites that, "Whereas the President of the United States has expressed his
determination not to allow any preemptions or reservations, his desire being that the
whole Cherokee people should remove together and establish themselves in the
country provided for them west of the Mississippi river (article 1) : It is therefore
agreed that all preemption rights and reservations provided for in articles 12 and 13
shall be, and are hereby, relinquished and declared void." The treaty, in this shape,
was ratified on May 23, 1836 (see Indian Treaties, pp. 633-648, 1837).
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY
NINETEENTH ANNUAL REPORT PL. XI
SWIMMER 'A'YUN'INii
Hi— STORIES AND STORY TELLERS
Cherokee myths may be roughly classified as sacred myths, animal
stories, local legends, and historical traditions. To the first class
belong the genesis stories, dealing with the creation of the world, the
nature of the heavenly bodies and elemental forces, the origin of life
and death, the spirit world and the invisible beings, the ancient mon-
sters, and the hero-gods. It is almost certain that most of the myths
of this class are but disjointed fragments of an original complete gen-
esis and migration legend, which is now lost. With nearly every tribe
that has been studied we find such a sacred legend, preserved by the
priests of the tradition, who alone are privileged to recite and explain
it. and dealing with the origin and wanderings of the people from the
beginning of the world to the final settlement of the tribe in its home
territory. Among the best examples of such genesis traditions are
those recorded in the Walam Olum of the Delawares and Matthews'
Navaho Origin Legend. Others may be found in Cusick's History
of the Six Nations, Gatschet's Creek Migration Legend, and the
author's Jicarilla Genesis.1 The Cheyenne, Arapaho, and other plains
tribes are known to have similar genesis myths.
The former existence of such a national legend among the Cherokee
is confirmed by Haywood, writing in 1823, who states on information
obtained from a principal man in the tribe that they had once a long
oration, then nearly forgotten, which recounted the history of their
wanderings from the time when they had been first placed upon the
earth by some superior power from above. Up to about the middle
of the la-t century this tradition was still recited at the annual Green-
corn dance.2 Unlike mosl Indians the Cherokee are not conservative,
and even before the Revolution had so far lost their primitive customs
from contact with the whites that Adair, in 1775. calls them a nesl of
apostate hornets who for more than thirty years had been fast degen-
erating.3 Whatever it may have been, their national legend is now lost
forever. The secret organizations that must have existed formerly
among the priesthood have also disappeared, and each man now works
independently according to his individual gifts and knowledge.
The sacred myths were not for every one, but only those might hear
who observed the proper form and ceremony. When John Ax and
■American Anthropologist, vol. xi. July. 1898. 3 Adair, American Indians, p. 81, ITT"'.
2 See page 20.
230 MYTHS OK THE CHEROKEE
other old men were boys, now some eighty years ago. the myth-keepers
and priests were accustomed to meet toe-ether at night in the asl.
or low-built log .sleeping house, to recite the traditions and discuss
their secret knowledge. At times those who desired instruction from
an adept in the sacred lore of the tribe met him by appointment in the
as?, where they sat up all night talking, with only the light of a small
tire burning in the middle of the floor. At daybreak the whole party
went down to the running stream, where the pupils or hearers of the
myths stripped themselves, and were scratched upon their naked skin
with a bone-tooth comb in the hands of the priest, after which they
waded out, facing the rising sun, and dipped seven times under the
water, while the priest recited prayers upon the bank. This purifica-
tory rite, observed more than a century ago by Adair, is also a part of
the ceremonial of the ballplay, the Green-corn dance, and, in fact,
every important ritual performance. Before beginning one of the
stories of the sacred class the informant would sometimes suggest
jokingly that the author first submit to being scratched and "go to
water."
As a special privilege a boy was sometimes admitted to the asl on
such occasions, to tend the fire, and thus had the opportunity to
listen to the stories and learn something of the secret rites. In this way
John Ax gained much of his knowledge, although he does not claim
to be an adept. As he describes it, the tire intended to heat the room —
for the nights are cold in the Cherokee mountains — was built upon the
ground in the center of the small house, which was not high enough
to permit a standing position, while the occupants sat in a circle around
it. In front of the tire was placed a large flat rock, and near it a pile
of pine knots or splints. When the tire had burned down to a bed of
coals, the boy lighted one or two of the pine knots and laid them upon
the rock, where they blazed with a bright light until nearly consumed,
when others were laid upon them, and so on until daybreak.
Sometimes the pine splints were set up crosswise, thus, >0<XX, in a
circle around the fire, with a break at the eastern side. They were
then lighted from one end and burned gradually around the circle,
fresh splints being set up behind as those in front were consumed.
Lawson describes this identical custom as witnessed at a dance among
the Waxhaw, on Catawba river, in 1701:
Now, to return to our state house, whither we were invited by the grandees. As
seen as we came into it, they placed our Englishmen near the king, it being my for-
tune to sit next him, having his great general or war captain on my other hand.
The house is as dark as a dungeon, and as hot as one of the Dutch stoves in Holland.
They had made a circular Are of split canes in the middle of the house, it was one
man's employment to add more split reeds to the one end as it consumed at the
other, there Vicing a small vacancy left to supply it with fuel.1
i Lawson, Carolina, 67-68, reprint 1860.
THE MYTHIC ANIMALS 231
belong tlic shorter animal myths, which have
lost whatever sacred character they may once have had, and are told
now merely as hu rous explanations of certain animal peculiarities.
While the >acred myths have a constant bearing upon Eormulistic
prayers and observances, it is only in cure instances thai any rite or
custom is based upon an animal myth. Moreover, the sacred myths
are know n as a rule only to the professional priests or conjurers, while
the shorter animal stories are more or less familiar to nearly every-
one and are found in almost identical form among Cherokee, Creeks,
and other southern tribes.
The animals of the Cherokee myths, like the traditional hero-gods,
were larger and of more perfect type than their present representa-
tives. They had chiefs, councils, and townhouses, mingled with
human kind upon terms of perfect equality and spoke the same
language. In some unexplained manner they finally lefi this lower
world and ascended to Galun'lati, the world above, where they still
exist. The removal was not simultaneous, hut each animal chose his
own time. The animals that we know, small in size and poor in intel-
lect, came upon the earth later, and are not the descendants of the
mythic animals, hut only weak imitations. In one or two special eases.
however, the present creature is the descendant of a former monster.
Tree- and plants also were alive and could talk in the old days, and
had their place in council, but do not figure prominently in the myths.
Each animal had his appointed station and duty. Thus, the Wala'si
frog was the marshal and leader in the council, while the Rabbit was
the messenger to carry all public announcements, and usually led the
dance besides. He was also the great trickster and mischief maker, a
character which he bears in eastern and southern Indian myth gener-
ally, as well as in the southern negro stories. The bear figures as
having been originally a man, with human form and nature.
As with other tribes and countries, almost every prominent rock and
mountain, every dec]) bend in the river, in the old Cherokee country
has its accompanying legend. It may be a little story that can he
told in a paragraph, to account for some natural feature, or it may be
one chapter of a myth that has its sequel in a mountain a hundred
mile- away. As is usual when a people has lived for a long time in
the same country, nearly every important myth is localized, thus
assuming more definite character.
There is the usual number of anecdotes and stories of personal
adventure, some of them irredeemably vulgar, but historical traditions
are strangely wanting. The authentic records of unlettered peoples
are short at best, seldom going back much farther than the memories
of their oldest men; and although the Cherokee have been the most
important of the southern tribes, making wars and treaties for three
centuries with Spanish. English, French, and Americans. Iroquois,
232 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth. ANN. 19
Shawano, Catawba, and Creeks, there is little evidence of the fact in
their traditions. This condition may be due in part to the temper of
the Cherokee mind, which, as has been already stated, is accustomed
to look forward to new things rather than to dwell upon the past.
The lirst Cherokee war, with its stories of Agansta'ta and Ata-gul'kalii',
is absolutely forgotten. Of the long Revolutionary struggle they
have hardly a recollection, although they were constantly fighting
throughout the whole period and for several years after, and at one
time were brought to the verge of ruin by four concerted expeditious,
which ravaged their country simultaneously from different directions
and destroyed almost every one of their towns. Even the Creek war,
in which many of their warriors took a prominent part, was already
nearly forgotten some years ago. Beyond a few stories of encounters
with the Shawano and Iroquois there is hardly anything that can be
called history until well within the present century.
With some tribes the winter season and the night are the time for
telling stories, but to the Cherokee all times are alike. As our grand-
mothers begin, "'Once upon a time," so the Cherokee story-teller
introduces Ins narrative by saying: "This is what the old men told
me when I was a boy."
Not all tell the same stories, for in tribal lore, as in all other sorts
of knowledge, we find specialists. Some common minds take note
only of common things — little stories of the rabbit, the terrapin, and
the others, told to point a joke or amuse a child. Others dwell upon
the wonderful and supernatural — Tsul'kalu', Tsuwe'nahi, and the
Thunderers — and those sacred things to be told only with prayer
and purification. Then, again, there are still a few old warriors who
live in the memory of heroic days when there were wars with the
Seneca and the Shawano, and these men are the historians of the
tribe and the conservators of its antiquities.
The question of the origin of myths is one which affords abundant
opportunity for ingenious theories in the absence of any possibility
of proof. Those of the Cherokee are too far broken down ever to be
woven together again into any long-connected origin legend, such as
we tind with some tribes, although a few still exhibit a certain sequence
wrhich indicates that they once formed component parts of a cycle.
From the prominence of the rabbit in the animal stories, as well as in
those found among the southern negroes, an effort has been made to
establish for them a negro origin, regardless of the fact that the rab-
bit— the Great White Rabbit — is the hero-god, trickster, and wonder-
worker of all the tribes east of the Mississippi from Hudson bay to
the Gulf. In European folklore also the rabbit is regarded as some-
thing uncanny and half-supernatural, and even in far-off Korea he is
the central figure in the animal myths. Just why this should be so
is a question that inay be left to the theorist to decide. Among the
mooney] CONTACT WITH NEGROES 233
Algonquian tribes the name, wabos, seems to have been confounded
with that of the dawn, waban, so that the Great White Rabbit is
really the incarnation of the eastern dawn that brings light and life and
driven away the dark shadows which have held the world in chains.
The animal itself seems to he regarded by the Indians as the fitting
type of defenseless weakness protected and made safe by constantly
alert vigilance, and with a disposition, moreover, for turning up at
unexpected moments. The same characteristics would appeal as
strongly to the primitive mind of the negro. The very expression
which Harris puts into the mouth of Uncle Remus, '"In dem days
Brer Rabbit en his fambly wuz at the head er de gang w'en enny
racket wus en hand,"1 was paraphrased in the Cherokee language by
Suyeta in introducing his first rabbit story: " Tsi'stu wuliga 'ndtHtUn'
ii,,,',iuts,itiY tj, x.'i— the Rabbit was the leader of them all in mischief."
The expression struck the author so forcibly that the words wire
recorded as spoken.
In regard to the contact between the two races, by which such stories
could be borrowed from one by the other, it is not commonly known
that in all the southern colonies Indian slaves were bought and sold and
kept in servitude and worked in the fields side by side with negroes up
to the time of the Revolution. Not to go back to the Spanish period.
when such things were the order of the day, we find the Cherokee as
early as Kin:] complaining that their people were being kidnaped by
slave hunters. Hundreds of captured Tuscarora and nearly the whole
tribe of the Appalachee were distributed as slaves among the Carolina
colonists in the early part of the eighteenth century, while the Natchez
and others shared a similar fate in Louisiana, and as late at least as
1776 Cherokee prisoners of war were still sold to the highest bidder
for the same purpose. Atone time it was charged against the gov-
ernor of South Carolina that he was provoking a general Indian war
by his encouragement of slave hunts. Furthermore, as the coast tribes
dwindled they were compelled to associate and intermarry with the
negroes until they finally lost their identity ami were classed with
that race, so that a considerable proportion of the blood of the south-
ern negroes is unquestionably Indian.
The negro, with his genius for imitation and his love for stories.
especially of the comic variety, must undoubtedly have absorbed much
from tlie Indian in this way. while on the other hand the Indian, with
his pride of conservatism and his contempt for a subject race, would
have taken but little from the negro, and that little could not easily
have found its way back to the free tribes. Some of these animal
stories are common to widely separated tribes among whom there
can be no suspicion of negro influences. Thus the famous "tar baby"
story has variants, not only among the Cherokee, but also in New
1 Harris, J. C, Uncle Rei . p. 29; New Y<>rk, 1886.
234 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.axn.19
Mexico. Washington, and southern Alaska — wherever, in fact, the
pifion or the pine supplies enough gum to be molded into a ball for
Indian uses — while the incident of the Rabbit dining' the Bear is found
with nearly every tribe from Nova Scotia to the Pacific. The idea that
such stories are necessarily of negro origin is due largely to the com-
mon but mistaken notion that the Indian has no sense of humor.
In many cases it is not necessary to assume borrowing from either
side, the myths being such as would naturally spring up in any part of
the world among primitive people accustomed to observe the charac-
teristics of animals, which their religious system regarded as differing
in no essential from human kind, save only in outward form. Thus
in Europe and America the terrapin has been accepted as the type of
plodding slowness, while the rabbit, with his sudden dash, or the deer
with his bounding stride, is the type of speed. What more natural
than that the story-teller should set one to race against the other, with
the victory in favor of the patient striver against the self-confident
boaster? The idea of a hungry wolf or other beast of prey luring
his victims by the promise of a new song or dance, during which they
must close their eyes, is also one that would easily occur among any
primitive people whose chief pastime is dancing.1
On the other hand, such a conception as that of Flint and the Rabbit
could only be the outgrowth of a special cosmogonic theology, though
now indeed broken and degraded, and it is probable that many myths
told now only for amusement are really worn down fragments of
ancient sacred traditions. Thus the story just noted appears in a dif-
ferent dress among the Iroquois as a part of their great creation myth.
The Cherokee being a detached tribe of the Iroquois, we may expect to
find among the latter, if it he not already too late, the explanation and
more perfect statement of some things which are obscure in the Cher-
okee myths. It must not be forgotten, however, that the Indian, like
other men, does some things for simple amusement, and it is useless
to look for occult meanings where none exist.
Except as to the local traditions and a few others which are obviously
the direct outgrowth of Cherokee conditions, it is impossible to fix a
definite starting point for the myths. It would be unwise to assert
that even the majority of them originated within the tribe. The
Cherokee have strains of Creek, Catawba, Uchee, Natchez, Iroquois,
Osage, and Shawano blood, and such admixture implies contact more
or less intimate and continued. Indians are great wanderers, and a
1 Fur ;i presentation -if the African and European argument see Harris, Nights with Uncle Remus.
introduction, 1883; and Uncle Remus. His Songs and His Sayings, introduction, 1886; Gerber,
Uncle Remus Traced to the Old World, in Journal of American Folklore, vi, p. 23, October, 1893. In
regard to tribal dissemination of myths see Boas, Dissemination of Tales among the Natives of North
America, in Journal of American Folklore, IV, p. 12, January, 1891; TheGrowthof Indian Mythologies,
in the same journal, IX, p. 32, January ls>.ni; Northern Elements in the Mythology of the Navaho, in
American Anthropologist, x. p. 11. November, ls'JT; introduction to Teit's Traditions of the Thompson
River Indians. 1898. IT Boas has probably devoted more study to the subject than any other anthro-
pologist, and his personal observations include tribes from the Arctic regions to the Columbia.
hooney] OBIGIH OF THE MYTHS 235
myth can travel as far as a redstone pipe or a string of wampum. It
was customary, as it still is i<> a limited extent in the West, for large
parties, sometimes even a whole band or village, to make lime- visits
to other tribes, dancing, feasting, trading, and exchanging stories w itli
their friends for weeks or months at a time, with the expectation that
their hosts would return the visit within the next summer. Regular
trade routes crossed the continent from east to west and from north to
south, and when the subject has been fully investigated it will lie found
that this intertribal commerce was as constant and well recognized a
part of Indian life as is our own railroad traffic today. The very
existence of a trade jargon or a sign language is proof of intertribal
relations over wide areas. Their political alliances also were often
far-reaching, for Pontiac welded into a warlike confederacy all the
trilies from the Atlantic border to the head of the Mississippi, while
the emissaries of the Shawano prophet carried the story of his rev-
elations throughout the whole region from the Florida coast to the
Saskatchewan.
In view of these facts it is as useless to attempt to trace the origin
of every myth as to claim a Cherokee authorship for them all. From
\\ hat we know of the character of the Shawano, their tendency toward
the ceremonial and the mystic, and their close relations with the
Cherokee, it may he inferred that some of the myths originated with
that tribe. We should naturally expect also to find close correspond-
ence with the myths of the Creeks and other southern tribes within
the former area of the Mobilian trade language. The localization at
home of all the more important myths indicates a long residence in
the country. As the majority of those here given belong to the half
dozen counties still familiar to the East Cherokee, we may guess how
many attached to the afieient territory of the tribe arc now irrecov-
erably lost.
Contact with the white race seems to have produced very little
impression on the tribal mythology, and not more than three or four
stories current among the Cherokee can he assigned to a Caucasian
source. These have not been reproduced here, for the reason that
they are plainly European, and the author has chosen not to follow the
example of some collectors who have assumed that every tale told in an
Indina language is necessarily an Indian story. Scores recorded in col-
lections from the North and West are nothing more than variants from
the celebrated Hausmarchen, as told by French trappers and voyageurs
to their Indian campmates and halfbreed children. It might perhaps
be thought that missionary influence would be evident in the genesis
tradition, but such is not the case. The Bible story kills the Indian
tradition, and there is no amalgamation. It is hardly necessary tosay
that stories of a great fish which swallows a man and of a great Hood
236 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
which destroys a people are found the world over. The supposed
Cherokee hero-god, Wiisi, described by one writer as so remarkably
resembling the great Hebrew lawgiver is in fact that great teacher
himself, Wasi being the Cherokee approximate for Moses, and the
good missionary who first recorded the story was simply listening to
a chapter taken by his convert from the Cherokee testament. The
whole primitive pantheon of the Cherokee is still preserved in their
sacred formulas.
As compared with those from some other tribes the Cherokee myths
are clean. For picturesque imagination and wealth of detail they
rank high, and some of the wonder Stories may challenge those of
Europe and India. The numerous parallels furnished will serve to
indicate their relation to the general Indian system. Unless otherwise
noted, every myth here given has been obtained directly from the
Indians, and in nearly every case has been verified from several
sources.
"I know not how the truth may be,
I tell the tale as 'twas told to me."
First and chief in the list of story tellers comes A'yun'ini, "Swim-
mer," from whom nearly three-fourths of the whole number were
originally obtained, together with nearly as large a proportion of the
whole body of Cherokee material now in possession of the author.
The collection could not have been made without his help, and now
that he is gone it can never be duplicated. Born about 1835, shortly
before the Removal, he grew up under the instruction of masters to be
a priest, doctor, and keeper of tradition, so that he was recognized as
an authority throughout the band and by such a competent outside
judge as Colonel Thomas. He served through the war as second
sergeant of the Cherokee Company A, Sixty-ninth North Carolina
Confederate Infantry. Thomas Legion. He was prominent in the
local affairs of the band, and no Green-corn dance, ballplay, or other
tribal function was ever considered complete without his presence and
active assistance. A genuine aboriginal antiquarian and patriot,
proud of his people and their ancient system, he took delight in
recording in his native alphabet the songs and sacred formulas of
priests and dancers and the names of medicinal plants and the pre-
scriptions with which they were compounded, while his mind was a
storehouse of Indian tradition. To a happy descriptive style he added
a musical voice for the songs and a peculiar faculty for imitating
the characteristic cry of bird or beast, so that to listen to one of his
recitals was often a pleasure in itself, even to one who understood not a
word of the language. He spoke no English, and to the day of his death
clung to the moccasin and turban, together with the rattle, his badge
of authority. He died in March, 1S99, aged about sixty-five, and was
moomvj STORY-TELLERS 237
buried like a true Cherokee on the slope of a forest-clad mountain.
Peace to his ashes and sorrow for his going, for with him perished half
the tradition of a people.
Next in order comes the name <>f Itagu'nahi. better known a^ John
A\. born about L800 and now consequently just touching the centurj
mark, being the oldest man of the band. He has a distinct recollec-
tion of tin' Creek war, at which time he was about twelve years of age,
and was already married and a father when the lands east of Xantahala
were sold by the treaty of L819. Although not a professional priest
or doctor, he was recognized, before age had dulled his faculties, as
an authority upon all relating to tribal custom, and was an expert in
the making of rattles, wands, and other ceremonial paraphernalia. ( >f
a poetic and imaginative temperament, he cared most for the wonder
stories, of the giant Tsul'kalu', of the great Uktena or of the invisible
spirit people, but he had also a keen appreciation of the humorous
animal stories. He speaks no English, and with his erect spare figure
and piercing eye is a tine specimen of the old-time Indian. Notwith-
standing his great age he walked without other assistance than his
stick to the last ball game, where he watched every run with the closest
interest, and would have attended the dance the night before but for
the interposition of friends.
Suyeta, "The Chosen One," who preaches regularly as a Baptist
minister to an Indian congregation, does not deal much with the Indian
supernatural, perhaps through deference to his clerical obligations.
but has a good memory and liking for rabbit stories and others of the
same class. He served in the Confederate army during the war as
fourth sergeant in Company A, of the Sixty-ninth North Carolina.
and is now a well-preserved man of about sixty-two. He speaks no
English, but by an ingenious system of his own has learned to use a
concordance for verifying references in his Cherokee bible. He is
also a first-class carpenter and mason.
Another principal informant was Ta'gwadihf, "Catawba-killer," of
Cheowa, who died a few years ago, aged about seventy. He was a
doctor and made no claim to special knowledge of myths or ceremonials.
but was aide to furnish several valuable stories, besides confirmatorj
evidence for a large number obtained from other sources.
Besides these may be named, among the East Cherokee, the late
Chief N. J. Smith; Sal&'ll, mentioned elsewhere, who died about L895;
Tsesa'ni or Jessan, who also served in the war: Aya'sta. one of the
principal conservatives among the women; and James and David
Blythe, younger men of mixed blood, with an English education, but
inheritors of a large share of Indian lore from their father, who was
a recognized leader of ceremony.
Among informants in the western Cherokee Nation the principal was
James D. Watford, known to the Indians a- Tsuskwanun'nawa'ta,
238 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
"Worn-out-blanket," a mixed-blood speaking- and writing both lan-
guages, born in the old Cherokee Nation near the site of the pres-
ent Clarkesville, Georgia, in 1806. and dying- when about ninety
years of age at his home in the eastern part of the Cherokee Nation,
adjoining the Seneca reservation. The name figures prominently in
the early history of North Carolina and Georgia. His grandfather,
Colonel Wafford, was an officer in the American Revolutionary army,
and shortly after the treaty of Hopewell, in 17S5, established a colony
known as " Watford's settlement," in npper Georgia, on territory which
was afterward found to be within the Indian boundary and was acquired
by special treaty purchase in 1801. His name is appended, as witness
for the state of Georgia, to the treaty of Holston, in 1794. ' On his
mother's side Mr Wafford was of mixed Cherokee, Natchez, and white
blood, she being a cousin of Sequoya. He was also remotely con-
nected with Cornelius Dougherty, the first trader established among
the Cherokee. In the course of his long life he tilled many positions
of trust and honor among his people. In his youth he attended
the mission school at Valleytown under Reverend Evan Jones, and
just before the adoption of the Cherokee alphabet he finished the
translation into phonetic Cherokee spelling of a Sunday school speller
noted in Pilling' s Iroquoin Bibliography. In 1821 he was the census
enumerator for that district of the Cherokee Nation embracing upper
Hiwassee river, in North Carolina, with Nottely and Toccoa in the
adjoining portion of Georgia. His fund of Cherokee geographic
information thus acquired was found to be invaluable. He was one of
the two commanders of the largest detachment of emigrants at the
time of the removal, and his name appears as a councilor for the western
Nation in the Cherokee Almanac for 1846. When employed by the
author at Tahlequah in 1891 his mind was still clear and his memory
keen. Being of practical bent, he was concerned chiefly with tribal
history, geography, linguistics, and every-day life and custom, on all
of which subjects his knowledge was exact and detailed, but there were
few myths for which he was not able to furnish confirmatory testi-
mony. Despite his education he was a firm believer in the Niinne'hi,
and several of the best legends connected with them were obtained
from him. His death takes from the Cherokee one of the last connect-
ing links between the present and the past.
1See contemporary notice in the Historical Sketch.
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOG
NINETEENTH ANNUAL REPORT PL. XII
JOHN AX ilTAGU'NUHh
IV— THE MYTHS
( Josmogonic Myths
i. HOW THE WORLD WAS MADE
The earth is a great island floating in a sea of water, and suspended
at each of the four cardinal points by a cord hanging down from
the sky vault, which is of solid rock. When the world grows old and
worn out. the people will die and the cords will break and let the earth
sink down into the ocean, and all will he water again. The Indians
are afraid of this.
When all was water, the animals were above in Galun'latI, beyond
the arch; but it was very much crowded, and they were wanting more
room. They wondered what was below the water, and at last Dayu-
ni'si, "Beaver's Grandchild," the little Water-beetle, offered to go and
see if it could learn. It darted in every direction over the surface of
the water, hut could find no firm place to rest. Then it dived to the
bottom and came up with some soft mud. which began to grow and
spread on every side until it became the island which we call the
earth. It was afterward fastened to the sky with four cords, but no
one remembers who did this.
At first the earth was Hat 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 again to Galun'-
lati. At last it seemed to be time, and they sent out the Buzzard and
told him to go and make ready for them. This was the Great Buz-
zard, the father of all the buzzards we see now. He flew all over the
earth, low down near the ground, and it was still soft. When he
reached the Cherokee country, he was very tired, and his wings began
to flap and strike the ground, and wherever they struck the earth
there was a valley, and where they turned up again then' was a
mountain. When the animals above saw this, they were afraid that
the whole world would he mountains, so they called him back, bul I lie
Cherokee country remains full of mountains to this day.
When the earth was dry and the animals came down, it was still
dark, so they got the sun and set it in a track to go every day across
the island from east to west, just overhead. It was too hot this way,
and T.siska'gili'. the Red Crawfish, had his shell scorched a bright red,
so that his meat was spoiled; ami the Cherokee do not eat it. The
240 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.
conjurers put the sun another hand-breadth higher in the air, but it was
still too hot. They raised it another time, and another, until it was
seven handbreadths high and just under the sky arch. Then it was
right, and they left it so. This is why the conjurers call the highest
place (julkwa'gine Di'galuiYlatiyiifi', "the seventh height," because it is
seven hand-breadths above the earth. Every day the sun goes along
under this arch, and returns at night on the upper side to the starting
place.
There is another world under this, and it is like ours in every-
thing— animals, plants, and people — save that the seasons are different.
The streams that come down from the mountains are the trails by
which we reach this underworld, and the springs at their heads are
the doorways by which we enter it, but to do this one must fast and
go to water and have one of the underground people for a guide. We
know that the seasons in the underworld are different from ours,
because the water in the springs is always warmer in winter and
cooler in summer than the outer air.
When the animals and plants were first made — we do not know by
whom — they were told to watch and keep awake for seven nights,
just as young men now fast and keep awake when they pray to their
medicine. They tried to do this, and nearly all were awake through
the first night, but the next night several dropped off to sleep, and the
third night others were asleep, and then others, until, on the seventh
night, of all the animals only the owl, 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, and to make prey of the birds and animals which
must sleep at night. Of the trees only the cedar, the pine, the spruce,
the holly, and the laurel were awake to the end, and to them it was
given to be always green and to be greatest for medicine, but to the
others it was said: "Because you have not endured to the end you
shall lose your hair every winter.1'
Men came after the animals and plants. At first there were only a \
brother and sister until he struck her with a fish and told her to mul- \
tiply, and so it was. In seven days a child was born to her, and
thereafter every seven days another, and they increased very fast until J
there was danger that the world could not keep them. Then it was
made that a woman should have only one child in a year, and it has
been so ever since.
2. THE FIRST FIRE
In the beginning there was no fire, and the world was cold, until the
Thunders (Ani'-Hyun'tikwala'ski), who lived up in Galun'lati. sent their
lightning and put fire into the bottom of a hollow sycamore tree which
grew on an island. The animals knew it was there, because they could
see the smoke coming out at the top, but they could not get to it on
i my; THE FIRST BTRE 241
account of the water, so they held a council to decide what to do. This
was a long time ago.
Every animal thai could fly or swim was anxious to go after the tiiv.
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
Ear across the water and alighted on the sycamore tree, but while he
was wondering what to do next, the heat had scorched all his feathers
black, and he was frightened and came back without the fire. Tin'
little Screech-owl ( Wa'huhu') volunteered to go, and reached the place
safely, lint while he was looking down into the hollow tree a blast of
hot air came up and Dearly burned out his eyes. He managed to fly
home as best he could, but it was a long time before he could see well,
and his eyes are red to this day. Then the HootingOwl ( WgvJcu') and
the Horned Owl (TskiW) went, but by the time they got to the hollow
tree the tire was burning so fiercely that the smoke nearly blinded
them, and the ashes carried up by the wind made white rings about
their eyes. They had to come home again without the fire, but with
all their rubbing they were never able to get rid of the white rings.
Now no more of the birds would venture, and so the little Uksu'hi
snake, the black racer, said he would go through the water and bring
back some tire. He swam across to the island and crawled through
the grass to the tree, and went in by a small hole at the bottom. The
heat and smoke were too much for him, too, and after dodging about
blindly over the hot ashes until hi' was almost on tire himself he man-
aged 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.
He came back, and the great blacksnake, Gule'gi, "The Climber."
offered to go for tire. He swam over to the island and climbed up the
tree on the outside, as the blacksnake always does, but when he put
his head down into the hole the smoke choked him so that he fell into
the burning stump, and before he could climb out again he was as
black as the Uksu'hi.
Now they held another council, for still there was no tire, 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 Kanane'skI Amai'vehi (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 the water or dive to
the bottom, so there would be no trouble to get over to the island, but
the question was. How could she bring back the tire; "•I'll manage
that," said the Water Spider; so she spun a thread from her bodj 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 tire was
19 eth— 01 1C
242 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
still burning. She put one little coal of 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.
3. KANA'TI AND SELU: THE ORIGIN OF GAME AND CORN
When I was a boy this is what the old men told me they had heard
when they were boys.
Long years ago, soon after the world was made, a hunter and his
wife lived at Pilot knob with their only child, a little boy. The
father's name was Kana'ti (The Lucky Hunter), and his wife was
called Selu (Corn). No matter when Kana'ti went into the wood, he
never failed to bring back a load of game, which his wife would cut
up and prepare, washing off the blood from the meat in the river near
the house. The little boy used to play down by the river every day.
and one morning the old people thought the}7 heard laughing and talk-
ing in the bushes as though there were two children there. When the
boy came home at night his parents asked him who had been playing
with him all day. "He comes out of the water," said the boy. "and
be calls himself my elder brother. He says his mother was cruel to
him and threw him into the river." Then the}7 knew that the strange
boy had sprung from the blood of the game which Selu had washed
off at the river's edge.
Every day when the little boy went out to play the other would join
him. but as he always went back again into the water the old people
never had a chance to see him. At last one evening Kana'ti said to his
son, "Tomorrow, when the other boy comes to play, get him to wrestle
with you, and when you have your arms around him hold on to him
and call for us." The boy promised to do as he was told, so the next
day as soon as his playmate appeared he challenged him to a wrestling
match. The other agreed at once, but as soon as they had their arms
around each other, Kana'ti's boy began to scream for his father. The
old folks at once came running down, and as soon as the Wild Boy saw
them he struggled to free himself and cried out, "Let me go; you
threw me away!" but his brother held on until the parents leached the
spot, when they seized the Wild Boy and took him home with them.
They kept him in the house until they had tamed him, but he was
always wild and artful in his disposition, and was the leader of his
brother in every mischief. It was not long until the old people dis-
covered that he had magic powers, and they called him I'nage-utasun'ln
(He-who-grew-up-wild).
Whenever Kana'ti went into the mountains he always brought back
a fat buck or doe, or maybe a couple of turkeys. One day the Wild
Boy said to his brother, ''I wonder where our father gets all that
game; let's follow him next time and find out." A few days afterward
Kana'ti took a bow and some feathers in his hand and started off
UOONEY] KANATI AMI SKI.T 243
toward the west. The boys waited a little while and then went afti r
him, keeping out <d' sight until they saw him go into a swamp where
there were a great many of the small reeds that hunters use to make
arrowshafts. Then the Wild Boy changed bimself into a puff of
l>ird's down, w hich the wind took up and carried until it alighted upon
Kana'ti's shoulder just as he entered the swamp, but Kana'ti knew
nothing about it. Theold man «ut reeds, fitted the feathers to them and
made some arrows, and the Wild Boy- in his other shape thought,
••I wonder what those things are for?" When Kana'ti had his arrows
finished he came out of the swamp and went on again. The wind blew
the down from his shoulder, and it fell in the woods, when the Wild
Boy took his right shape again and went back and told his brother
what he had seen. Keeping Out of sight of their father, they followed
him up the mountain until he stopped at a certain place and lifted a
large rock. At once there ran out a buck, which Kana'ti shot, and
then lifting it upon his back he started for home again. "Oho!"
exclaimed the boys, "he keeps all the deer shut up in that hole, and
whenever he wants meat he just Lets one out and kills it with those
things he made in the swamp." They hurried and reached home before
their father, who had the heavy deer to carry, and he never knew that
they had followed.
A few days later the hoys went back to the swamp, (ait some reeds,
and made seven arrows, and then started up the mountain to where
their father kept the game. When they got to the place, they raised
the rock and a deercame running out. .lust as they drew hack to shoot
it. another came out. and then another and another, until the boys got
confused and forgot what they were about. In those days all the deer
had their tails hanging down like other animals, but as a buck was
running past the Wild Roy struck its tail with his arrow so that it
pointed upward. The boys thought this good sport, and when the
next oik' ran past the Wild Boy struck its tail so that it stood straight
up. and his brother struck the next one so hard with his arrow that
the deer's tail was almost curled over his back. The deer carries his
tail this way ever since. The deer came running past until the last
one had come out of the hole and escaped into the forest. Then came
droves of raccoons, rabbits, and all the other four-footed animals — all
hut the hear, because there was no bear then. Last came great flocks
of turkeys, pigeons, and partridges that darkened the air like a (loud
and made such a noise with their wings that Kana'ti. sitting at home,
heard the sound like distant thunder on the mountains and said to him-
self. "• My bad boys have got into trouble; T must go and see what they
are doing.-'
So he went up the mountain, and when he came to the place where
he kept the game he found the two boys standing by the rock, and all
the birds and animals were g-oue. Kana'ti was furious, but without
244 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
saving a word he went down into the cave and kicked the covers off
four jars in one corner, when out swarmed bedbugs, fleas, lice, and
gnats, and got all over the boys. They screamed with pain and fright
and tried to beat off the insects, but the thousands of vermin crawled
over them and bit and stung them until both dropped down nearly
dead. Kana'ti stood looking on until he thought they had been pun-
ished enough, when he knocked off the vermin and made the boys a
talk. "Now, you rascals," said he, "you have always had plenty to
eat and never had to work for it. Whenever you were hungry all I
had to do was to come up here and get a deer or a turkey and bring it
home for your mother to cook; but now you have let out all the ani-
mals, and after this when you want a deer to eat you will have to hunt
all over the woods for it, and then maybe not find one. Go home now
to your mother, while I see if I can find something to eat for supper."
When the boys got home again they were very tired and hungry and
asked their mother for something to eat. "There is no meat," said
Selu, " but wait a little while and I'll get you something.''' So she
took a basket and started out to the storehouse. This storehouse was
built upon poles high up from the ground, to keep it out of the reach
of animals, and there was a ladder to climb up by, and one door, but
no other opening. Every day when Selu got ready to cook the dinner
she would go out to the storehouse with a basket and bring it back
full of corn and beans. The boys had never been inside the storehouse,
so wondered where all the corn and beans could come from, as the
house was not a very large one; so as soon as Selu went out of the
door the Wild Boy said to his brother, "Let's go and see what she
does." They ran around and climbed up at the back of the storehouse
and pulled out a piece of clay from between the logs, so that they
could look in. There they saw Selu standing in the middle of the room
with the basket in front of her on the floor. Leaning over the basket,
she rubbed her stomach — so — and the basket was half full of corn.
Then she rubbed under her armpits — so — and the basket was full to
the top with beans. The boys looked at each other and said, "This
will never do; our mother is a witch. If we eat any of that it will
poison us. We must kill her."
When the boys came back into the house, she knew their thoughts
before they spoke. " So you are going to kill me? " said Selu. " Yes,"
said the boys, "you are a witch." "Well," said their mother, "when
you have killed me, clear a large piece of ground in front of the house
and drag my body seven times around the circle. Then drag me seven
times over the ground inside the circle, and stay up all night and watch,
and in the morning you will have plenty of corn." The boys killed
her with their clubs, and cut off her head and put it up on the roof of
the house with her face turned to the west, and told her to look for her
husband. Then thev set to work to clear the ground in front of the
i keyj kana'ti AND ski.t 245
house, bu< instead of clearing the whole piece they cleared onlj seven
little spots. This is why corn now grows only in a few places instead
01 over the whole world. They dragged the body of Selu around the
circle, and wherever her blood fell on the ground the corn sprang up.
But instead of dragging her body seven times across the ground they
dragged ii over onlj twice, which is the reason the Indians still work
their crop but twice. The two brothers sat up and watched their coin
all night, and in the morning it was full grown and ripe.
When Kana'ti came home at last, he looked around, but could not see
Selu anywhere, and asked the boys where was their mother. "She was
a witch, and we killed her." said the boys; •'there is her head up there
on top of the house." "When he saw his wife's head on the roof, he
was very angry, and said, ''I won't stay with you any longer: I am
going to the Wolf people." So he started off, but before, he had gone
far the Wild Boy changed himself again to a tuft of down, which fell
on Kana'tfs shoulder. When Kana'ti reached the settlement of the
Wolf people, they were holding a council in the townhouse. He went
in and sat down with the tuft of bird's down on his shoulder, but he
never noticed it. When the Wolf chief asked him his business, he
said: " I have two bad boys at home, and I want you to go in seven
days from now and play ball against them." Although Kana'ti spoke
as though he wanted them to play a game of ball, the Wolves knew
that he meant for them to go and kill the two boys. They promised to
go. Then the bird's down blew off from Kana'tfs shoulder, and the
smoke carried it up through the hole in the roof of the townhouse.
When it came down on the ground outside, the Wild Boy took his right
shape again and went home and told his brother all that he had heard
in the townhouse. But when Kana'ti left the Wolf people, he did not
return home, but went on farther.
The boys then began to get ready for the Wolves, and the Wild
Boy —the magician — told his brother what to do. They ran around
the house in a wide circle until they had made a trail all around it
excepting on the side from which the Wolves would come, where they
left a small open space. Then they made four large bundles of arrows
and placed them at four different points on the outside of the circle,
after which they hid themselves in the woods and waited for the
Wolves. In a day or two a whole party of Wolves came and sur-
rounded the house to kill the boys. The Wolves did not notice the
trail around the house, because they came in where the boys had left
the opening, but the moment they went inside the circle the trail
changed to a high brush fence and shut them in. Then the boys on
the outside took their arrows and began shooting them down, and as
the \\ olves could not jump over the fence they were all killed, excepting
a few that escaped through the opening into a great swamp close by.
The boys ran around the swamp, and a circle of tire sprang up in their
246 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
tracks and set fire to the grass and bushes and burned up nearly all
the other Wolves. Only two or three got away, and from these have
come all the wolves that are now in the world.
Soon afterward some strangers from a distance, who had heard that
the brothers had a wonderful grain from which they made bread, came
to ask for some, for none but Selu and her family had ever known
corn before. The boys gave them seven grains of corn, which they
told them to plant the next night on their way home, sitting up all
night to watch the corn, which would have seven ripe ears in the
morning. These they were to plant the next night and watch in
the same way, and so on every night until they reached home, when
they would have corn enough to supply the whole people. The
strangers lived seven days' journey away. They took the seven grains
and watched all through the darkness until morning, when the}' saw
seven tall stalks, each stalk bearing a ripened ear. They gathered the
tars and went on their way. The next night they planted all their
corn, and guarded it as before until daybreak, when they found an
abundant increase. But the way was long and the sun was hot, and
the people grew tired. On the last night before reaching home they
fell asleep, and in the morning the corn they had planted had not even
sprouted. The}' brought with them to their settlement what corn
they had left and planted it, and with care and attention were able to
raise a crop. But ever since the corn must be watched and tended
through half the year, which before would grow and ripen in a night.
As Kana'ti did not return, the boys at last concluded to go and find
him. The Wild Boy took a gaming wheel and rolled it toward the
Darkening land. In a little while the wheel came rolling back, and
the boys knew their father was not there. He rolled it to the south
and to the north, and each time the wheel came back to him. and they
knew their father was not there. Then he rolled it toward the Sun-
land, and it did not return. "Our father is there," said the Wild
Boy, "let us go and find him." So the two brothers set off toward
the east, and after traveling a longtime they came upon Kana'ti walk-
ing along with a little dog by his side. "You bad hoys," said their
father, " have you come here V "'Yes," they answered, "we always
accomplish what we start out to do — we are men." "This clog over-
took me four days ago," then said Kana'ti, but the boys knew that the
dog was the wheel which they had sent after him to find him. "Well,"
said Kana'ti, " as you have found me, we may as well travel together,
but I shall take the lead."
Soon they came to a swamp, and Kana'ti told them there was some-
thing dangerous there and they must keep away from it. He went
on ahead, but as soon as he was out of sight the Wild Boy said to
his brother. "Come and let us see what is in the swamp." They
went in together, and in the middle of the swamp they found a large
mooney] kana'ti and selu -J47
panther asleep. The Wild Hoy got <>ut an arrow and shot the panther
in the side of the head. The panther turned his head and the other
boj shot him on that side. He turned his head away again and the
two brothers sho( together fust, fust, tust! But the panther was nol
hurt by the arrow- and paid no more attention to the boys. They
came oul of the swamp and soon overtook Kana'ti. waiting for them.
"Did you find it?" asked Kana'ti. "Yes," said the boys, "we found
it. but it never hurl us. We are men." Kana'ti was surprised, but
said nothing, and they went on again.
After a while lie turned to them and said. "Now you must lie careful.
We are coming to a tribe called the An&da'duiitaski (" Roasters," i. e.,
cannibals), and if thej gel you they will put you into a pot and feast on
you."' Then lie went on ahead. Soon the boys eanie to a tree which
ha<l Keen struck by lightning, and the Wild Hoy directed his brother to
gather some of the splinters from the tree and told him what to do
with them. In a little while they came to the settlement of the can-
nibals, who, as soon as they saw the hoys, came running out, crying,
"Good, here are two nice fat strangers. Now we'll have a grand
feast!" They caught the hoys and dragged them into the townhouse,
and sent word to all the people of the settlement to come to the feast.
They made up a great tire, put water into a large pot and set it to
boiling, and then seized the Wild Hoy and put him down into it. His
brother was not in the least frightened ami made no attempt to escape,
hut quietly knelt down and began putting the splinters into the tire,
as if to make it burn better. When the cannibals thought the meat
was about ready they lifted the pot from the fire, and that instant a
blinding light rilled the townhouse, and the lightning began to dart
from one side" to the other, striking down the cannibals until not one
of them was left alive. Then the lightning went upthrough the smoke-
hole, and the next moment there were the two boys standing outside
the townhouse as though nothing had happened. They went on and
soon met Kana'ti. who seemed much surprised to see them, and said,
••What! are you here again?" "O, yes. we never give up. We are
great men!" "What did the cannibals do toj'OU?" "We nut them
and they brought us to their townhouse. but they never hurt u-.'*
Kana'ti said nothing more, and they went on.
* * -x- -x * -::- *
He soon got nut of sight of the boys, but they kept on until they
came to the end of the world, where the sun comes out. The ski was
just coming down when they got there, but they waited until it went
up again, and then they went through and climbed up on tile other
side. There they found Kana'ti and Selu sitting together. The old
folk received them kindly and were glad to see them, telling them
they might Stay there a while, but then they must go to live where the
sun goes down. The boy- stayed with their parents seven day- and
248 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.anx.19
then went on toward the Darkening land, where the}' are now. We
call them Anisga'ya Tsunsdi' (The Little Men), and when they talk
to each other we hear low rolling thunder in the west.
After Kana'ti's boys had let the deer out from the cave where their
father used to keep them, the hunters tramped about in the woods for
a long time without finding any game, so that the people were very
hungry. At last they heard that the Thunder Boys were now living
in the far west, beyond the sun door, and that if they were sent for
they could bring back the game. So they sent messengers for them,
and the boys came and sat down in the middle of the townhouse and
began to sing.
At the first song there was a roaring sound like a strong wind in
the northwest, and it grew louder and nearer as the boys sang on,
until at the seventh song a whole herd of deer, led by a large buck,
came out from the woods. The boys had told the people to be ready
with their bows and arrows, and when the song was ended and all the
deer were close around the townhouse, the hunters shot into them and
killed as many as they needed before the herd could get back into
the timber.
Then the Thunder Boys went back to the Darkening land, but
before the}' left they taught the people the seven songs with which to
call up the deer. It all happened so long ago that the songs are now
forgotten — all but two, which the hunters still sing whenever they go
after deer.
WAHNENAUH] VERSION
After the world had been brought up from under the water, ''They
then made a man and a woman and led them around the edge of the
island. On arriving at the starting place they planted some corn, and
then told the man and woman to go around the way they had been
led. This they did. and on returning they found the corn up and
growing nicely. They were then told to continue the circuit. Each
trip consumed more time. At last the corn was ripe and ready for use.1'
* * * * * * *
Another story is told of how sin came into the world. A man and
a woman reared a large family of children in comfort and plenty, with
very little trouble about providing food for them. Every morning
the father went forth and very soon returned bringing with him a
deer, or a turkey, or some other animal or fowl. At the same time
the mother went out and soon returned with a large basket filled with
ears of corn which she shelled and pounded in a mortar, thus making
meal for bread.
When the children grew up, seeing with what apparent ease food
was provided for them, they talked to each other about it. wondering
that they never saw such things as their parents brought in. At last
MOONEY] KANA'TI AM) SELO 249
one proposed to watch when their parents wenl out and to follow
them.
Accordingly nexl morning the plan was carried out. Those who
followed the father saw him stop at a short distance from the cabin
and turn over a large stone that appeared to he carelessly leaned
against another. On looking closely they saw an entrance to a large
cave, and in it were many different kinds of animals and birds, suchas
their father had sometimes brought in for food. The man standing at
the entrance called a deer, which was lying at some distance and hack
of some other animals. It rose immediately as it heard the call and
came close up to him. He picked it up, closed the mouth of the cave,
and returned, not once seeming to suspect what his sons had done.
When the old man was fairly out of sight, his sons, rejoicing how
they had outwitted him, left their hiding place and went to the cave.
saying they would show the old folks that they, too, could bring in
something. They moved the stone away, though it was very heavy
and they were obliged to use all their united strength. When the cave
was opened, the animals, instead of waiting to be picked up, all made
a rush for the entrance, and leaping past the frightened and bewildered
boys, scattered in all directions and disappeared in the wilderness,
while the guilty offenders could do nothing hut gaze in stupified
amazement as they saw them escape. There were animals of all kinds,
large and small — buffalo, deer. elk. antelope, raccoons, and squirrels;
even catamounts and panthers, wolves and foxes, and many others,
all fleeing together. At the same time birds of every kind were seen
emerging from the opening, all in the same wild confusion as the quad-
ruped:— turkeys, geese, swans, ducks, quails, eagles, hawks, and owls.
Those who followed the mother saw her enter a small cabin, which
they had never seen before, and close the door. The culprits found a
small crack through which they could peer. They saw the woman
place a basket on the ground and standing over it shake herself vigor-
ously, jumping up and down, when lo and behold! large ears of corn
began to fall into the basket. When it was well tilled she took it up
and, placing it on her head, came out, fastened the door, and prepared
their breakfast as usual. When the meal had Keen finished in silence
the man spoke to hi~ children, telling them that he was aware of what
they had done: that now he must die and they would be obliged to
provide for themselves. He made bows and arrows for them, then
sent them to hunt for the animals which they had turned Loose.
Then the mother told them that as they hail found out her secret
she could do nothing more for them: that she would die. and they
must drag her body around .over the ground; that wherever her body
was dragged corn would come up. Of this they were to make their
bread. She told them that they must always save some for seed and
plant every year.
250 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
4. ORIGIN OF DISEASE AND MEDICINE
In the old days the beasts, birds, fishes, insects, and plants could all
talk, and they and the people lived together in peace and friendship.
But as time went on the people increased so rapidly that their settle-
ments spread over the whole earth, and the poor animals found them-
selves beginning to be cramped for room. This was bad enough, but
to make it worse Man invented hows, knives, blowguns, spears, and
hooks, and began to slaughter the larger animals, birds, and fishes for
their flesh or their skins, while the smaller creatures, such as the
frogs and worms, were crushed and trodden upon without thought, out
of pure carelessness or contempt. So the animals resolved to consult
upon measures for their common safety.
The Bears were the first to meet in council in their townhouse under
Kuwa'hi mountain, the "Mulberry place," and the old White Bear
chief presided. After each in turn had complained of the way in which
Man killed their friends, ate their flesh, and used their skins for his
own purposes, it was decided to begin war at once against him. Some
one asked what weapons Man used to destroy them. " Bows and arrows,
of course,*' cried all the Bears in chorus. "And what are they made
of ] " was the next question. "The bow of wood, and the string of our
entrails." replied one of the Bears. It was then proposed that they
make a bow and some arrows and see if the}T could not use the same
weapons against Man himself. So one Bear got a nice piece of locust
wood and another sacrificed himself for the good of the rest in order
to furnish a piece of his entrails for the string. But when everything
was ready and the first Bear stepped up to make the trial, it was found
that in letting the arrow fly after drawing back the bow, his long claws
caught the string and spoiled the shot. This was annoying, but some
one suggested that they might trim his claws, which was accordingly
done, and on a second trial it was found that the arrow went straight
to the mark. But here the chief, the old White Bear, objected, say-
ing it was necessary that they should have long claws in order to be
able to climb trees. " One of us has already died to furnish the bow-
string, and if we now cut off our claws we must all starve together.
It is better to trust to the teeth and claws that nature gave us, for it is
plain that man's weapons were not intended for us."
No one could think of any better plan, so the old chief dismissed the
council and the Bears dispersed to the woods and thickets without hav-
ing concerted any waj' to prevent the increase of the human race.
Had the result of the council been otherwise, we should now be at war
with the Bears, but as it is. the hunter does not even ask the Bear's par-
don when he kills one.
The Deer next held a council under their chief, the Little Deer, and
after some talk decided to send rheumatism to every hunter who should
booneyJ ORIGIN OF DI8EA8E 251
kill one of them unless he took care to ask their pardon for the offense.
They sent notice of their decision to the nearest settlement of Indians
and told them at the same time what to do when necessity forced them
to kill one of the Deer tribe. Now, whenever the hunter shoots a Deer,
the Little Deer, who is Swift as the wind and can not lie wounded, runs
quickly up to the -pot and. bending over the Mood -stains, asks the spirit
of the Deer if it has heard the prayer of the hunter for pardon. If the
reply be " Yes," all is well, and the Little Deer goes on his way; hut if
the reply lie " No." he follows on the trail of the hunter, guided by the
drops of blood on the ground, until he arrives at his cabin in the set-
tlement, when the Little Deer enters invisibly and strikes the hunter
with rheumatism, so that he becomes at once a helpless cripple. No
hunter who has regard for his health ever fails to ask pardon of the
Deer for killing it, although some hunters who have not learned the
prayer may try to turn aside the Little Deer from 'his pursuit by
building a fire behind them in the trail.
Next came the Fishes ami Reptiles, who had their own complaints
against Man. They held their council toe-ether and determined to
make their victims dream of snakes twining about them in slimy folds
and blowing foul breath in their faces, or to make them dream of
eating raw or decaying tish.so that they would lose appetite, sicken,
and die. This is why people dream about snakes and fish.
Finally the Birds, Insects, and smaller animals came together for
the same purpose, and the Grubworm was chief of the council. It
was decided that each in turn should give an opinion, and then they
would vote on the question as to whether or not Man was guilty.
Seven votes should he enough to condemn him. One after another
denounced Man's cruelty and injustice toward the other animals and
voted in favor of his death. The Frog spoke first, saying: " We
must d<> something to check the increase of the race, or people will
become so numerous that we shall he crowded from off the earth.
See how they have kicked me about because I'm ugly, as they say.
until my back is covered with sores;" and here he showed the spots on
his skin. Next came the Bird — no one remembers now which one it
was — who condemned Man "because he burns my feet off," meaning
the way in which the hunter barbecues birds by impaling them on a
stick set over the fire, so that their feathers and tender feet are singed
off. Others followed in the same strain. The Ground-squirrel alone
ventured to say a good word for Man. who seldom hurt him because
he was so small, but this made the others so angry that they fell upon
the Ground-squirrel and tore him with their claws, and the stripes are
on his back to this day.
They began then to devise and name so many new diseases, one after
another, that had not their invention at last failed them, no one of the
human race would have been aide to survive. The Grubworm grew
252 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
constantly more pleased as the name of each disease was called off, until
at last they reached the end of the list, when some one proposed to
make menstruation sometimes fatal to women. On this he rose up in
his place and cried: " Waddn' ! [Thanks!] I'm glad some more of them
will die. for they are getting so thick that they tread on me." The
thought fairly made him shake with joy, so that he fell over backward
and could not get on his feet again, but had to wriggle off on his back.
as the Grubworm has done ever since.
When the Plants, who were friendly to Man, heard what had been
done by the animals, they determined to defeat the latters' evil designs.
Each Tree, Shrub, and Herb, down even to the Grasses and Mosses,
agreed to furnish a cure for some one of the diseases named, and each
said: "I shall appear to help Man when he calls upon me in his need."
Thus came medicine; and the plants, every one of which has its use if
we only knew it. furnish the remedy to counteract the evil wrought
by the revengeful animals. Even weeds were made for some good
purpose, which we must find out for ourselves. When the doctor
does not know what medicine to use for a sick man the spirit of the
plant tells him.
5. THE DAUGHTER OF THE SUN
The Sun lived on the other side of the skyr vault, but her daughter
lived in the middle of the sky, directly above the earth, and every day
as the Sun was climbing along the sky arch to the west she used to
stop at her daughter's house for dinner.
Now, the Sun hated the people on the earth, because they could
never look straight at her without screwing up their faces. She said
to her brother, the Moon, "My grandchildren are ugly; they grin all
over their faces when they look at me." But the Moon said, "I like
my younger brothers; I think they are very handsome" — because
they always smiled pleasantly when they saw him in the sky at night,
for his rays were milder.
The Sun was jealous and planned to kill all the people, so every day
when she got near her daughter's house she sent down such sultry
rays that there was a great fever and the people died by hundreds,
until everyone had lost some friend and there was fear that no one
would lie left. They went for help to the Little Men, who said the
only way to save themselves was to kill the Sun.
The Little Men made medicine and changed two men to snakes, the
Spreading-adder and the Copperhead, and sent them to watch near the
(l(Kir of the daughter of the Sun to bite the old Sun when she came
next day. They went together and hid near the house until the Sun
came, but when the Spreading-adder was about to spring, the bright
light blinded him and he could only spit out yellow slime, as he does
to this day when he tries to bite. She called him a nasty thing and
hooney] THK DAUGHTER OF THE si N 253
went by into the bouse, and tin' Copperhead crawled off without trying
to do anything.
So the people still died from the heat, and they went to the Little
Men a second time for help. The Little Men made medicine again and
Changed one man into the great I'ktena and another into the Rattle-
snake and sent them to watch near the house and kill the old Sun when
she came Eor dinner. They made the I'ktena very large, with borns
on his head, and everyone thought he would lie sure to do the work.
hut the Rattlesnake was so quick and eager that he got ahead and coiled
up just outside tin' house, and when the Sun's daughter opened the
door to look out for her mother, he sprang up and hit her and she fell
dead in the doorway. He forgot to wait for the old Sun. hut went
hack to the people, and the I'ktena was so very angry that he went
hack. too. Since then we pray to the rattlesnake and do not kill him,
because he is kind and never tries to bite if we do not disturb him.
The Lktena grew angrier all the time and very dangerous, so that if
he even looked at a man. that man's family would die. After a long-
time the people held a council and decided that he was too dangerous
to he with them, so they sent him up to Galun'lati, and he is there
now. The Spreading-adder, the Copperhead, the Rattlesnake, and the
Lktena were all men.
When the Sun found her daughter dead, she went into the house
and grieved, and the people did not die any more, but now the world
was dark all the time, because the Sun would not come out. They
went again to the Little Men. and these told them that if they wanted
the Sun to come out again they must bring back her daughter from
Tsusgina'i, the Ghost country, in Usunhi'vi, the Darkening land in
the west. They chose seven men to go, and gave each a sourw I rod
a hand-breadth long. The Little Men told them they must take a box
with them, and when they got to Tsusgina'i they would find all the
ghosts at a dance. They must stand outside the circle, and when the
young woman passed in the dance they must strike her with the rods
and she would fall to the ground. Then they must put her into the
box and bring her back to her mother, but the}7 must be very sure not
to open the box. even a little way, until they were home again.
They took the rods and a box and traveled seven days to the west
until they came to the Darkening land. There were a great many
people there, and they were having a dance just as if they were at
home in the settlements. The young woman was in the. outside circle,
and as she swung around to where the seven men were standing, one
struck her with his rod and she turned her head and saw him. As she
came around the second time another touched her with his rod. and
then another and another, until at the seventh round she fell out of
the ring, and they put her into the l>ox and closed the lid fast. The
other ghosts seemed never to notice what had happe 1.
254 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
They took up the box and .started home toward the east. In a little
while the girl came to life again and begged to be let out of the box,
but the}' made no answer and went on. Soon she called again and said
she was hungry, but still they made no answer and went on. After
another while she spoke again and called for a drink and pleaded so
that it was very hard to listen to her, but the men who carried the box
said nothing and still went on. When at last they were very near
home, she called again and begged them to raise the lid just a little,
because she was smothering. They were afraid she was really dying
now, so they lifted the lid a little to give her air, but as they did so
there was a fluttering sound inside and something flew past them into
the thicket and they heard a redbird cry, " Jewish/ Jewish! hwish!" in
the bushes. They shut clown the lid and went on again to the settle-
ments, but when they got there and opened the box it was empty.
So we know the Redbird is the daughter of the Sun, and if the men
had kept the box closed, as the Little Men told them to do, they would
have brought her home safely, and Ave could bring back our other
friends also from the Ghost country, but now when they die we can
never bring them back.
The Sun had been glad when they started to the Ghost country, but
when they came back without her daughter she grieved and cried,
"My daughter, my daughter," and wept until her tears made a flood
upon the earth, and the people were afraid the world would be
drowned. They held another council, and sent their handsomest young
men and women to amuse her so that she would stop crying. They
danced before the Sun and sang their best songs, but for a long time
she kept her face covered and paid no attention, until at last the
drummer suddenly changed the song, when she lifted up her face, and
was so pleased at the sight that she forgot her grief and smiled.
6. HOW THEY BROUGHT BACK THE TOBACCO
In the beginning of the world, when people and animals were all the
same, there was only one tobacco plant, to which they all came for
their tobacco until the DaguTku geese stole it and carried it far away
to the south. The people were suffering without it, and there was one
old woman who grew so thin and weak that everybody said she would
soon die unless she could get tobacco to keep her alive.
Different animals offered to go for it, one after another, the larger
ones first and then the smaller ones, but the Dagul kfi saw and killed
every one before he could get to the plant. After the others the little
Mole tried to reach it by going under the ground, but the DaguTku
saw his track and killed him as he came out.
At last the Hummingbird offered, but the others said he was entirely
too small and might as well stay at home. He begged them to let him
try, so they showed him a plant in a field and told him to let them see
kookbt] iinw THEV BROUGHT BACK THE TOBACCO 255
how he would go aboul it. The next moment lie was gone and they
saw liim sitting <m the plant, and then in a moment he was back again,
l>ut do one had seen him going or coming, because he was so swift.
"This is the way I'll do," said the Hummingbird, so they let him try.
Ilr flew off to the east, am! when he came in sight of the tobacco
the Dagul ku were watching all about it, but they could not see him
because he was so small and tlew so swiftly. Ilr darted down on the
plant tea! and snatched off the top with the leaves and seeds, and
was off again before the Dagul ku knew what had happened. Before
he got home with the tobacco the old woman had fainted and they
thought she was dead, but he blew the smoke into her nostrils, and
with a cry of " Tm'lu! [Tobacco!]" she opened her eyes and was alive
again.
-I I OND VEBSION
The people had tobacco in the beginning, but they had used it all,
and there was great suffering for want of it. There was one old
man so old that he had to be kept alive by smoking, and as his son
did not want to see him die he decided to go himself to try and get
some more. The tobacco country was far in the south, with high
mountains all around it, and the passes were guarded, so that it was
very bard to get into it. but the young man was a conjurer and was not
afraid. He traveled southward until he came to the mountains on the
border of the tobacco country. Then he opened his medicine bag and
took out a hummingbird skin and put it over himself like a dress.
Now he was a hummingbird and flew over the mountains to the tobacco
field and pulled some of the leaves and seed and put them into his
medicine bag. He was so small and swift that the guards, whoever
they were, did not see him, and when he had taken as much as he could
carry he tlew back over the mountains in the same way. Then he took
off the hummingbird skin and put it into his medicine bag. and was a
man again. He started home, and on his way came to a tree that had
a hole in the trunk, like a door, near the first branches, and a very
pretty woman was looking out from it. Hestoppedand tried toclimb
the tree, but although he was a good climber he found that he always
slipped back. He put on a pair of medicine moccasins from his pouch,
and then he could climb the tree, but when he reached the first branches
he looked up and the hole was still as far away as before. He climbed
higher and higher, but every time he looked up the hole seemed to be
farther than before, until at last he was tired and came down again.
When he reached home he found his father very weak, but still alive,
and one draw at the pipe made him strong again. The people planted
the seed and have had tobacco ever since.
7. THE JOURNEY TO THE SUNRISE
A long time ago several young men made up their minds to find the
place where the Sun lives and see what the Sun is like. They got
256 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ahn.19
ready their bows and arrows, their parched corn and extra moccasins,
and started out toward the east. At first they met tribes they knew,
then they came to tribes they had only heard about, and at last to
others of which they had never heard.
There was a tribe of root eaters and another of acorn eaters, with
great piles of acorn shells near their houses. In one tribe they found
a sick man dying, and were told it was the custom there when a man
died to bury his wife in the same grave with him. They waited until
he was dead, when thev saw his friends lower the body into a great
pit, so deep and dark that from the top they could not see the bottom.
Then a rope was tied around the woman's body, together with a bun-
dle of pine knots, a lighted pine knot was put into her hand, and she
was lowered into the pit to die there in the darkness after the last pine
knot was burned.
The young men traveled on until they came at last to the sunrise
place where the sky reaches down to the ground. They found that the
sky was an arch or vault of solid rock hung above the earth and was
always swinging up and down, so that when it went up there was an
open place like a door between the sky and ground, and when it swung
back the door was shut. The Sun came out of this door from the east
and climbed along on the inside of the arch. It had a human figure, but
was too bright for them to see clearly and too hot to come very near.
They waited until the Sun had come out and then tried to get through
while the door was still open, but just as the first one was in the door-
way the rock came down and crushed him. The other six were afraid
to try it, and as they were now at the end of the world they turned
around and started back again, but they had traveled so far that they
were old men when they reached home.
8. THE MOON AND THE THUNDERS.
The Sun was a young woman and lived in the East, while her brother,
the Moon, lived in the West. The girl had a lover who used to come
every month in the dark of the moon to court her. He would come
at night, and leave before daylight, and although she talked with him
she could not see his face in the dark, and he would not tell her his
name, until she was wondering all the time who it could be. At last
she hit upon a plan to find out. so the next time he came, as they were
sitting together in the dark of the asi, she slyly dipped her hand into
the cinders and ashes of the fireplace and rubbed it over his face, say-
ing. "Your face is cold; you must have suffered from the wind,''
and pretending to be very sorry for him, but he did not know that
she had ashes on her hand. After a while he left her and went away
again.
The next night when the Moon came up in the sky his face was cov-
ered with spots, and then his sister knew he was the one who had been
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGV
NINETEENTH ANNUAL REPORT PL. X.ll
TAGWADlHi'
mooney] THE MOOM AND THE THUNDERS 257
coming to see her. He was so much ashamed to have her know it
thai li«' kept us far away as he could at the other end of the skj all the
night. Ever since he tries to keep a long way behind the Sun. and
when he doc- sometimes have to conic near her in the west he makes
himself as thin as a ribbon so thai he can hardly be seen.
Some old people saj that the moon is a hall which was thrown up
against the sky in a game a lone- time ago. They say that two towns
were playing against each other, hut one of them had tin' best runners
and had almost won the came, when the leader of tl ther side picked
up the hall with his hand- a thine- that is not allowed in the game
and tried to throw it to the goal, hut it struck against the solid sky
vault and was fastened there, to remind players never to cheat. When
the moon look- -mall and pale it is because somi has handled the
hall unfairly, and for this reason they formerly played only at the
time of a full moon.
When the sun or moon i- eclipsed it is because a great frog up in
the sky is trying to swallow it. Everybody knows this, even the
Creek- and the other tribes, and in the olden times, eighty or a hun-
dred year- ago, before the great medicine men were all dead, when
ever they -aw the sun grow dark the people would come together and
tire guns and heat the drum, ami in a little while tin- would frighten
off the greal frog ami the sun would he all right again.
The common people call both Sun and Moon Nundd, one being
"Nunda that dwell- in the day" ami the other "Nunda that dwell- in
the night," hut the priests call the Sun Su'tdlidiki', ••Six-killer." and
the Moon Gi ' yagu'ga, though nobody knows now what this wurd means.
or why they use these name-. Sometime- people ask the Moon not to
let it rain or -now .
The great Thunder ami hi- sons, the two Thunder boys, live far in
the west above the sky vault. The lightning and the rainbow are
their beautiful dress. The priests pray to the Thunder and call him
the Red Man. because that is the brightest color of his dress. There
arc other Thunder- that live lower down, in the cliffs and mountains,
and under waterfalls, and travel on invisible bridges from one high
peak to another where they have their town house-. The great Thun-
ders above the sky are kind and helpful when we pray to them, hut
these other- are always plotting mischief. One must not point at the
rainbow, or one'- finger will swell at the lower joint.
9. WHAT THE STARS ARE LIKE
There are different opinion- about the -tars. Some say they are
balls of light, othei- gaj they are human, but most people say they
are living creature- covered with luminous fur or feathers.
One night a hunting party camping in the mountain- noticed two
lights like large star- moving alone- the top of a distant ridge. They
19 eth— i'H 17
258 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
wondered and watched until the light disappeared on the other side.
The next night, and the next, they saw the lights again moving along
the ridge, and after talking over the matter decided to go on the mor-
row and try to learn the cause. In the morning they started out and
went until they came to the ridge, where, after searching some time.
they found two strange creatures about so large (making a circle with
outstretched arms), with round bodies covered with tine fur or downy
feathers, from which small heads stuck out like the heads of terrapins.
As tlic breeze played upon these feathers showers of sparks flew out.
The hunters carried the strange creatures back to the camp, intend-
ing to take them home to the settlements on their return. They kept
them several days and noticed that every night they would grow
bright and shine like great stars, although by day they were (inly balls
of gray fur. except when the wind stirred and made the sparks fly out.
They kept very quiet, and no one thought of their trying to escape,
when, on the seventh night, they suddenly rose from the ground like
balls of fire and were soon above the tops of the trees. Higher and
higher they went, while the wondering hunters watched, until at last
they were only two bright points of light in the dark sky, and then
the hunters knew that they were stars. •
10. ORIGIN OF THE PLEIADES AND THE PINE
Long ago, when the world was new, there were seven boys who
used to spend all their time down by the townhouse playing the
gatayu'sti game, rolling a .stone wheel along the ground and sliding a
curved stick after it to strike it. Their mothers scolded, but it did no
good, so one day they collected some gatayu'sti stones and boiled
them in the pot with the corn for dinner. When the boys came home
hungry their mothers dipped out the stones and said. ■•Since you like
the gatayu'sti better than the cornfield, take the stones now for your
dinner."
The boys were very angry, and went down to the townhouse, say-
ing. "As our mothers treat us this way, let us go where we shall
never trouble them any more." They began a dance — some say it
was the Feather dance — and went round and round the townhouse,
praying to the .spirits to help them. At last their mothers were
afraid something was wrong and went out to look for them. They
saw the boys still dancing around the townhouse. and as they watched
they noticed that their feet were off the earth, and that with every
round they rose higher and higher in the air. They ran to get their
children, but it was too late, for they were already above the roof of
the townhouse — all but one, whose mother managed to pull him down
with the gatayu'sti pole, but he struck the ground with such force
that he sank into it and the earth closed over him.
The other six circled higher and higher until they went up to the
ORIGIN OF STRAWBEEE] ES 2 >9
sky, where we see them now as the Pleiades, which the Cherokee
stiil call A.ni'tsutsa (The Boys). The people grieved long after them,
but the mother whose boy had gone into the ground came every
morning and every evening to cry over the spot until the earth was
damp with her tears. At hist a little green shoot sprouted up and
gre^ day by day until it became the tall tree that we call now the
pine, and the pine is of the same nature as the stars and holds in
itself the same bright light.
n. THE MILKY WAY
Some people in the south hail a corn mill, in which they pounded
thi' corn into meal, and several mornings when they came to till it they
noticed that some of the meal had been stolen d urine- the night. They
examined the ground anil found the tracks of a doe'. s(> the next night
the\ watched, and when the doe- came from the north and began to eat
the meal out of the howl they sprang out and whipped him. lie ran
off howling to his home in the north, with the meal dropping from his
mouth as lie ran, and leaving behind a white trail where now weseethe
Milky Way. which the Cherokee call to this day (ii li'-utsun'stanufi'j i.
■• Where the doe- ran."
12. ORIGIN OF STRAWBERRIES
When the first man was created and a mate was given to him. they
lived together very happily for a time, hut then began to quarrel, until
at last the woman left her husband and started oh" toward Nund&gun'ja,
the Sun land, in the east. The man followed alone and grieving, but
the woman kept on steadily ahead and never looked behind, until
I'ne' lanun'hi, the great Apportioner (the Sun), took pity on him and
asked him if he was still angry with his wife. lb' said he was not. and
I'ne' lanun'hi then asked him if he would like to have her hack again,
to which lie eagerly answered yes.
So I'ne' lanun'hi caused a patch of the finest ripe huckleberries to
spring up alone- the path in front of the woman, but she passed by
without paying any attention to them. Farther on he put a clump of
blackberries, but these also she refused to notice. Other fruits, one,
two, and three, and then some trees covered with beautiful red service
berries, were placed beside the path to tempt her. hut she still went on
until suddenly she saw in front a patch of large ripe strawberries, the
first ever known. She stooped to gather a few to eat. and as she picked
them -he chanced to turn her face to the west, and at once the memory
of her husband came hack to her and she found herself unable to go
on. She sat down, hut the longer she waited the stronger became her
desire for her husband, and at last she gathered a hunch of the finest
berries and started back alone- the path to give them to him. He met
her kindly and they went home together.
260 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
13. THE GREAT YELLOW-JACKET: ORIGIN OF FISH AND FROGS
A long time ago the people of the old town of Kanu'ga la'yi (" Brier
place," or Briertown), on Nantahala river, in the present Macon
county. North Carolina, were much annoyed by a great insect called
U'la'gu.', as large as a house, which used to come from some secret
hiding place, and darting swiftly through the air, would snap up chil-
dren from their play and carry them away. It was unlike any other
insect ever known, and the people tried many times to track it to its
home, but it was too swift to be followed.
They killed a squirrel and tied a white string to it, so that its course
could be followed with the eye. as bee hunters follow the flight of a
lice to its tree. The U'la'gu' came and carried off the squirrel with
the string hanging to it, but darted away so swiftly through the air
that it was out of sight in a moment. They killed a turkey and put a
longer white string to it, and the U'la'gvi' came and took the turkey,
but was gone again before they could see in what direction it flew.
They took a deer ham and tied a white string to it. and again the
U'la'gu' swooped down and bore it off so swiftly that it could not be
followed. At last they killed a yearling deer and tied a very long
white string to it. The U'la'gu' came again and seized the deer, but
this time the load was so heavy that it had to fly slowly and so low
down that the string could be plainly seen.
The hunters got together for the pursuit. They followed it along
a ridge to the east until they came near where Franklin now is, when,
on looking across the valley to the other side, they saw the nest of
the U'la'gu' in a large cave in the rocks. On this they raised a great
shout and made their way rapidly down the mountain and across to the
cave. The nest had the entrance below with tiers of cells built up one
above another to the roof of the cave. The great U'la'gu' was there,
with thousands of smaller ones, that we now call yellow-jackets. The
hunters built tires around the hole, so that the smoke filled the cave
and smothered the great insect and multitudes of the smaller ones,
but others which were outside the cave were not killed, and these
escaped and increased until now the yellow- jackets, which before
were unknown, are all over the world. The people called the cave
Tsgagun'yi. " Where the yellow-jacket was." and the place from which
they first saw the nest they called Atahi'ta. " Where they shouted," and
these are their names today.
They say also that all the fish and frogs came from a great monster
fish and frog which did much damage until at last they were killed
by the people, who cut them up into little pieces which were thrown
into the water and afterward took shape as the smaller fishes and
frous.
THE F01 RFOOTED TRIBES 26 1
14. THE DELUGE
A longtime ago a man bad a dog, which began to go down to the
river cxn\ . l:i \ and look at the water and howl. At last the man
was angry and scolded the dog, which then spoke to bira and said:
"Very soon there is going to be a great freshet and the water will
come so high that everybody will lie drowned; hut if you will make a
raft to gel upon when the rain comes you can lie saved, but you must
first throw me into the water." The man did not believe it. and the
dog said, "If you want a sign that I speak the truth, look at the hack
of my neck." lie looked and saw that the dog's neck had the skin
worn oil' so that the hones stuck out.
Then lie believed the dog, and began to build a raft. Soon the rain
came and he took his family, with plenty of provisions, and they all
got upon it. It rained for a long time, and the water rose until the
mountains were covered and all the people in the world were drow ned.
Then the rain stopped and the waters went down again, until at last
it was safe to come oil the raft. Now there was no one alive hut the
man ami his family, but one day they heard a sound of dancing and
shouting on the other side of the ridge. The man climbed to the top
and looked over; everything was still, hut all along the valley he saw
great piles of hones of the people who had been drowned, and then
he knew that the ghosts had been dancing.
Quadruped Myths
15. the fourfooted tribes
In Cherokee mythology, as in that of Indian tribes generally, there
is no essential difference between men and animals. In the primal
genesis period they seem to he completely undifferentiated, and we
find all creatures alike living and working together in harmony and
mutual helpfulness until man. by his aggressiveness and disregard for
the rights of the others, provokes their hostility, when insects, birds,
fishes, reptiles, and fourfooted beasts join forces against him (see
story. ••( )rigin of Disease and Medicine""). Henceforth their lives are
apart, but the difference is always one of decree only. The animals,
like the people, are organized into tribes and have like them their
chief- and townhouses, their councils and ballplays, and the same
hereafter in the Darkening land of Qsunhi'yi. Man is still the para-
mount power, and hunts and slaughters the others as his own necessi
tie- compel, hut is obliged to satisfy the animal tribes in every
instance, very much as a murder is compounded for, according to the
Indian system, by "covering the hones of the dead" with presents for
the bereaved relatives.
This pardon to the hunter is made the easier through a peculiar
262 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
doctrine of reincarnation, according to which, as explained by the
shamans, there is assigned to every animal a definite life term which
can not be curtailed by violent means. If it is killed before the expi-
ration of the allotted time the death is only temporary and the body
is immediately resurrected in its proper shape from the blood (Imps,
and the animal continues its existence until the end of the predestined
period, when the body is finally dissolved and the liberated spirit goes
to join its kindred shades in tin1 Darkening land. This idea appears
in the story of the bear man and in the belief concerning the Little
Deer. Death is thus but a temporary accident and the killing a mere
minor crime. By some priests it is held that there are seven succes-
sive reanimations before the final end.
Certain supernatural personages, Kana'ti and Tsul'kalii' (see the
myths), have dominion over the animals, and are therefore regarded
as the distinctive gods of the hunter. Kana'ti at one time kept the
game animals, as well as the pestiferous insects, shut up in a cave
under ground, from which they were released by his undutiful sons.
The primeval animals — the actors in the animal myths and the pred-
ecessors of the existing species — are believed to have been much
larger, stronger, and cleverer than their successors of the present
day. In these myths we find the Indian explanation of certain pecu-
liarities of form, color, or habit, and the various animals are always
consistently represented as acting in accordance with their well-known
characteristics.
First and most prominent in the animal myths is the Rabbit ( Tsisfat),
who figures always as a trickster and deceiver, generally malicious,
but often beaten at his own game by those whom he had intended to
victimize. The connection of the rabbit with the dawn god and the
relation of the Indian myths to the stories current among the southern
negroes are discussed in another place. Ball players while in train-
ing are forbidden to eat the flesh of the rabbit, because this animal so
easily becomes confused in running. On the other hand, their spies
seek opportunity to strew along the path which must be taken by
their rivals a soup made of rabbit hamstrings, with the purpose of
rendering them timorous in action.
In a ball game between the birds and the fourfooted animals (see
story) the Bat, which took sides with the birds, is said to have won the
victory for his party by his superior dodging abilities. For this rea-
son the wings or sometimes the stuffed skin of the bat are tied to the
implements used in the game to insure success for the players. Accord-
ing to the same myth the Flying Squirrel ( Tewa) also aided in securing
the victory, and hence both these animals are still invoked by the ball
player. The meat of the common gray squirrel (stil&'U) is forbidden
to rheumatic patients, on account of the squirrel's habit of assuming
a cramped position when eating. The stripes upon the back of the
THE FOURFOOTED TRIBES 263
ground squirrel (kiyu' ga) are the mark of scratches made by the angry
animals at a memorable council in which be took ii upon himself to
say a good word for the archenemy, Man (see " ( )rigin of 1 disease and
Medicine"). The peculiarities of the mink (sufigi) ai-e accounted for by
another storj .
The buffalo, the largest game animal of America, was hunted in the
southern Alleghenj region until almost the close of the last century,
the particular species being probably that known in th<' West as the
wood or mountain buffalo. The name in use among the principal gulf
tribes was practically tin- same, and can not be analyzed, viz, Cherokee,
//I'ntst'i'; Hichitee, ya'nasi; Creek, ySna'sa; Choctaw, yaiiask. Although
the flesh <>t' the buffalo was eaten, its skin dressed for blankets and bed
coverings, its lone- hair woven into belts, and its horns carved into
spoons, it is yet strangely absent from Cherokee folklore. So far as
is known it is mentioned in hut a single one of the sacred formula-, in
which a person under treatment for rheumatism is forbidden to eat
the meat, touch the >kin. or use a spoon made from the horn of the
buffalo, upon the ground of an occult connection between the habitual
cramped attitude of a rheumatic and the natural "hump" of that
animal.
The elk is known, probably by report, under the name of a <<■<'
,'ijir,i. "great deer", but there is no myth or folklore in connection
with it.
The deer. awl', which is still common in the mountains, was the
principal dependence of the Cherokee hunter, and is consequently
prominent in myth, folklore, and ceremonial. One of the seven
gentes of the tribe i- named from it (Ani'-Kawf, "Deer People'*).
According to a myth given elsewhere, the deer won hi- horn- in a suc-
cessful race with the rabbit. Rheumatism is usually ascribed to the
work of revengeful deer ghosts, which the hunter has neglected to
placate, while on the other hand the aid of the deer is invoked against
frostbite, as its feet are believed to be immune from injuiw by frost.
'I'iie wolf, the fox. and the opossum are also invoked for this purpose,
and for the same reason. When the redrool {Ceanothus americanus)
put- forth it- leaves the people say the young fawn- are then in the
mountains. On killing a deer the hunter always .ait- out the ham-
string from the hind quarter and throws' it away, for fear that if
he ate it he would thereafter tire easilj in traveling.
The powerful chief of the deer tribe i- the A wi' Usdi', or ••Little
Deer," who is invisible to all except the greatest masters of the
hunting secrets, and can be wounded only by the hunter who ha- sup-
plemented years of occult study with frequent fasts and lonely vigils.
The Little Deer keeps constant protecting watch over hi- subjects, and
sees well to it that not one is ever killed in wantonness. When a deer
i- -hot l>v tin' hunter the Little Deer know- it at once and i- instantly
264 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.akk.19
at the spot. Bending low his head he asks of the blood stains upon
the ground if they have heard -i. e., if the hunter has asked pardon
for the life that he has taken. If the formulistic prayer has been made,
all i> well, because the necessary sacrifice has been atoned for; but if
otherwise, the Little Deer tracks the hunter to his house by the blood
drops along the trail, and. unseen and unsuspected, puts into his body
the spirit of rheumatism that shall rack him with aches and pains from
that time henceforth. As seen at rare intervals —perhaps once in a
lonu' lifetime — the Little Deer is pure white and about the size of a
.small doy, has branching antlers, and is always in company with a large
herd of deer. Even though shot by the master hunter, he comes to life
again, being immortal, but the fortunate huntsman who can thus
make prize of his antlers has in them an unfailing talisman that brings
him success in the chase forever after. The smallest portion of one
of those horns of the Little Deer, when properly consecrated, attracts
the deer to the hunter, and when exposed from the wrapping dazes
them so that they forget to run and thus become an easy prey.
Like the Ulunsu'tl stone (see number 50), it is a dangerous prize when
not treated with proper respect, and is — or was — kept always in a secret
place away from the house to guard against sacrilegious handling.
Somewhat similar talismanic power attached to the down from the
young antler of the deer when properly consecrated. So firm was
the belief that it had influence over •"anything about a deer" that
eighty and a hundred years ago even white traders used to bargain
with the Indians for such charms in order to increase their store of
deerskins by drawing the trade to themselves. The faith in the exist-
ence of the miraculous Little Deer is almost as strong and universal
to-day among the older Cherokee as is the belief in a future life.
The bears (i/i'iiii'i) are transformed Cherokee of the old clan of the
Ani'-Tsa'guhi (see story. "Origin of the Bear"). Their chief is the
White Bear, who lives at Kuwa'hi, •"Mulberry place." one of the high
peaks of the Great Smoky mountains, near to the enchanted lake of
Atag&'hl (see number ti!>). to which the wounded bears go to lie cured of
their hurts. Under Kuwa'hi and each of three other peaks in the same
mountain region the bears have townhouses, where they congregate
and hold dances every fall before retiring to their dens for the winter.
Being really human, they can talk if they only would, and once a
mother bear was heard singing to her cub in words which the hunter
understood. There is one variety known as JcaM^-gikwLhi'ta, "long
hams." described as a large black bear with long legs and small feet,
which is always lean, and which the hunter does not care to shoot, pos-
sibly on account of its leanness. It is believed that new-born cubs are
hairless, like mice.
The wolf ()/',/' ya) is revered as the hunter and watchdog of Kana'ti.
and the largest yens in the tribe bears the name of Ani'-wa' ya, "Wolf
THE FOURFOOTED TRIBES 265
people." The ordinary ( Iherokee w ill never kill one if he can possibly
avoid it, but will let the animal go by unharmed, believing that the
kindred of a slain wolf will surely revenge his death, and that the
weapon with which the deed is done will be rendered worthless for
further shooting until cleaned and exorcised by a medicine man. ( ler
tain persons, however, having knowledge of the proper atonement
rites, may kill wolves with impunity, and are hired for this purpose
t>\ others who have suffered from raids upon their fish traps or their
stock. Like the eagle killer (see "'The BirdTi'ibes"), the professional
wolf killer, after killing one of these animals, addresses to it a prayer
in which he seeks to turn aside the vengeance of the tribe by laying
the burden of blame upon the people of some other settlement. lie
then unscrews the barrel of his gun and inserts into it seven small sour-
wood rods heated over the fire, and allows it to remain thus overnight
in the running stream; in the morning the rods are taken out and the
barrel is thoroughly dried and cleaned.
The dog (gili'), although as much a part of Indian life among the
Cherokee as in other tribes, hardly appears in folklore. One myth
makes him responsible for the milky way: another represents him as
driving the wolf from the comfortable house lire and taking the place
for himself. He figures also in connection with the deluge. There is
no tradition of the introduction of the horse (sd'gwdli, iromasd1 'gwdlihu' ',
"a pack or burden") or of the cow (wa''ka, from the Spanish, vaca).
The hog is called sikiod, this being originally the name of the opossum,
which somewhat resembles it in expression, and which is now distin
guished as sikwd utse'tsti, "grinning sikwa." In the same wa\ the
-hce p. another introduced animal, is called a "•/' unddt 'net," woolly deer";
the goat, dwi' alianu'l&M, "bearded deer," and the mule, " sd'gwd'li
digu'landhi'ta, "long-eared horse." The cat, also obtained from the
whites, is called wesd, an attempt at the English "pussy." When it
purrs by the fireside, the children say it is counting in Cherokee,
" ta'ladvl ', in'iu'iji. ta'ladu', nurHgt" "sixteen, four, sixteen, four." The
elephant, which a few of the Cherokee have seen in show-, is called
by them Je&ma'md u'tdnu, "great butterfly," from the supposed resem-
blance of its long trunk and flapping ears to the proboscis and wines
<>1 that insect. The anatomical peculiarities of the opossum, of both
sexes, are the subject of much curious speculation among the Indians,
many of whom believe that its young are produced without an) help
from the male. It occurs in one or two of the minor myths.
The fox (tsu''ld) is mentioned in one of the formulas, but doc- no
appear in the tribal folklore. The black fox is known by a differenf
name {in&'U). The odor of the skunk (dUd') is believed to keep off
contagious diseases, and the scent bag is therefore taken out and
hung over the doorway, a small hole being pierced in it in order that
the content- may ooze out upon the timbers. At times, as in the
266 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [ETH.ANN.19
smallpox epidemic of 1S66, the entire body of the animal was thus
hung up, and in some eases, as :ui additional safeguard, the meat was
rooked and eaten and the oil rubbed over the skin of the person. The
underlying idea is that the fetid smell repels the disease spirit, and
upon the same principle the buzzard, which is so evidently superior to
carrion smells, is held to he powerful against the same diseases.
The beaver (dd'yi), by reason of its well-known gnawing ability,
against which even the hardest wood is not proof, is invoked on behalf
of young children just getting their permanent teeth. According to
the little formula which is familiar to nearly every mother in the tribe,
when the loosened milk tooth is pulled out or drops out of itself, the
child runs with it around the house, repeating four times, " Dd'yi,
sl'nitu' (Beaver, put a new tooth into my jaw)'* after which he throws
the tooth upon the roof of the house.
In a characteristic song formula to prevent frostbite the traveler,
before starting out on a cold winter morning, rubs his feet in the ashes
of the tire and sings a song of four verses, by means of which, accord-
ing to the Indian idea, he acquires in turn the cold-defying powers of
the wolf, fleer, fox, and opossum, four animals whose feet, it is held,
are never frostbitten. After each verse he imitates the cry and the
action of the animal. The words used are archaic in form and may be
rendered "'I become a real wolf," etc. The song runs:
Txini'ir<i''ij(t-tj<i' (repeated four times), wa-\-a! (prolonged howl). (Imitates a
wolf pawing the ground with Ins feet. )
Tsd.fi' -ha/ vA-ye' (repeated four times), sauh! sauh! sauh! smth.' (Imitates call and
jumping of a deer.)
TsiiH/-t.iii/'/ii-)jn' (repeated four times), gaih! gaih! gaih! >j<iih.' (Imitates barking
and scratching of a fox. )
Txi'nl'-xVkiru-iin' (repeated four times), />■?-)-. (Imitates the cry of an opossum
when cornered, and throws his head back as that animal does when feigning death, i
16. THE RABBIT GOES DUCK HUNTING
The Rabbit was so boastful that lie would claim to do whatever he
saw anyone else do. and so tricky that he could usually make the other
animals believe it all. Once he pretended that he could swim in the
water and eat fish just as the Otter did. and when the others told him
to prove it he lixed up a plan so that the Otter himself was deceived.
Soon afterward they met again and the Otter said, "I eat ducks some-
times." Said the Rabbit, "Well, I eat ducks too." The Otter chal-
lenged him to try it; so they went up along the river until they saw
several ducks in the water and managed to get near without being
seen. The Rabbit told the Otter to go first. The Otter never hesi-
tated, but dived from the bank and swam under water until he reached
the ducks, when he pulled one down without being noticed by the
others, and came back in the same way.
While the Otter had been under the water the Rabbit had peeled
THE BABBIT GOES DUCK 111 NTING 267
sonic bark from a sapling and made himself a noose. " Now ." he said,
"Just watch me:"' and he dived in and swam a little way under the
water until he was nearly choking and had to come up to the top to
breathe. He went under again and came up again a little nearer to
the ducks. He look another breath and dived under, and this time he
came up among the ducks and threw the noose over the head of one
and caught it. The duck struggled hard and finally spread its wings
and flew up from the water with the Rabbit hanging on to the noose.
It flew on and on until at last the Rabbil could not hold on any
longer, bul had i>- let go and drop. As it happened, he fell into a tall,
hollow sycamore stump without any hole at the bottom to gel oul
from, and there lie stayed until he was so hungry that lie had to eat
his own fui-. as the rabbil does ever since when he is starving. After
several days, when he was very weak with hunger, he heard children
playing outside around the trees. lie began to sing:
Cm a door and l""k at me;
I'm the prettiest thing you ever did aee.
The children ran home and told their father, who came and began
to cut a hole in the tree. As lie chopped away tin' Rabbit inside kepi
singing, "Cut it larger, so you can see me better; I'm so pretty." They
made the hole larger, and then the Rabbit told them to stand hack so
that they could take a good look as he came out. They stood away
hack, and the Rabbit watched his chance and jumped oul and got away.
17. HOW THE RABBIT STOLE THE OTTER'S COAT
The animals were of different sizes and wore coats of various colors
and patterns. Some wore lone- fur and others wore short. Some had
rings on their tails, and some had no tails at all. Some had coat- of
brown, others of black or yellow. They were always disputing aboul
their good looks, so at last they agreed to hold a council to decide who
had the finest coat.
They had heard a great deal about the Otter, w ho lived SO far up the
creek that he seldom came down to visit the other animals. It was -aid
that he had the finest coat of all. but no one knew just what it was like.
because it was a lone- time since anyone had seen him. They did not
even know exactly where he lived — only the general direction; but
they knew he would come to the council when the word gol out.
Now the Rabbil wanted the verdict for himself, so when it began to
look as if it might go to the Otter he studied up apian to cheat him out
of it. He asked a few sly questions until he learned what trail the
Otterwould take to gel to the council place. Then, without saying any-
thing, he went on ahead and after four days' travel he met the Otter
and knew him at -e by hi- beautiful coal of -oft dark-brown* fur.
The Otter wa- glad to see him and asked him where he was eroingr.
268 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.ij
•■ ( )." said the Rabbit, " the animals sent me to bring you to the council;
because you live so far away they were afraid you mightn't know the
road.'" The Otter thanked him. and they went on together.
They traveled all day toward the council ground, and at night the
Rabbit selected the camping place, because the Otter wasa stranger
in that part of the country, and cut down bushes for beds and fixed
everything in good shape. The next morning they started on again.
In the afternoon the Rabbit began to pick up wood and bark as they
went along and to load it on his hack. When the Otter asked what this
was for the Rabbit said it was that they might be warm and comfort-
able at night. After a while, when it was near sunset, they stopped
and made their camp.
When supper was over the Rabbit gota stick and shaved it down to
a paddle. The Otter wondered and asked again what that was for.
"I have good dreams when I sleep with a paddle under my head,"
said the Rabbit.
When the paddle was finished the Rabbit began to cut awa}' the
bushes so as to make a clean trail down to the river. The Otter won-
dered more and more and wanted to know what this meant.
Said the Rabbit. "This place is called Di'tatlaski'yi [The Place Where
it Rains Fire]. Sometimes it rains tire here, and the sky looks a little
that way to-night. You go to sleep and 1*11 sit up and watch, and if
the tire does come, as soon as you hear me shout, you run and jump
into the river. Better hang your eoat on a limb over there, so it won't
get burnt."
The Otter did as he was told, and they both doubled up to go to sleep,
but the Rabbit kept awake. After a while the tire burned down to red
coals. The Rabbit called, but the Otter was fast asleep and made no
answer. In a little while he called again, but the Otter never stirred.
Then the Rabbit Idled the paddle with hot. coals and threw them up into
the air and shouted, " It's raining tire! It's raining tire!"
The hot coals fell all around the Otter and he jumped up. "To the
water! " cried the Rabbit, and the Otter ran and jumped into the river,
and he has lived in the water ever since.
The Rabbit took the Otter's coat and put it on, leaving his own
instead, and went on to the council. All the animals were there, even-
one looking out for the Otter. At last they saw him in the distance,
and they said one to the other, "The Otter is coming!" and sent one
of the small animals to show him the best seat. They were all glad
to see him and went up in turn to welcome him. but the Otter kept
his head down, with one paw over his face. They wondered that he
was so bashful, until the Rear came up and pulled the paw away, and
there was the Rabbit with his split nose. He sprang up and started to
run, when the Bear struck at him and pulled his tail off, but the Rabbit
was too quick for them and got away.
moonky] HOW THE WILDCAT CAUGHT THE GOBBLES 269
18. WHY THE POSSUM'S TAIL IS BARE
The Possum used to have a long, bushy tail, and was so proud of it
that he combed it oul every morning and sang about it ai the dance.
until tlic Rabbit, who had had no tail since the Bear pulled it out.
became very jealous and made up his mind to play the Possum a i rick.
There was to be a great council and a dance at which all the animals
were to he present. It was the Rabbit's business to send out the news.
so a- he was passing the Possum's place he stopped to ask him if he
intended to lie there. The Possum said he Would come if hi' could
have a special seat, "because I have such a handsome tail that I ought
to sit where everybody can see me." The Rabbit promised to attend
to it and to send some one besides to comb and dress the Possum's tail
for the dance, so the Possum was very much pleased and agreed to
come.
Then the Rabbit went over to the Cricket, who is such an expert haii-
cutter that the Indians call him the barber, and told him to e-,> next
morning and dress the Possum's tail for the dance that night. I le told
the Cricket just what to do and then went on about some other mischief.
In the morning the Cricket went to the Possum's house ami said he
had conic to gei him ready for the dance. So the Possum stretched
himself out and shut his eyes while the Cricket combed out his tail and
wrapped a red string around it to keep it smooth until night. Hut all
this time, as he wound the string around, he was clipping oil' the hair
close to the roots, and the Possum never knew it.
When it was night the Possum went to the townhouse where the
dance was to he and found the best seat ready for him. just as the Rab-
liit had promised. When his turn came in the dance he loosened the
string from his tail and stepped into the middle of the floor. The
drummers began to drum and the Possum began to sine-. "See my
beautiful tail." Everybody shouted and he danced around the circle
and sane- again, •"See what a fine color it has." They shouted again
and he danced around another time, singing, "See how it sweeps the
ground." The animals shouted more loudly than ever, and the Possum
was delighted. He danced around again and sang, "See how tine the
fur is." Then everybody laughed so long that the Possum wondered
what they meant. He looked around the circle of animals and they
were all laughing- at him. Then he looked down at his beautiful tail
and saw that there was not a hair left upon it. hut that it was as bare as
the tail of a lizard. He was so much astonished and ashamed that he
could not say a word, but rolled over helpless on the gi'ound and
grinned, as the Possum does to this day when taken by surprise.
19. HOW THE WILDCAT CAUGHT THE GOBBLER
The Wildcat once caught the Rabbit and was about to kill him. when
the Rabbit begged for his life, saying: " I'm so -mall I would make
270 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.i.i
only a mouthful for you. but it' you Let me .y-o I'll show you where you
can gel a whole drove of Turkeys."' So the Wildcat let him up and
went with him to where the Turkeys were.
When they came near the place the Rabbit said to the Wildcat,
•• Now. you must do just as I say. Lie down as it you were dead and
don't move, even if I kick you. but when I give the word jump up and
catch the largest one there." The Wildcat agreedand stretched out as
if dead, while tlie Rabbit gathered some rotten wood and crumbled it
over his eyes and nose to make them look flyblown, so that the Turkeys
would think lie had been dead some time.
Then the Rabbit went over to the Turkeys and said, in a sociable
way. "Here, I've found our old enemy, the Wildcat, lying dead in the
trail. Let's have a dance over him." The Turkeys were very doubtful,
hut finally went with him to where the Wildcat was lying in the road
as if dead. Now, the Rabbit had a good voice and was a great dance
leader, so he said, "I'll lead the song and you dance around him."
The Turkeys thought that line, so the Rabbit took a stick to beat time
and began to sing: " Gdl&gi'na hem tyak', Gdldgi'na hasuyak! (pick out
the Gobbler, pick out the Gobbler)."
•• Why do you say that?" said the old Turkey. " O, that's all right,"
said the Rabbit, "that's just the way he does, and we sing about it."
He started the song again and the Turkeys began to dance around the
Wildcat. When they had gone around several times the Rabbit said,
" Now go up and hit him, as we do in the war dance." So the Turkeys,
thinking the Wildcat surely dead, crowded in close around him and
the old gobbler kicked him. Then the Rabbit drummed hard and sang
his loudest, "Pick out the Gobbler, pick out the Gobbler," and the
Wildcat jumped up and caught the Gobbler.
20. HOW THE TERRAPIN BEAT THE RABBIT
The Rabbit was a great runner, and everybody knew it. No one
thought the Terrapin anything but a slow traveler, but he was a great
warrior and very boastful, and the two were always disputing about
their speed. At last they agreed to decide the matter by a race.
They fixed the day and the starting place and arranged to run across
four mountain ridges, and the one who came in first at the end was to
be the winner.
The Rabbit felt so sure of it that he said to the Terrapin, "You
know you can't run. You can never win the race, so I'll give you the
first ridge and then you'll have only three to cross while I go over
four."
The Terrapin said that would be all right, but that night wdien he
went home to his family he sent for his Terrapin friends and told
them he wanted their help. He said he knew he could not outrun the
Rabbit, but he wanted to stop the Rabbit's boasting. He explained
his plan to his friends and they agreed to help him.
moonei HOW THE TEBRAPIH BEAT THE BABBIT '-'71
When the day came all the animals were there to see the race. The
K;il>l)it was with them. but the Terrapin was gone ahead toward the first
ridge, as they had arranged, and thej could hardly see him on account
of the lone- grass. The word was given and the Rabbil started nil' with
long jumps up the mountain, expecting I" win t he race before the Ter-
rapin could gel down the other side. But lie fore lie got u|i the moun-
tain he saw the Terrapin go over the ridge ahead of him. He ran on.
and when he reached the top he looked all around. Imt could not see
the Terrapin on account of the lone- o-rass. He kept on down the moun
tain and began to climb the second ridge, hut when he looked up again
there was the Terrapin just going over the top. Now he was surprised
and made his longest jumps to catch up, but when he o-"t to the top
there was the Terrapin away in trout going over the third ridge. The
Rabbil was getting tired now and nearly out of breath, hut he kept on
down the mountain and up the other ridge until he got to the top just
in time to see the Terrapin cross the fourth ridge and thus win the race.
The Rabbit could not make another jump. Imt fell over on the ground,
crying ml, mi. mi, mi. as the Rabbit does ever since when he is too tired
to run any more. The race was given to the Terrapin and all the ani-
mal- wondered how he could win against the Rabbit, hut he kept still
and never told. It was easy enough, however, because all the Terra
pin's friends looked just alike, and he had simply posted one near the
toji of each ridge to wait until the Rabbit came in sight and then climb
over and hide in the long grass. When the Rabbit came on he could
not find the Terrapin and so thought the Terrapin was ahead, and if he
had met one of the other terrapins he would have thought it the same
one because they looked.so much alike. The real Terrapin had posted
himself on the fourth ridge, so as to come in at the end of the race
and be ready to answer questions if the animals suspected anything.
Because the Rabbit had to lie down and lose the race the conjurer
now. when preparing his young men for the hall play, boils a lot of
rabbit hamstrings into a soup, and sends some one at night to pour it
across the path along which the other players are to come in the morn-
ing, so that they may become tired in the same way and lose the game.
It is not always easy to do this, because the other party is expecting
it and has watchers ahead to prevent it.
21. THE RABBIT AND THE TAR WOLF
Once there was such a lone' spell of dry weather that there was no
more water in the creeks and springs, and the animals held a council
to see what to do about it. They decided to die- ;, well, and all agreed
to help except the Rabbit, who was a lazy fellow, and said. " I don't
need to dig for water. The dew on the grass is enough for me." The
others did not like this, hut they went to work together and dug
their well.
272 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE
They noticed that the Rabbit kepi sleek and lively, although it was
still dry weather and the water was getting low in the well. They said.
"That tricky Rabbit steals our water at night," so they made a wolf
of pine gum and tar and set it up by the well to scar • the thief. That
night the Rabbit came, as he had been coming every night, to drink
enough to last him all next day. He saw the queer black thing by the
well and said. "Who's there?" but the tar wolf said nothing. He
came nearer, but the wolf never moved, so he grew braver and said,
"Get out of my way or I'll strike you." Still the wolf never moved
and the Rabbit came up and struck it with his paw, but the gum held
his foot and it stuck fast. Now he was angry and said, "Let mo
go or I'll kick you." Still the wolf said nothing. Then the Rabbit
struck again with his hind foot, so hard that it was caught in the gum
and he could not move, and there he stuck until the animals came for
water in the morning. When they found who the thief was they had
great sport over him for a while and then got ready to kill him, but as
soon as he was unfastened from the tar wolf he managed to get
away. — Wafford,
SECOND VEKSION
"Once upon a time there was such a severe drought that all streams
of water and all lakes were dried up. In this emergency the beasts
assembled together to devise means to procure water. It was pro-
posed by one to dig a well. All agreed to do so except the hare. She
refused because it would soil her tiny paws. The rest, however, dug
their well and were fortunate enough to find water. The hare begin-
ning to sutler and thirst, and having no right to the well, was thrown
upon her wits to procure water. She determined, as the easiest way.
to steal from the public well. The rest of the animals, surprised to
find that the hare was so well supplied with water, asked her where
she got it. She replied that she arose betimes in the morning and
gathered the dewdrops. However the wolf and the fox suspected her
of theft and hit on the following plan to detect her:
They made a wolf of tar and placed it near the well. On the fol-
lowing night the hare came as usual after her supply of water. On
seeing the tar wolf she demanded who was there. Receiving no answer
she repeated the demand, threatening to kick the wolf if he did not
reply. She receiving no reply kicked the wolf, and by this means
adhered to the tar and was caught. When the fox and wolf got hold
of her they consulted what it was best to do with her. One proposed
cutting her head off. This the hare protested would be useless, as it
had often been tried without hurting her. Other methods were pro-
posed for dispatching her, all of which she said would be useless. At
last it was proposed to let her loose to perish in a thicket. Upon this
the hare affected great uneasiness and pleaded hard for life. Her
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY
NINETEENTH ANNUAL REPORT PL. XIV
-.hot £RAF
hooney] THE RABBIT DINKS THE BEAR -J".'?
enemies, however, refused to listen and she was accordingly let loose.
As soon, however, as she was out <>l' reach of her enemies she ga\ e a
whoop, and bounding away she exclaimed: 'This is where I live."'
Cherokee Advocate. December is. L845.
22. THE RABBIT AND THE POSSUM AFTER A WIFE
The Rabbit and the Possum each wanted a wife, but no one would
marry eitherof them. They talked overthe matter and the Rabbit said.
"Wecan't get wives here; let's go to the next settlement. I'm the
messenger for the council, and I'll tell the people that 1 brine- an order
that everybody must take1 a mate at once, and then we'll be sure to get
our wives."
The Possum thought this a tine plan, so they started oil together to
the next town. As tin1 Rabbit traveled faster he got there first and
waited outside until the people noticed him and took him into the
townhouse. When the chief came to ask his business the Rabbit said
he brought an important order from the council that everybody must
get married without delay. So the chief called the people together
and told them the message from the council. Every animal took a
mate at once, and the Rabbit got a wife.
The Possum traveled so slowly that he got there after all the animals
had mated, leaving him still without a wife. The Rabbit pretended to
feel sorry for him and said. "Never mind. I'll carry the message to
the people in the next settlement, and you hurry on as fast as you can,
and this time you will get your wife."
So he went on to the next town, and the Possum followed close after
him. But when the Rabbit got to the townhouse he sent out the word
that, as there had been peace so long that everybody was getting lazy
the council had ordered that there must be war at once and they must
begin right in the townhouse. So they all began fighting, but the
Rabbit made four great leaps and got away just as the Possum came
in. Everybody jumped on the Possum, who had not thought of bring-
ing his weapons on a wedding trip, and so could not defend himself.
They had nearly beaten the life out of him when he fell over and pre-
tended to be dead until lie saw a good chance to jump up and get away.
The Possum never got a wife, but he remembers the lesson, and ever
since he shuts his eyes and pretends to be dead when the hunter has
him in a close corner.
23. THE RABBIT DINES THE BEAR
The Rear 'united the Rabbit to dine with him. They had beans in
the pot. but there was no grease for them, so the Bear cut a slit in his
side and let the oil run out until they had enough to cook the dinner.
The Rabbit looked surprised, and thought to himself. ••That's a handy
l'.t ETII— 01 18
274 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [ETH.AHN.ly
way. I think I'll try that." When he started home he invited the
Bear to come and take dinner with him four days later.
When the Bear came the Babbit .said, " I have beans for dinner, too.
Now I'll yet the grease for them." So he took a knife and drove it into
his side, but instead of oil, a stream of blood gushed out and he fell
over nearly dead. The Bear picked him up and had hard work to tie
up the wound and stop the bleeding. Then he scolded him, "You
little fool, I'm large and strong and lined with fat all over; the knife
don't hurt me; but you're small and lean, and you can't do such
things."
24. THE RABBIT ESCAPES FROM THE WOLVES
Some Wolves once caught the Rabbit and were going to eat him
when he asked leave to show them a new dance he was practicing.
They knew that the Rabbit was a great song leader, and they wanted to
learn the latest dance, so they agreed and made a ring about him
while he got ready. He patted his feet and began to dance around in
a circle, singing:
Tldge'sili'in' iinli'xiii'xkhi'hS. —
Ha' unt lil! Hi: Ha/nia I; I.' til!
On tin- edge of the field I dance about —
Ha'nialfl! 111! Ha'nia 111! HI!
"Now," said the Rabbit, "when I sing 'on the edge of the field,' I
dance that way" — and he danced over in that direction — "and when I
sing 7;/ .'///.'" you must all stamp your feet hard." The Wolves thought
it fine. He began another round singing the same song, and danced
a little nearer to the field, while the Wolves all stamped their feet,
lie sang louder and louder and danced nearer and nearer to the field
until at the fourth song, when the Wolves were stamping as hard as
they could and thinking only of the song, he made one jump and
was off through the long grass. They were after him at once, but he
ran for a hollow stump and climbed up on the inside. When the
the Wolves got there one of them put his head inside to look up, but
the Rabbit spit into his eye, so that he had to pull his head out again.
The others were afraid to try, and they went away, with the Rabbit
still in the stump.
25. FLINT VISITS THE RABBIT
In the old days Tawi'skala (Flint) lived up in the mountains, and all
the animals hated him because he had helped to kill so many of them.
They used to get together to talk over means to put him out of the
way, but everybody was afraid to venture near his house until the
Rabbit, who was the boldest leader among them, offered to go after
Flint and try to kill him. They told him where to find him, and the
Rabbit set out and at last came to Flint's house.
FLINT VISITS THE BABBIT 275
Flint was standing at his door when the Rabbit came up and said,
sneeringly, "Siyu'f Hello! Arc you the fellow they call Flint?"
"Yes; that's what they call me," answered Flint. " Is this where you
live?" "Yes; this iswhere I live." All this time the Rabbit was
looking about the place trying to study out some plan t<> take Flint off
hi- guard, lie bad expected Flint to invite him into the house, so he
waited a Little while hut when Flint made no move, he said, •■Well.
my name is Rabbit; I've heard a good deal about you. so I came to
iu\ ite you to come ami see ine."
Flint wanted to know where the Rabbit's house was. ami he told him
it was down in the broom-grass field near the river. So Flintpromised
to make him a visit in a few days. "Why not come now and have
supperwith me?" said the Rabbit, and after a little coaxing Flint
agreed and the two started down the mountain together.
When they came near the Rabbit's hole the Rabbit said. ••There is
my house, hut in summer I generally stay outside here where it is
cooler.'" So he made a fire, and they had their supper on the grass.
When it was over, Flint stretched out to rest and the Rabbit got some
heavy sticks and his knife and cut out a mallet and wedge. Flint
looked up and asked what that was for. '"Oh," said the Rabhit. "I
like to be doing something, and they may come handy." So Flint lay
down again, and pretty soon he was sound asleep. The Rabbit spoke
to him once or twice to make sure, but there was no answer. Then he
came over to Flint and with one good blow of the mallet he drove the
sharp -take into his body and ran with all his might for his own hole;
but before he reached it there was a loud explosion, and pieces of flint
flew all about. That is why we find flint in so many places now. One
piece struck the Rabbit from behind and cut him just as he dived into
his hole. He sat listening until everything seemed quiet again. Then
he put his head out to look around, but just at that moment another
piece fell and struck him on the lip and split it. as we -till see it.
26. HOW THE DEER GOT HIS HORNS
In the beginning the Deer had no horns, but his head was smooth
just like a doe'-. He was a great runner and the Rabbit was a great
jumper, and the animals were all curious to know which could go
farther in the same time. They talked about it a good deal, and at
last arranged a match between the two. and made a nice large pair of
antlers for a prize to the winner. They were to start together from
one side of a thicket and go through it, then turn and come back, and
tin- one who came out first was to get the horns.
On the day fixed all the animals were there, with the antlers put
down on the ground at the edge of the thicket to mark the starting
point. While everybody was admiring the horns the Rabbit said: " I
don't know this part of the country; I want to take a look through
27<) MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
the bushes where I am to run." They thought that all right, so the
Rabbit went into the thicket, but he was gone so long that at last the
animals suspected he must he up to one of his tricks. They sent a
messenger to look for him, and away in the middle of the thicket he
found the Rabbit gnawing down the hushes and pulling them away
until he had a road cleared nearly to the other side.
The messenger turned around quietly and came back and told the
other animals. When the Rabbit came out at last they accused him of
cheating, but he denied it until they went into the thicket and found
the cleared road. They agreed that such a trickster had no right to
enter the race at all, so they gave the horns to the Deer, who was
admitted to be the best runner, and he has worn them ever since.
They told the Rabbit that as he was so fond of cutting down bushes he
might do that for a living hereafter, and so he does to this day.
27. WHY THE DEER'S TEETH ARE BLUNT
The Rabbit felt sore because the Deer had won the horns (see the
last story), and resolved to get even. One day soon after the race he
stretched a large grapevine across the trail and gnawed it nearly in
two in the middle. Then he went back a piece, took a good run. and
jumped up at the vine. He kept on running and jumping up at the
vine until the Deer came along and asked him what he was doing?
"Don't you see?" says the Rabbit. "I'm so strong that I can bite
through that grapevine at one jump."
The Deer could hardly believe this, and wanted to see it done. So
the Rabbit ran back, made a tremendous spring, and bit through the
vim1 where he had gnawed it before. The Deer, when he saw that,
said. " Well, I can do it if you can." So the Rabbit stretched a larger
grapevine across the trail, but without gnawing it in the middle. The
Deer ran back as he had seen the Rabbit do, made a spring, and struck
the grapevine right in the center, but it only flew back and threw him
over on his head. He tried again and again, until he was all bruised
and bleeding.
"Let me see your teeth," at last said the Rabbit. So the Deer
show cd him his teeth, which were long like a wolf's teeth, but not very
sharp.
"No wonder you can't do it," says the Rabbit; "your teeth are too
blunt to bite anything. Let me sharpen them for 3-011 like mine. My
teeth are so sharp that I can cut through a stick just like a knife."
And he showed him a black locust twig, of which rabbits gnaw the
young shoots, which he had shaved off as well as a knife could do it,
in regular rabbit fashion. The Deer thought that just the thing.
So the Rabbit got a hard stone with rough edges and filed and filed
away at the Deer's teeth until they were worn down almost to the gums.
FATE OF THE RABBIT "-'77
•■ It hurts," said the Deer; but the Rabbit said ii always hurt a little
when they began to get sharp; so the Deer kept quiet.
•• Now try it." at last said the Rabbit. So the Deer tried again,
but this time he could not bite at all.
•• Now you've paid for your horns," said the Rabbit, as he jumped
away through the bushes. Ever since then the Deer's teeth arc so
blunt that he can not chew anything but grass and leave-.
28. WHAT BECAME OF THE RABBIT
The Deer was very angry at the Rabbit for filing his teeth and deter-
mined to lie revenged, hut he kept still and pretended to be friendly until
the Rabbit was oti his guard. Then one day. as they were going along
together talking, he challenged the Rabbit to jump against him. Now
the Rabbit is a great juniper, as every one knows, so he agreed at once.
There was a small stream beside the path, as there generally is in that
country, and the Deer said:
"Let's see if you can jump across this branch. We'll go hack a
piece, and then when I say h'1'1.' then both run and jump."
•' All right." said the Rabbit. So they went hack to get a good -tart.
and when the Deer gave the word Kfi .' they ran tor the stream, and
the Rabbit made one jump and landed on the other side. But the Deer
had stopped on the bank, and when the Rabbit looked hack the Deer
had eonjured the stream so that it was a large river. The Rabbil was
never able to get hack again and is still on the other side. The rabbit
that we know is only a little thing that came afterwards.
29. WHY THE MINK SMELLS
The Mink was such a great thief that at last the animals held a coun-
cil about the matter. It was decided to burn him. so they caught the
Mink, built a great tire, and threw him into it. As the blaze went up
and they smelt the roasted flesh, they began to think he was punished
enough and would probably do better in the future, so they took him
out of the tire. But the Mink was already burned black and is black
ever since, and whenever he is attacked or excited lie smells again like
roasted meat. The lesson did no good, however, and he is still a- great
a thief a- ever.
30. WHY THE MOLE LIVES UNDERGROUND
A man was in love with a woman who disliked him and would have
nothing to do with him. He tried every way to win her favor, hut to
no purpose, until at last lie grew discouraged and made himself sick
thinking over it. The Mole came along, and finding him in such low
condition asked what was the trouble. The man told him the whole
story, and when he had finished the Mole said: "I can help you, so
that -lie will not only like you, but will come to VOU of her own will."
278 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ahs.19
So that night the Mole burrowed his way underground to where the
girl was in bed asleep and took out her heart. He came hack by the
same way and gave the heart to the man, who could not see it even
when it was put into his hand. ''There," said the Mole, "swallow it,
and she will be drawn to come to you and can not keep away." The
man swallowed the heart, and when the girl woke up she somehow
thought at once of him, and felt a strange desire to be with him, as
though she must go to him at once. She wondered and could not
understand it. because she had always disliked him before, but at last
the feeling grew so strong that she was compelled to go herself to the
man and tell him she loved him and wanted to be his wife. And so
they were married, but all the magicians who had known them both
were surprised and wondered how it had come about. When they
found that it was the work of the Mole, whom they had always before
thought too insignificant for their notice, they were very jealous and
threatened to kill him, so that he hid himself under the ground and
has never since dared to come up to the surface.
31. THE TERRAPIN'S ESCAPE FROM THE WOLVES
The Possum and the Terrapin went out together to hunt persim-
mons, and found a tree full of ripe fruit. The Possum climbed it and
was throwing down the persimmons to the Terrapin when a wolf came
up and began to snap at the persimmons as they fell, before the Ter-
rapin could reach them. The Possum waited his chance, and at last
managed to throw down a large one (some say a bone which he carried
with him), so that it lodged in the wolfs throat as he jumped up at it
and choked him to death. " I'll take his ears for hominy spoons," -aid
the Terrapin, and cut off the wolf's ears and started home with them,
leaving the Possum still eating persimmons up in the tree. After
a while he came to a house and was invited to have some kanahdna
gruel from the jar that is set always outside the door. He sat down
beside the jar and dipped up the gruel with one of the wolf's ears for
a spoon. The people noticed and wondered. When he was satisfied
he went on, but soon came to another house and was asked to have
some more kanahe'na. He dipped it up again with the wolf's ear and
went on when he had enough. Soon the news went around that the
Terrapin had killed the Wolf and was using his ears for spoons. All
the Wolves got together and followed the Terrapin's trail until they
came up with him and made him prisoner. Then they held a council
to decide what to do with him, and agreed to boil him in a clay pot.
They brought in a pot, but the Terrapin only laughed at it and said
that if they put him into that thing he would kick it all to pieces.
They said they would burn him in the fire, but the Terrapin laughed
again and said he would put it out. Then they decided to throw him
into the deepest hole in the river and drown him. The Terrapin
mooney] OBIGUN OE THE GBOUNDHOG DANCE 279
begged and prayed them not to do that, but they paid no attention, and
dragged him over to the river and threw him in. Thai was jus! what
the Terrapin had been waiting for all the time, and he dived under the
water and came up on the other side and got away.
Some >a\ thai when he was thrown into the river he struck againsl
a rock, which broke his hack in a dozen places. He sang a medicine
-one':
I il'l'ifllij, ' iri), I ill', I, III, ' II l'l,
I have sewed myself together, I have sewed myself together,
and the pieces came toe-ether, hut the scars remain on his shell to this
day.
32. ORIGIN OF THE GROUNDHOG DANCE: THE GROUNDHOGS
HEAD
Seven wolves once caught a Groundhog and said. "Now we'll kill
you ami have something good to cat." But the Groundhog- said.
•• When we find good food we must rejoice over it, as people do in the
Green-corn dance. I know you mean to kill me and I can't help my-
self, but if you want to dance I'll sing for you. This is a new dance
entirely. I'll lean up against seven trees in turn and you will dance
out and then turn and come back, as T give the signal, and at the last
turn you may kill me.''
The wolves were very hungry, but they wanted to learn the new
dance, so they told him to go ahead. The Groundhog leaned up against
a tree and began the song. //</' ' u-iij, ', In' . and all the wolves danced out
in front, until he gave the signal, Yu! and began with ///';/, i,/u'„;\
when they turned and danced back in line. •'That's tine," said the
Groundhog, and went over to the next tree and started thesecond song.
The wolves danced out and then turned at the signal and danced
hack again. "''Unit's very tine,"' said the Groundhog, and went over
to another tree and started the third song. The wolves danced their
lust and the Groundhog encouraged them, but at each song he took
another tree, and each tree was a little nearer to his hole under a stump.
At the seventh song he said. "Now, this is the last dance, and when I
say Yu.' you will all turn and come after me, and the one who gets me
may have me." So he began the seventh song and kept it up until
the wolves were away out in front. Then he gave the signal, Yu! and
made a jump for his hole. The wolves turned and were after him. but
he reached the hole first and dived in. Just as he got inside, the fore-
most wolf caught him by the tail and gave it such a pull that it broke
nil. and the Groundhog's tail ha- been short ever since.
*******
The unpleasant smell of the Groundhog's head was given it U\ the
other animals to punish an insulting remark made by him in council.
The story is a vulgar one. without wit enough to make it worth
recording.
280 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ahn.19
33. THE MIGRATION OF THE ANIMALS
In the old times when the animals used to talk and hold councils,
and the Grubworm and Woodchuck used to marry people, there was
once a great famine of mast in the mountains, and all the animals and
birds which lived upon it met together and sent the Pigeon out to
the low country to see if any food could be found there. After a
time she came back and reported that she had found a country where
the mast was "up to our ankles" on the ground. So they got
together and moved down into the low country in a great army.
34. THE WOLF'S REVENGE— THE WOLF AND THE DOG
Kana'ti had wolves to hunt for him, because they are good hunters
and never fail. He once sent out two wolves at once. One went to
the cast and did not return. The other went to the north, and when
he returned at night and did not find his fellow he knew he must be
in trouble and started after him. After traveling on some time
he found his brother lying nearly dead beside a great greensnake
(sdMkw&'yi) which had attacked him. The snake itself was too badly
wounded to crawl away, and the angry wolf, who had magic powers,
taking out several hairs from his own whiskers, shot them into the
body of the snake and killed it. He then hurried back to Kana'ti,
who sent the Terrapin after a great doctor who lived in the west to
save the wounded wolf. The wolf went back to help his brother and
by his magic powers he had him cured long before the doctor came
from the west, because the Terrapin was such a slow traveler and the
doctor had to prepare his roots before he started.
* * * * * * *
In the beginning, the people say, the Dog was put on the mountain
and the Wolf beside the fire. When the winter came the Dog could
not stand the cold, so he came down to the settlement and drove the
Wolf from the fire. The Wolf ran to the mountains, where it suited
him so well that he prospered and increased, until after a while he
ventured down again and killed some animals in the settlements. The
people got together and followed and killed him, but his brothers
came from the mountains and took such revenge that ever since the
people have been afraid to hurt a wolf.
Bird Myths
35. the bird tribes
Winged creatures of all kinds arc classed under the generic term of
anind' hiUdd1 hA (flyers). Birds are called, alike in the singular and
plural, tsi'shwa, 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 in&gehA (living in the
mooney] THE EAGLE 281
woods), and uhtnm'ta (tame). The robin is called tsiskwa'gwd, a name
which ran nut be analyzed, while the little sparrow is called tsishod'yd
(the real or principal bird), perhaps, in accord with a principle in
Indian nomenclature, on accou.nl of its wide distribution. .V- in other
languages, many of the bird names are onomatopes, as 10a huhv! (the
screech owl), u'guku' (the booting owl), wagvll' (the whippoorwill),
Mgil (the crow), gUgtoS' (the quail), huhu (the yellow mocking bird),
tsi' k, !',!,' (the chickadee), salsa! (the goose). The turtledove is called
gid&'-diskanihl' (it cries for acorns), on account of the resemblance of
its cry to the sound id' the word for acorn [guW). 'Idle meadow lark
IS called tldhaisi' (star), on account of the appearance of its tail when
spread out as it soars. The nuthatch (Sitta carolvnensis) is called
tsuliefna (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 (cwd'hUi) is the great sacred bird of the Cherokee, a- of
nearly all our native tribes, ami figures prominently in their ceremo-
nial ritual, especially in all things relating to war. The particular
species prized was the golden or war eagle (Aquila chryscetus), called
by the Cherokee the "pretty-feathered eagle." on account of its beau
tiful tail feathers, white, tipped with black, which were in such great
demand for decorative and ceremonial purposes that among the west
ern 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 e\ cut
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 tierce eagles
swooping down upon him. until the nightmare was finally exorcised
after a lone- 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 tlie 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
282
MYTHS OF THE CHKKoKKK
[ETH. ANN. 19
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 con-
1 .r™i|Pr
s
IT! IP
j
Fig. 1 — Feather wand of Eagle dance (made by John Ax).
venient 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 car-
cass, 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.
MOONKYl THE EAGLE — THE RAVEN 283
The piaycr ended, be 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 -now
bird has died." and passes on at once to his own quarters, hi- 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 deer-
skin. arc1 hung up in a small, round hut built for this special purpose
near the edge of the dance ground (detsdnHfl'li) and known as the
place "where the feathers are kept," or feather house. Some settle-
ments 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, a- described in another
place.
The eagle being regarded as a great ada'wehl, only the greatest war-
riors 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 settle-
ment dream of eagles or eagle feathers he must arrange for an Eagle
dance, with the usual vigil and fasting, at the first opportunity; other-
wise 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 lie
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 (kd'ldnU) is occasionally seen in the mountains, but i- not
prominent in folk belief, excepting in connection with the grewsome
tale- of the Haven Mocker (q. v.). In former times its name was some
times assumed as a war title. The crow, so prominent in other tribal
mythologies, does not seem to appear in that of the Cherokee. Three
284 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE
varieties of owls are recognized, each under a different name, viz:
tsl.ih', the dusky horned owl (£ubo virginiamus satnifgius)', u'guku',
the barred or hooting owl {Syrniwn nebulosivm), and wa huku', the
screech owl ( M< gascops a$io). 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 bald-
ness 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 con-
tagious 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 manu-
script, 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'nmvct'. The tl&'nuwti! 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. Hy-
ing 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 atricapUkis).
The common swamp gallinule. locally known as mudhen or didapper
(G-ailwadagaleata), is called diga'gwwil' (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 dagtitfou, or white-
fronted goose (Anser cdiifrons), appears in connection with the myth
of the origin of tobacco. The feathers of the tskw&yi, the great white
heron or American egret (BJeeodias 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
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY NINETEENTH ANNUAL REPORT PL. XV
SAWANU'Gi, A CHEROKEE BALL-PLAYER
mooney] THE BIRD TRIBES 285
many years ago was called by the curious name of nHfldd-dikani' ', "it
looks at the sun," "sun-gazer." It is described as resembling a blue
crane, and may possibly have been 1 1 » * - 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
git'wisguwi', so called from its cry. It is described as resembling a
large snipe with yellow leys ;m<i 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 Coowee-
scoowee 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'digwuntsu' gi or tsun'digwdn'tsM, ""forked." referring to the tail.
It appeared but once, for a short season, about forty years ago, ami
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 lone-
forked tail like that of a fish. It preyed upon hornets, which it took
upon the winy, and also feasted upon the larv;e in the nests. Appear
ing unexpectedly and as suddenly disappearing, it was believed to be
not a bird but a transformed red-horse fish {Moxostoma, Cherokee
dligd'), 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
wines and feathers. It was undoubtedly the scissor-tail or swallow-
tailed flycatcher (Mihndus forficabus), 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, dideUsi), 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 rutted grouse, locally known as the pheasant
[Sonasa umbettus), 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'hwd, 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 supernat-
ural, possibly on account of its imitative powers, and its heart is given
to children to make them quick to learn.
The chickadee {Parux carol hunsis), tsilili!;'. and the tufted tit-
mouse, {Parw bicolor), utsu''gi, or u'sttiti, are both regarded as news
286 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth. asn.19
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 Nunyunu'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 mis-
chief. Many stories are told in confirmation of this belief, among
which may 1 le 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.
36. THE BALL GAME OF THE BIRDS AND ANIMALS
Once the animals challenged the birds to a great ballplay. and the
birds accepted. The leaders made the arrangements and fixed the
day. and when the time came both parties met at the place for the
ball dance, the animals on a smooth grassy bottom near the river and
the birds in the treetops over by the ridge. The captain' of the animals
was the Bear, who was so strong and heavy that he could pull down
anyone who got in his way. All along the road to the ball ground
he was tossing up great logs to show his strength and boasting of
what he would do to the birds when the game began. The Terrapin,
too — not the little one we have now, but the great original Terrapin —
was with the animals. His shell was so hard that the heaviest blows
could not hurt him, and he kept rising up on his hind legs and drop-
ping heavily again to the ground, bragging that this was the way he
would crush any bird that tried to take the ball from him. Then
there was the Deer, who could outrun every other animal. Alto-
gether it was a tine company.
The birds had the Eagle for their captain, with the Hawk and the
great Tla'nuwa, all swift and strong of flight, but still they were a
little afraid of the animals. The dance was over and they were all
pruning their feathers up in the trees and waiting for the captain to
give the word when here came two little things hardly larger than
field mice climbing up the tree in which sat perched the bird captain.
At last they reached the top, and creeping along the limb to where
the Eagle captain sat they asked to be allowed to join in the game.
The captain looked at them, and seeing that they were four-footed, he
asked why they did not go to the animals, where they belonged. The
little things said that they had, but the animals had made fun of them
and driven them off because they were so small. Then the bird cap-
tain pitied them and wanted to take them.
But how could they join the birds when they had no wings '. The
Eagle, the Hawk, and the others consulted, and at last it was decided
boone\ THE BALL SAME OF BIRDS AND ANIMALS 287
to make some wings for the little fellows. They tried for a lone- time
to think of something that might do, until someone happened to
remember the drum they had used in the dance. The head was of
ground-hog -kin and maybe they could cut oil* a corner and make
wine-sot' it. So they took two pieces of leather from the drumhead
and cut them into shape for wines, and stretched them with cane
splint- and fastened them on to the forelegs of one of the small ani-
mal-, and in this way came Tla'mehd, the Hat. They threw tie- ball
to him and told him to catch it. and by the way he dodged and circled
about, keeping the hall always in the air and never letting it fall to the
ground, the birds soon saw that he would be one of their best men.
Now they wanted to fix the other little animal, but they had \\>rt\
up all their leather to make wines for the Bat, and there was no time
to send for more. Somebody said that they might do it by stretching
hi- skin, so two large birds took hold from opposite sides with their
strong bills, ami by pulling at his fur for several minutes they man-
aged to stretch the skin on each side between the fore and hind
feet, until they had Tewa, the Flying Squirrel. To try him the bird
captain threw up the ball, when the Flying Squirrel sprang off the
limb after it, caught it in his teeth and carried it through the air to
another tree nearly across the bottom.
"When they were all ready the signal was given and thegame began,
but almost at the first toss the Flying Squirrel caught the ball and
carried it up a tree, from which he threw it to the birds, who kepi it
in the air for some time until it dropped. The Bear rushed to gel it.
but the Martin darted after it and threw it to the Bat, who was flying
near the ground, and by his dodging and doubling kept it out of the
way of even the Deer, until he finally threw it in between the post- and
won the game for the birds.
The Bear and the Terrapin, who had boasted so of what they would
do, never got a chance even to touch the ball. For saving the ball
when it dropped, the birds afterwards gave the Martin a gourd in
which to build hi- nest, and he still has it.
37. HOW THE TURKEY GOT HIS BEARD
When the Terrapin won the race from the Rabbit (see the story) all
the animals wondered and talked about it a great deal, because they
had always thought the Terrapin slow, although they knew that he
was a warrior and had many conjuring secrets beside. But the Turkey
was not satisfied and told the others there must be some trick aboul it.
Said he. "I know the Terrapin can't run — he can hardly crawl and
I'm going to try him."
So one day the Turkey met the Terrapin coming home from war
with a fresh scalp hanging from his neck and dragging on the ground
a- he traveled. The Turkey laughed at the sight and said: •"That
288 MYTHS OF THE CHEKOKEE [eth.a.nn.19
scalp don't look right on you. Your neck is too short and low down
to wear it that way. Let me show you."
The Terrapin agreed and gave the scalp to the Turkey, who fastened
it around his neck. "'Now." said the Turkey. "I'll walk a little way
and you can see how it looks." So he walked ahead a short distance
and then turned and asked the Terrapin how he liked it, Said the,
Terrapin, "It looks very nice; it becomes you."
"'Now I'll fix it in a different way and let you see how7 it looks." said
the Turkey. So he gave the string another pull and walked ahead again.
"O, that looks very nice." said the Terrapin. But the Turkey kept on
walking, and when the Terrapin called to him to bring back the scalp
he only walked faster and broke into a run. Then the Terrapin got
out his bow and by his conjuring art shot a number of cane splints into
the Turkey's leg to cripple him so that he could not run, which accounts
for all the many small bones in the Turkey's leg, that are of no use
whatever; but the Terrapin never caught the Turkey, who still wears
the scalp from his neck.
38. WHY THE TURKEY GOBBLES
The Grouse used to have a tine voice and a good halloo in the ball-
play. All the animals and birds used to play ball in those days and
were just as proud of a loud halloo as the ball players of to-day. The
Turkey had not a good voice, so he asked the Grouse to give him les-
sons. The Grouse agreed to teach him, but wanted pay for his trouble,
and the Turkey promised to give him some feathers to make himself a
collar. That is how the Grouse got his collar of turkey feathers. They
began the lessons and the Turkey learned very fast until the Grouse
thought it was time to try his voice. "Now," said the Grouse. " I'll
stand on this hollow log, and when I give the signal by tapping on it,
you must halloo as loudly as you can." So he got upon the log ready
to tap on it, as a Grouse does, but when he gave the signal the Turkey
was so eager and excited that he could not raise his voice for a shout,
but only gobbled, and ever since then he gobbles whenever he hears a
noise.
39. HOW THE KINGFISHER GOT HIS BILL
Some old men say that the Kingfisher was meant in the beginning to
be a water bird, but as he had not been given either web feet or a good
bill he could not make a living. The animals held a council over it
and decided to make him a bill like a long sharp awl for a fish-gig (fish-
spear). So they made him a fish-gig and fastened it on in front of his
mouth. He flew to the top of a tree, sailed out and darted down into
the water, and came up with a fish on his gig. And he has been the
best gigger ever since.
Sonic others say it was this way: A Blacksnake found a Yellowham-
THE BEDBIRD's COLOR 28V)
iikt's nc-t in a hollow tree, ami after swallowing the young birds,
coiled up to sleep in the nest, where the mother bird found him when
she came home. She went for help to the Little People, who sent her
to the Kingfisher. He ca and after flying back and forth past the
hole a few times, made one daii at the snake and pulled him out dead.
When they looked they found a hole in the snake's bead where the
Kingfisher had pierced it with a slender tugcttu'/id tish. which he car
ried in his bill like a lance. From this the Little People c bided
that he would make a first-class gigger if he only had the righl spear,
so they gave him his lone- hill as a reward.
40. HOW THE PARTRIDGE GOT HIS WHISTLE
In the old days the Terrapin had a tine whistle, but the Partridge
had none. The Terrapin was constantly going about whistling and
showing his whistle to the other animals until the Partridge became
jealous, so one day when they met the Partridge asked leave to try it.
The Terrapin was afraid to risk it at first, suspecting some trick, but
the Partridge -aid. " I'll give it back right away, and if you an' afraid
you can stay with me while I practice." So the Terrapin let him have
the whistle and the Partridge walked around blowing on it in tine
fashion. •• How does it sound with rpe ?" asked the Partridge. "().
you do very well," --aid the Terrapin, walking alongside. "Now. how
do you like it." said the Partridge, running ahead and whistling a little
faster. "That's tine." answered the Terrapin, hurrying to keep up.
" but don't run so fast." "And now, how do you like this;" called
the Partridge, and with that he spread his wings, gave one long
whistle, and flew to the top of a tree, leaving the poor Terrapin to look
after him from the ground. The Terrapin never recovered his whistle,
and from that, and the loss of his scalp, which the Turkey stole from
him. he grew ashamed to be seen, and ever since he -.huts himself up
in his box when anyone comes near him.
41 HOW THE REDBIRD GOT HIS COLOR
A Raccoon passing a Wolf one day made several insulting remarks,
until at last the Wolf became angry and turned and chased him. The
Raccoon ran his best and managed to reach a tree by the river side
before the Wolf came up. He climbed the tree and stretched out on
a limb overhanging the water. When the Wolf arrived he saw the
reflection in the water, and thinking it was the Raccoon he jumped at
it and was nearly drowned before he could scramble out again, all wet
and dripping. He lay down on the bank to dry and fell asleep, and
while he was sleeping the Raccoon came down tin' tree and plastered
his eyes with dunu'. When the Wolf awoke he found he could not
open hi- eyes, and began to whine. Alone- came a little brown bird
through the bushes and heard the Wolf crying and asked what was
19 ETH— 01 19
290 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE
the matter. The Wolf told his story and said. "If you will get my
eyes open. I will show you where to find some nice red paint to paint
yourself." ••All right," said the brown bird; so he peeked at the
Wolfs eyes until he got oil' all the plaster. Then the Wolf took him
to a rock that had streaks of bright red paint running through it. and
the little bird painted himself with it. and has ever since been a Red-
42. THE PHEASANT BEATING CORN; ORIGIN OF THE PHEASANT
DANCE
The Pheasant once saw a woman heating corn in a wooden mortar in
front of the house. "I can do that, too," said he, but the woman
would not believe it, so the Pheasant went into the woods and got upon
a hollow log and •"drummed" with his wings as a pheasant does, until
the people in the house heard him and thought he was really beating
corn.
* * * * * * *
In the Pheasant dance, a part of the Green-corn dance, the instru-
ment used is the drum, and the dancers heat the ground with their feet
in imitation of the drumming sound made by the pheasant. They
form two concentric circles, the men being on the inside, facing the
women in the outer circle, each in turn advancing and retreating at the
signal of the drummer, who sits at one side and sings the Pheasant
songs. According to the story, there was once a winter famine among
the birds and animals. No mast (fallen nuts) could be found in the
woods, and they were near starvation when a Pheasant discovered a
holly tree, loaded with red berries, of which the Pheasant is said to
be particularly fond. He called his companion birds, and they formed
a circle about the tree, singing, dancing, and drumming with their
wings in token of their joy. and thus originated the Pheasant dance.
43. THE RACE BETWEEN THE CRANE AND THE HUMMINGBIRD
The Hummingbird and the Crane were both in love with a pretty
woman. She preferred the Hummingbird, who was as handsome as
the Crane was awkward, but the Crane was so persistent that in order
to get rid of him she finally told him he must challenge the other to
a race and she would marry the winner. The Hummingbird was so
swift — almost like a Hash of lightning — and the Crane so slow and
heavy, that she felt sure the Hummingbird would win. She did not
know the Crane could fly all night.
They agreed to start from her house and fly around the circle of
the world to the beginning, and the one who came in first would marry
the woman. At the word the Hummingbird darted off like an arrow
and was out of sight in a moment, leaving his rival to follow heavily
behind. He flew all day. and when evening came and he stopped to
THE OWL GETS MARRIED 291
roost for the night be was far ahead. I '> m the Crane lieu steadily ;ill
night Long, passing the Hummingbird soon after midnighl and going
on until he came to a creek and stopped to rest about daylight. The
Hummingbird woke up in the morning and flew on again, thinking
how easily he would win the race, until he reached the creek and
there found the Crane spearing tadpoles, with his lone- bill, for break-
fast. He was very nuieh surprised and wondered bow this could have
happened, hut he flew swiftly by and soon left the Crane out of sight
again.
The ('fane finished his breakfast and started on. and when evening
catiie he kept on as before. This time it was hardly midnight when
he passed the Hummingbird asleep on a limb, and in the morning he
had finished his breakfast before the other came up. The next day
he gained a little more, and on the fourth day he was spearing tadpoles
for dinner when the Hummingbird passed him. On the fifth and
sixth days it was late in the afternoon before the Hummingbird came
up. and on the morning of the seventh day the Crane was a whole
night's travel ahead. He took his time at breakfast and then fixed
himself up as nicely as he could at the creek and came in at the start-
ing place where the woman lived, early in the morning. When the
Hummingbird arrived in the afternoon he found he had lost the race,
hut the woman declared she would never have such an ugly fellow as
the Crane for a husband, so she stayed single.
44 THE OWL GETS MARRIED
A widow with one daughter was always warning the girl that she
must be sure to get a good hunter for a husband when she married.
The young woman listened and promised to do as her mother advised.
At last a suitor came to ask the mother for the girl, but the widow
told him that only a good hunter could have her daughter. "1*111 just
that kind." said the lover, and again asked her to speak for him to the
young woman. So the mother went to the girl and told her a young
man had come a-courting, and as he said he was a good hunter she
advised her daughter to take him. '•Just as you say." said the girl.
So when he came again the matter was all arranged, and he went to
live with the girl.
The next morning he got ready and said he would go out hunting,
but before starting he changed his mind and said he would go fishing.
He was gone all day and came home late at night, bringing only three
small fish, saying that he had had no luck, but would have better suc-
cess to-morrow. The next morning he started off again to fish and
was gone all day. but came home at night with only two worthless
spring lizards [duwS'gd) and the same excuse. Next day he said he
would go hunting this time. He was gone again until night, and
292 MYTHS OF THE CHEBOKEE [eth.akk.1S
returned at last with only a handful <>f scraps that he had found where
some hunters had cut up a deer.
By this time the old woman was suspicious. So next morning when
he started off again, as he said, to fish, she told her daughter to follow
him secretly and see how he set to work. The girl followed through
the woods and kept him in sight until he came down to the river, where
she saw her husband change to a hooting owl {ugvJcu') and fly over to
a pile of driftwood in the water and cry, " U-gu-ku! huf lm! u! «/"
She was surprised and very angry and said to herself. "I thought
1 hail married a man. hut my husband is only an owl." She watched
and saw the owl look into the water for a long time and at last
swoop down and tiring up in his (laws a handful of sand, from
which he picked out a crawfish. Then he flew across to the bank, took
the form of a man again, and started home with the crawfish. His
wife hurried on ahead through the woods and got there before him.
When he came in with the crawfish in his hand, she asked him where
were all the fish he had caught. He said he had none, because an owl
had frightened them all away. "I think you are the owl," said his
wife, and drove him out of the house. The owl went into the woods
and there he pined away with grief and love until there was no flesh
left on any part of his body except his head.
45. THE HUHU GETS MARRIED
A widow who had an only daughter, but no son, found it very hard
to make a living and was constantly urging upon the young woman
that they ought to have a man in the family, who would be a good
hunter and able to help in the field. One evening a stranger lover
came courting to the house, and when the girl told him that she could
marry only one who was a good worker, he declared that he was
exactly that sort of man; so the girl talked to her mother, and on her
advice they were married.
The next morning the widow gave her new sondndaw a hoe and sent
him out to the cornfield. When breakfast was ready she went to call
him, following a sound as of some one hoeing on stony soil, but when
she came to the spot she found only a small circle of hoed ground and
no sign of her sondndaw. Away over in the thicket she heard a huhu
calling.
He did not come in for dinner, either, and when he returned home
in the evening the old woman asked him where he had been all day.
"Hard at work," said he. "But I didn't see you when 1 came to call
you to breakfast." " I was down in the thicket cutting sticks to mark
off the field," said he. "But why didn't you come in to dinner??'
" I was too busy working," said he. So the old woman was satisfied,
and they had their supper together.
moonei THE EAGLE'S REVENGE 293
Early next morning In- started off with his hoe over his shoulder.
When breakfast was ready the old woman went again to call him, but
found no sign of him, only the hoe lying there and no work done.
And away over in the thicket a huhu was calling, " Sau-h.' sau-h!
sau-h! ku! I<»: //".' /<».' /"'•' /"'■' chi! chi! chi.'-whew/"
She wont back to the house, and when at last In' came home in the
e\ ening -he asked him again what he had been doing all day. " Work-
ing hard," said he. " But you were not there when I came after you."
■•(). 1 just went over in the thicket a while to sec some of my kins-
folk," said he. Then the old woman -aid. " I have lived here a long
time and there is nothing living in the swamp but huhus. My daugh-
ter wants u husband that can work and not a lazy huhu; so you may
go." And she drove him from the house.
46. WHY THE BUZZARD'S HEAD IS BARE
The buzzard used to have a tine topknot, of which he was so proud
that he refused to eat carrion, and while the other birds were pecking
at the body of a deer or other animal which they had found he would
strut around and say: "You may have it all. it is not good enough for
me." They resolved to punish him. and with the help of the buffalo
carried out a plot by which the buzzard lost not his topknot alone, but
nearly all the other feathers on his head. He lost his pride at the
same time, so that he is willing enough now to eat carrion for a living.
47. THE EAGLE'S REVENGE
Once a hunter in the mountains heard a noise at night like a rushing
wind outside the cabin, and on going out he found that an eagle had
just alighted on the drying pole and was tearing at the body of a deer
hanging there. Without thinking of the danger, he shot the eagle.
In the morning he took the deer and started back to the settlement,
where he told what he had done, and the chief sent out some men to
bring in the eagle and arrange for an Eagle dance. They brought
back the dead eagle, everything was made ready, and that night they
-tailed thi' dance in the townhouse.
About midnight there was a whoop outside and a strange warrior
came into the circle and began to recite his exploits. X ■ knew
him, but they thought he had come from one of the farther Cherokee
towns. He told how he had killed a' man. and at the end of the story
he gave a hoarse yell. Hi! that startled the whole company, and one of
the seven men with the rattle- fell over dead. He sang of another
deed, and at the end straightened up with another loud yell. A second
rattler fell dead, and the ] pie were so full of fear that they could
not stir from their place-. Still he kept on. and at every pause there
came again that terrible scream, until the last of the seven rattlers fell
dead, and then the stranger went out into the darkness. Long after-
2U4 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE
ward they learned from the eagle killer that it was the brother of the
eagle shot by the hunter.
48. THE HUNTER AND THE BUZZARD
A hunter had been all day looking for deer in the mountains without
success until he was completely tired out and sat down on a log to rest
and wonder what he should do. when a buzzard — a bird which always
has magic powers — came flying overhead and spoke to him, asking him
what was his trouble. When the hunter had told his story the buzzard
said there were plenty of deer on the ridges beyond if only the hunter
were high up in the air where he could see them, and proposed that
they exchange forms for a while, when the buzzard would go home to
the hunter's wife while the hunter would go to look for deer. The
hunter agreed, and the buzzard became a man and went home to the
hunter's wife, who received him as her husband, while the hunter
became a buzzard and new off over the mountain to locate the deer.
After staying some time with the woman, who thought always it was
her real husband, the buzzard excused himself, saying he must go
again to look for game or they would have nothing to eat. He came
to the place where he had first met the hunter, and found him already
there, still in buzzard form, awaiting him. He asked the hunter what
success he had had, and the hunter replied that he had found several
deer over the ridge, as the buzzard had said. Then the buzzard
restored the hunter to human shape, and became himself a buzzard
again and flew away. The hunter went where he had seen the deer
and killed several, and from that time he never returned empty-handed
from the woods.
Snake. Fish, and Insect Myths
49. the snake tribe
The generic name for snakes is m&d>&'. They are all regarded as
anida'wehl, " supernaturals," having an intimate connection with the
rain and thunder gods, ami possessing a certain influence over the other
animal and plant tribes. It is said that the snakes, the deer, and the
ginseng act as allies, so that an injury to one is avenged by all. The
feeling toward snakes is one of mingled fear and reverence, and every
precaution is taken to avoid killing or offending one, especially the
rattlesnake. He who kills a snake will soon see others; and should he
kill a second one, so many will come around him whichever way he
may turn that he will become dazed at the sight of their glistening
eyes and darting tongues and will go wandering about like a crazy man,
unable to find his way out of the woods. To guard against this mis-
fortune there are certain prayers which the initiated say in order that
a snake may not cross their path, and on meeting the first one of the
THE SNAKE TRIBE 295
season the hunter huinbh begs of him, "Let us nol see each other this
summer.''' Certain smells, as thai of the wild parsnip, and certain
songs, as those of the Unika'wl or Townhouse dance, arc offensive to
the snakes ami make them angry. For this reason the I'nika'u 1 dance
is held ..nix late in the fall, after they have retired to their dens for
the « inter.
When one dreams of being bitten by a snake lie must he treated t li<'
same as for an actual bite, because it is a snake ghosl thai has Kitten
hi in; otherwise the place will swell and ulcerate in the same way, even
though it he years afterwai'ds. For fear of offending them, even in
speaking, it is never said that a man has been bitten byasnake, but
onh that he has been "scratched by a brier." Most of the beliefs ami
customs in this connection have more special reference to the rattle-
snake.
The rattlesnake is called utsa'ndti, which may In' rendered, "he has
a bell," alluding to the rattle. According to a myth given elsewhere,
he was once a man. and was transformed to his present shape that lie
mighl save the human face from extermination by the Sun. a mission
which he accomplished successfully after others had failed. By the
old men he is also spoken of as "the Thunder's necklace" (see the
story of Ontsaiyi'), and to kill one is to destroy one of the most prized
ornaments of the thunder god. In one of the formulas addressed to
the Little Men. the sons of the Thunder, they are implored to take
the disease snake to themselves, because "it is just what you adorn
yourselves with."
For obvious reasons the rattlesnake is regarded as the chief of the
snake tribe and is feared ami respected accordingly. Few Cherokee
will venture to kill one except under absolute necessity, and even then
the crime must he atoned for by asking pardon of the snake ghost,
either in person or through the mediation of a priest, according to a set
formula. Otherwise the relatives of the dead snake will send one of
their number to track up the offender and bite him so that he will die
(see story. "The Rattlesnake's Vengeance "). The only thine- of which
the rattlesnake is afraid is -aid to be the plant known a- campion, or
""rattlesnake's master" (Silent stellata), which b used by the doctors
to counteract the effect of the bite, and it is believed that a snake will
lice in terror from the hunter who carries a -mall piece of the root
about his person, ('hewed linn bark b also applied to the bite, perhaps
from tin' supposed occult connection between the snake and the thun-
der, as this tree is said to be immune from the lightning stroke.
Notwithstanding the fear of the rattlesnake, his rattle-, teeth, flesh,
and oil are greatly prized for occult or medical uses, the snakes being
killed for this purpose by certain priests who know the necessary rites
and formulas for obtaining pardon. This device for whipping the
devil around the stump, ami incidentally increasing their own re\ enues,
2V>(> MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE
is a common trick of Indian medicine men. Outsiders desiring to
acquire this secret knowledge are discouraged by beingtold that it is a
dangerous thing to learn, for the reason that the new initiate is almost
certain to be bitten, in order that the snakes may "try" him to know
if he has correctly learned the formula. When a rattlesnake is killed
the head must be cut off and buried an arm's length deep in the ground
and the body carefully hidden away in a hollow log. If it is left ex-
posed to the weather, the angry snakes will send such torrents of rain
that all the streams will overflow their banks. Moreover, they will tell
their friends, the deer, and the ginseng in the mountains, so that these
will hide themselves and the hunters will seek them in vain.
The tooth of a rattlesnake which has been killed by the priest with
the proper ceremonies while the snake was lying stretched out from
east to west is used to scarify patients preliminary to applying the
medicine in certain ailments. Before using it the doctor holds it
between the thumb and finger of his right hand and addresses it in a
prayer. at the end of which the tooth "becomes alive," when it is ready
for the operation. The explanation is that the tense, nervous grasp of
the doctor causes his hand to twitch and the tooth to move slightly
between his ringers. The rattles are worn on the head, and sometimes
a portion of the flesh is eaten by ballplayers to make them more terri-
ble to their opponents, but it is said to have the bad effect of making
them cross to their wives. From the lower half of the body, thought
to be the fattest portion, the oil is extracted and is in as great repute
among the Indians for rheumatism and sore joints as among the white
mountaineers. The doctor who prepares the oil must also eat the
flesh of the snake. In certain seasons of epidemic a roasted (barbe-
cued) rattlesnake was kept hanging up in the house, and every morn-
ing the father of the family bit off a small piece andchewed it, mixing
it then with water, which he spit upon the bodies of the others to pre-
serve them from the contagion. It was said to be a sure cure, but apt
to make the patients hot tempered.
The copperhead, wd'dige-askd'U, "brown-head," although feared on
account of its poisonous bite, is hated, instead of being regarded with
veneration, as is the rattlesnake. It is believed to be a descendant of
a great mythic serpent (sec number 5) and is said to have ••eyes of
fire," on account of their intense brightness. The blacksnake is called
ffide'gi, "the climber." Biting its body is said to be a preventive of
toothache, and there is also a belief, perhaps derived from the whites.
that if the body of one be hung upon a tree it will bring rain within
three (four?) days. The small greensnake is called tsdlifotod'yl, the same
name being also applied to a certain plant, the Eryngvum virgmianum,
or bear grass, whose long, slender leaves bear some resemblance to a
greensnake. As with the blacksnake. it is believed that toothache
may be prevented and sound teeth insured as long as life lasts by
mooney] THE SNAKE TRIBE 297
biting the greensnake along it- body. It must bo held bv the head
and tail, and :ill the teeth ;it once pressed down four times along the
middle of it- body, bul without biting into the flesh or injuring the
snake. Some informants say that the operation must be repeated
four times upon as many snakes and that a certain food tabu must
also be observed. The water moccasin, kanegwd'ti, is not specially
regarded, but a very rare wood snake, said to resemble it except that
it has blue eves, is considered to have great supernatural powers,
in what way is not specified. The repulsive hut harmless spreading
adder (Heterodori) is called daWcstA', "vomiter," mi account of its
habit of spitting, and sometimes kwanddya' hH, a word of uncertain
etymology. It was formerly a man. hut was transformed into a snake
in order to accomplish the destruction of the Daughter of the Sun
(see the story). For its failure on this occasion it is generally
despised.
The Wahnenauhi manuscript mentions a legend of a greal serpent
called on account of its color the "ground snake." To set' it was an
omen of death to the one who saw it. and if it was seen by several per-
sons some great tribal calamity was expected. For traditions and
beliefs in regard to the Uktena. the Uksuhi, and other mythic ser-
pents, see under those headings.
50. THE UKTENA AND THE ULONSO'TI
Long ago — Mlahi'yit — when the Sun became angry at the people
on earth and sent a sickness to destroy them, the Little Men changed
a man into a monster snake, which they called Uktena, ■"The Keen
eyed." and sent him to kill her. He failed to do the work, and the
Rattlesnake had to lie -cut instead, which made the Uktena so jealous
and angry that the people were afraid of him and had him taken up
to Galunlati, to stay with the other dangerous things.1 He left others
behind him. though, nearly as large and dangerous as himself, and
they hide now in deep pools in the river and about lonely passes in
the high mountains, the places which the Cherokee call •"Where the
Uktena stays."
Those who know say that the Uktena is a great snake, a- large around
a- a tree trunk, with horns on its head, and a bright, blazing crest like
a diamond upon its forehead, and scales glittering like sparks of fire.
It has rings or spot.- of color along its whole length, and can not lie
wounded except by shooting in the seventh spot from the head, because
under this spot are its heart and its life. The blazing diamond is
called I'l '"nisi)' ti, "Transparent," and he who can win it may become
the greatest wonder worker of the tribe, hut it is worth a man's life
to attempt it, for whoever is seen by the Uktena is so dazed by the
bright light that he run- toward the snake instead of trying toe-cape.
' Sec -'I'll.. Daughter of tl
298 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE
Even to see the Ukfcena asleep is death, uot to the hunter himself, but
to hi* family.
Of all the daring warriors who nave started out in search of the
Ulunsu'ti only Agan-uni'tsi ever came back successful.1 The East
Cherokee still keep the one which he brought. It is like a large trans-
parent crystal, nearly the shape of a cartridge bullet, with a blood-red
streak running through the center from top to bottom. The owner
keeps it wrapped in a whole deerskin, inside an earthen jar hidden
away in a secret cave in the mountains. Every seven days he feeds it
with the blood of small game, rubbing the blood all over the crystal
as soon as the animal has been killed. Twice a year it must have the
blood of a deer or some other large animal. Should he forget to feed
it at the proper time it would come out from its cave at night in a shape
of fire and fly through the air to slake its thirst with the lifeblood of
the conjurer or some one of his people. He may save himself from
this danger by telling it, when he puts it away, that he will not need
it again for a long time. It will then go quietly to sleep and feel no
hunger until it is again brought out to be consulted. Then it must be
fed again with blood before it is used.
No white man must ever see it and no person but the owner will
venture near it for fear of sudden death. Even the conjurer who
keeps it is afraid of it. and changes its hiding place every once in a
while so that it can not learn the way out. When he dies it will be
buried with him. Otherwise it will come out of its cave, like a blazing
star, to search for his grave, night after night for seven years, when,
if still not able to find him. it will go back to sleep forever where he
has placed it.
Whoever owns the Ulunsu'ti is sure of success in hunting, love, rain-
making, and every other business, but its great use is in life prophecy.
When it is consulted for this purpose the future is seen mirrored in
the clear crystal as a tree is reflected in the quiet stream below, and
the conjurer knows whether the sick man will recover, whether the
warrior will return from battle, or whether the youth will live to be
old.
51. AGAN-UNI'TSl'S SEARCH FOR THE UKTENA
In one of their battles with the Shawano, who are all magicians, the
Cherokee captured a great medicine-man whose name was Agan-
uni'tsi. "The Ground-hogs* Mother." They had tied him ready for the
torture when he begged for his life and engaged, if spared, to find for
them the great wonder worker, the Ulunsu'ti. Now. the Ulunsu'ti is
like a blazing star set in the forehead of the great Uktena serpent,
and the medicine-man who could possess it might do marvelous things,
but everyone knew this could not be, because it was certain death to
See tin' next story.
VGAN-UNl'TSl AM) THE UKTENA 299
inert the Uktena. They warned him of all this, but he onlj answered
that his medicine was strong and he was not afraid. So they gave him
his life "ii that condition and he began the search.
The Uktena used to lie in wait in lonely places to surprise its vic-
tims, and especially haunted the dark passes of the Great Smok}
mountains. Knowing this, the magician went li i .-. t to a gap in the
range on the far northern border of the Cherokee country. He
searched and found there a monster blacksnake, larger than had ever
been known before, but ii was not what he was looking for, and he
laughed at it as something too small for notice. Coming southward
tn the next gap he found there a great moccasin snake, the largest
ever seen, but when the people wondered he said it was nothing. In
the next gap he found a greensnake and called the people to see "the
pretty salikwS'yi," but when they found an immense greensnake
coiled up in the path they ran away in fear. Coming on t<> U'tawa-
gun'ta, the Bald mountain, he found there a great diya'hali (lizard)
basking, but, although it was large and terrible t<> look at, it was not
what he wanted and lie paid no attention to it. Going still south to
Walasi'vi. the Frog place, he found a great frog squatting in the gap,
but when the people who came to see it were frightened like the
others and ran away from the monster he mocked at them for being
afraid of a frog and went on to the next gap. He went on to Duni-
skwa'lgun'yi, the Gap of the Forked Antler, and to the enchanted lake
of Ataga'hl, and at each he found monstrous reptiles, hut he said they
were nothing. He thought the Uktena might he hiding in the deep
water at Tlanusi'vi, the Leech place, on Hiwassee, where other strange
things had been seen before, and going there he dived far down under
the surface. He saw turtles and water snakes, and two immense sun-
percb.es rushed at him and retreated again, hut that was all. Other
places he tried, going always southward, and at last on Gahu'ti
mountain he found the Uktena asleep.
Turning without noise, he ran swiftly down the mountain side as
far as he could go with one lone- breath, nearly to the bottom of the
slope. There he stopped and piled up a great circle of pine tone-.
and inside of it he dug a deep trench. Then he set tire to the cones
and came hack again up the mountain.
The Uktena was still asleep, and. putting an arrow to his bow,
Agan-uni'tsi shot and sent the arrow through its heart, which was
under the seventh -pot from the serpent's head. The great snake
raised his head, with the diamond in front Hashing tire, and came
straight at his enemy, but the magician, turning quickly, ran at full
speed down the mountain, cleared the circle of tire and the trench at
one bound, and lay down on the ground inside.
The Uktena tried to follow, but the arrow was through his heart.
and in another moment he rolled over in his death struggle, spitting
300 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [bth.akn.19
poison over all the mountain side. But the poison drops could not
pass the circle of fire, l>ut only hissed and sputtered in the blaze, and
the magician <>n the inside was untouched except by one small drop
which struck upon his head as he lay close to the ground; hut he did
not know it. The blood, too. as poisonous as the froth, poured from
the Uktena's wound and down the slope in a dark stream, hut it ran
into the trench and left him unharmed. The dying monster rolled
over and over down the mountain, breaking down large trees in its
path until it reached the bottom. Then Agan-uni'tsi called every bird
in all the woods to come to the feast, and so many came that when they
were done not even the bones were left.
After seven days he went by night to the spot. The body and the
bones of the snake were gone, all eaten by the birds, but he saw a
bright light shining in the darkness, and going over to it he found,
resting on a low-hanging branch, where a raven had dropped it, the
diamond from the head of the Uktena. He wrapped it up carefully
and took it with him. and from that time he became the greatest medi-
cine-man in the whole tribe.
When Agan-uni'tsi came down again to the settlement the people
noticed a small snake hanging from his head where the single drop of
poison from the Uktena had struck; but so long as he lived he him-
self never knewr that it was there.
Where the blood of the Uktena had tilled the trench a lake formed
afterwards, and the water was black and in this water the women used
to dye the cane splits for their baskets.
52. THE RED MAN AND THE UKTENA .
Two brothers went hunting together, and when they came to a good
camping place in the mountains they made a tire, and while one gath-
ered bark to put up a shelter the other started up the creek to look for
a deer. Soon he heard a noise on the top of the ridge as if two animals
were fighting. He hurried through the bushes to see what it might
be, and when he came to the spot he found a great uktena coiled
around a man and choking him to death. The man was fighting for
his life, and called out to the hunter: "Help me. nephew; he is your
enemy as well as mine." The hunter took good aim, and, drawing
the arrow to the head, sent it through the body of the uktena, so that
the blood spouted from the hole. The snake loosed its coils with a
snapping noise, and went tumbling down the ridge into the valley,
tearing up the earth like a water spout as it rolled.
The stranger stood up, and it was the Asga'va Gi'gagei, the Red
Man of the Lightning. He said to the hunter: " You have helped me.
and now I will reward you. and give you a medicine so that you can
always find game." They waited until it was dark, and then went
down the ridjje to where the dead uktena had rolled, but bv this time
THE HUNTER ami THE ['K-r'KI 301
the birds and insects had eaten the body and only the bones were left..
In one place were flashes of light coming up from the ground, and on
digging bere, just under the surface, the Red Man found a scale of the
uktena. Next be wen( over to a tree thai had been struck by light
ning, and gathering a handful of splinters he made a fire and burned the
uktena scale to a coal. He wrapped this in a piece of deerskin and
gave it to the hunter, saying: "As long as you keep this you can
always kill game." Then he told tin' hunter that when he went hack
to camp he must hangup the medicine on a tree outside, because it
was very strong and dangerous. He told him also that when he went
into the cabin he would find his brother lying inside nearly dead mi
account of the presence of the uktena's scale, hut he must take a small
piece of cane, which the Red Man gave him. and scrape a little of it
into water and give it to his brother to drink and lie would he well
again. Then the Red Man was gone, and the hunter could not see
where he went. He returned to camp alone, and found his brother
very sick, but soon cured him with the medicine from the cane, and
that day and the next, and every day after, he found game whenever
he went for it.
53. THE HUNTER AND THE UKSU'HI
A man living down in Georgia came to visit some relatives at Hick-
ory-log. He was a great hunter, and after resting in the house a day
or two got ready to go into the mountains. His friends warned him
not to go toward the north, as in that direction, near a certain large
uprooted tree, there lived a dangerous monster uksu'hi snake. It kept
constant watch, and whenever it could spring upon an unwary hunter it
would coil about him and crush out his life in its folds and then drag
the dead body down the mountain side into a deep hole in Hiwassee.
He listened quietly to the warning, but all they said only made him
the more anxious to see such a monster, so, without saying anything
of his intention, he left the settlement and took his way directly up
the mountain toward the north. Soon he came to the fallen tree and
(limbed upon the trunk, and there, sure enough, on the other side was
the great uksu'hi stretched out in the grass, with its head raised, but
looking the other way. It was about so large [making a circle of a
foot in diameter with his hands]. The frightened hunter got down
again at once and started to run; but the snake had heard the noise and
turned quickly and was after him. Up the ridge the hunter ran, the
snake close behind him, then down the other side toward the river.
With all his running the uksu'hi gained rapidly, and just as he reached
the low ground it caught up with him and wrapped around him. pin-
ning one arm down by his side, but leaving the other free.
Now it gave him a terrible squeeze that almost broke his ribs, and
then began to drag him along toward the water. With his free hand
•"'Hi' MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [ETH.
the hunter clutched at the bushes as they passed, l>ut the snake turned
its head and blew its sickening breath into his face until he had to let
go his hold. Again and again this happened, and all the time they
were getting nearer to a deep hole in the river, when, almost at the
last moment, a lucky thought came into the hunter's mind.
He was sweating all over from his hard run across the mountain,
and suddenly remembered to have heard that snakes can not bear the
smell of perspiration. Putting his free hand into his bosom he worked
it around under his armpit until it was covered with perspiration.
Then withdrawing it he grasped at a bush until the snake turned its
head, when he quickly slapped his sweaty hand on its nose. The
uksu'hi gave one gasp almost as if it had been wounded, loosened its
coil, and glided swiftly away through the bushes, leaving the hunter,
bruised but not disabled, to make his way home to Hickory-log.
54. THE USTO'TLl
There was once a great serpent called the Ustu'tli that made its haunt
upon Cohutta mountain. It was called the Ustu'tli or "•foot" snake,
because it did not glide like other snakes, but had feet at each end of
its body, and moved by strides or jerks, like a great measuring worm.
These feet were three-cornered and flat and could hold on to the ground
like .suckers. It had no legs, but would raise itself up on its hind feet.
with its snaky head waving high in the air until it found a good place
lo take a fresh hold; then it would bend down and grip its front feet
to the ground while it drew its body up from behind. It could cross
rivers and deep ravines by throwing its head across and getting a grip
with its front feet and then swinging its body over. Wherever its
footprints were found there was danger. It used to bleat like a young
fawn, and when the hunter heard a fawn bleat in the woods he never
looked for it, but hurried away in the other direction. Up the moun-
tain or down, nothing could escape the Ustu'tli's pursuit, but along the
side of the ridge it could not go, because the great weight of its swing-
ing head broke its hold on the ground when it moved sideways.
It came to pass after a while that not a hunter about Cohutta would
venture near the mountain for dread of the Ustu'tli. At last a man
from one of the northern settlements came down to visit some rela-
tives in that neighborhood. When he arrived thi'y made a feast for
him. but had only corn and beans, and excused themselves for having
no meat because the hunters were afraid to go into the mountains. He
asked the reason, and when they told him he said he would go himself
to-morrow and either bring in a deer or find the Ustu'tli. They tried
to dissuade him from it, but as he insisted upon going they warned him
that if he heard a fawn bleat in the thicket he must run at once and if
the snake came after him he must not try to run down the mountain,
but alone the side of the ridare.
THE rMi'Ti.f 303
In the morning he started ou1 and went directly toward the moun-
tain. Working hi- way through the bushes :ii the base, lie suddenly
heard a fawn Meat in front. He guessed at once that it was 1 1 1 * ■ Cstu'tlt,
l>ut he had made up his mind to see it, so he did not turn back, but went
straight forward, and there, sure enough, was the monster, with itsgreal
head in the air, as high as the pine branches, looking in >-\ ery direction
to discover a deer, or maybe a man. for breakfast. It -aw him ami
came sit him at once, moving in jerky strides, every one the length of
a tii',' trunk, holding its scaly head high above the bushes and bleating
as it came.
The hunterwas so badly frightened that he lost his wits entirely and
started to run directly up the mountain. The great snake came after
him. gaining half its length on him every time it took a fresh grip with
it- fore feet, and would have caught the hunter before he reached the
top of the ridge, but that he suddenly remembered the warning and
changed his course to run alone- the sides of the mountain. At once
the snake began to lose ground, for every time it raised itself up the
weight of its body threw it out of a straight line and made it fall a little
lower down the side of the ridge. It tried to recover itself, but now
the hunter gained and kept on until he turned the end of the ridge and
left the snake out of sight. Then he cautiously climbed to the topand
looked over and saw the I'stu'tli still slowly working its way toward
the summit.
He went down to the base of the mountain, opened hi- lire pouch.
and set fire to the grass and leaves. Soon the tire ran all around the
mountain and began to climb upward. When the great snake smelled
the smoke and saw the flames coming it forgot all about the hunter
and turned to make all speed for a high cliff near the summit. It
reached the rock and got upon it. but the fire followed and caught the
dead pines about the base of the cliff until the heat made the I'stu'tH's
scales crack. Taking a close grip of the rock with its hind feet it
raised its body and put forth all its strength in an effort to spring
across the wall of tire that surrounded it. but the .-moke choked it and
its hold loosened and it fell among the blazing pine trunks and lay
there until it wa- burned to ashes.
55. THE UW'TSUN'TA
At Nun'daye' li. the wildest spot on Nantahala river, in what i- now
Macon county. North Carolina, where the overhanging cliff is highest
and the river far below, there lived in the old time a great snake called
the Uw'tsflfi'ta or ••bouncer." because it moved by jerks like a measur
ing worm, with only one part of its body on the ground at a time. It
stayed generally on the east side, where the .sun came first in the
morning, and used to cross by reaching over from the highest point of
the cliff until it could get a grip on the other side, when it would pull
304 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE
over the rest of its body. It was so immense that when it was thus
stretched across its shadow darkened the whole valley below. For a
long time the people did not know it was there, but when at last they
found out al>out it they were afraid to live in the valley, so that it was
deserted even while still Indian country.
56. THE SNAKE BOY
There was a boy who used to go bird hunting every day. and all the
birds he brought home lie gave to his grandmother, who was very
fond of him. This made the rest of the family jealous, and they
treated him in such fashion that at last one day he told his grand-
mother lie would leave them all, but that .she must not grieve for
him. Next morning he refused to eat any breakfast, hut went off
hungry to the woods and was gone all day. In the evening he
returned, bringing with him a pair of deer horns, and went directly
to the hothouse (asi), where his grandmother was waiting for him.
He told the old woman he must be alone that night, so she got up and
went into the house where the others were.
At early daybreak she came again to the hothouse and looked in,
and there she saw an immense uktena that filled the asi, with horns
on its head, but still with two human legs instead of a snake tail. It
was all that was left of her boy. He spoke to her and told her to
leave him, and she went away again from the door. When the sun
was well up, the uktena began slowly to crawl out, but it was full
noon before it was all out of the asi. It made a terrible hissing noise
as it came out, and all the people ran from it. It crawled on through
the settlement, leaving a broad trail in the ground behind it, until it
came to a deep bend in the river, where it plunged in and went under
the water.
The grandmother grieved much for her boj-, until the others of the
family got angry and told her that as she thought so much of him she
ought to go and stay with him. So she left them and went along the
trail made by the uktena to the river and walked directly into the
water and disappeared. Once after that a man fishing near the place
saw her sitting on a large rock in the river, looking just as she had
always looked, but as soon as she caught sight of him she jumped into
the water and was gone.
57. THE SNAKE MAN
Two hunters, both for some reason under a tabu against the meat of
a squirrel or turkey, had gone into the woods together. When even-
ing came they found a good camping place and lighted a fire to prepare
their supper. One of them had killed several squirrels during the
day, and now got ready to broil them over the fire. His companion
warned him that if he broke the tabu and ate squirrel meat he would
mooney] SNAKE TALKS 305
become a snake, but the other laughed and said that was only a con
jurer's story. I If went <>n with his preparation, and when the squirrels
were roasted made liis supper of them and then lay clown beside the
fire to sleep.
Late that night bis companion was aroused by groaning, and on
Looking around be found the other lying on the ground rolling and
twisting in agony, and with the lower part of his body already changed
to the body ami tail of a large water snake. The man was still aide to
speak and called loudly for help, hut his companion could do nothing,
hut only sit by and try to comfort him while he watched the arms sink
into the body and the skin take on a scaly change that mounted grad-
ually toward the neck, until at last even the head was a serpent's head
and the great snake crawled away from the tire and down the hank
into the river.
58. THE RATTLESNAKE'S VENGEANCE
One day in the old times when we could still talk with other crea-
tures, while some children were playing about the house, their mother
inside heard them scream. Running out she found that a rattlesnake
had crawled from the grass, and taking up a stick she killed it. The
father was out hunting- in the mountains, and that evening when com-
ing home after dark through the gap lie heard a strange wailing sound.
Looking about he found that he had come into the midst of a whole
company of rattlesnakes, which all had their mouths open and seemed
to he crying. He asked them the reason of their trouble, and they
told him that his own wife had that day killed their chief, the Yellow
Rattlesnake, and they were just now about to send the Black Rattle-
snake to take revenge.
The hunter said he was very sorry, hut they told him that if he
spoke the truth he must be ready to make satisfaction and give his
wife as a sacrifice for the life of their chief. Not knowing what might
happen otherwise, he consented. They then told him that the Black
Rattlesnake would go home with him and coil up just outside the
door in the dark. He must go inside, where he would rind his wife
awaiting him, and ask her to get him a drink of fresh water from the
spring. That was all.
He went home and knew that the Black Rattlesnake was following.
It was night when he arrived and very dark, hut he found his wife
waiting with his supper ready. He sat down and asked for a drink of
water. She handed him a gourd full from the jar. hut he said he
wanted it fresh from the spring, so she took a bowl and went out of the
door. The next moment he heard a cry, and going out he found that
the Black Rattlesnake had bitten her and that she was already dying.
He stayed with her until she was dead, when the Black Rattlesnake
came out from the grass again and said his tribe was now satisfied.
lft eth— 01 20
306 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
He then taught the hunter a prayer song, and said. "When you meet
any of us hereafter sing this song and we will not hurt you; but if by
accident one of us should bite one of your people then sing this song
over him and he will recover." And the Cherokee have kept the song
to this day.
59. THE SMALLER REPTILES— FISHES AND INSECTS
There are several varieties of frogs and toads, each with a different
name, but there is very little folklore in connection with them. The
common green frog is called wald'si, and among the Cherokee, as among
uneducated whites, the handling of it is thought to cause warts, which
for this reason are called by the same name, wald'si. A solar eclipse
is believed to be caused bjr the attempt of a great frog to swallow
the sun, and in former times it was customary on such occasions to
fire guns and make other loud noises to frighten away the frog. The
smaller varieties are sometimes eaten, and on rare occasions the bull-
frog also, but the meat is tabued to ball players while in training, for
fear that the brittleness of the frog's bones would be imparted to
those of the player.
The land tortoise (tufat') is prominent in the animal myths, and is
reputed to have been a great warrior in the old times. On account of
the stoutness of its legs ball players rub their limbs with them before
going into the contest. The common water turtle (sdligu'ffi), which occu-
pies so important a place in the mythology of the northern tribes,
is not mentioned in Cherokee myth or folklore, and the same is true
of the soft-shelled turtle {u'lana'wa), perhaps for the reason that
both are rare in the cold mountain streams of the Cherokee country.
There are perhaps half a dozen varieties of lizard, each with a dif-
ferent name. The gray road lizard, or dAy&MJA (alligator lizard. Sa I-
oporti* viiiluhrtm), is the most common. On account of its habit of
alternately puffing out and drawing in its throat as though sucking,
when basking in the sun, it is invoked in the formulas for drawing
out the poison from snake bites. If one catches the first diva/hall
seen in the spring, and, holding it between his fingers, scratches his
legs downward with its claws, he will see no dangerous snakes all sum-
mer. Also, if one be caught alive at any time and rubbed over the
head and throat of an infant, scratching the skin very slightly at the
same time with the claws, the child will never be fretful, but will sleep
quietly without complaining, even when sick or exposed to the rain.
This is a somewhat risky experiment, however, as the child is liable
thereafter to go to sleep wherever it may be laid down for a moment,
so that the mother is in constant danger of losing it. According to
some authorities this sleep lizard is not the diya'hali, but a larger
variety akin to the next described.
The gi<jd-tstilii/Il ("bloody mouth," Pleistodonl) is described as a
i sey] LIZARDS AND FISHES 307
very large lizard, Dearly as large as a water dog, with the throat and
corners of the mouth red, as though from drinking blood. It is
believed to be not a time lizard but a transformed ugUnste'U fish
(described below) on account of the similarity of coloring and the fact
that the fish disappears about the time the giga^tsuha''!! begins to
come out. It is ferocious and a hard biter, and pursues other lizards.
In dr\ weather it cries or makes a noise like a cicada, raising itself
up as it cries. It has a habit of approaching near to where some per-
son is sitting or standing, then halting and looking fixedly at him, and
constantly puffing out its throat until its head assumes a bright fed
color. It is thought then to he sucking the Mood of its victim, ami is
dreaded and shunned accordingly. The small scorpion lizard (i*<hi, ' m)
is sometimes called also gigd-danegi'ski, "blood taker." It is a striped
lizard which frequents sandy beaches and resemble the diva'hali. hut is
of a brown color. It is believed also to he sucking blood in some mys-
terious way whenever it nods its head, and if its heart he eaten by a
doe- that animal will he able to extract all the nutrient properties from
food by simply looking at those who are eating.
The small spring lizard (dv/w&'gd), which lives in springs, is supposed
to cause rain whenever it crawls out of the spring. It is frequently
invoked in the formulas. Another spring (?) lizard, red. with black
spots, is called ddgan' tiV or aniganti'ski '''the rain maker." because its
cry is said to brine- rain. The water dog (tsuwd', mud puppy, Meno-
poma or Protonopsis) is a very large lizard, or rather salamander,
frequenting muddy water. It is rarely eaten, from an unexplained
belief that if one who has eaten its meat goes into the field immediately
afterward the crop will be ruined. There are names for one or two
other varieties of lizard as well as for the alligator (tsula'ski), but no
folklore in connection with them.
Although the Cherokee country abounds in swift-flowing streams
well stocked with fish, of which the Indians make free use, there is but
little fish lore. A number of " dream " diseases, really due to indiges-
tion, are ascribed to revengeful fish ghosts, and the doctor usually
tries to effect the cure by invoking some larger fish or fish-eating bird
to drive out the ghost.
Toeo creek, in Monroe county. Tennessee, derives its name from a
mythic monster fish, the Dakwa', considered the father of all the fish
tribe, which is said to have lived formerly in Little Tennessee river at
that point (see story, "The Hunter and the Dakwa'"). A fish called
1/,/i'n/sf, '//, ■■ having horns." which appears only in spring, is believed to
lie transformed later into the giga-tsuha'li lizard, already mentioned.
The fish is described as having horns or projections upon its nose and
beautiful red spots upon its head, and as being attended or accompanied
by many smaller red fish, all of which, including the ugunste'li, are
accustomed to pile up small stones in the water. As the season
308 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth. ann. ui
advances it disappears and is believed then to have turned into a giga-
tsuha' 11 lizard, the change beginning at the head and finishing with the
tail. It is probably the Cam/postoma or stone roller, which is con-
spicuous for its bright coloring in early spring, but loses its tints after
spawning. The meat of the sluggish hog-sucker is tabued to the ball
player, who must necessarily be active in movement. The fresh-water
mussel is called ddgH'nd, and the same name is applied to certain pim-
ples upon the face, on account of a fancied resemblance. The ball
player rubs himself with an eel skin to make himself slippery and hard
to hold. and. according to the Wahnenauhi manuscript, women
formerly tied up their hair with the dried skin of an eel to make it
grow long. A large red crawfish called tsiska' gili, much resembling
a lobster, is used to scratch young children in order to give them a
strong grip, each hand of the child being lightly scratched once with
the pincer of the living animal. A mother whose grown son had
been thus treated when an infant claimed that he could hold anything
with his thumb and ringer. It is said, however, to render the child
quarrelsome and disposed to bite.
Of insects there is more to be said. The generic name for all sorts
of small insects and worms is tsgdya, and according to the doctors, who
had anticipated the microbe theory by several centuries, these tsgaya
are to blame for nearly every human ailment not directly traceable to
the asgina. of the larger animals or to witchcraft. The reason is plain.
There are such myriads of them everywhere on the earth and in the
air that mankind is constantly destroying them by wholesale, without
mercy and almost without knowledge, and this is their method of
taking revenge.
Beetles are classed together under a name which signifies ''insects
with shells." The little water-beetle or mellow-bug {Dint utes discolor)
is called ddyuni'si, " beaver's grandmother," and according to the
genesis tradition it brought up the. first earth from under the water.
A certain green-headed beetle with horns ( I'limni us carnifex) is spoken
of as the dog of the Thunder boys, and the metallic -green luster upon
its forehead is said to have been caused by striking at the celebrated
mythic gambler, Untsaiyi', " Brass" (see the story). The June-bug
(Allorhina niUda), another green beetle, is tagii, but is frequently
called by the curious name of tu'ya-di'skalaw sti'sM, "'one who keeps
fire under the beans." Its larva is the grubworm which presided
at the meeting held by the insects to compass the destruction of the
human race (see the story, "Origin of Disease and Medicine"). The
large horned beetle (Dynaste* tityux'.) is called fxixtu'na, ••crawfish,"'
a wi', "deer," or gdldg/.'na, " buck," on account of its branching horns.
The snapping beetle (A? at in ni-nliitiiNi) is called tfilsku'wa, '"one that
snaps with his head."
When the Idlu or jar-fly {Cicada avletes) begins to sing in midsum,
KOONEY] INSECTS 309
mer they say: "The jar-fly has brought the beans," his song being
taken as tin- signal that beans are ripe and that green corn is not far
behind. When the katydid (fslMW) is heard a little later thej say,
"Katydid bas brought the roasting-ear bread." The cricket (tdla'tH')
is often called "the barber" (nMtasta/yelsM), on account of its habit of
gnawing hair from furs, and when the Cherokee meet a man with his
hair (dipped unevenly they sometimes ask playfully, "Did the cricket
cut your hair?" (see story, "Why the Possum's Tail is Bare"). Cer-
tain persons are said to drink tea made of crickets in order to become
good singers.
The mole cricket i Crri/llotalpa), so called because it tunnels in the earth
and has hand-like (daws fitted for digging, is known to the Cherokee
a- gtiThw&gi, a word which literally means ••seven." hut is probably
an onomatope. It is reputed among them to he alert, hard to catch,
and an excellent singer, who "never makes mistakes." Like the
crawfish and the cricket, it plays an important part in preparing ) pie
for the duties of life. Infants slow in learning to speak have their
tongues scratched with the (daw of a guTkw&gi, the living insect being
held in the hand during the operation, in order that they may soon
learn to speak distinctly and he eloquent, wise, and shrewd of speech
as they grow- older, and of such quick intelligence as to remember
without effort anything once heard. The same desirable result may
he accomplished with a grown person, hut with much more difficulty,
as in that ease it is necessary to scratch the inside of the throat for
four successive mornings, the insect being pushed down with the fin-
gers and again withdrawn, while the regular tabus must he strictly
observed for the same period, or the operation will he without effect.
In some eases the insect is put into a small bowd of water overnight,
and if —t: ill alive in the morning it is taken out and the water given to
the patient to drink, after which the gul kwagi is set at liberty.
Bees are kept by many of the Cherokee, in addition to the wild bees
which are hunted in the woods. Although they are said to have
come originally from the whites, the Cherokee have no tradition id' a
time when they did not know them; there seems, however, to he no
folklore connected with them. The cow-ant (MyrmicaV), a large, red.
stinging ant. is called properly dastin't&U atatsHn'sM, " stinging ant,"
hut. on account of its hard body-case, is frequently called iv&n'yunu'wl,
•■stone-dress." after a celebrated mythic monster. Strange as it may
seem, there appears to he no folklore connected with either the firefly
or the glowworm, while the spider, so prominent in other tribal
mythologies, appears in hut a single Cherokee myth, where it brings
hack the tire from across the water. In the formulas it is frequently
invoked to entangle in its threads the soul of a victim whom the con-
jurer desires to bring under his evil spells. From a fancied resem-
blance in appearance the name for spider, led' nd net 'sh > . is applied also
310 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
to ;i watch or clock. A small yellowish moth which flies about the
fire at night is called b&n'tdwQ,, a name implying that it goes into and
out of the tire, and when at last it flits too near and falls into the blaze
the Cherokee say, "Tufi'tawu is going to bed." On account of its
affinity for the fire it is invoked by the doctor in all "fire diseases,"
including sore eyes and frostbite.
60. WHY THE BULLFROGS HEAD IS STRIPED
According to one version the Bullfrog was always ridiculing the
great gambler Untsai'yi, "Brass," (see the story) until the latter at last
got angry and dared the Bullfrog to play the gatayWsti (wheel-and-
stick) game with him. whichever lost to be scratched on his forehead.
Brass won, as he always did, and the yellow stripes on the Bullfrog's
head show where the gambler's fingers scratched him.
Another story is that the Bullfrog had a conjurer to paint his head
with yellow stripes (brass) to make him appear more handsome to a
pretty woman he was courting.
61. THE BULLFROG LOVER
A young man courted a girl, who liked him well enough, but her
mother was so much opposed to him that she would not let him come
near the house. At last he made a trumpet from the handle of a
gourd and hid himself after night near the spring until the old woman
came down for water. While she was dipping up the water he
put the trumpet to his lips and grumbled out in a deep voice like a
bullfrog's:
Yafldaska'gS hd.flyahu/8k&,
)'(in<I(iska/!/<1 liihlii<i!iii'sl:a.
The faultfinder will die,
The faultfinder will die.
The woman thought it a witch bullfrog, and was so frightened that
she dropped her dipper and ran back to the house to tell the people
They all agreed that it was a warning to her to stop interfering with
her daughter's aflairs, so she gave her consent, and thus the young
man won his wife.
There is another story of a girl who, every day when she went down
to the spring for water, heard a voice singing, Knuu'in'i tti'tsahyesi',
Kilim' m'l tti'tsahyesi' , "A bullfrog will marry you, A bullfrog will
marry you." She wondered much until one day when she came down
she saw sitting on a stone by the spring a bullfrog, which suddenly
took the form of a young man and asked her to marry him. She
consented and took him back with her to the house. But although he
had the shape of a man there was a queer bullfrog look about his face,
so that the girl's family hated him and at last persuaded her to send
him awav. She told him and he went away, but when they next wTent
m.h.nky] tiSTSAIYf, THE GAMBLER 31]
down to the spring they heard a voice: Stdtsl tHya'kusi, Stdt&l tH'ya-
husi', '-Your daughter will die, Your daughter will die," and so it
happened spon after.
A.s some tell it. the lover was a tadpole, who took on human shape,
retaining only his tadpole mouth. Toconceal it he constantly refused
to eat with the family, but stood with his back to the tire and his lace
screwed up, pretending that he had a toothache. At last his wife grew
suspicious and turning him suddenly around to the firelight, exposed
the tadpole mouth, at which they all ridiculed him so much that he
left the house forever.
62. THE KATYDID'S WARNING
Two hunters camping in the woods were preparing supper one night
when a Katydid began singing near them. One of them said sneer
ingly, " Ku! It sines and don't know that it will die before the season
end.-." The Katydid answered: " h'1'1 .' nvwi (onomatope); O, so you
say: but you need not boast. You will die before to-morrow night."
The next day they were surprised by the enemy and the hunter who
had sneered at the Katydid was killed.
Wonder Stories
63. UNTSAIYl', THE GAMBLER
Thunder lives in the west, or a little to the south of west, near the
place where the sun goes down behind the water, in the old times he
sometimes made a journey to the east, and once after he had come hack
'from one of these journeys a child was horn in the east who. the people
-aid. was his son. As the hoy grew up it was found that he had scrofula
-ores all over his body. -0 one day his mother said to him. "Your father,
Thunder, is a great doctor. He lives far in the west, hut if you can
find him he can cure you.*''
So the boy set out to find his father and lie cured. He traveled long
toward the west, asking of every one he met where Thunder lived, until
at last they began to tell him that it was only a little way ahead. He
went on and came to Untiguhl', on Tennessee, where lived Untsaiyi'
■' Brass." Now UStsaij ['was a great gambler, and made his living that
way. It was he who invented the gatayHsti game that we play with a
stone wheel and a stick. He lived on the south side of the river, and
everybody who came that way he challenged to play against him. The
large Hat rock, with the line- and grooves where they used to roll the
wheel, is still there, with the wheels themselves and the stick turned
to stone. He won almost every time, because he was SO tricky, so thai
he had his house filled with all kinds of tine things. Sometimes he
would lose, and then he would bet all that he had, even to hi- own
life, hut the winner got nothing for his trouble, for Untsaiyi' knew
how to take on different shapes, so that he always got away.
312 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.
As soon as Untsaiyi' saw him he asked him to stop and play a while,
but the boy said he was looking for his father. Thunder, and had no
time to wait. ""Well.*' said Untsaiyi', "he lives in the next house;
you can hear him grumbling over there all the time"— he meant the
Thunder -"so we may as well have a game or two before you go on."
Tlir boy said he had nothing to bet. "That's all right." said the
gambler, "we'll play for your pretty spots." He said this to make
the boy angry so that he would play, but still the boy said he must go
first and find his father, and would come back afterwards.
He went on, and soon the news came to Thunder that a boy was
looking for him who claimed to be his son. Said Thunder, ''I have
traveled in many lands and have many children. Bring him here and
we shall soon know." So they brought in the boy, and Thunder showed
him a seat and told him to sit down. Under the blanket on the seat
were long, sharp thorns of the honey locust, with the points all stick-
ing up. but when the boy sat down they did not hurt him. and then
Thunder knew that it was his son. He asked the boy why he had come.
"1 have sores all over my body, and my mother told me you were my
father and a great doctor, and if I came here you would cure me."
"Yes," said his father. "I am a great doctor, and I'll soon fix you."
There was a large pot in the corner and he told his wife to fill it
with water and put it over the fire. When it was boiling, he put in some
roots, then took the boy and put him in with them. He let it boil a
long time until one would have thought that the flesh was boiled from
the poor boy's bones, and then told his wife to take the pot and throw
it into the river, boy and all. She did as she was told, and threw it into
the .water, and ever since there is an eddy there that we call Un'tiguhl',
"Pot-in-the-water." A service tree and a calico bush grew on the
bank above. A great cloud of steam came up and made streaks and
blotches on their bark, and it has been so to this day. When the
steam cleared away she looked over and saw the boy clinging to the
roots of the service tree where they hung down into the water, but
now his skin was all clean. She helped him up the bank, and they
went back to the house. On the way she told him. "When we go in,
your father will put a new dress on you. but when he opens his box
and tells you to pick out your ornaments be sure to take them from
the bottom. Then he will send for his other sons to play ball against
you. There is a honey-locust tree in front of the house, and as soon
as you begin to get tired strike at that and your father will stop the
play, because he does not want to lose the tree."
When they went into the house, the old man was pleased to see the
boy looking so clean, and said. "I knew I could soon cure those spots.
Now we must dress you." He brought out a tine suit of buckskin.
with belt and headdress, and had the boy put them on. Then he
opened a box and said. "Now pick out your necklace and bracelets."
koonei rvrs.viYi'. THE GAMBLER 313
The hoy looked, and the box was full of all kinds of snakes gliding
over each other with their heads up. He was nut afraid, but remem-
bered what tin' woman had told him, and plunged his hand to the bot-
tom and drew out a greal rattlesnake and put it around his neck for a
necklace. He put down his hand again four times and drew up four
copperhead- and twisted them around his wrists and ankles. Then
his father gave him a war club and said. "Now you must play a ball
game with your two elder brothers. They live beyond here in the
Darkening land, and [have sent for them." He said a ball game, but he
meant that the hoy must fight for Ins life. The young men came, and
the\ were both older and stronger than the hoy. but he was not afraid
and fought against them. The thunder rolled and the lightning flashed
at everj stroke, for they were the young Thunders, and the hoy him-
self was Lightning. At last he was tired from defending himself
alone against two. and pretended to aim a blow at the honey-locust
tree. Then his father stopped the tight, because he was afraid the
lightning would split the tree, and he saw that the hoy was brave and
strong.
The hoy told his father how Untsaiyi' had dared him to play, and
had even ottered to play for the spots on his skin. " Yes." said Thun-
der, "he is a great gambler and makes his living that way. hut T will
see that you win.** He brought a small cymling gourd with a hole
bored through the neck, and tied it on the boy's wrist. Inside the gourd
there was a string of heads, and one end hung out from a hole in the
top, hut there was no end to the string inside. " Now,'" said his father,
"go back the way you came, and as soon as he sees you lie will want
to play for the heads. He is very hard to beat, but this time he will
lose every game. When he eric- out for a drink, you will know he is
getting discouraged, and then strike the rock with your war club and
water will come, so that you can play on without stopping. At last
he will bet his life, and lose. Then send at once for your brothers to
kill him, or he will get away, he is so tricky."
The hoy took the gourd and his war (dub and started east along the
road by which he had come. As soon as Untsaiyi' saw him he called
to him. and when he saw the gourd with the head string hanging out
he wanted to play for it. The boy drew out the string, but there
seemed to be no end to it. and he kept o.n pulling until enough had come
out to make a circle all around the playground. "I will play one
game for this much against your stake."" said the boy, ■'and when that
i- over we can have another game."
They began the game with the wheel and stick and tile hoy won.
I Btsaiyi' did not know what to think of it. but he put up another
-take and called for a second game. The hoy won again, and so they
played on until noon, when Untsaiyi' bad lost nearly everything he
had and was about discouraged. It was very hot. ami he said, " I am
314 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE Letii. ann. l'j
thirsty," and wanted to stop long enough to get a drink. "No." said
the boy. and struck the rock with his club so that water came out. and
they had a drink. They played on until Untsaiyi' had lost all his buck-
skins and beaded work, his eagle feathers and ornaments, and at last
offered to bet his wife. They played and the boy won her. Then
Untsaiyi' was desperate and offered to stake his life. "If I win I kill
you, but if you win you may kill me." They played and the boy won.
"Let me go and tell my wife," said Untsaiyi', "so that she will
receive her new husband, and then you may kill me." He went into
the house, hut it had two doors, and although the boy waited long
Untsaiyi' did not come back. When at last he went to look for him
he found that the gambler had gone out the back way and was nearly
out of sight going east.
The boy ran to his father's house and got his brothers to help him.
They brought their dog — the Horned Green Beetle — and hurried after
the gambler. He ran fast and was soon out of sight, and they fol-
lowed as fast as they could. After a while they met an old woman
making pottery and asked her if she had seen Untsaiyi' and she said
she had not. "He came this way." said the brothers. "Then he
must have passed in the night," said the old woman, "for I have been
here all day." They were about to take another road when the Beetle,
which had been circling about in the air above the old woman, made
a dart at her and struck her on the forehead, and it rang like brass —
untsaiyi' ! Then they knew it was Brass and sprang at him, but he
jumped up in his right shape and was off, running so fast that he was
soon out of sight again. The Beetle had struck so hard that some of
the brass rubbed off, and we can see it on the beetle's forehead yet.
They followed and came to an old man sitting by the trail, carving
a stone pipe. They asked him if he had seen Brass pass that way and
he said no, but again the Beetle — which could know Brass under any
shape — struck him on the forehead so that it rang like metal, and the
gambler jumped up in hi.s right form and was off again before they
could hold him. He ran east until he came to the great water; then
he ran north until he came to the edge of the world, and had to turn
again to the west. He took every shape to throw them off the track,
but the Green Beetle always knew him, and the brothers pressed him
so hard that at last he could go no more and they caught him just as
he reached the edge of 'the great water where the sun goes down.
They tied his hands and feet with a grapevine and drove a long
stake through his breast, and planted it far out in the deep water.
They set two crows on the end of the pole to guard it and called
the place K&giln'yi, "Crow place." But Brass never died, and can not
die until the end of the world, but lies there always with his face up.
Sometimes lie struggles under the water to get free, and sometimes
the beavers, who are his friends, come and gnaw at the grapevine to
■oonei THE TLA'Nl'WA 315
release him. Then the pole shakes and the crows at the top cry /f<>.'
Ka! Ka! and scare the beavers away.
64. THE NEST OK THE TLA'NUWA
On the north bank of Little Tennessee river, in a bend Inlim the
mouth of ( litico creek, in Blount county, Tennessee, is a high cliff hang-
ing over the water, and about halfway up the lace of the rock is a cave
with two openings. The rock projects outward above the cave, so that
the mouth can not lie seen from above, and it seems impossible to
reach the cave either from above or below. There are white streaks
in the rock from the cave down to the water. The Cherokee call it
Tla nuwa'i. "the place of the Tla'nuwa," or great mythic hawk.
In the old time, away hack soon after the creation, a pair of Tla'nuwas
had their nest in this cave. The streaks in the rock were made by the
droppings from the nest. They were immense birds, larger than any
that live now. and very strong and savage. They were forever flying
up and .low 11 the river, and used to come into the settlements and carry
off dogs and even young children playing near the houses. No one
could reach the nest to kill them, and when the people tried to shoot
them the arrows only glanced off and were seized and carried away in
the talons of the Tla'nuwas.
At last the people went to a great medicine man. who promised to
help them. Some were afraid that if he failed to kill the Tla'nuwas
they would take revenge on the people, but the medicine man said he
could tix that. He made a long rope of linn bark, just as the ( Iherokee
still do. with loops in it for his feet, and had the people let him down
from the top of the cliff at a time when he knew that the old birds were
away. When he came opposite the mouth of the cave he still could
not reach it. because the rock above hung over, so he swung himself
backward and forward several times until the rope swung near enough
for him to pull himself into the cave with a hooked stick that he car-
ried, which he managed to fasten in some bushes growing at the
entrance. In the nest lie found four young ones, and on the floor of
the cave were the hones of all sorts of animals that had been carried
there by the hawks. He pulled the young ones out of the nest and
threw them over the cliff into tin' deep water below, where a greal
I'ktena serpent that lived there finished them. Just then he saw the
two old ones coining, and had hardly time to climb up again to the top
of the rock before they reached the uest.
When they found the nest empty they were furious, ami circled
round and round in the air until they saw the snake put up its head
from the water. Then thej darted straight downward, and while one
seized the snake in his talon- and Hew far up in the sky with it. In-
mate struck at it and bit off piece after piece until nothing was left.
They were -o high up that when the pieces tell they made hole- in the
316 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE Leth.ann.19
rock, which are still to he seen there, at the place which we call " Where
the Tla'nuwa cut it up," opposite the mouth of Citico. Then the two
Tla'nuwas circled up and up until they went out of sight, and they have
never been seen since.
65. THE HUNTER AND THE TLA'NUWA
A hunter out in the woods one day saw a Tla'nuwa overhead and
tried to hide from it, but the great bird had already seen him, and sweep-
ing down struck its claws into his hunting pack and carried him far up
into the air. As it flew, the Tla'nuwa, which was a mother bird, spoke
and told the hunter that he need not be afraid, as she would not hurt
him. but only wanted him to stay for a while with her 3roung ones to
guard them until they were old enough to leave the nest. At last
they alighted at the mouth of a cave in the face of a steep cliff. Inside
the water was dripping from, the roof, and at the farther end was a
nest of sticks in which were two young birds. The old Tla'nuwa set
the hunter down and then flew away, returning soon with a fresh-
killed deer, which it tore in pieces, giving the first piece to the hunter
and then feeding the two young hawks.
The hunter stayed in the cave many days until the young birds were
nearly grown, and every day the old mother hawk would fly away from
the nest and return in the evening with a deer or a bear, of which she
always gave the first piece to the hunter. He grew very anxious to
see his home again, but the Tla'nuwa kept telling him not to be uneasy,
but to wait a little while longer. At last he made up his mind to
escape from the cave and finally studied out a plan. The next morn-
ing, after the old bird had gone, he dragged one of the young birds to
the mouth of the cave and tied himself to one of its legs with a strap
from his hunting pack. Then with the fiat side of his tomahawk he
struck it several times in the head until it was dazed and helpless, and
pushed the bird and himself together off the shelf of rock into the air.
They fell far, far down toward the earth, but the air from below
held up the bird's wings, so that it was almost as if they were flying.
As the Tla'nuwa revived it tried to fly upward toward the nest, but the
hunter struck it again with his hatchet until it was dazed and dropped
again. At last they came down in the top of a poplar tree, when the
hunter untied the strap from the leg of the young bird and let it fly-
away, first pulling out a feather from its wing. He climbed down
from the tree and went to his home in the settlement, but when he
looked in his pack for the feather he found a stone instead.
66. U'TLUN'TA, THE SPEAR-FINGER
Long, long ago — httahi'yu — there dwelt in the mountains a terrible
ogress, a woman monster, whose food was human livers. She could
take on any shape or appearance to suit her purpose, but in her right
"1
i'tUN'TA, THE Sl'KAK-FlNCKU .'U 7
form she looked very much like an * > I « 1 woman, excepting that her
whole body was covered with a skin as hard as a rock that qo weapon
could wound or penetrate, and thai on her right hand she had a long,
stony forefinger of bone, like an awl or spearhead, with which she
stabbed everyone to whom she could gel Dear enough. On account of
this fact she was called U'tlUfl'td, " Spear-finger," and on account of
her stony >kin she was sometimes called Nufl'yunu'wi, "Stone dress."
There was another stone-clothed monster that killed people, but that is
a different story.
Spear-finger had such powers over stone that she could easily lift
and carry immense rocks, ami could cement them toe-ether by merely
striking one against another. To get over the rough country more
easily she undertook to build a great rock bridge through the air from
Nunyu'-tlu'gun'yi, the ••Tree rock," on Hiwassee, over to Sanigil&'gi
(Whiteside mountain), on the Blue ridga, and had it well started from
the top of the ••Tree rock" when the lightning struck it and scattered
the fragments alone- the whole ridge, where the pieces can still he -ecu
by those who go there. She used to range all over the mountains
about the heads of the streams and in the dark passes of Nantahala,
always hungry and looking for victims. Her favorite haunt on the
Tennessee side was about the gap on the trail where Chilhowee moun-
tain comes down to the river.
Sometimes an old woman would approach along- the trail where the
children were picking- strawberries or playing near the village, and
would say to them coaxingly. ••Come, my grandchildren, come to your
granny and let granny dress your hair." When some little girl ran
up and laid her head in the old woman's lap to he petted and combed
the old witch would gently run her fingers through the child's hair
until it went to sleep, when she would stab the little one through the
heart or hack of the neck with the long awl finger, which she had kept
hidden under her robe. Then she would take out the liver ami eat it.
She would enter a house by taking the appearance of one of the
family who happened to have gone out for a short time, and would
watch her chance to stab some one with her long finger and take
out his liver. She could stab him without being noticed. and often the
victim did not even know it himself at the time — for it left no wound
and caused no pain — hut went on about his own affairs, until all at
once he felt weak and began gradually to pine away, and was always
sure to die. because Spear-finger had taken his liver.
When the Cherokee went out in the fall, according to their custom,
to hum tin' leaves off from the mountains in order to get the chestnuts
on the ground, they were never safe, for the old witch was always on
the lookout, and as soon as she saw the smoke rise she knew there
were Indians there and sneaked up to try to surprise one alone. So
as well a- they could they tried to keep together, and were very
318 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE
cautious of allowing any stranger to approach the camp. But if one
went down to the spring for a drink they never knew but it might be
the liver eater that came back and sat with them.
Sometimes she took her proper form, and once or twice, when far
out from the settlements, a solitary hunter had seen an old woman, with
a queer-looking hand, going through the woods singing low to herself:
I'ii, 'hi im'ts'iki'l' . Su' si'l' sili' .
Liver, I eat it. Su' sa' sai'.
It was rather a pretty song, but it chilled his blood, for he knew it
was the liver eater, and he hurried away, silently, before she might see
him.
At last a great council was held to devise some means to get rid of
U'tlun'ta before she should destroy everybody. The people came from
all around, and after much talk it was decided that the best way would
be to trap her in a pitfall where all the warriors could attack her at
once. So they dug a deep pitfall across the trail and covered it over
with earth and grass as if the ground had never been disturbed. Then
they kindled a large tire of brush near the trail and hid themselves in
the laurels, because they knew she would come as soon as she saw the
smoke.
Sure enough they soon saw an old woman coming along the trail.
She looked like an old woman whom they knew well in the village, and
although several of the wiser men wanted to shoot at her, the others
interfered, because they did not want to hurt one of their own people.
The old woman came slowly along the trail, with one hand under her
blanket, until she stepped upon the pitfall and tumbled through the
brush to]) into the deep hole below. Then, at once, she showed her
true nature, and instead of the feeble old woman there was the terrible
U'tlun'ta with her stony skin, and her sharp awl linger reaching out in
every direction for some one to stab.
The hunters rushed out from the thicket and surrounded the pit, but
shoot as true and as often as they could, their arrows struck the stony
mail of the witch only to be broken and fall useless at her feet, while
she taunted them and tried to climb out of the pit to get at them. They
kept out of her way, but were only wasting their arrows when a small
bird, Utsu'gi, the titmouse, perched on a tree overhead and began to
sing " nil, mi, mi." They thought it was saying u'nultu', heart, mean-
ing that they should aim at the heart of the stone witch. They directed
their arrows where the heart should be, but the arrows only glanced
off with the Hint heads broken.
Then they caught the Utsu'gi and cut off its tongue, so that ever since
its tongue is short and everybody knows it is a liar. When the hunters
let it go it flew straight up into the sky until it was out of sight and
never came back again. The titmouse that we know now is only an
image of the other.
m -ii NTS' stunu'w! 319
They kept up the fight without result until another bird, little Tsi'-
kililf. the chickadee. Hew down from a tree and alighted upon the
witch's right hand. Tin' warriors took this as a sign thai they must
aim there, and they were right, for her heart was on the inside of her
hand, which she kept doubled into a ti-t. tlii- same awl hand with
which she had stabbed so many people. Now she was frightened in
earnest, and began to rush furiously at them with her lone- awl finger
and to jump about in the pit to dodge the arrows, until at last a lucky
arrow struck just where the awl joined her wrist and she fell down
dead.
Ever since the tsi'kilili' is known as a truth tidier, and when a man
is away on a journey, if this bird comes and perches near the house
and chirps its song, his friends know he will soon he safe home.
67. NUN'YUNU'WI, THE STONE MAN
This is what the old men told me when 1 was a hoy.
Once when all the people of the settlement were out in the moun-
tains on a great hunt one man who had gone on ahead climbed to the
top of a high ridge and found a large river 011 the other side. While
he was looking- across he saw an old man walking- about on the oppo-
site ridge, with a cane that seemed to be made of some bright, shining-
rock. The hunter watched and saw that every little while the old
man would point his cane in a certain direction, then draw it back and
smell the end of it. At last he pointed it in the direction of the hunt-
ing camp on the other side of the mountain, and this time when he
drew back the staff he sniffed it several times as if it smelled very good,
and then started along the ridge straight for the camp. He moved
very slowly, with the help of the cane, until he reached the end of the
ridge, when he threw the cane out into the air and it became a bridge
of shining rock stretching across the river. After he had crossed
over upon the bridge it became a cane again, and the old man picked
it up and started over the mountain toward the camp.
The hunter was frightened, and felt sure that it meant mischief, 30
he hurried on down the mountain and took the shortest trail back to the
camp to get there before the old man. When he got there and told
his story the medicine-man said the old man was a wicked cannibal
monster called Nun'yunu'wi, ■■Dressed in Stone," who lived in that
part of the country, and was always going about the mountains look-
ing for some hunter to kill and eat. It was very hard to escape from
him. because his stick guided him like a dog. and it was nearly as hard
to kill him, because his whole body was covered with a skin of solid
rock. If he came he would kill and eat them all, and there was only
one way to save themselves. He could not bear to look upon a men-
strual woman, and if they could find seven menstrual women to stand
in the path as he came along the sight would kill him.
320 MYTHS OF THE CHEKOKEE [eth.ann.19
So they asked among all the women, and found seven who were sick
in that way. and with one of them it had just begun. By the order of
the medicine-man they stripped themselves and stood along the path
where the old man would come. Soon they heard Nuii'yunu'wi
coming through the woods, feeling his way with his stone cane. He
came along the trail to where the first woman was standing, and as
soon as he saw her he started and cried out: uYu! my grandchild;
you are in a very bad state! " He hurried past her, but in a moment
he met the next woman, and cried out again: "TW my child; you
are in a terrible way," and hurried past her, but now he was vomiting
blood. He hurried on and met the third and the fourth and the fifth
woman, but with each one that he saw his step grew weaker until
when he came to the last one, with whom the sickness had just begun,
the blood poured from his mouth and he fell down on the trail.
Then the medicine-man drove seven sourwood stakes through his
body and pinned him to the ground, and when night came they piled
great logs over him and set tire to them, and all the people gathered
around to see. Nuii'yunu'wi was a great ada'wehi and knew many
secrets, and now as the tire came close to him he began to talk, and
told them the medicine for all kinds of sickness. At midnight he
began to sing, and sang the hunting songs for calling up the bear and
the deer and all the animals of the woods and mountains. As the
blaze grew hotter his voice sank low and lower, until at last when
daylight came, the logs were a heap of white ashes and the voice
was still.
Then the medicine-man told them to rake off the ashes, and where
the body had lain they found only a large lump of red wa'di paint and
a magic u'lunsu'ti stone. He kept the stone for himself, and calling
the people around him he painted them, on face and breast, with
the red wa'di, and whatever each person prayed for while the painting
was being done — whether for hunting success, for working skill, or
for a long life — that gift was his.
68. THE HUNTER IN THE DAKWA'
In the old days there was a great fish called the Dakwa', which
lived in Tennessee river where Toco creek comes in at Dakwa'i, the
"Dakwa' place," above the mouth of Tellico, and which was so large that
it could easily swallow a man. Once a canoe tilled with warriors was
crossing over from the town to the other side of the river, when the
Dakwa' suddenly rose up under the boat and threw them all into the
air. As they came down it swallowed one with a single snap of its
jaws and dived with him to the bottom of the river. As soon as the
hunter came to his senses he found that he had not been hurt, but it
was so hot and close inside the. Dakwa' that he was nearly smothered.
As he groped around in the dark his hand struck a lot of mussel shells
mooney] THE BUNTEB IN' THE DAKW.V .'!■_' 1
which the tish had swallowed, and taking one of these \'<>v -a knife lie
began to out bis way out, until soon the t i — 1 1 grew uneasy at the
scraping inside his stomach and came up to the top of the water for
air. llf kept on cutting until the lish was in such pain thai it -warn
this way and that across the stream and thrashed the water into foam
with its tail. Finally the huh' was so large that he could look out and
>aw that the Dakwa' was now resting in shallow water near the shore.
Reaching up he climbed out from the side of the tish, moving very
carefully so that the Dakwa' would not know it, and then waded to
shore and got back to the settlement, hut the juices in the stomach of
the great tish had scalded all the hair from his head and he was bald
ever after.
W.MINKNAI III VERSION
A boy was sent on an errand by his father, and not wishing to go ne
ran away to the river. After playing in the sand for a short time
some boys of his acquaintance came by in a canoe and invited him to
join them. Glad of the opportunity to get away he went with them,
but had no sooner got in than the canoe began to tip and rock most
unaccountably. The hoys became very much frightened, and in the
confusion the had hoy fell into the water and was immediateh swal-
lowed by a large fish. After lying in its stomach for some time he
became very hungry, and on looking around he saw the fish's liver
hanging over his head. Thinking it dried meat, he tided to cut off a
piece with a mussel shell he had been playing with and still held in
his hand. The operation sickened the fish and it vomited the boy.
69. ATAGA'Hl, the enchanted lake
Westward from the headwaters of Oconaluftee river, in the wildest
depth- id' the Greal Smoky mountains, which form the line between
North Carolinaand Tennessee, is the enchanted lake of Ataga'hi. "Gall
place." Although all the Cherokee know that it is there, no one has
ever seen it. for the way is so difficult that only the animals know how
to reach it. Should a stray hunter come near the place he would know
of it by the whirring sound of the thousands of wild ducks flying about
the lake, but on reaching the spot he would find only a dry fiat, with-
out bird or animal or blade of grass, unless he had first sharpened his
spiritual vision by prayer and fasting and an all-night vigil.
Because it is not -ecu. some people think the lake has dried up long
ago. hut this is not true. To one who had kept watch and fast
through the night it would appear at daybreak as a wide-extending
but shallow sheet of purple water, fed by springs spouting from the
high cliffs around. In the water are all kinds of tish and reptiles,
and swimming upon the surface or flying overhead are great flocks
of ducks and pigeons, while all about the shores are bear tracks cross-
L9 kth— 01 L'l
322 MYTH* OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
ing in every direction. It is the medicine lake of the birds and ani-
mals, and whenever a bear is wounded by the hunters he makes his
way through the woods to this lake and plunges into the water, and
when lie comes out upon the other side his wounds are healed. For
this reason the animals keep the lake invisible to the hunter.
70. THE BRIDE FROM THE SOUTH
The North went traveling, and after going far and meeting many
different tribes he finally fell in love with the daughter of the South
and wanted to marry her. The girl was willing, but her parents
objected and said, "Ever since you came the weather has been cold,
and if you stay here we may all freeze to death." The North pleaded
hard, and said that if they would let him have their daughter he
would take her back to his own country, so at last they consented.
They were married and he took his bride to his own country, and
when she arrived there she found the people all living in ice houses.
The next day, when the sun rose, the houses began to leak, and as
it climbed higher they began to melt, and it grew warmer and
warmer, until finally the people came t<> the young husband and told
him he must send his wife home again, or the weather would get so
warm that the whole settlement would be melted. He loved his wife
and so held out as long as he could, but as the sun grew hotter the
people were more urgent, and at last he had to send her home to her
parents.
The people said that as she had been born in the South, and nour-
ished all her life upon food that grew in the same climate, her whole
nature was warm and unfit for the North.
71. THE ICE MAN
Once when the people were burning the woods in the fall the blaze
set tire to a poplar tree, which continued to burn until the tire went
down into the roots and burned a great hole in the ground. It burned
and burned, and the hole grew constantly larger, until the people became
frightened and were afraid it would burn the whole world. They tried
to put out the tire, but it had gone too deep, and they did not know
what to do.
At last some one said there was a man living in a house of ice far in
the north who could put out the tire, so messengers were sent, and after
traveling a long distance they came to the ice house and found the Ice
Man at home. He was a little fellow with long hair hanging down to
the ground in two plaits. The messengers told him their errand and
he at once said, "O yes. I can help you," and began to unplait his hair.
When it was all unbraided he took it up in one hand and struck it once
across his other hand, and the messengers felt a wind blow against
HOONBY] THE ICE MAN 323
their cheeks. A second time he struck his hair across his hand, and a
lighl rain began to fall. The third time ho struck his hair across his
open hand the i-e was sleet mixed with t he raindrops, and when he struck
the fourth time greal hailstones fell upon the ground, as if they had
come out from the ends of his hair. "Go back now." said the lee Man.
■"and I shall l>e there to-morrow." So the messengers returned to
their people, whom they Eound >till gathered helplessly about the great
burning pit.
The next day while they were all watching about the lire there came a
wind from the north, and they were afraid, for they knew that it came
from the Ice Man. But the wind only made the tire blaze up higher.
Then a light rain began to tall, hut the drops seemed only to make the
tire hotter. Then the shower turned to a heavy rain, with sleet and
hail that killed the blaze and made cloudsof smoke and -team rise from
the red coals. The people tied to their homes for shelter, and t he storm
rose to a w birlwind that drove the rain into every burning crevice ami
piled great hailstones over the embers, until the fire was .lead and even
the smoke ceased. When at last it was all over and the people returned
they found a lake where the burning pit had been, and from below the
water came a sound as of embers still crackling.
72. THE HUNTER AND SELU
A hunter had been tramping over the mountains all day lone- with-
out finding any game and when the sun went down, he built a tire in
a hollow stump, swallowed a few mouthfuls of corn gruel and lay down
to sleep, tiled out and completely discouraged. About the middle of
the eight he dreamed and seemed to hear the sound id' beautiful sing-
ing, which continued until near daybreak and then appeared to die
away into the upper air.
All next day he hunted with the same poor success, and at night made
his lonely camp again in the woods. He slept and the strange dream
came to him again, but so vividly that it seemed to him like an actual
happening. Rousing himself before daylight, he still heard the song,
and feeling sure now that it was real, he went in the direction of the
sound and found that it came from a single green stalk of corn (selu).
The plant spoke to him. and told him to cut off some of its roots and
take them to his home in the settlement, and the next morning to chew
them and "go to water" before anyone else was awake, and then to
goout again into the woods, and he would kill many deer and from that
time on would always he successful in the limit. The corn plant
continued to talk, teaching him hunting secrets anil telling him always
to be generous with the game he took, until it was noon and the sun
was high, when it suddenly took the form of a woman and rose grace-
fully into the air and was gone from sight, lea\ ing the hunter alone in
the woods.
He returned home and told his story, and all the people knew that
324 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ahn.19
he had seen Selu, the wife of Kana'tl. He did a.s the spirit had directed,
and from that time was noted as the most successful of all the hunters
in the settlement.
73. THE UNDERGROUND PANTHERS
A hunter was in the woods one day in winter when suddenly he saw
a panther coming toward him and at once prepared to defend himself.
The panther continued to approach, and the hunter was just about to
shoot when the animal spoke, and at once it seemed to the man as if
there was no difference between them, and they were both of the same
nature. The panther asked him where he was going, and the man
said that he was looking for a deer. "Well," said the panther, "we
are getting ready for a Green -corn dance, and there are seven of us out
after a buck, so we may as well hunt together."
The hunter agreed and they went on together. They started up one
deer and another, but the panther made no sign, and said only "Those
are too small; we want something better." So the hunter did not
shoot, and they went on. They started up another deer, a larger one,
and the panther sprang upon it and tore its throat, and finally killed
it after a hard struggle. The hunter got out his knife to skin it, but
the panther said the skin was too much torn to be used and they must
try again. They started up another large deer, and this the panther
killed without trouble, and then, wrapping his tail around it, threw
it across his back. "Now, come to our townhouse," he said to the
hunter.
The panther led the way, carrying the captured deer upon his back,
up a little stream branch until they came to the head spring, when it
seemed as if a door opened in the side of the hill and they went in.
Now the hunter found himself in front of a large townhouse, with the
finest detsanun'li he had ever seen, and the trees around were green,
and the air was warm, as in summer. There was a great company
there getting ready for the dance, and they were all panthers, but
somehow it all seemed natural to the hunter. After a while the others
who had been out came in with the deer they had taken, and the dance
began. The hunter danced several rounds, and then said it was grow-
ing late and he must be getting home. So the panthers opened the
door and he went out. and at once found himself alone in the woods
again, and it was winter and very cold, with snow on the ground and
on all the trees. When he reached the settlement he found a party
just starting out to search for him. They asked him where he had
been so long, and he told them the story, and then he found that he
had been in the panther townhouse several days instead of only a very
short time, as he had thought.
He died within seven days after his return, because he had already
begun to take on the panther nature, and so could not live again with
men. If he had stayed with the panthers he would have lived.
ORIGIN OF THE BEAE 325
74. THE TSUNDIGE'Wl
Once some young men <>f the Cherokee set out to see what was in
the world and traveled south until they came to a tril I' little people
called I'siiniliii, '//•/, with very queer shaped. bodies, hardly tall enough
to reach up to :i man's knee, who had no houses, but Lived in nests
scooped in the sand and covered over with dried grass. The little
fellows werfe so weak and puny that they could not fight at all. and
were iii (-(instant terror from the wild geese and other birds thai used
to come in great flocks from the south to make war upon them.
.lust at the time that the travelers got there they found the little
men in great fear, because there was a strong wind blowing from the
south and it blew white feathers and down along the sand, so that the
Tsundige'w] knew their enemies were coming not far behind. The
Cherokee asked them why they did not defend themselves, hut they
said they could not. because they did not know how. There was no
time to make bows and arrows, but the travelers told them to take
sticks for cluhs. and showed them where to strike the birds on the
necks to kill them.
The wind blew for several days, and at last the birds came, so many
that they were like a great cloud in the air. and alighted on the sands.
The little men ran to their nests, and the birds followed and stuck in
their long bills to pull them out and eat them. This time, though, the
Tsundige'w! had their cluhs. and they struck the birds on the neck, as
the Cherokee had shown them, and killed so many that at last the
others were glad to spread their wings and fly away again to the south.
The little men thanked the Cherokee for their help and gave them
the best they had until the travelers went on to see the other tribes.
They heard afterwards that the birds came again several times, but that
the Tsundige'wi always drove them off with their clubs, until a dock of
sandhill cranes came. They were so tall that the little men could not
reach up to strike them on the neck, and so at last the cranes killed
them all.
75. ORIGIN OF THE BEAR: THE BEAR SONGS
Long ago there was a Cherokee clan called the Ani'-TsS'guhi, and in
one family of this clan was a hoy who used to leave home and be gone
all day in the mountains. After a while he went oftener and stayed
longer, until at last he would not eat in the house at all. 1ml started
off at daybreak and did not come hack until night. His parents
scolded, hut that did no good, and the hoy still went every day until
they noticed that long brown hair was beginning to grow out all over
his body. Then they wondered and asked him whv it was thai he
326 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
wanted to be so much in the woods that he would not even eat at home.
Said the hoy. "I rind plenty to eat there, and it is better than the
corn and beans we have in the settlements, and pretty soon I am going
into the woods to stay all the time." His parents were worried and
begged him not to leave them, but he said, "It is better there than
here, and you see ] am beginning to he different already, so that I can
not live here any longer. If you will come with me, there is plenty
for all of us and you will never have to work for it; but if you want
to mme you must first fast seven days."
The father and mother talked it over and then told the headmen of
the clan. They held a council about the matter and after everything
had been said they decided: •"Here we must work hard and have not
always enough. There he says there is always plenty without work.
We will go with him.'1 So they fasted seven days, and on the seventh
morning all the Ani'-Tsa'guhi left the settlement and started for the
mountains as the boy led the way.
When the people of the other towns heard of it they were very
sorry and sent their headmen to persuade the Ani'-Tsa'guhi to stay at
home and not go into the woods to live. The messengers found them
already on the way, and were surprised to notice that their bodies were
beginning to be covered with hair like that of animals, because for
seven days they had not taken human food and their nature was chang-
ing. The Ani'-Tsa'guhi would not come back, but said, " We are going
where there is always plenty to eat. Hereafter we shall be called y&n a
(bears), and when you yourselves are hungry come into the woods and
call us and we shall come to give you our own Mesh. You need not be
afraid to kill us, for we shall live always.1' Then they taught the mes-
sengers the songs with which to call them, and the bear hunters have
these songs still. When they had finished the songs the Ani'-Tsa'guhi
started on again and the messengers turned back to the settlements,
but after going a little way they looked back and saw a drove of bears
going into the woods.
Firxt 11 wr Song
II:-:.' Aui'-Tsti't/iilii, Aiii'-Tsii'iji'ilii, akwandv/li e'lanffl gin&n'ti,
Ani'-Ts&'gtihi, Ani'-Tsd'giihi, akwandu'li e'lanti' gmCm'ti — Yd!
He-e! The Ani'-Tsa'guhi, the Ani'-Tsa'guhi, I want to lay them low mi the
ground,
The Ani'-Tsa'guhi, the Ani'-Tsa'guhi, I want to lay them low on the
ground — Yfi!
The hear hunter starts out each morning fasting and does not eat
until near evening. He sings this song as he leaves camp, and again
the next morning, but never twice the same day.
THE BE \\i man 327
St cond Bt ar Song
This song also is sung by the bear hunter, in order to attracl the
bears, while on his way from the camp to the plan' where he expects
to hunt during the day. The melody is simple and plaintive.
//.-..' Hayuya'haniwd,' , lutyuya'haniwi.', hayuya'haniwd', liayuya'hm
Tsistuyi' nehandu'yanOf , Tsistuyi' nehandu'yanu' — Yoho-o!
He-el Hayuya'haniw&' ', hayuya'haniicti,', hayuya'haniwfl,', hayuya'hm
Kuwdhi' nehandu'yanu, Kuwdhi' nehandu'yanu'— Yoho-o!
II, -. .' Hayuya'haniwa' , hayuya'haniwQ/ , hayuya'haniwQ,', hayuya'haniwQ,',
handu'yanti, Uydhye1 >>' — Yoho-o.1
II,-,: Hayuya'haniwQ,', hayuya'haniw&', hayuya'haniwQ.' ', hayuya'ha
Gdtegwd' nehundu'yanOf , Gdtegwd' nehandu'yanu' — Yoho-o!
I Recited i Uli-'nu' aslM' tadeyd'statakuhl' gun'ndgt asttif teiiffl.
He! Hayuya'haniwa' (four times),
In Tsistu'yl you were conceived (two times) — Yoho!
He! Hayuya'haniwa' (four times),
In Kuwa'hl you were conceived (two times)- Yoho!
He! Hayuya'haniwa' (four times),
In Uya'hye you were conceived (two times) — Yoho!
He! Hayuya'haniwa' (four times),
In Gate'gwiS you were conceived (two times) — Yoho!
And now surely we and the Lr<»>il Mack things, the best of all, shall see eai ii
..tiler.
76. THE BEAR MAN
A man went hunting in the mountains and came across a black bear,
which he wounded with an arrow. The bear turned and started in inn
the other way. and the hunter followed, shooting one arrow after
another into it without bringing it down. Now. this was a medicine
hear, and could talk or read the thoughts of people without their say-
ing a word. At last he stopped and pulled the arrows out of his side
ami gave them to the man. saying, "It is of no use for you to shoot
at me, for you can not kill me. Come to my house and let us live to-
gether." The hunter thought to himself. "He may kill me;'" but the
bear read his thoughts and said. "No, I won't hurt you." The man
thought again, "How can 1 get anything to eat;'* but the hear knew
his thoughts, and said. "There shall he plenty." So the hunter went
with the hear.
They went on toe-ether until they came to a hole in the side of the
mountain, and the hear said. "This is not where I live, hut there is
going to he a council here and we will see what they do." They
went in. and the hole widened as they went, until they came to a
large cave like a townhouse. It was full of hear- —old bears, voung
bears, and cubs, white bears, black hears, and brown bears and a
large white hear was the chief. They sat down in a corner, but -0011
the hear- scented the hunter and began to ask, " What is it that smells
328 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.a.nn.w
bad?" The chief .said, "Don't talk so; it is only a stranger come to
see us. Let him alone." Food was getting scarce in the mountains,
and the council was to decide what to do about it. They had sent out
messengers all over, and while they were talking two bears came in
and reported that they had found a country in the low grounds where
there were so man}' chestnuts and acorns that mast was knee deep.
Then they were all pleased, and got ready for a dance, and the dance
leader was the one the Indians call Kalas'-giinahi'ta, "Long Hams," a
great black bear that is always lean. After the dance the bears noticed
the hunter's bow and arrows, and one said, "This is what men use to
kill us. Let us see if we can manage them, and may be we can tight
man with his own weapons." 80 they took the bow and arrows from
the hunter to try them. They fitted the arrow and drew back the
string, but when they let go it caught in their long claws and the
arrows dropped to the ground. They saw that they could not use
the how and arrow's and gave them hack to the man. When the dance
and the council were over, they began to go home, excepting the White
Bear chief, who lived there, and at last the hunter and the bear went
out together.
They went on until the}7 came to another hole in the side of the
mountain, when the bear said, "This is where I live," and they went
in. By this time the hunter was very hungry and was wondering how
he could get something to eat. The other knew his thoughts, and sit-
ting up on his hind legs he rubbed his stomach with his forepaws — so —
and at once he had both paws full of chestnuts and gave them to the
man. He rubbed his stomach again — so — and had his paws full of
huckleberries, and gave them to the man. He rubbed again — so — and
gave the man both paws full of blackberries. He rubbed again — so —
and had his paws full of acorns, but the man said that he could not
eat them, and that he had enough already.
The hunter lived in the cave with the bear all winter, until long
hair like that of a bear began to grow all over his body and he began
to act like a bear; but he still walked like a man. One day in early
spring the hear said to him, " Your people down in the settlement are
getting ready for a grand hunt in these mountains, and they will come
to this cave and kill me and take these clothes from me" — he meant
his skin — "but they will not hurt you and will take you home with
them." The hear knew what the people were doing down in the set-
tlement just as he always knew what the man was thinking about.
Some days passed and the bear said again, "This is the day when the
Topknots will come to kill me. hut the Split-noses will come first and
find us. When they have killed me they will drag me outside the
cave and take off my clothes and cut me in pieces. You must cover
the blood with leaves, and when they are taking you away look back
after you have gone a piece and you will see something."
THE BEAK MAN 329
Soon they heard the hunters coming up the mountain, and then the
dogs found thecaveand began to bark. The hunters came and looked
inside and -aw the bear and killed him with their arrows. Then they
dragged him outside the cave and skinned the body and cut it in quar-
ters to carry home. The dogs kepi on barking until the hunters
thought there must be another hear in the cave. They looked in
again and saw the man away at the farther end. At first they thoughl
it was another bear on account of bis lone- hair, but they soon saw it
was the hunter who had been lost the year before, so they went in and
brought him out. Then each hunter took a load of the hear meat and
they started home again, bringing the man ami the skin with (hem.
Before they left the man piled leaves oxer the spot where they had cut
up the hear, and when they had gone a little way he looked behind
and saw the bear rise up out of the leaves, shake himself, ami go back
into the woods.
When they came near the settlement the man told the hunters that
he must he -hut up where no one could see him. without anything to
eat or drink for seven days and nights, until the bear nature had left
him and he became like a man again. So they shut him up alone in a
house and tried to keep very still about it. but the news got out and
his wife heard of it. She came for her husband, but the people would
not let her near him: but she came every day and beggedso hard that
at last after four or five days they let her have him. She took him
home with her, but in a short time he died, because he still had a
bear'- nature and could not live like a man. If they had kept him
shut up and fasting until the end of the seven days he would have
become a man again and would have lived.
77. THE GREAT LEECH OF TLANUSI'Yl
The spot where Valley river joins Hiwassee, at Murphy, in North
Carolina, is known among the Cherokees as Tlanusi'vi. "The Leech
place." and this is the story they tell of it:
Just above the junction is a deep hole in Valley river, and above
it is a ledge of rock running across the stream, over w Inch people used
to go as on a bridge. On the south side the trail ascended a high bank,
from which they could look down into the water. One day some men
going along the trail saw a great red object, full as large a- a house,
lying on the rock ledge in the middle of the stream below them. As
thej stood wondering what it could be they -aw it unroll — and then
they knew it was alive- and stretch itself out along the rock until it
looked like a great leech with red and white stripes along its body.
It rolled up into a ball and again stretched out at full length, and at
last crawled down the rock and was out of sight in the deep water.
The water began to boil and foam, and a great column of white spray
wasthrown high in the air and came down like a water-pout upon the
330 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
Very spot where the men had been standing, and would have swept
them all into the water but that they saw it in time and ran from the
place.
More than one person was carried down in this way, and their
friends would tind the body afterwards lying upon the bank with the^
ears and nose eaten off, until at last the people were afraid to go across
the ledge any more, on account of the great leech, or even to go along
that part of the trail. But there was one young fellow who laughed
at the whole story, and said that he was not afraid of anything in
Valley river, as he would show them. So one day he painted his face
and put on his finest buckskin and started off toward the river, while
all the people followed at a distance to see what might happen.
Down the trail he went and out upon the ledge of rock, singing in
high spirits:
Tlmm'x} giXne'ga digVg&ge
Dafooa'nitlaste'sti.
I'll tic red leech skins
On my legs for garters.
But before he was half way across the water began to boil into white
foam and a great wave rose and swept over the rock and carried him
down, and he was never seen again.
Just before the Removal, sixty years ago, two women went out upon
the ledge to fish. Their friends warned them of the danger, but one
woman who had her baby on her back said, "There are fish there and
I'm going to have some; I'm tired of this fat meat." She laid the
child down on the rock and was preparing the line when the water-
suddenly rose and swept over the ledge, and would have carried off
the child but that the mother ran in time to save it. The great leech
is still there in the deep hole, because when people look down they see
something alive moving about on the bottom, and although they can
not distinguish its shape on account of the ripples on the water, yet
they know it is the leech. Some say there is an underground water-
way across to Nottely river, not far above the mouth, where the river
bends over toward Murphy, and sometimes the leech goes over there
and makes the water boil as it used to at the rock ledge. They call
this spot on Nottely "The Leech place" also.
78. THE NUNNE'HI AND OTHER SPIRIT FOLK
The Nunne'hl or immortals, the "people who live anywhere,1' were
a race of spirit people who lived in the highlands of the old Cherokee
country and had a great many townhouses, especially in the bald
mountains, the high peaks on which no timber ever grows. They had
large townhouses in Pilot knob and under the old Xlkwasi' mound in
North Carolina, and another under Blood mountain, at the head of
Nottely river, in Georgia. They were invisible excepting when they
iii l- m \ ni;'hi 33 1
wanted to be seen, and then thej looked and -poke just like other
Indians. The} were verj fond of music and dancing, and hunter's in
the mountains would often bear the dance songs and the drum beating
in some invisible townhouse. but when they weni toward the sound
it would shift aboul and they would hear ii behind them or awaj in
some other direction, so that they could never lin<l the place where the
dance mi-. Thej were a friendh people, too, and often brought lost
wandersrs to their i»« nhouses under the mountains and cared for them
there until they were rested and then guided them back to their homes.
More than once, also, when the Cherokee were hard pressed by the
i ■ 1 1 < ■ 1 1 1 \ . the Ni'inih 'In w arriors have <•< >im' out, as they did at old Nikwasi',
and have saved them from defeat. Some people have thought that
they are the same as the Yuiiwi Tsunsdi', the " Little People"; but
these are fairies, no larger in size than children.
There was a man in Nottely town who had been with tin' Nuiine'hi
when he was a boy, and he toldWaflford all aboul it. lie wasatruth-
ful, hard-h saded man. and Wafford had heard the story so often from
other people that he asked this man to tell it. It was in this way:
When he was about LO or L2 years old he was playing one day near
the river, shooting at a mark with his bow and arrows, until he became
tired, and started to build a fish trap in the water. While he was piling
up the stones in two lone- walls a man came and si 1 on the bank and
asked him what he was doing. The boy told him. and the man said.
•■ Well, that's pretty hard work ami you ought to rest a. while. Comeand
take a walk up the river." The boy said, uNo"; that he was going home
to dinner soon. '"Come right up to my house," said the st ranger, "and
I'll give you a good dinner there and bring you home again in the
morning." So the hoy went with him up the river until they came to
a house, when they went in. and the man's wife and the other people
there were very glad to see him. and gave him a tine dinner, and were
very kind to him. While they were eating a man that the boy knew
very well came in and spoke to him. so that he felt quite at home.
After dinner he played with the other children and slept there that
night, and in the morning, after breakfast, the man got ready to take
him home. They went down a path that had a cornfield on one side
and a peach orchard fenced in on the other, until they came to another
trail, and the man said, "(in alone- this trail across that ridge and you
will come to the river road that will bring you straighl to your home,
anil now I'll go hack to the house." So the man went hack to the
house and the hoy went on alone- the trail, but when he had gone a
little way he looked back, and there was no cornfield or orchard or
fence or house; nothing but trees on the mountain side.
He thought it very queer, but somehow he was not frightened, and
went on until he came to the river trail in sight of his home. There
were a great many people standing about talking, and when thej saw
332 MYTHS OK THE CHEROKEE [eth. ann. is
him they ran toward him shouting, "Here he is! He is not drowned
or killed in the mountains!" They told him they had been hunting him
ever since yesterday noon, and asked him where he had been. "A
man took me over to his house just across the ridge, and I had a fine
dinner and a good time with the children." said the boy. "I thought
I'dsi'skala here" — that was the name of the man he had seen at dinner —
"would tell you where I was." But I'dsi'skala said, " I haven 'tseen you.
I was out all day in my canoe hunting you. It was one of the Nunne'hi
that made himself look like me." Then his mother said, "You say
you had dinner there '. "Yes, and I had plenty, too," said the boy; but
his mother answered, "There is no house there — only trees and rocks —
but we hear a drum sometimes in the big bald above. The people
you saw were the Nunne'hi."
Once four Nunne'hi women came to a dance at Nottelv town, and
danced half the night with the young men there, and nobody knew
that, they were Nunne'hi. but thought them visitors from another set-
tlement. About midnight they left to go home, and some men who
hail come out from the townhouse to cool otf watched to see which way
they went. They saw the women go down the trail to the river ford,
but just as they came to the water they disappeared, although it was a
plain trail, with no place where they could hide. Then the watchers
knew they were Nunne'hi women. Several men saw this happen, and
one of them was Wafford's father-in-law, who was known for an honest
man. At another time a man named Burnt-tobacco was crossing over
the ridge from Nottelv to Hemptown in Georgia and heard a drum and
the songs of dancers in tin' hills on one side of the trail. He rode over
to see who could be dancing in such a place, hut when he reached the
spot the drum and the songs were behind him, and he was so frightened
that he hurried back to the trail and rode all the way to Hemptown as
hard as he could to tell the story. He was a truthful man, and they
believed what he said.
There must have been a good many of the Nunne'hi living in that
neighborhood, because the drumming was often heard in the high balds
almost up to the time of the Removal.
On a small upper branch of Nottelv. running nearly due north from
Blood mountain, there was also a hole, like a small well or chimney, in
in the ground, from which there came up a warm vapor that heated all
the air around. People said that this was because the Nunne'hi bad a
townhouse and a tire under the mountain. Sometimes in cold weather
hunters would stop there to warm themselves, but the}' were afraid to
stay long. This was more than sixty years ago. hut the hole is probably
there yet.
('lose to the old trading path from South Carolina up to the Chero-
kee Nation, somewhere near the head of Tugaloo, there was formerly
a noted circular depression about the size of a townhouse, and waist
mookeyJ THE M'MVi TSUNSDl' 333
deep. Lnside it was always clean as though swept by unknown hands.
Passing traders would throw logs and rocks into it. but would always,
on their return, 6nd them thrown far out from the hole. The Indians
said it was a Nuiine'hi townhouse. and never Liked to go near the place
or even to talk aboul it. until at last some logs thrown in by the trad-
ers were allowed to remain there, and then they concluded that the
Nfmne'hi. annoyed by the persecution of the white men. had abandoned
their townhouse forever.
There is another race of spirits, the YQ/wwi Tsunsdi', or "Little
People." who live in rock caves on the mountain side. They are lit-
tle fellows, hardly reaching up to a man's knee, hut well shaped and
handsome, with lone- hair falling almost to the ground. They are great
wonder workers and are very fond of music, spending half their time
drumming and dancing. They are helpful and kind-hearted, and often
when people have been lost in the mountains, especially children who
have strayed away from their parents, the Yitnwi Tsunsdi' have found
them and taken care of them and brought them hack to their homes.
Sometimes their drum is heard in lonely places in the mountains, hut it
is not safe to follow it. because the Little People do not like to he dis-
turbed at home, and they throw a spell over the stranger SO that he is
bewildered and loses his way, and even if he does at last yet hack to the
settlement he is like one dazed ever after. Sometimes, also, they come
near a house at night and the people inside hear them talking, hut they
must not go out. and in the morning they find the corn gathered or the
field cleared as if a whole force of men had been at work. If anyone
.should go out to watch, he would die. "When a hunter finds anything
in the woods, such as a knife or a trinket, he must say. "Little People.
I want to take this." because it may belong to them, and if he does not
ask their permission they will throw stones at him as he goes home.
Once a hunter in winter found tracks in the snow like the tracks of
little children. He wondered how they could have come there and
followed them until they led him to a cave, which was full of Little
People, young and old. men. women, and children. They brought him
in and were kind to him, and he was with them some time: hut when
he left they warned him that he must not tell or he would die. lie
went hack to the settlement and his friends were all anxious to know
where he had been. For a lone- time he refused to say. until at last
he could not hold out any longer, hut told the story, and in a few
days he died. Only a few years ago two hunters from Raventown,
e-oine- behind the high fall near the head of Oconaluftee on the Last
Cherokee reservation, found there a cave with fresh footprints of the
Little People all over the Moor.
During the smallpox among the East Cherokee just after the war
one sick man wandered off, and his friends searched, hut could not
find him. After several weeks he came hack and said that the Little
334 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
People had found him and taken him to one of their eaves and tended
him until he was cured.
About twenty-five years ago a man named Tsantawu' was lost in the
mountains on the head of Oconaluftee. It was winter time and very
cold and his friends thought he must be dead, but after sixteen days
he came back and said that the Little People had found him and taken
him to their cave, where he had been well treated, and given plenty of
everything to eat except bread. This was in large loaves, but when
he took them in his hand to eat they seemed to shrink into small cakes
so light and crumbly that though he might eat all day he would not
be satisfied. After he was well rested they had brought him a part of
the way home until they came to a small creek, about knee deep, when
they told him to wade across to reach the main trail on the other side.
He waded across and turned to look back, but the Little People were
gone and the creek was a deep river. When he reached home his
legs were frozen to the knees and he lived only a few days.
Once the Yiifiwi Tsunsdi' had been very kind to the people of a cer-
tain settlement, helping them at night with their work and taking good
care of any lost children, until something happened to offend them and
they made up their minds to leave the neighborhood. Those who were
watching at the time saw the whole company of Little People come
down to the ford of the river and cross over and disappear into the
mouth of a large cave on the other side. They were never heard of
near the settlement again.
There are other fairies, the Yiinwi Amai'ylne' hi, or Water-dwellers,
who live in the wTater, and fishermen pray to them for help. Other
friendly spirits live in people's houses, although no one can see them,
and so long as they are there to protect the house no witch can come
near to do mischief.
Tsdwa'si and Tsaga'si are the names of two small fairies, who are
mischievous enough, but yet often help the hunter who prays to them.
Tsawa'si, or Tsawa'si Usdi'ga (Little Tsawa'si). is a tiny fellow,
very handsome, with long hair falling down to his feet, who lives
in grassy patches on the hillsides and has great power over the game.
To the deer hunter who prays to him he gives skill to slip up on the
deer through the long grass without being seen. Tsaga'si is another
of the spirits invoked by the hunter and is very helpful, but when some-
one trips and falls, we know that it is Tsaga'si who has caused it.
There are several other of these fairies with names, all good-natured,
but more or less tricky.
Then there is />- 'tsdtd. De'tsata was once a boy who ran away to
the woods to avoid a scratching and tries to keep himself invisible ever
since. He is a handsome little fellow and spends his whole time hunt-
ing birds with blowgun and arrow. He lias a great many children
who are all just like him and have the same name. When a flock of
Kooney] THE REMOVED TOWNHOUSES 335
birds flies up suddenly as if frightened ii is because De'ts&ta is chasing
them. He is mischievous and sometimes bides an arrow from the bird
hunter, who mu\ have shot it off into a perfectly clearspace, but looks
and looks without finding it. Then the hunter says. "De'tsata, you
have my arrow, and it' you don't give it up I'll scratch you." and when
he looks again he finds it.
There is one spirit that goes aboui at night with a light. The < !hero-
kee call it Atsil'-dihye'gt, "The Fire-carrier," and thej are all afraid of
it. because they think it dangerous, although they do not know'much
about it. They do not even know exactly what it looks like, because
they are afraid to stop when they see it. It may lie a witch instead
of a spirit. Watford's mother saw the " Fire-carrier" once when she
was a young woman, as she was coming home at night from a trading
post in South Carolina. It seemed to he following her from behind,
and she was frightened and whipped up her horse until she gol away
from it and never saw it again.
79. THE REMOVED TOWNHOUSES
Long ago, long before the Cherokee were driven from their homes
in L838, the people on Valley river and Hiwassee heard voices of invis-
ible spirits in the air calling and warning them of wars and misfor-
tunes which the future held in store, and inviting them to come and
live with the Nunne'hi, the Immortals, in their homes under the moun-
tains and under the water-. For days the voices hung in the air. and
the people listened until they heard the spirits say. "If you would
live with us, gather everyone in your townhouses and fast there for
seven days, and no one must raise a shout or a warwhoop in all that
time. Do this and we shall come and you will see us and we shall
take you to live with Us."
The people were afraid of the evils that were to come, and they
knew that the Immortals of the mountains and the waters were happy
forever, so they counciled in their townhouses and decided to go with
them. Those of AnisgayS'yi town came all together into their town-
house and prayed and fasted for six days. On the seventh day there
was a sound from the distant mountains, and it came nearer and grew
louder until a roar of thunder was all about the townhouse and they
felt the ground shake under them. Now they' were frightened, and
despite the warning some of them screamed out. The Nunne'hi, who
had already lifted up the townhouse with its mound to carry it away,
were startled by the cry and let a part of it fall to the earth, where
now we see the mound of Se tsi. They steadied themselves again and
hole the rest of the townhouse. with all the people in it. to the top
of Tsuda'ye luB'yi (Lone peak), near the head of Cheowa, where we
can -till see it. changed long ago to solid rock, but the people are
invisible and immortal.
336 MYTHS (IF THE CHEROKEE
The people of another town, on Hiwassee, at the place which we call
now Du'stiya'lun'yi, where Shooting creek comes in. also prayed and
fasted, and at the end of seven days the Nunne'hi came and took them
away down under the water. They are there now. and on a warm sum-
mer day, when the wind ripples the surface, those who listen well can
hear them talking below. When the Cherokee drag the river for tish the
fish-drag always stops and catches there, although the water is deep,
and the people know it is being held by their lost kinsmen, who do not
want to be forgotten.
When the Cherokee were forcibly removed to tin' West one of the
greatest regrets of those along Hiwassee and Valley rivers was that
they were compelled to leave behind forever their relatives who hail
gone to the Nunne'hi.
In Tennessee river, near Kingston, 18 miles below Loudon, Ten-
nessee, is a place which the Cherokee call Gustf, where there once
was a settlement long ago. but one night while the people were gath-
ered in the townhouse for a dance the bank caved in and carried them
all down into the river. Boatmen passing the spot in their canoes see
the round dome of the townhouse — now turned to stone — in the water
below them and sometimes hear the sound of the drum and dance
coming up, and they never fail to throw food into the water in return
for being allowed to cross in safety.
80. THE SPIRIT DEFENDERS OF NIKWASI'
Long ago a powerful unknown tribe invaded the country from the
southeast, killing people and destroying settlements wherever they
went. No leader could stand against them, and in a little while they
had wasted all the lower settlements and advanced into the mountains.
The warriors of the old town of Nikwasi', on the head of Little
Tennessee, gathered their wives and children into the townhouse and
kept scouts constantly on the lookout for the presence of danger.
One morning just before daybreak the spies saw the enemy approach-
ing and at once gave the alarm. The Nikwasi' men seized their arms
and rushed out to meet the attack, but after a long, hard fight they
found themselves overpowered and began to retreat, when suddenly a
stranger stood among them and shouted to the chief to call off his men
and he himself would drive back the enemy. From the dress and
language of the stranger the Nikwasi' people thought him a chief
who had come with reinforcements from the Overhill settlements in
Tennessee. They fell back along the trail, and as they came near the
townhouse they saw a great company of warriors coming out from the
side of the mound as through an open doorway. Then they knew that
their friends were the Nunne'hi, the Immortals, although no one had
ever heard before that they lived under Nikwasi' mound.
The Nunne'hi poured out by hundreds, armed and painted for the
mooney] THE SPIEIT DEFENDERS OE NIKWASl' 337
fight, and the most curious thing about it all wus that they became
invisible as soon as they were fairly outside of the settlement, so that
although the enemy saw the glancing arrows or the rushing tomahawk,
and felt the stroke, he could not see who sent it. Before such invis-
ible foes the invaders soon had to retreat, going first south along the
ridge to where joins the main ridge which separates the French Broad
from the Tuckasegee, and then turning with it to the northeast. As
they retreated thej tried to shield themselves behind rocks and trees,
hut the Nunne'hi arrows went around the rocks and killed them from
the other side, and they could find no hiding place. All (done- the
ridge they fell, until when they reached the head of Tuckasegee not
more than half a dozen were left alive, and in despair they sat down
anil cried out for mercy. Ever since then the Cherokee have called
tin' place Dayulsun'yl, "Where the y cried." Then the Nunne'hi chief
told them they had deserved their punishment for attacking a peaceful
tribe, and he spared their lives and told them to go home and take the
new- to their people. This was the Indian custom, always to spare a
few to carry back the news of defeat. They went home toward the
north and the Nunne'hi went hack to the mound.
And they are >till there, because, in the last war. when a strong
party of Federal troops came to surprise a handful of Confederates
posted there they saw so man\ soldiers guarding the town that they
were afraid and went away without making an attack.
* - ■:; -.:■ * ■;> :. *
There is another story, that once while all the warriors of a certain
town were off on a hunt, or at a dance in another settlement, one old
man was chopping wood on the side of the ridge when suddenly a
party of the enemy came upon him — Shawano, Seneca, or some other
tribe. Throwing his hatchet at the nearest one. he turned and ran for
the house to yet his gun and make the best defense that lie might. < )n
coming out at once with the gun lie was surprised to find a large body
of strange warriors driving hack the enemy. It was no time for ques-
tions, and taking his place with the others, they fought hard until the
enemy was pressed back up the creek and finally broke and retreated
across the mountain. When it was over and there was time to breathe
again, the old man turned to thank his new friends, hut found that he
was alone -they had disappeared as though the mountain had -wal-
lowed them. Then he knew that they were the Nunne'hi. who had
come to help their friends, the Cherokee.
81. TSUL'KALU', THE SLANT-EYED GIANT
A lony time ago a widow lived with her one daughter at the old
town of Kanuga on Pigeon river. The girl was of age to marry, and
her mother used to talk with her a good deal, and tdl her she must
l'.l ETH— 01 22
3S8 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.aks.19
be sure tci take no one but a good hunter for a husband, so that they
would have some one to take care of them and would always have
plenty of meat in the house. The girl said such a man was hard to
find, but her mother advised her not to be in a hurry, and to wait until
the right one eame.
Now the mother slept in the house while the girl slept outside in the
asi. One dark night a stranger eame to the asi wanting to court
the girl, but she told him her mother would let her marry no one but
a good hunter. •"Well." said the stranger, "1 am a great hunter,"
so she let him come in. and he stayed all aight. .hist before day he
said he must go back now to his own place, hut that he had brought
some meat for her mother, and she would rind it outside. Then he
went away and the girl had not seen him. When day came she went
out and found there a deer, which she brought into the house to her
mother, ami told her it was a present from her new sweetheart. Her
mother was pleased, and they had deersteaks for breakfast.
Hi' eame again the next night, hut again went away before daylight,
and this time he left two deer outside. The mother was more pleased
this time, but said to her daughter. "'I wish your sweetheart would
bring us some wood." Now wherever he might be, the stranger knew
their thoughts, so when he eame the next time he said to the girl.
'"Tell your mother I have brought the wood": and when she looked
out in the morning there were several great trees lying in front of
the door, roots and branches and all. The old woman was angry, and
said. " He might have brought us some wood that we could use instead
of whole trees that we can't split, to litter up the road with brush."
The hunter knew what she said, and the next time he eame he brought
nothing, and when they looked out in the morning the trees were
gone and there was no wood at all. so the old woman had to go after
some herself.
Almost every night he came to see the girl, and each time he
bi'ought a deer or some other eame. hut still he always left before
daylight. At last her mother said to her. "Your husband always
le;u es before daylight. Why don't he wait? 1 want to see what kind
of a son-in-law 1 have." When the girl told this to her husband he
said he could not let the old woman see him. because the sight would
frighten her. "She wants to see you, anyhow." said the girl, and
began t<> cry, until at last he had to consent, hut warned her that her
mother must not say that he looked frightful (usga'sS'ti'yu).
The next morning he did not leave so early, hut stayed in the fisi,
and when it was daylight the girl went out and told her mother. The
old woman came and looked in. and there she saw a great giant, with
lone- slanting eyes {tsul LiihY). lying doubled up on the floor, with his
head against the rafters in the left hand corner at the hack, and his
toes scraping the roof in the right-hand corner by the door. She
tsul'k \ l i ■"'•"■'.|
gave "iil\ one look and ran back to the house, crying, Usga'gt ti'yu!
si ti'yu!
Tsui kahV was terribly angrj . He untwisted himself and ca ul
of the fisi, and said good-bye to the girl, telling her thai he would ne\ er
let her mother see him again, but would go back to his own country.
Then he went off in the direction of Tsunegun'yi.
Soon after he left the girl had her monthly period. There was a \ ery
great Hoyi of blood, and the mother threw it all into the river. One
nighl after the girl had gone to bed in the sis) her husband came again
to the door and said to her. " It seems you are alone." and asked where
was the child. She said there had been none. Then he asked where
was the blood, and -he said thai her mother had thrown it into the
river. She told just where the place was, and he went there and found
a small worm in the water. He took it up and carried it hack to the
:1st. and as he walked it took form and began to grow, until, when he
reached the asi. it was a baby uirl that he was carrying. He gave it
to his wife and said. "Your mother does not like me and abuses our
child, so come and let us go to my home." The girl wanted to lie with
her husband, so, after telling her mother good-bye, she took up the
child and they went off together to Tsunegun'yi.
Now. the girl had an older In-other, who lived with his own wife in
another settlement, and when he heard that his sister was married he
came to pay a visit to her and her new husband, hut when he arrived at
Kanuga his mother told him his sister had taken her child and gone
away with her husband, nobody knew where. He was sorry to see his
mother so lonely, so he said he would go after his sister and try to find her
and bring her hack. It w as easy to follow the footprints of the giant,
and the young man went alone- the trail until he came to a place w here
they had re-ted. and there were tracks on the ground where a child had
been lying and other marks as if a baby had been horn there, lie went
on along the trail and came to another place where they had rested,
and there wen^ tracks of a baby crawling about and another lying on
the ground. He went on and came to where they had rested again,
and there were tracks of a child walking and another crawling about.
Ih- went on until he came where they had rested again, and there
were tracks of one child running and another walking. Still he fol-
lowed the trail alone- the stream into the mountain-, and came to the
place Where they had re-ted again, and this time there were footprints
of two children running all about, and the footprints can -till he seen
in tlie rock at that place.
Twice again he found where they had rested, and then the trail led
up the -lope (if Tsunegun'yi, and he heard the sound of a drum and
voices, as if people were dancing inside the mountain. Soon he came
to a cave like a doorway in the side of the mountain, hut the rock was
so -teep and smooth that he could not climb up to it. hut could only
340 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
just look over the edge and sec the heads and shoulders of a great many
people dancing inside. He saw his sister dancing among- them and
called to her to come out. She turned when she heard his voice, and
as soon as the drumming stopped for a while she came out to him,
finding do trouble to climb down the rock, and leading- her two little
children by the hand. She was very glad to meet her brother and
talked with him a long- time, but did not ask him to come inside, and
at last he went away without having- seen her husband.
Several other times her brother came to the mountain, but always
his sisler met him outside, and he could never see her husband. After
four years had passed she came one day to her mother's house and
said her husband had been hunting- in the woods near by. and they were
getting ready to start home to-morrow, and if her mother and brother
would come early in the morning they could see her husband. If they
caine too late for .that, she said, they would find plenty of meat to
take home. She went back into the woods, and the mother ran to tell
her son. They came to the place early the next morning, but Tsuf-
kalu' and his family were already gone. On the drying poles they
found the bodies of freshly killed deer hanging, as the girl had prom-
ised, and there were so many that they went back and told all their
friends to come for them, and there were enough for the whole settle-
ment.
Still the brother wanted to see his sister and her husband, so he
went again to the mountain, and she came out to meet him. He asked
to see her husband, and this time she told him to come inside with her.
They went in as through a doorway, and inside he found it like agreal
townhouse. They seemed to lie alone, but his sister called aloud. "He
wants to see you." and from the air came a voice, "You can not see
me until you put on a new dress, and then you can see me." "I am
willing." said the young man. sneaking to the unseen spirit, and from
the air came the voice again. "Go back, then, and tell your peop'e
that to see me they must go into the townhouse and fast seven days,
and in all that time they must not come out from the townhouse or
raise the war whoop, and on the seventh day I shall come with new
dresses for you to put on so that you can all see me."
The young man went back to Kanuga and told the people. They all
wanted to see TsuTkalu', who owned all the game in the mountains,
so they went into the townhouse and began the fast. They fasted
the first day and the second and every day until the seventh — all but
ont^ man from another settlement, who slipped out every night when
it was dark to get something to eat and slipped in again when no one
was watching. On the morning of the seventh day the sun was just
coming up in the east when they heard a great noise like the thunder of
rocks rolling down the side of Tsunegun'yi. They were frightened,
and drew near together in the townhouse, and no one whispered.
Tsl'l.'k A I.I ' 341
Nearer and louder came the sound until it gre^ into an aw ful rear, and
everj one trembled and held his breath all but one man. the stranger
from the other settlement, who losl his senses from fear and ran cut
of the townhouse and shouted the war crj .
At once the roar stopped and for some time there was silence. Then
tli«-\ heard ii again, but as if it were going farther away, and then
farther and farther, until at last ii died away in the direction of
Tsunegufi'yi. and then all was still again. The people came out from
the townhouse, but then' was silence, and they could see nothing but
what had been seven days before.
Still the brother was not disheartened, but came again to see his
sister, and she broughl him into the mountain. He asked why Tsul'kalu'
had not brought the new dresses, as he had promised, and the voice
from the air said. " I came with them, but you did not obey my word.
but broke the fast and raised the war cry." The young man answered,
•'It was not done by our people, hut by a stranger. It' you will come
again, we will surely do as you say." But the voice answered, " Now
you can never see me." Then the young man could not say any more,
and he went back to Kanuga.
82. KANA'STA, THE LOST SETTLEMENT
Long ago, while people still lived in the old town of Kana'sta, 03
the French Broad, two strangei's, who looked in no way different from
other Cherokee, came into the settlement one day and made their way
into the chief 's house. After the first greetings were over the chief
asked them from what town they had come, thinking them from
one of the western settlements, but they said, "We are of your people
and our town is close at hand, but you have never seen it. Here
you have wars and sickness, with enemies on every side, and after
a while a stronger enemy will come to take your country from you.
We are always happy, and we have come to invite you to live w ith u>
in our town over there."' and they pointed toward Tsuwa tel'da (Pilot
knolii. "We do not live forever, and do not always find game
when we go for it. for the game belongs to Tsulkalu', who lives in
Tsunegufi'yi, but we have peace always and need not think of danger.
We g w. but if your people will live with us let them fast seven
days, and we shall come then to take them." Then they went away
toward the west.
The chief called his people together into the townhouse andthej held
a council over the matter and decided at hist to go with the strangers.
They got all their property read} for moving, and then went again into
the townhouse and began their fast. They fasted six days, and on the
morning of the seventh, he fore yet the sun was high, they saw a great
company coming along the trail from the west, led by the two men
342 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE
who had stopped with the chief. They see <1 just like Cherokee from
another settlement, and after a friendly meeting they took up a part
of the goods to be carried, and the two parties started hack together
for Tsuwatel'da. There was one man from another town visiting at
Kana'sta. and he went along with the rest.
When they came to the mountain, the two guides led the way into a
cave, which opened out like a great door in the side of the rock,
[nside they found an open country and a town, with houses ranged in
two lone- rows from east to west. The mountain people lived in the
houses on tlie south side, and they had made ready the other houses
for the newcomers, hut even after all the people of Kana'sta. with
their children and belongings, had moved in, there were still a large
number of houses waiting ready for the next who might come. The
mountain people told them that there was another town, of a different
people, above them in the same mountain, and still farther above, at
the very top, lived the Ani'-HyuntikwaM'ski (the Thunders).
Now all the people of Kana'sta were settled in their new homes, but
the man who had only been visiting with them wanted to go back to
his own friends. Some of the mountain people wanted to prevent
this, but the chief said. "No; let him go if he will, and when he tells
his friends they may want to come, too. There is plenty of room for
all." Then he said to the man. "Go back and tell your friends that if
they want to come and live with us and be always happy, there is a
place here ready and waiting for them. Others of us live in Datsu'-
Dalasgun'yi and in the high mountains all around, and if they would
rather go to any of them it is all the same. We see you wherever
you go and are with you in all your dances, but you can not see us
unless you fast. If you want to see us. fast f ■ days, and we will
come and talk with you; and then if you want to live with us, fast
again seven days, and we will come and take you." Then the chief
led the man through the cave to the outside of the mountain and left
him there, but when the man looked back he saw no cave, but only
the solid rock.
* * * * * * *
The people of the lost settlement were never seen again, and they
are still living in Tsuwa'tel'da. Strange things happen there, so that
the Cherokee know the mountain is haunted and do not like to go
near it. Only a few years ago a party of hunters camped there, and
as they sat around their tire at supper time they talked of the story
and made rough jokes about the people of old Kana'sta. That night
they were aroused from sleep by a noise as of stones thrown at them
from among the trees, but when they searched they could find nobody,
and were so frightened that they gathered up their guns and pouches
and left the place.
i mm THE MOUNTAIN PEOPLE 343
83. TSUWE'NAhI: a legend of pilot knob
Iii the old town of Kanuga, on Pigeon river, there was a lazy fellow
named Tsuwe'nahl, who lived from house to house among his relativi
and never brought home any game, although he used to spend nearly
all his time in the woods. At last his friends gol ren tired of keep
ing him, so he told them to gel some parched corn ready for him and
he would go and bring back a deer or else would never trouble them
again. They filled his pouch with parched corn, enough for a long trip,
and he started off for the mountains. l'a\ after day passed until they
thought the\ had really seen the l:i-t of him, but before the month was
half gone he was back again at K&nuga, with no deer, but with a won-
derful story to tell.
He said that he had hardly turned away from the trail to go up the
ridge when he met a stranger, who asked him where he was 'join-.
Tsuwe'nahl answered that his friends in the settlement had driven him
out because he was no good hunter, and that if he did not find a deer
this time he would never go hack again. "Why not come with me!"
said the stranger, " niv town is not far from here, and you have rela-
tives then'." Tsuwe'nahl was very glad of the chance, because he
was ashamed to go back to his own town; so he went with the stranger,
who took him to Tsuwa tel'da (Pilot knob). They came to a cave.
and the other said. "Let us go in hen':"' hut the cave ran clear to the
heart of the mountain, and when they were inside the hunter found
there an open country like a wide bottom land, with a great settle-
ment and hundreds of people. They were all glad to see him. and
brought him to their chief, who took him into his own house and
showed him a scat near the fire. Tsuwe'nahl sat down, hut he fell it
move under him. and when he looked again he saw that it was a tur-
tle, with it- head sticking out from the shell. He jumped up, hut the
chief -aid, "It won't hurt you; it only wants to see who you are."
So he -at down very carefully, and tin- turtle drew in its head again.
They brought food, of the same kind that he had been accustomed to
at home, and when lie had eaten the chief took him through the set-
tlement until he had seen all the houses and talked with most of the
people. When he bad seen everything and had re-ted some day-, he
wa- an.\iou- to get hack to his home, so the chief himself brought him
to the mouth of the cave and showed him the trail that led down to the
river. Then hi' said. " Von are going back to the settlement, but you
will never he satisfied there any more. Whenever you want to come
to us, you know tin' way." The chief left him. and Tsuwe'nahl went
dow a the mountain and alone' the river until he came to Kanuga.
lie told his -tory. hut n«> one believed it and the people only laughed
at him. After that he would go awa\ very often and '»• gone for sev-
eral days at a time, ami when he came hack to the settlement he would
844 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.
say he had been with the mountain people. At last one man said he
believed the story and would go with him to see. They went off
together t<> the woods, where they made a camp, and then Tsuwe'nahi
went on ahead, saying he would !><• hack soon. The other waited for
him, doing a little hunting near the camp, and two nights afterwards
Tsuwe'nahi was hack again. He seemed to be alone, hut was talking
as he came, and the other hunter heard girls' voices, although he could
see no one. When he came up to the fire he said. "I have two friends
with me, and they say there is to be a dance in their town in two
nights, and if you want to go they will come for you." The hunter
agreed at once, and Tsuwe'nahi called out, as if to some one close by,
'"lie says he will go." Then lie said. "Our sisters have come for some
venison." The hunter had killed a deer and had the meat drying over
the tire, so he said. "What kind do they want?" The voices answered.
"Our mother told us to ask for some of the ribs," but still he could
see nothing. He took down some rib pieces and gave them to Tsu-
we'nahi, who took them and said. "In two days we shall come again
for you." Then he started oil. and the other heard the voices going
through the woods until all was still again.
In two days Tsuwe'nahi came, and this time he had two girls with
him. As they stood near the tire the hunter noticed that their feet
were short and round, almost like dogs' paws, hut as soon as they saw
him looking they sat down so that he could not see their feet. After
supper the whole party left the camp and went up along the creek to
Tsuwatel'da. They went in through the cave door until they got to
the farther end and could see houses beyond, when all at once the
hunter's legs felt as if they were dead and he staggered and fell to
the ground. The others lifted him up, hut still he could not stand,
until the medicine-man brought some "old tobacco" and rubbed it
on his legs and made him smell it until he sneezed. Then lie was
able to stand again and went in with the others. He could not stand at
first, because he had not prepared himself by fasting before he started.
The dance had not yet begun and Tsuwe'nahi took the hunter into the
townhouse and showed him a seat near the fire, but it had long thorns
of honey locust sticking out from it and he was afraid to sit down.
Tsuwe'nahi told him not to be afraid, so he sat down and found that
the thorns were as soft as down feathers. Now the drummer came in
ami the dancers, and the dance began. One man followed at the end
of the line, crying Kh! Kh! all the time, but not dancing. The
hunter wondered, and they told him. "This man was lost in the moun-
tain- and had been calling all through the woods for his friends until
his voice failed and he was only able to pant Kh! Kh! and then we
found him and took him in."
When it was over Tsuwe'nahi and the hunter went back to the set-
tlement. At the next dance in Kanuga they told all they had seen at
THE THUNDER \N1> Ills SISTERS 345
Tsuwa tel'da, what a large town was there and how kind everybody
was, and this time because there were two of them the people
believed it. Now others wauled to go, but Tsuwe'nahi told them they
must firs! fast seven days, while he went ahead to prepare everything,
and then he would come and brine- them. lie wen! away and the
others fasted, until at the end of seven days he came for them and they
went with him to Tsuwa'tel'da, and their friends in the settlement
never saw them again.
84. THE MAN WHO MARRIED THE THUNDER'S SISTER
In the old times the people used to dance often and all night.
Once there was a dance at the old town of Sakwi'yi, on the head of
Chattahoochee, and after it was well started two young women with
beautiful lone- hair came in. but no one knew who they weir or
whence they had come. They danced with one partner and another,
and in the morning slipped awa\ before anyone knew that thej
were gone; hut a young warrior had fallen in love with < of the
sisters on account of her beautiful hair, and after the manner of the
Cherokee had already asked her through an old man if she would
marry him and let him live with her. To this the young woman had
replied that her brother at home must first he consulted, and they
promised to return for the next dance seven days later with an answer.
but in the meantime if the young man really loved her he must prove
his constancy by a rigid fast until then. The eager lover readily
agreed and impatient!) counted the days.
In seven nights there was another dance. The young warrior was
on hand early, and later in the evening the two sisters appeared as
suddenly as before. They told him their brother was willing, and
after the dance they would conduct the young man to their home, but
warned him that if he told anyone where he went or what he saw he
would surely die.
He danced with theinauain and about daylight the three came away
ju-i before the dance closed, so as to avoid being followed, and started
oil together. The women led the way alone- a trail through the woods,
which the young man had never noticed before, until they came to a
small creek, where, without hesitating, they stepped into the water.
The young man paused in surprise on the bank and thought to himself,
"They are walking in the water: I don't want to do that." Tin-
women knew his thoughts just as though he had spoken and turned
and -aid to him. "■This is not water; this is the road to our house."
He still hesitated, hut they urged him on until he stepped into the
water and found it was only soft grass that made a tine level trail.
They went on until the trail came to a large stream which In- knew
for Tallulah river. The women plunged boldly in. but again tin- war-
rior hesitated on the bank, thinking to himself, ""That water is very
•~>4li MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
deep and will drown me; I can'tgo on." They knew his thoughts and
turned and said, "'This is no water, but the main trail that got'- past
our bouse, which is now close by." He stepped in, and instead of
water there was tall waving grass that closed above his head as he
followed them.
They went only a short distance and came to a rock cave close
under [Jgufi'y] (Tallulah falls). The women entered, while the war-
rior stopped at the mouth: but they said. "This is our house: come in
and oar brother will soon be home; he is coming now.'" They heard
low thunder in the distance. He went inside and stood up close to the
entrance. Then the women took off their long hair and hung it up on
a lock, and both their heads were as smooth as a pumpkin. The man
thought, "It is not hair at all," and he was more frightened than
ever.
The younger woman, the one he was about to marry, then sat down
and told him to take a seat beside her. He looked, and it was a large
turtle, which raised itself up and stretched out its claws as if angry at
being disturbed. The young man said it was a turtle, and refused to
sit down, but the woman insisted that it was a seat. Then there was
a louder roll of thunder and the woman said. " Now our brother is
nearly home." While they urged and he still refused to come nearer
or sit down, suddenly there was a great thunder clap just behind him,
and turning quickly he saw a man standing in the doorway of the cave.
"This is my brother," said the woman, and he came in and sat down
upon the turtle, which again rose up and stretched out its claws. The
young warrior still refused to come in. The brother then said that he
was just about to start to a council, ami invited the young man to go
with him. The hunter said he was willing to go if only he had a horse;
mi the young woman was told to bring one. She went out and soon
came back leading a great uktena snake, that curled and twisted
along the whole length of the cave. Some people say this was a
white uktena and that the brother himself rode a red one. The hun-
ter was terribly frightened, and said "That is a snake; I can't ride
that." The others insisted that it was no snake, but their riding
horse. The brother grew impatient and said to the woman. "He may
like it better if you bring him a saddle, and some bracelets for his
wrists and arms." So they went out again and brought in a saddle
and some arm bands, and the saddle was another turtle, which they
fastened on the uktena's back, and the bracelets were living slimy
snakes, which they got ready to twist around the hunter's wrists.
He was almost dead with fear, and said, "What kind of horrible
place is this? 1 can never stay here to live with snakes and creeping
things." The brother got very angry and called him a coward, and
then it was as if lightening Hashed from his eyes and struck the young
man. and a terrible crash of thunder stretched him senseless.
r\Tii;riii' 3 I 7
When at last he came to himself again he was standing with hit- feel
in tin' water and both hands grasping a laurel bush thai grew oul from
the bank, and there was no trace of the cave or the Thunder People,
l>ut he was alone in the forest. He made his way oul and finally
reached his own settlement, bul Eound then that he had been gone so
very long that all the people had thoughl him dead, although to him
it seemed only the day after the .lance. His friends questioned him
closely, and. forgetting the warning, he told the story; l>nt in seven
days lie died, for no one can come back from the underworld and
tell it and live.
85. THE HAUNTED WHIRLPOOL
At tin' mouth of Suck creek, on the Tennessee, about ^ miles below
Chattanooga, is a series of dangerous whirlpools, known as "The Suck,"
and noted among the Cherokee as the place where UntsaijT, the
gambler, lived long ago (see the storj |. They call it Un'tiguhi', " Pot
in-the-water," on account of the appearance of the surging, tumbling
water, suggesting a boiling pot. They assert that in the old times the
whirlpools were intermittent in character, and the canoemen attempt-
ing to pass the spot used to hue- the bank, keeping constantly on the
alert for signs of a coming eruption, and when they saw the water
begin to revolve more rapidly would stop and wait until it became
quiet again before attempting to proceed.
It happened once that two men. going down the river in a canoe, as
they came near this place saw the water circling rapidly ahead of them.
They pulled up to the hank to wait until it became smooth again, hut
the whirlpool seemed to approach with wider and wider circles, until
the\ were drawn into the vortex. They were thrown out of the canoe
and carried down under the water, where one man was seized by a
great fish and was never seen again. The other was taken round and
round down to the very lowesl center of the whirlpool, when another
circle caught him and bore him outward ami upward until he was
finally thrown up again to the surface and floated out into the -hallow-
water, whence lie made his escape to shore. Ho told afterwards that
when he reached the oarrowesl circle of the maelstrom the water
seemed to open below him and he could look down as through the
roof beams of a house, ami there on the bottom of the river he had
seen a great company of people, who looked up and beckoned to him
to join them, hut as they put up their hands to seize him the swifl
current caught him and took him out of their reach.
86. YAHULA
Yahoola creek, which flows by I >ahlonega, in Lumpkin countj . Geor
gia, is called Yahula'i (Yahula place) by the Cherokees, and this i- the
story of the name:
348 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
Years ago, long- before the Revolution, Yahula was a prosperous
stock trader among- the Cherokee, and the tinkling of the bells hung
around the necks of his ponies could lie heard on every mountain trail.
Once there was a great hunt and all the warriors were out. hut when
it was over and they were ready to return to the settlement Yahula
was not with them. They waited and searched, hut lie could not be
found, and at last they went back without him, and his friends grieved
for him as for one dead. Some time after his people were surprised
and delighted to have him walk in among them and sit down as they
were at supper in the evening. To their questions he told them that he
had been hist in the mountains, and that the Nunne'hi, the Immortals,
had found him and brought him to their town, where he had been kept
ever since, with the kindest care and treatment, until the longing to see
his old friends had brought him back. To the invitation of his friends
to join them at supper lie said that it was now too late — he had tasted
the fairy food and could never again eat with human kind, and for the
same reason lie could not stay with his family, but must go back to the
Nunne'hi. His wife and children and brother begged him to stay, but
he said that he could not; it was either life with the Immortals or death
with bis own people — and after some further talk he rose to go. They
saw him as he sat talking to them and as he stood up. but the moment
he stepped out the doorway he vanished as if he had never been.
After that he came back often to visit his people. They would see
him first as he entered the house, and while he sat and talked he was
his old self in every way. but the instant he stepped across the thresh-
old he was gone, though a hundred eyes might be watching. He came
often. Init at last their entreaties grew so urgent that the Nunne'hi
must have been offended, and he came no more. On the mountain at
the head of the creek, about 10 miles above the present Dahlonega, is
a small square inclosure of uncut stone, without roof or entrance.
Here it was said that he lived, so the Cherokee called it Yahula'i and
called tlie stream by the same name. Often at night a belated traveler
coming along the trail by the creek would hear the voice of Yahula
singing certain favorite old songs that he used to like to sing as he
drove his pack of horses across the mountain, the sound of a voice urg-
ing them on, and the crack of a whip and the tinkling of bells went
with the song, but neither driver nor horses could be seen, although the
sounds passed close by. The songs and the bells were heard only at
night.
There was one man who had been his friend, who sang the same songs
for a time after Yahula had disappeared, but he died suddenly, and
then the Cherokee were afraid to sing these songs any more until it
was so long since anyone had heard the sounds on the mountain that
they thought Yahula must be gone away, perhaps to the West, where
others of the tribe had already gone. It is so long ago now that even
THE CANNIBAL -1'IIUTS 3 19
thr stone house may have been destroyed by this time, bu1 more than
one old man's father -aw it and heard the songs and the bells a hundred
years ago. When the Cherokee went from Georgia to Indian Terri-
tory in 1838 some of them said, "Maybe Vahula has gone there and
we shall hear him," but they have never heard him again.
87. THE WATER CANNIBALS
Besides the friendly Nunng'hi of the streams and mountains there isa
race of cannibal spirits, who stay at the bottom of the deep rivers and
live upon human flesh, especially that of little children. They come
out just after daybreak and go about unseen from house to house until
they find some one still asleep, when they shoot him with their invisi-
ble arrows and carry the dead body down under the water to feast upon
it. That no one may know what has happened they leave in place
of the body a shade or image of the dead man or little child, that wakes
up and talks ;ln<l goes about just as he did. hut there i- no life in it.
and in seven days it withers and dies, and the people bury it and think
they are burying their dead friend. It was a long time before the
people found out about this, but now they always try to he awake at
daylight and wake up the children, telling them "The hunters are
among you."
This is the way they first knew about the water cannibals: There was
a man in Tikwali'tsi town who became sick and grew worse until the
doctors said he could not live, and then his friends went away from
the house and left him alone to die. They were not so kind to each
other in the old times as they are now . because they were afraid of the
witches that came to torment dying people.
He was alone several days, not able to rise from his bed, when one
morning an old woman came in at the door. She looked just like the
other women of the settlement, hut he did not know her. She came
over to tin- lied and -aid. ••You are very sick and your friends seem to
have left you. Come with me and I will make you well." The man
was so near death that he could not move, hut now her word- made
him feel stronger at once, and he asked her where she wanted him to
go. "We live close by; come with me and I will show you." said the
woman, so he got up from his bed and she led the way down to the
water. When she came to the water she stepped in and he followed,
and there was a road under the water, and another country there just
like that above.
They went on until they eame to a settlement with a great many
houses, and women going about their work and children playing.
They met a party of hunters coming in from a hunt, hut instead of
deer or bear quarters hanging from their shoulders the\ carried the
bodies of dead men and children, and several of the bodies the man
knew for those of hi- own friends in Tikwali'tsi". They eame to a
350 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE
house and the woman said "This is where I live," and took him in and
fixed a bed for him and made him comfortable.
By this time he was very hungry, but the woman knew his thoughts
and said. " We must get him something to eat.*' She took one of the
bodies that the hunters had just brought in and cut off a slice to roast.
The man was terribly frightened, but she read his thoughts again and
said. "I see you can not eat our food." Then she turned away from
him and held her hands before her stomach — so — and when she turned
around again she had them full of bread and beans such as he used to
have at home.
So it was every day. until soon he was well and strong- again. Then
she told him he might go home now, but he must be sure not to speak
to anyone for seven days, and if any of his friends should question
him he must make signs as if his throat were sore and keep silent.
She went with him along the same trail to the water's edge, and the
water closed over her and he went back alone to Tikwiili'tsi. "When
he came there his friends were surprised, because they thought he
had wandered off and died in the woods. They asked him where
he had been, but he only pointed to his throat and said nothing, so
they thought he was not yet well and let him alone until the seven
days were past, when he began to talk again and told the whole story.
Historical Traditions
88. first contact with whites
There are a few stories concerning the first contact of the Cherokee
with whites and negroes. They are very modern and have little value
as myths, but throw some light upon the Indian estimate of the differ-
ent races.
One story relates how the first whites came from the east and tried
to enter into friendly relations, but the Indians would have nothing to
do with them for a long time. At last the whites left a jug of whisky
and a dipper near a spring frequented by the Indians. The Indians
came along. -tasted the liquor, which they had never known before,
and liked it so well that they ended by all getting comfortably drunk.
While they were in this happy frame of mind some white men came
up. and this time the Indians shook hands with them and they bave
been friends after a fashion ever since. This may possibly be a Chero-
kee adaptation of the story of Hudson's first landing on the island of
Manhattan.
* * * -x- * * *
At I he creation an ulufisu'tl was given to the white man, and a piece
of silver to the Indian. But the white man despised the stone and
threw it away, while the Indian did the same with the silver. In
going about the white man afterward found the silver piece and put it
the cndian's and white man's gifts 35]
i 1 1 1 ■ > his pockel and has prized it ever since. The Lndian, in like
manner, found the ulunsu'ti where the white man had thrown it. He
picked it up and has kepi it since as his talisman, as money is the
talismanic power of the white man. This story is quite general and
is probably older than othei's of it- class.
******
When Sequoya, the inventor of the Cherokee alphabet, was trying
to introduce it among his people, about Im'1 some of them opposed it
upon the ground that Indian- had no business with reading. They
said that when the Indian and the white man were created, the Indian.
being the rider, was given a book, while the white man received a how
and arrows. Each was instructed to take good care of his gift and
make the best use of it. but the Indian was so neglectful of his hook
that the white man soon stole it from him. leaving- the how in its place,
so that hooks and reading now belong of right to the white man.
while the Indian ought to be satisfied to hunt for a living. — < 'heroka
Advocate, October 26, Is ft.
The negro made the first locomotive for a toy and put it mi a
wooden track and was having great fun with it when a white man
came along, watched until he saw how to run it. and then killed the
negro and took the locomotive for himself. This, also, although
plainly of very recent origin, was heard from several informants.
89. THE IROQUOIS WARS
Long wars were waged between the Cherokee and their remote
northern relatives, the Iroquois, with both of whom the recollection,
now nearly faded, was a vivid tradition fifty years ago. The (Seneca)
Iroquois know the Cherokee as Oyada'ge'onnon, a name rather freelj
rendered "cave people." The latter call the Iroquois, or rather their
largest and most aggressive tribe, the Seneca, Nundawe'gi, Ani'-Nun-
dawe'gl, or Ani'-Se'nika, the first forms being derii ed from Nundawa'ga
or Nundawa'-ono, "people of the great hills.*" the name by which the
Seneca know- themselves. According to authorities quoted bj -
craft, the Seneca claim to have at one time had a settlement, from
which they were afterward driven, at Seneca. South Carolina, known
in history a- one of the principal towns of the Lower Cherokee.
The league of the Iroquois was probably founded about the middle
of the sixteenth century. Before L680 they had conquered or exter-
minated all the tribes upon their immediate borders and had turned
their arms against the more distant Illinois, ( latawba, and ( Jherokee.
According to Iroquois tradition, the Cherokee were the aggressors,
having attacked and plundered a Seneca hunting party somewhere in
the west, while in another story they are represented as having
violated a peace treaty by the murder of the Iroquois delegates.
352 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
Whatever the cause, the war was taken up by all the tribes of the
league.
From the Iroquois country to the Cherokee frontier was considered
a five days' journey for a rapidly traveling war party. As the distance
was too great for large expeditions, the war consisted chiefly of a series
of individual exploits, a single Cherokee often going hundreds of miles
to strike a blow, which was sure to be promptly retaliated by the war-
riors from the north, the great object of every Iroquois boy being to
go against the Cherokee as soon as he was old enough to take the war
path. Captives were made on both sides, and probably in about equal
numbers, the two parties being too evenly matched for either to gain
any permanent advantage, and a compromise was finally made by which
the Tennessee river came to be regarded as the boundary between their
rival claims, all south of that stream being claimed by the Cherokee,
and being acknowledged by the Iroquois, as the limit of their own con-
quests in that direction. This Indian boundary was recognized by the
British government up to the time of the Revolution.
Morgan states that a curious agreement was once made between the
two tribes, by which this river was also made the limit of pursuit. If
a returning war party of the Cherokee could recross the Tennessee
before they were overtaken by the pursuing Iroquois the}' were as safe
from attack as though entrenched- behind a stockade. The pursuers,
if they chose, might still invade the territory of the enemy, but they
passed by the camp of the retreating Cherokee without offering to
attack them. A similar agreement existed for a time between the
Seneca and the Erie.
The Buffalo dance of the Iroquois is traditionally said to have bad
its origin in an expedition against the Cherokee. When the war-
riors on their way to the south reached the Kentucky salt lick they
found there a herd of buffalo, and heard them, for the first time,
"singing their favorite songs," i. e., bellowing and snorting. From
the bellowing and the movements of the animals were derived the
music and action of the dance.
According to Cherokee tradition, as given by the chief Stand Watie,
the war was finally brought to an end by the Iroquois, who sent a dele-
gation to the Cherokee to propose a general alliance of the southern
and western tribes. The Cherokee accepted the proposition, and in
turn sent out invitations to the other tribes, all of which entered into
the peace excepting the Osage, of whom it was therefore said that they
should be henceforth like a wild fruit on the prairie, at which every
bird should pick, and so the Osage have remained ever a predatory
tribe without friends or allies. This may be the same treaty described
in the story of "The Seneca Peacemakers." A formal and final peace
between the two tribes was arranged through the efforts of the British
agent, Sir William Johnson, in 1768.
THE [ROQUOIS W \ RS 353
In 1847 there were -till living among the Seneca the grandchildren
of Cherokee captives taken in these war-. In IT'.'d the Seneca pointed
out to Colonel Pickering a chief who was a native Cherokee, having
been taken when a boy and adopted among the Seneca, who afterward
made him chief. This was probably the same man of whom thej told
Schoolcraft fift3 years later. He was a full-bl 1 Cherokee, bul bad
been captured when too young to have any memory of the event.
Years afterward, when he ka<l grown to manhood and had become a
chief in the tribe, he learned of bis foreign origin, and was filled at
once with an overpowering longing t<> go back to the south to find
hi- people ami live and die among them. He journeyed to the Chero-
kee country, bul on arriving there found to his great disappoint nt
that the story of his capture had been forgotten in the tribe, and that
his relatives, if any were left, failed to recognize him. Being unable
to find hi- kindred, he made only a short visit and returned again to
the Seneca.
From Janie- Wafford, of Indian Territory, the author obtained a
detailed account of the Iroquois peace embassy referred to by Stand
Watie, and of the wampum belt that accompanied it. Wafford's
information concerning the proceedings at Echota was obtained
directly from two eyewitnesses — Sequoya, the inventor of the alpha-
bet, and (JatuiTwulI. "Hard-mush," who afterward explained the belt
at the great council near Tahlequah seventy years later. Sequoya, at
the time of the Echota conference, was a boy living with his mother
at Taskigi town a few miles away, while GratfLn'wa'lI was already a
young man.
The treaty of peace between the Cherokee and Iroquois, made at
Johnson Hall in New York in 1768, appears from the record to have
been brought about by the Cherokee, who sent for the purpose a
delegation of chiefs, headed l>v AganstaYta, "Groundhog-sausage,"
of Echota. their great leader in the war of 1760-61 against the Eng-
lish. After the treaty had been concluded the Cherokee delegates
invited some of the Iroquois chiefs to go home with them for a visit,
l>ut the latter declined on the ground that it was not yet safe, and in
fact some of their warrior- were at that very time out againsi the
Cherokee, not yet being aware of the peace negotiations. It is proba-
ble, therefore, that the Iroquois delegates did not arrive at Echota
until -ome considerable time, perhaps three years, after the formal
preliminaries had been concluded in the north.
According to Sequoya's account, as given to Wafford, there had
been a lone- war between the Cherokee and the northern Indians, who
were never able to conquer the Cherokee or break their spirit, until
at last the Iroquois were tired of fighting and -cut a delegation to
make peace. The messengers sel out for the south with their wam-
pum belts and peace emblem-, but lost their way after passing Ten-
19 kth— oi 23
354
MYTHS OF THE CHEBOKEE
nessee river, perhaps from the necessity of avoiding the main trail,
and instead of arriving at Itsa'tl or Echota, the ancient peace town
and capital of the Cherokee Nation— situated <>n Little Tennessee river
below Citico creek, in the present Monroe county, Tennessee — they
found themselves on the outskirts of Ta'likwa' or Tellico, on Tellico
river, some 10 or 15 miles to the southward.
Concealing themselves in the neighborhood, they sent one of their
number into the town to announce their coming. As it happened the
lf'The Onondagas retain the custody of the wampums <>f the Five Nations, and the keeper of the'
wampums, Thomas Webster, of the snipe tribe, a consistent, thorough pagan, is their interpreter.
Notwithstanding the claims made that the wampums can be read as a governing code of law, it is
evident that they are simply monumental reminders of preserved traditions, without any literal
details whatever.
"The first [of this] group from left to right, represents a convention of the Six Nations at the adop-
tion of the Tuscaroras into the league: the second, the Five Nations, upon seven strands, illustrates a
treaty with seven Canadian tribes before the year ir,u<>: the tbird signifies the guarded approach of
strangers to the councils of the Five Nations (a guarded gate, with a long, white path leading to the
inner gate, where the Five Nations are grouped, with the Onondagas in the center and a safe council
house behind all); the fourth represents a treaty when but four of the Six Nations were represented,
and the fifth embodies the pledge of seven Canadian christianized nations to abandon their crooked
ways and keep an honest peace (having a cross for each tribe, and with a zigzag line below, to indi-
cate that their ways had been crooked but would ever after be as sacred as the cross). Above this
group is another, claiming to bear date about 1608, when Champlain joined the Algonquins against
the Iroquois." — Carrington, in Six Nations of New York. Extra Bulletin, Eleventh Census, pp. 33-34, 1892.
mou.ney] THE IROQUOIS WARS 355
chief and his family were at work in their cornfield, and his daughter
had just gone up to the house for sonic reason when the Iroquois
entered and asked for something to eat. Seeing that he was a
stranger, she set out food for him according to the old custom of hos-
pitality. While he was eating her father, the chief, came in to sec
what was delaying her, and was surprised to find ther ie of the
hereditary enemies of his tribe. By this time the word had got it
that an Iroquois was in the chief's house, and the men of the town
had left their work and seized their guns to kill him, but the chief
heard them coming and standing in the doorway kept them off, say-
ing: "This man has come here on a peace mission, and before you kill
him you must first kill me."" They finally listened to him. and allowed
the messenger to go out and bring his companions to the chief's house,
where they were all taken care of.
When they were well rested after their lone- journey the chief of
Ta'likwa himself went with them to Itsa'ti. the capital, where lived the
great chief AganstS'ta, who was now the civil ruler of the Nation.
The chiefs of the various towns were summoned and a council was
held, at which the speaker for the Iroquois delegation delivered his
message and produced the wampum belts and pipes, which they
brought as proofs of their mission and had carried all the way in packs
upon their backs.
He said that for three years his people had been wanting to make
peace. There was a spring of dark, cloudy water in their country, and
they had covered it over for one year and then looked, hut the water
was still cloudy. Again they had covered it over, but when they
looked at the end of another year it was still dark and troubled. For
another year they had covered the spring, and this time when they
looked the water was clear and sparkling. Then they knew the time
had come, and they left home with their wampum belts to make peace
with their enemies.
The friendly message was accepted by the Cherokee, and the belts
and other symbolic peace tokens were delivered over to their keeping.
Other belts in turn were probably given to the Iroquois, and after the
usual round of feasting and dancing the messengers returned to their
people in the north and the long war was at an end.
For nearly a century these symbolic records of the peace with the
Iroquois were preserved by the Cherokee, and were carried with them
to the western territory when the tribe was finally driven from its old
home in 1838. They were then in the keeping of John Ross, principal
chief at the time of the removal, and were solemnly produced at a
ereat intertribal council held near Tahlequah, in the Indian Territory,
in .Tune, 1843, when they were interpreted by the Cherokee speaker,
Gatun'wa'U, '•Hard-mush." who had seen them delivered to the child's of
his tribe at old Itsa'ti seventy years before. Watford was present im
thi- occasion and describes it.
35(1 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [Eih.ans.19
Holding the belts over his arm while speaking, Hard-mush told of
the original treaty with the Iroquois, and explained the meaning of
each belt in turn. According to the best of Watford's recollection,
there was one large belt, to which the .smaller belts were fitted. The
beads did not seem to be of shell, and may have been of porcelain.
There were also red pipes for the warriors, grayish-white pipes for
the chiefs who were foremost in making the peace, and some fans or
oilier ornaments of feathers. There were several of the red pipes,
resembling the red-stone pipes of the Sioux, but only one, or perhaps
two, of the white peace pipes, which may have been only painted, and
were much larger than the others. The pipes were passed around the
circle at the council, so that each delegate might take a whiff. The
objects altogether made a considerable package, which was carefully
guarded by the Cherokee keeper. It is thought that they were
destroyed in the War of the Rebellion "when the house of John Ross, a
few miles south of Tahlequah, was burned by the Confederate Chero-
kee under their general, Stand Watie.
90. HIADEONI, THE SENECA
"Hiadeoni was the father of the late chief Young-king. He was a
Seneca warrior, a man of great prowess, dexterity, and swiftness of
foot, and had established his reputation for courage and skill on many
occasions. He resolved while the Seneca were still living on the Gen-
esee river to make an incursion alone into the country of the Cherokee.
He plumed himself with the idea that he could distinguish himself in
this daring adventure, and he prepared for it, according to the custom
of warriors. They never encumber themselves with baggage. He
took nothing but his arms and the meal of a little parched and pounded
corn. The forest gave him his meat.
Hiadeoni reached the confines of the Cherokee country in safety and
alone. He waited for evening before he entered the precincts of a
village. He found the people engaged in a dance. He watched his
opportunity, and when one of the dancers went out from the ring into
the bushes he dispatched him with his hatchet. In this way he killed
two men that night in the skirts of the woods without exciting alarm,
and took their scalps and retreated. It was late- when he came to a
lodge, standing remote from the rest, on his course homeward.
Watching here, he saw a young man come out, and killed him as he
had done the others, and took his scalp. Looking into the lodge cau-
tiously he saw it empty, and ventured in with the hope of finding some
tobacco and ammunition to serve him on his way home.
While thus busied in searching the lodge he heard footsteps at the
door, and immediately threw himself on the bed from which the young
man had risen, and covered his face, feigning sleep. They proved to
be the footsteps of his last victim's mother. She. supposing him to
be her son, whom she had a short time before left lying there, said,
5 seyI HIADEON] THE TWO MOHAWKS 357
■"M\ son, I am going to such a place and will n<it In- back till morn-
ing." 11<' made a suitable response, and the old woman went out.
[nsensibly he fell asleep, and knew nothing till morning, when the
lirst thing he heard was the mother's voice. She. careful for her son,
was at the fireplace \er\ early, pulling some roasted squashes out of
the ashes, and after putting them out, and telling him -he lel't them
for him to eat. she went away. He sprang up instantly ami fled; hut
the early dawn hail revealed his inroad, and he was hotly pursued.
Light of foot, and having the start, he succeeded in reaching ami con-
cealing himself in a remote piece of woods, where he laid till night,
and then pursued his way toward the Genesee, which, in due time he
reached, bringing his three Cherokee scalps as trophies of his victory
and prowess." — Schoolcraft. Notes on [roquois, p. 253, 1*47.
91. THE TWO MOHAWKS
•"In the year 17-17 a couple of the Mohawk Indians came against the
lower towns of the Cheerake, and so cunningly ambuscaded them
through most part of the spring and summer, as to kill above twenty in
different attacks before they were discovered by any party of the
enraged and dejected people. They had a thorough knowledge of the
most convenient ground for their purpose, and were extremely swift
and long-winded. Whenever they killed any and got the scalp they
made off to the neighboring mountains, and ran over the broad ledges
of rocks in contrary courses, as occasion offered, so as the pursuers
could by no means trace them. Once, when a large company was in
chase of them, they ran round a steep hill at the head of the main
eastern branch of Savana river, intercepted, killed, and scalped the
hindmost of the party, and then made off between them and Keeo-
whee. As this was the town to which the company belonged, they
hastened home in a close body, as the proper place of security from
such enemy wizards. In this manner did those two sprightly, gallant
savages perplex and intimidate their foes for the space of four moons
in the greatest security, though they often were forced to kill and
barbecue what they chiefly lived upon, in the midst of their watchful
enemies. Having sufficiently revenged their relations" blood and grat-
ified their own ambition with an uncommon number of scalps, they
resolved to captivate one and run home with him as a proof of their
having killed none but the enemies of their country. Accordingly,
they approached very near to Keeowhee, about half a mile below the
late Fort Prince George. Advancing with the usual caution on such
an occasion, one crawled along under the best cover of the place about
the distance of a hundred yards ahead, while the other shifted from
tree to tree, looking sharply every way. In the evening, however, an
old. beloved man discovered them from the top of an adjoining hill,
and knew them to he enemies by the (ait of their hair, light trim for
358 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
running-, and their postures. He returned to the town and called
first at the house of one of our traders and informed him of the affair,
enjoining him not to mention it to any, lest the people should set off
against them without success before their tracks were to be discovered
and he be charged with having deceived them. But. contrary to the
true policy of traders among unforgiving savages, that thoughtless
member of the Choktah Sphynx Company busied himself, as usual, out
of his proper sphere, sentfor the headmen, and told them the story.
As the Mohawks were allies and not known to molest any of the tra-
ders in the paths and woods, he ought to have observed a strict neu-
trality. The youth of the town, by order of their headmen, carried
on their noisy public diversions in their usual manner to prevent their
foes from having any suspicion of their danger, while runners were
sent from the town to their neighbors to come silently and assist
them to secure the prey in its state of security. They came like silent
ghosts, concerted their plan of operation, passed oxer the river at the
old trading ford opposite to the late fort, which lay between two con-
tiguous commanding hills, and, proceeding downward over a broad
creek, formed a large semicircle from the river bank, while the town
seemed to be taking its usual rest. They then closed into a narrower
compass, and at last discovered the two brave, unfortunate men lying
close under the tops of some fallen young pine trees. The company
gave the war signal, and the Mohawks, bounding up, bravely repeated
it; but, by their sudden spring from under thick cover, their arms were
useless. They made desperate efforts, however, to kill or be killed, as
their situation required. One of the Cheerake, the noted half-breed
of Istanare [Ustana'li] town, which lay ^ miles from thence, was at the
first onset knocked down and almost killed with his own cutlass, which
was wrested from him, though he was the strongest of the whole
nation. But they were overpowered by numbers, captivated, and put
to the most exquisite tortures of fire, amidst a prodigious crowd of
exulting foes.
One of the present Choktah traders, who was on the spot, told me that
when they were tied to the stake the younger of the two discovered our
traders on a hill near, addressed them in English, and entreated them
to redeem their lives. The elder immediately spoke to him, in his
own language, to desist. On this, he recollected himself, and became
composed like a stoic, manifesting an indifference to life or death,
pleasure or pain, according to their standard of martial virtue, and
their dying behaviour did not reflect the least dishonor on their former
gallant actions. All the pangs of fiery torture served only to refine
their manly spirits, and as it was out of the power of the traders to
redeem them they, according to our usual custom, retired as soon as
the Indians began the diabolical tragedy." — Adair, American Indians,
p. 383, 1775.
UREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY NINETEENTH ANNUAL REPORT PL. XVII
ANNIE AX 'SADAYI
SENECA TRADITIONS 359
92. ESCAPE OF THE SENECA BOYS
Some Seneca warrior- were hunting in the woods, and one morning,
on starting out for the day, they lefl two boys behind to take care
of the camp. Soon after thej had gone, a war party of Cherokee
cam.' up. and finding the boys alone took them both and started back
to the south, traveling at such a rate thai when the hunters returned
in tin- evening thej decided that ii was of do use t<> follow them.
When the Cherokee reached their own country they gave the boys
in an old man, whose sons had been killed by the Seneca. Betook
the boys ami adopted them tor his own, and they grew up with him
until they were large and strong enough to go hunting for themselves.
Bui all the time they remembered their own home, and one day the
older one said to his brother, " Let's kill the old man and run awaj ."
'• No." -aid the other, "we mighl get lost if we ran away, we arc so
far from home." " 1 remember the way," said his brother, so they
made a plan to escape. A few days later the old man took the boys
with him and the three -d out together for a hunt in the mountains.
When they were well away from the settlement the hoys killed the
old man. took all the meat and parched corn meal they could easily
carry, and started to make their wa\ hack to the north, keeping away
from the main trail and following the ridge of the mountains. After
many days they came to the end of the mountains and found a trail
which the older brother knew as the one along which they had been
taken when they were first captured. They went on bravely now
until they came to a wide clearing with houses at the farther end. and
the older brother said. " I believe there is where we used to live." It
was so lone- ago that they were not quite sure, and besides they were
dressed now like Cherokee, so they thought it safer to wait until dark.
They saw a river ahead and went down to it and sat behind a large
tree to wait. Soon several women came down for water and passed
close to the tree without noticing the hoys. Said the older brother,
"I know those women. One of them is our mother." They waited
until the women had tilled their buckets and started to the village,
when both ran out to meet them with the Seneca hailing-shout,
•■ i,n,r,'! l,n,r/:" At first the women were frightened and thought
it a party of Cherokee, hut when they heard their own language they
came nearer. Then the mother recognized her two sms. and -aid.
■■Let us go hack and dance for the dead come to life." and they were
all very glad and went into the village together. -Arranged from
Curtin, Seneca manuscript.
93. THE UNSEEN HELPERS
Ganogwioeon, a war chief of the Seneca, led a party against the
Cherokee. When they came near tin' first town he left his men outside
360 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
and went in alone. At the first house he found an old woman and her
granddaughter. They did not see him, and he went into the asl and
hid himself under some wood. When darkness came on he heard the
old woman say. "Maybe GanogwioeoS is near; I'll close the door."
After a while he heard them going to bed. When he thought they
were asleep Ik1 went into the house. The fire had burned down low,
but the girl was still awake and saw him. She was about to scream,
when he said. ""I am Ganogwii 5. If you scream I'll kill you. If
you keep quiet Til not hurt you." They talked together, and he told
her that in the morning she must bring the chief's daughter to him.
She promised to do it, and told him where he should wait. Just before
daylight he left the house.
In the morning the girl went to the chief's house and said to his
daughter, "Let's go out together for wood." The chief's daughter
got ready and went with her. and when they came to the place where
Ganogwioeon was hiding he sprang out and killed her, but did not
hurt the other girl. He pulled oft the scalp and gave such a loud
scalp yell that all the warriors in the town heard it and came running
out after him. He shook the scalp at them and then turned and ran.
He killed the first one that came up. but when he tried to shoot the
next one the bow broke and the Cherokee got him.
They tied him and carried him to the two women of the tribe who
had the power to decide what should be done with him. Each of these
women had two snakes tattooed on her lips, with their heads opposite
each other, in such a way that when she opened her mouth the two
snakes opened their mouths also. The}' decided to burn the soles of
his feet until they were blistered, then to put grains of corn under
the skin and to chase him with clubs until they had beaten him to
death.
They stripped him and burnt his feet. Then they tied a bark rope
around his waist, with an old man to hold the other end. and made him
run between two lines of people, and with clubs in their hands. When
they gave the word to start Ganogwioeon pulled the rope away from
the old man and broke through the line and ran until he had left them
all out of sight. When night came he crawled into a hollow log. He
was naked and unarmed, with his feet in a pitiful condition, and
thought he could never get away.
He heard footsteps on the leaves outside and thought his enemies
were upon him. The footsteps came up to the log and some one said
to another, "This is our friend." Then the stranger said to Gano-
gwioeon, "You think you are the same as dead, but it is not so. We
will take care of you. Stick out your feet." He put out his feet
from the log and felt something licking them. After a while the voice
said, "I think we have licked his feet enough. Now we must crawl
inside the log and lie on each side of him to keep him warm." They
G ANi IQW li i]:< >\ 36 1
crawled in beside him. In the morning thej crawled out and toldhim
to stick out lii— feel again. They licked them again and then said to
him, "Now we have done all we can do this time. Goon until you
come to tlic place where you made a bark shelter a long time ago, and
under the hark you will find something to help you." Ganogwioeon
crawled oul of the log, hut they were gone. His feel were better
now and he could walk comfortably. He went on until about noun.
when he came to the bark shelter, and under it he found a knife, an
awl, and a flint, that his men had hidden there two years before, lie
to..k them and started on again.
Toward evening he looked around until he found another hollow
tree and crawled into it to sleep. At night he heard the footsteps and
voices again. When he put out his feet again, as the strangers told
him to do, they licked his feet a- before and then crawled in and lay
down on each side of him to keep him warm. Still he could not see
them. In the morning after they went out they licked his feet again
and said to him. "At noon you will find food." Then they went
away.
Ganogwioeon crawled out of the tree and went on. At noon he
came to a burning log, and near it was a dead hear, which was -till
warm, as if it had been killed only a short time before, lie skinned
the hear and found it very fat. He cut up the meat and roasted as
much as he could eat or carry. AVhile it was roasting he scraped the
skin and rubbed rotten wood dust on it to clean it until lie was tired.
When night came he lay down to sleep. He heard the steps and the
voices again and one said, " Well, our friend is lying down. He has
plenty to eat. and it does not seem as if he is going- to die. Let us lick
In- feet again." When they had finished they said to him. " You need
not worry any more now. You will get home all right." Before it
was day they left him.
When morning came he put the bearskin around him like a shirt.
with the hair outside, and started on again, taking as much of the
meat as he could carry. That night his friends came to him again.
They -aid. ■•Your feet arc well, hut you will he cold." so they lay
again on each side of him. Before daylight they left, saying. "About
noon you will find something to wear." He went on and about midday
he came to two young hears just killed. He skinned them and dressed
the skins, then roasted as much meat as he wanted and lay down to
-leep. Iii the morning he made leggings of the skins, took some of
tin' meat, and started on.
His friends came again the next night and toldhim that in the morn-
ing he would come upon something else to wear. A- they -aid. about
noon he found two fawns just killed. He turned the skins and made
himself a pair of moccasins, then cut some of the meat, and traveled
on until evening, when he made a tire and had -upper.
362 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
That night again he heard the steps and voices, and one said. "My
friend, very soon now yon will reach home safely and find your
friends all well. Now we will tell yon why we have helped you.
Whenever you went hunting you always gave the best part of the
meat to us and kept only the smallest part for yourself. For that we
are thankful and help you. In the morning you will see us and know
who we are."
In the morning when he woke up they were still there — two men as
he thought — but after he had said the last words to them and started
on, he turned again to look, and one was a white wolf and the other a
black wolf. That day he reached home. — Arranged from Curtin,
Seneca manuscript.
94. HATCINONDON'S ESCAPE FROM THE CHEROKEE
Hatcinondofi was a great warrior, the greatest among the Seneca.
Once he led a company against the Cherokee. They traveled until
they came to the great ridge on the border of the Cherokee country,
and then they knew their enemies were on the lookout on the other
side. Hatcinondofi told his men to halt where they were while he
went ahead to see what was in front. The enemy discovered and
chased him. and he ran into a canebrake, where the canes were in two
great patches with a narrow strip of open ground between. They saw
him go into the canes, so they set fire to the patch and watched at the
open place for him to come out, but before they got around to it he
had run across into the second patch and escaped. When the canes
had burned down the Cherokee looked for his body in the ashes, but
could not find any trace of it. so they went home.
When Hatcinondofi got into the second canebrake he was tired out,
so he lay down and fell asleep. At night while he was asleep two men
came and took him by the arm, saying: "We have come for you.
Somebody has sent for }'ou." They took him a long way. above the
sky vault, until they came to a house. Then they said: •"This is
where the man lives who sent for you." He looked, but could see no
door. Then a voice from the inside said ••Come in." and something
like a door opened of itself. He went in and there sat Hawenni'o, the
Thunder-god.
Hawenni'o said, ''I have sent for you and you are here. Are you
hungry?" Hatcinondofi thought: •"That's a strange way to talk; that's
not the way I do — I give food.'' The Thunder knew his thoughts, so
he laughed and said, "I said that only in fun." lie rose and brought
half a cake of bread, half of a wild apple, and half a pigeon. Hatci-
nondofi said, "'This is very little to till me," but the Thunder replied,
"If you eat that, there is more." He began eating, but. as he ate,
everything became whole again, so that he was not able to finish it.
While he was sitting he heard some one running outside, and directly
mooney] HATCINONDOS'S ES( \n 363
the door was tin-own open and the Sun came in, so bright thai 1 latci-
Qondon had to hold his head down. The two beings talked together,
but the Seneca could not understand a word,and soon the visitor wenl
out again. Then the Thunder said: "That is the one you call the Sun,
who watches in the world below. It is night down there now. and he
is hurrying to the east. Hesaysthere has just been a battle, [love
both the Seneca and the Cherokee, and when you get back to your
warriors you must tell them to stop fighting and go home." Again
he brought food, half of each kind, and when Hatcinondofi bad eaten,
the Thunder said. "Now my messengers will take you to your place."
The door opened again of itself, and I Iatcinofidofi followed the two
Sky People until they brought him to the place where he had slept,
and there left him. He found his party and told the warriors what he
had seen. They held a council over it and decided to strike the enemy
once before going home. Hatcinondofi led them. They met the
Cherokee and went home with scalps.
He led another party against the Cherokee, but this time lie was
taken and carried to the Cherokee town. It was the custom among
the Cherokee to let two women say what should lie done with captives.
They decided that he should lie tortured with tire, so he was tied to a
tree, and the wood was piled around him. Hatcinondofi gave himself
up for lost, when a rain storm came up and the people concluded to
■wait until it was over. They went away and left him tied to the tree.
Pretty soon an old woman came up to him. and said. "My grandson,
you think you are going to die, but you are not. Try to stir your
limbs." He struggled and finally got his limbs free. Then she said.
"Now you are free. I have come to repay }rour kindness. You
remember that you once found a frog in the middle of a circle of tire
and that you picked it up and put it into the water. I was that frog,
and now I help you. I sent the rain storm, and now you must go
down to the creek anil follow the current."
When the rain was over the people came back, but Hatcinondofi Was
gone. They trailed him down to the creek, but lie had found a hollow
tree lying in the water, with a hole on the upper side through which
he could breathe, so he crawled into it and they could not find him.
Once two of the Cherokee came and sat on the log and he could hear
them talking about him. but they did not know that he was inside.
When they were all gone, he came out and kept on down the stream.
After dark he came to a place where three hunters had made a fire and
gone to sleep for the night. Their hatchets and arms were hung up
on a tree. Hatcinondofi was naked. He listened until he was sure
tin' men were asleep, then he took one of then- hatchets and killed all
three, one after another. .He dressed himself in the clothes of one.
and put on his belt, with the knife and hatchet. Then he washed
himself at the creek and -at down bj the lire and cooked hi- supper.
3I>4 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth ann.19
After that he stretched and painted the throe scalps and lay down by
the fire to sleep. In the morning he took what provision he could
cany and traveled in a great circle until he found the road by which
he and his warriors had come. He found fresh tracks and followed
them until he saw smoke ahead. He listened until he heard men
speaking Seneca, and knew that it was his party. Then he gave the
Seneca shout — Gowd ! — three times and his friends ran out to meet
him. They had been afraid that he was killed, but were glad now
that they had waited for him. They went home together. This is
their story. — Arranged from Curtin, Seneca manuscript.
95. HEMP-CARRIER
On the southern slope of the ridge, along the trail from Robbins-
ville to Valley river, in Cherokee county, North Carolina, are the
remains of a number of stone cairns. The piles are leveled now, but
thirty years ago the stones were still heaped up into pyramids, to which
every Cherokee who passed added a stone. According to the tradition
these piles marked the graves of a number of women and children of
the tribe who were surprised and killed on the spot by a raiding party
of the Iroquois shortly before the final peace between the two Nations.
As soon as the news was brought to the settlements on Hiwassee and
Cheowa a party was made under Tale'tanigi'ski, "Hemp-carrier," to
follow and take vengeance on the enemy. Among others of the party
was the father of the noted chief Tsunu'lakun'skl, or Junaluska, who
(Junaluska) died on Cheowa about 1855.
For days they followed the trail of the Iroquois across the Great
Smoky mountains, through forests and over rivers, until they finally
tracked them to their very town in the far northern Seneca country.
On the way they met another war party headed for the south, and the
Cherokee killed them all and took their scalps. When they came
near the Seneca town it was almost night, and they heard shouts in the
townhouse, where the women were dancing over the fresh Cherokee
scalps. The avengers hid themselves near the spring, and as the dancers
came down to drink the Cherokee silently killed one and another until
they had counted as many scalps as had been taken on Cheowa, and
still the dancers in the townhouse never thought that enemies were
near. Then said the Cherokee leader, "We have covered the scalps
of our women and children. Shall we go home now like cowards, or
shall we raise the war whoop and let the Seneca know that we are
men?" "Let them come, if they will," said his men; and they raised
the scalp yell of the Cherokee. At once there was an answering shout
from the townhouse, and the dance came to a sudden stop. The Seneca
warriors swarmed out with ready gun and hatchet, but the nimble
Cherokee were off and away. There was a hot pursuit in the dark-
ness, but the Cherokee knew the trails and were light and active
uooney] OWL'S DEATH SONG 365
runners, and managed to get away with the loss of only a single man.
The res! got home safely, and the people were so well pleased with
Hemp-carrier's braver} and success thai they gave him seven wives.
96. THE SENECA PEACEMAKERS
In the course of the long war with the Cherokee it happened once
that eight Seneca determined to undertake a journey t<> the smith to
sec if they could make a peace will) their enemies. On coming near
the border of the Cherokee country they met some hunters of that
tribe to whom they told their purpose. The latter at once hurried
ahead with the news, and when the peacemakers arrived they found
themselves well received by the Cherokee chiefs, who called a council
to consider the proposition. All hut one of the child's favored the
peace, hut he demanded that the eighl delegates should first join them
in a war party which was just preparing to go against a tribe farther
south, probably the Creeks. The Seneca agreed, and set out with the
war party for the south; hut in the fight which resulted, the Seneca
leader. The Owl, was captured. The other seven escaped with the
Cherokee.
A council was held in the enemy's camp, and it was decided that
The Owl should he burned at the stake. The wood was gathered and
everything made ready, hut as they were about to tie him he claimed
the warrior's privilege to sing his death song and strike the post as he
recited his warlike deed>. The request pleased his enemies, who put
a tomahawk into his hands and told him to begin.
He told first his exploits in the north, and then in the west, giving
times and places and the number of scalps taken, until his enemies
were so pleased and interested that they forgot the prisoner in the
warrior. It was a long story, hut at last he came to the battle in
which he was taken. He told how many relatives he had killed of the
very men around him. and then, striking the post with his tomahawk,
"So many of your people have I killed, and so many will I yet kill;"
and with that he struck down two men, sprang through the circle of
warriors, and was away, [t was all so sudden that it was some moments
before his enemies could recover from their surprise. Then they
seized their weapons and were after him through the woods, hut he had
had a good start and was running for his life, so that he outran the
chase and tinalh reached the Cherokee cam}) in safety and rejoined
his seven companions.
On this proof of good will the Cherokee then concluded the treaty,
and the peacemakers returned to their own country. — Arranged from
Schoolcraft. Notes on Iroquois, p. 258.
97. ORIGIN OF THE YONTONWISAS DANCE
Two Seneca women who were sisters, with the baby hoy of the older
one. were in a sugar grove near their home when a war party of
366 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.akn.19
Cherokee came upon them and carried them off. When the people of
the town learned what had happened, they decided not to go after the
enemy for fear they would kill the women, .so they made no pursuit.
The Cherokee carried the women with them until they were within
one day of the Cherokee towns. The elder sister learned this and
made up her mind to try to escape. She had a knife without a handle
hidden under her belt, and that night when all lay down to sleep by
the lire she kept awake. When they were sleeping soundly, she looked
around. She and her sister were tied together, and on each side of
them was a Cherokee with the end of the rope under his body on the
ground. Taking out her knife, she cut the rope without waking the
men. and then rousing her sister quietly she whispered to her to come.
Tln'\ were going to leave (lie little boy, but lie started to cry, so she
said, "■ Let us die together," and took him up on her back, and the
two women hurried away. In a little while they heard an alarm
behind them, and knew that their escape was discovered, and then
they saw the blazing pine knots waving through the trees where the
Cherokee were coming on looking for them. The women knew the
Cherokee would hunt for them toward the north, along the trail to
the Seneca country, so they made a circuit and went around to the
south until they came in sight of a tire and saw a man sitting by a
tree, shaking a rattle and singing in a low voice. They found they had
come directly back to the enemy's camp, so the older sister said, ''This
will never do; we must try again. Let us go straight ahead to that
big tree in front, and from that straight on to the next, and the next."
In this way they kept on a straight course until morning. When the
sun came up, they took another direction toward home, and at night
they rested in the woods.
They traveled all the next day. and at night rested again. In the
night a voice spoke to the younger woman, "Is that where you are
resting;"' and she answered, '•Yes.''' The voice said again. '"Keep
on, and you will come out at the spot where you were captured. No
harm will come to you. To-morrow you will find food." She roused
her sister ami told her what the voice had said.
In the morning they went on and at noon found a buck freshly killed.
Near by they found a log on fire, so they roasted some of the meat,
had a good meal, and carried away afterwards as much of the meat as
they could. They kept on. camping every night, and when the meat
was nearly gone they saved the rest for the little boy.
At last one night the \oice spoke again to the younger sister and
said. •"You are on the right road, and to-morrow you will be on the
border of the Seneca country. You will find food. That is all."
In the morning she told her older sister. They started on again and
walked until about noon, when they came to a patch of wild potatoes.
They dug and found plenty, and as they looked around they saw smoke
THE yONTOSwiSAS DANCE 367
where there had been a camp fire. They gathered wood, made up the
fire, ;tn<! roasted the potatoes. Then they ate as many a~ the} wanted
and carried the rest with them.
They traveled on until the potatoes were almosl gone. Then at
night the voice came again to the younger woman, saying: "Al aoon
tomorrow yon will reach your home, and the first person you will
meel will be your uncle. When you gel to the tow o, you must call the
people toe-ether and tell them all that has happened. You must go to
the long house and take oil' your skirl and carry it on your shoulder.
Then you must go inside and go around once, singing, 'We have come
home; we are here.' This is the Ybntonwisas song, and it shall he
for women only. Know now that we are the ETadionyageonon, the
>k\ People, who have watched n\ er you all this time."
When the girl awoke, she told her sister, and they said. "We must,
do all this." and they began to sine' as they went along. Aliout noon
they heard the sound of chopping, and when they went to the place
they found it was their uncle cutting blocks to make spoons. He did
not see them until they spoke, and at first could hardly believe that
they were living women, because he knew that they had been taken by
the Cherokee. He was very glad to see them, and as they walked on
to the town they told him all they had been commanded to do by the
Sky People. When they arrived at the town, he called all the people
toe-ether, and they went to the long house. There the two women
sang their song and did everything exactly as they had been told to do.
and when it was over they said. ■'This is all." and sat down. This is
the same Yontonwisas song that is still sung by the women. — Arranged
from Curtin, Seneca manuscript.
98. GA'NA'S ADVENTURES AMONG THE CHEROKEE
Ga'na' was a Seneca war chief. He called a council and said. "We
must go to the Cherokee and see if we can't agree to be friendly
together and live in peace hereafter." The people consented, and the
chief said. "We uiu-t go to water first before we start." So they went,
a great party of warriors, far away into the deep forest by the river
side. There were no women with them. For ten days they drank
medicine every morning to make them vomit and washed and bathed
in the river each clay.
Then the chief said. " Now we must get the eagle feathers. " They
went i,, the top of a high hill and dug a trench there the length of a
man's body, and put a man into it. with boughs over the top so that
he could not be seen, and above that they put the whole body of a
deer. Then the people went oil' out of sight, and said the words to
invite Shada'ge'a. the great eagle that lives in the clouds, to come down.
The man under the brushwood heard a noise, and a common eagle
came and ate a Little ami flew away again. Soon it came back, ate a
368 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
little more, and flew off in another direction. It told the other birds
and they came, bat the man scared them away, because he did not
want common birds to eat the meat. After a while he heard a great
noise coming through the air, and he knew it was Shada'ge'a, the bird
he wanted. Shada*ge'a is very cautious, and looked around in every
direction for some time before be began to eat the meat. As soon as
he was eating the man put his hand up cautiously and caught hold of
the bird's tail and held on to it. Shada'ge'a rose up and flew away,
and the man had pulled out one feather. They had to trap a good
many eagles in this way, and it was two years before they could get
enough feathers to make a full tail, and were ready to start for the
Cherokee country.
They were many days on the road, and when they got to the first
Cherokee town they found there was a stockade around it so that no
enemy could enter. They waited until the gate was open, and then
two Seneca dancers went forward, carrying the eagle feathers and
shouting the signal yell. When the Cherokee heard the noise they
came out and saw the two men singing and dancing, and the chief said,
"These men must have come upon some errand." The Seneca mes-
sengers came up and said. "Call a council; we have come to talk on
important business." All turned and went toward the townhouse, the
rest of the Seneca following the two who were dancing. The town-
house was crowded, and the Seneca sang and danced until they were
tired before they stopped. The Cherokee did not dance.
After tin' dance the Seneca chief said. "Now I will tell you why
we have come so far through the forest to see you. We have thought
among ourselves that it is time to stop fighting. Your people and
ours arc always on the lookout to kill each other, and we think it is
time for this to stop. Here is a belt of wampum to show that I speak
the truth. If your people are willing to be friendly, take it," and he
held up the licit. The Cherokee chief stepped forward and said, " I
will hold it in my hand, and to-morrow we will tell you what we decide."
He then turned and said to the people, '"Go home and bring food."
They went and brought so much food that it made a great pile across
the house, and all of both tribes ate together, but could not finish it.
Next day they ate together again, and when all were done the Cher-
okee chief said to the Seneca. "We have decided to be friendly and
to bury our weapons, these knives and hatchets, so that no man may
take them up again." The Seneca chief replied, "We are glad you
have accepted our offer, and now we have all thrown our weapons in a
pile together, and the white wampum hangs between us, and the belt
shall be as long as a man and hang down to the ground."
Then the Cherokee chief said to his people, "Now is the time for
any of you that wishes to adopt a relative from among the Seneca to
do so." So some Cherokee women went and picked out one man and
mooney] GA N.V s ADVENTURES 369
said, "" Vmi shall be our uncle," and some more took another for their
brother, and so on until only Ga'na', the chief, was left, bul the Cher-
okee chief said, " No one must take Ga'na', for a young man is here to
claim him as his father." Then the young man rami' up to Ga'na' and
said. '"Father. I am glad to see you. Father, we will go I e," and
he led Ga'na' to his own mother's house, the house where Ga'na' had
spent the first night. The young man was really his son. and when
Ga'na' came to the house he recognized the woman as his wife who had
been carried off lone- ago by the Cherokee.
While they were there a messenger came from the Seoqgwageono
tribe, that lived near the great salt water in the east, to challenge the
Cherokee to a ball play. lie was dressed in skins which were so long
that they touched the ground. He said that his people were already
on the way and would arrive in a certain number of days. They
came on the appointed day and the next morning began to make the
bets with the Cherokee. The Seneca were still there. The strangers
bet two very heavy and costly robes, besides other things. They
began to play, and the Cherokee lost the game. Then the Seneca
said. "We will try this time.'* Both sides bet heavily again, and the
game began, but after a little running the Seneca carried the ball to
their goal and made a point. Before lone- they made all the points
and won the game. Then the bets were doubled, and the Seneca won
again. "When they won a third game also the Seoqgwageono said.
•• Let us try a race." and the Seneca agreed.
The course was level, and the open space was very wide. The
Cherokee selected the Seneca runner, and it was agreed that they
would run the first race without betting and then make their bets on
the second race. They ran the first race, and when they reached the
post the Seneca runner was just the measure of his body behind the
other. His people asked him if he had done his best, but he said.
"No; I have not." so they made their bets, and the second race -the
real race — began. When they got to the middle the Seneca runner
said to the other. "Do your best now. for I am going to do mine."
and as he said it lie pulled out and left the other far behind and won
the race. Then the Seoqgwageono said. "There is one more race
yet -the long race," and they got ready for it, but the Cherokee
chief said to his own men. " We have won everything from these
people. I think it will be best to let them have one race, for if they
lose all. they may make trouble." They selected a Cherokee to run,
and he was beaten, and the Seoqgwageono went home.
In a few days they sent a messenger to challenge the Cherokee id
meet them halfway for a battle. When the Cherokee heard this they
said to the Seneca. "There are so few of you here that we don't want
to have you killed. It is better for you to go home." So the Seneca
went back to their own country.
19 ETH— 01 24
370 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.akk.19
Three years later they came again to visit the Cherokee, who told
them that the Seoqgwageono had won the battle, and that the chief of
the enemy had said afterward. " I should like to fight the Seneca, for
I am a double man.'1 Before long the enemy heard that the Seneca
were there and sent them a challenge to come and tight. The Seneca
said. "We must try to satisfy them," so with Cherokee guides they
set out for the country of the Seoqgwageono. They went on until
they came to an opening in the woods within one day's journey of the
first village. Then they stopped and got ready to send two messen-
gers to notify the enemy, but the Cherokee said, "You must send
them so as to arrive about sundown." They did this, and when the
messengers arrived near the town they saw all the people out playing
ball.
The two Seneca went around on the other side, and began throwing
sumac darts as they approached, so that the others would think they
were some of their own men at play. In this way they got near
enough to kill a man who was standing alone. They scalped him,
and then raising the scalp yell they rushed off through the woods,
saying to each other as they ran, "Be strong — Be strong." Soon they
saw the Seoqgwageono coming on horses, but managed to reach a dry
creek and to hide under the bank, so that the enemy passed on without
seeing them.
The next morning they came out and started on, but the enemy was
still on the watch, and before long the two men saw the dust of the
horses behind them. The others came up until they were almost
upon them and began to shoot arrows at them, but by this time the
two Seneca were near the opening where their own friends were hid-
ing, drawn up on each side of the pass. As the pursuers dashed in
the two lines of the Seneca closed in and every man of the Seoqgwa-
geono was either killed or taken.
The Seneca went back to the Cherokee country and after about a
month they returned to their own homes. Afterward the Cherokee
told them, " We hear the Seoqgwageono think you dangerous people.
They themselves are conjurers and can tell what other people are
going to do. but they cannot tell what the Seneca are going to do.
The Seneca medicine is stronger." — Arranged from Curtin, Seneca
manuscript.
gg. THE SHAWANO WARS
Among the most inveterate foes of the Cherokee were the Shawano,
known to the Cherokee as Ani'-Sawanu'gi, who in ancient times, prob-
ably as early as 1680, removed from Savannah (i. e., Shawano) river,
in South Carolina, and occupied the Cumberland river region in mid-
dle Tennessee and Kentucky, from which they were afterward driven
by the superior force of the southern tribes and compelled to take ref-
uge north of the Ohio. On all old maps we find the Cumberland
iioonby] THE SHAWANO WARS .".71
marked as the " river of the Shawano." Although the two tribes were
frequently, and perhaps for long periods, on friendly terms, the ordi-
nary condition was one of chronic warfare, from an early traditional
period until the close of the Revolution. This hostile feeling was
intensified by the fact that the Shawano were usually the steady allies
of the Creeks, the hereditary southern enemies of the Cherokee. In
174'.». however, we find a party of Shawano from the north, accom-
panied by -e\ era! ( Iherokee, making an inroad into the ( 'reek country,
and afterward taking refuge among the Cherokee, thus involving the
latter in a new war with their southern neighbors (Adair, Am. Inds.,
276, 177.")). The Shawano made themselves respected for their fighting
qualities, gaining a reputation for valor which they maintained in their
later wars with the whites, while from their sudden attack and fertil-
ity of stratagem they ca t<> be regarded as a tribe of magicians. By
capture or intermarriage in the old days there is quite an admixture of
Shawano blood among the Cherokee.
According to Haywood, an aged Cherokee chief, named the Little.
Cornplanter (Little Carpenter?), stated in 177i' that the Shawano had
removed from the Savannah river a lone- time before in consequence
of a disastrous war with several neighboring tribes, and had settled upon
the Cumberland, by permission of his people. A quarrel having after-
ward arisen between the two tribes, a strong body of Cherokee invaded
the territory of the Shawano, and. treacherously attacking them, killed
a great number. The Shawano fortified themselves and a long war
ensued, which continued until the Chickasaw came to the aid of the
Cherokee, when the Shawano were gradually forced to withdraw north
of the Ohio.
At the time of their final expulsion, about the year 1710, the boy
Charleville was employed at a French post, established for the Shawano
trade, which occupied a mound on the south side of Cumberland river,
where now is the city of Nashville. For a long time the Shawano had
been so hard pressed by their enemies that they had been withdrawing
to the north in small parties for several years, until only a few remained
behind, and these also now determined to leave the country entirely.
In March the trader sent Charleville ahead with several loads of -kins,
intending himself to follow with the Shawano a few months later. In
the meantime the Chickasaw, learning of the intended move, posted
themselves on both side- of Cumberland river, above the mouth of
Harpeth. with cai - tocut off escape by water, and suddenly attacked
the retreating Shawano, killings large part of them, toe-ether with the
trader, and taking all their skins, trading goods, and other property.
Charleville lived to tell the story nearly seventy years later. As the
war was never terminated by any formal treaty of peace, the hostile
warriors continued to attack each other whenever they chanced to meet
on the rich hunting grounds of Kentuckv. until finally, from mutual
372 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.asn.19
dread, the region was abandoned by both parties, and continued thus
unoccupied until its settlement by the whites.1
According to Cherokee tradition, a body of Creeks was already
established near the mouth of Hiwassee while the Cherokee still had
their main settlements upon the Little Tennessee. The Creeks, being
near neighbors, pretended friendship, while at the same time secretly
aiding the Shawano. Having discovered the treachery, the Cherokee
took advantage of the presence of the Creeks at a great dance at
Itsa'ti, or Echota, the ancient Cherokee capital, to fall suddenly upon
them and kill nearly the whole party. The consequence was a war,
with the final result that the Creeks were defeated and forced to
abandon all their settlements on the waters of the Tennessee river.2
Haywood says that "Little Cornplanter" had seen Shawano scalps
brought into the Cherokee towns. When he was a boy, his father,
who was also a chief, had told him how he had once led a party against
the Shawano and was returning with several scalps, when, as they
were coming through a pass in the mountains, they ran into another
party of Cherokee warriors, who, mistaking them for enemies, fired
into them and killed several before they diseovei-ed their mistake.3
Schoolcraft also gives the Cherokee tradition of the war with the
Shawano, as obtained indirectly from white, informants, but incorrectly
makes it occur while the latter tribe still lived upon the Savannah.
'"The Cherokees prevailed after a long and sanguinary contest and
drove the Shawnees north. This event they cherish as one of their
proudest achievements. ' What!1 said an aged Cherokee chief to Mr
Barnwell, who had suggested the final preservation of the race by
intermarriage with the whites. "What! Shall the Cherokees perish!
Shall the conquerors of the Shawnees perish! Never!'" *
Tribal warfare as a rule consisted of a desultory succession of petty
raids, seldom approaching the dignity of a respectable skirmish and
hardly worthy of serious consideration except in the final result. The
traditions necessarily partake of the same trivial character, being rather
anecdotes than narratives of historical events which had dates and
names. Lapse of time renders them also constantly more vague.
On the Carolina side the Shawano approach was usually made up the
Pigeon river valley, so as to come upon the Cherokee settlements from
behind, and small parties were almost constantly lurking about waiting
the favorable opportunity to pick up a stray scalp. On one occasion
some Cherokee hunters were stretched around the camp fire at night
when they heard flic cry of a flying squirrel in the woods — tsu-u! tsu-u!
tsu-u! Always on the alert for danger, they suspected it might be the
enemy's signal, and all but one hastily left the fire and concealed them-
selves. That one, however, laughed at their fears and, defiantly throw-
ing some heavy logs on the fire, stretched himself out on his blanket
1 Haywood, Nat. and Aborig. Hist, of Tennessee, pp. 222-224, 1823.
- Ibid, p. 241. 3 Ibid, p. 222. * Schoolcraft, Notes on Iroquois, p. 160, 1847.
THE SHAWANO WARS 373
and began to sing. Soon he heard a stealthy step coming through the
bushes and gradually approaching the tiiv. until suddenly an enemy
sprang out upon him from the darkness and boie him to the earth.
But the Cherokee was watchful, and putting up his hands he seized
the other by the anus, and with a mighty effort threw him backward
into the fire. The dazed Shawano lay there a moment squirming upon
the coals, then bounded to Ins feet and ran into the woods, howling
with pain. There was an answering laugh from his comrades hidden
in the hush. 1 mt although the Cherokee kept watch for some time the
enemy made no further attack, probably led by the very boldness of
the hunter to suspect some ambush.
On another occasion a small hunting party in the Smoky mountains
heard the gobble of a turkey (in telling the story Swimmer gives a
good imitation). Some eager young hunters were for going at once
toward the game, but others, more cautious, suspected a ruse and
advised a reconnaissance. Accordingly a hunter went around to the
hack of the ridge, and on coming up from the other side found a
man posted in a large tree, making the gobble call to decoy the hunters
within reach of a Shawano war party concealed behind some bushes
midway between the tree and the camp. Keeping close to the ground,
the Cherokee crept up without being discovered until within gunshot,
then springing to his feet he shot tin' man in the tree, and shouting
"• Kill them all," rushed upon the enemy, who. thinking that a strong
force of Cherokee was upon them, fled down the mountain without
attempting to make a stand.
Another tradition of these wars is that concerning Tun&'i, a great
warrior and medicine-man of old Itsa'tl. on the Tennessee. In one
hard right with the Shawano, near the town, he overpowered his man
and stabbed him through both arms. Running cords through the
holes he tied his prisoner's arms and brought him thus into Itsa'tl,
where he was put to death by the women with such tortures that his
courage broke and he begged them to kill him at once.
A tier retiring to the upper Ohio the Shawano were received into the
protection of the Delawares and their allies, and being thus strength-
ened felt encouraged to renew the war against the Cherokee with
increased vigor. The latter, however, proved themselves more than a
match for their enemies, pursuing them even to their towns in western
Pennsylvania, and accidentally killing there some Delawares who occu-
pied the country jointly with the Shawano. This involved the ( 'herokee
in a war with the powerful Delawares. which continued until brought
to an end in L768 at the request of the Cherokee, who made terms of
friendship at the same time with the Iroquois. The Shawano being
thus left alone, and being, moreover, roundly condemned by their
friends, the Delawares. as the cause of the whole trouble, had no heart
t.. continue the war and were obliged to make final peace.1
i Heckewelder Indian Nations, p. 88, r. -print of L876.
37-4 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
ioo. THE RAID ON TIKWALI'TSI
The last noted leader of the Shawano raiding parties was a chief
known to the Cherokee as Tawa'li-ukwanun'ti, "Punk-plngged-in,"
on account of a red spot on his cheek which looked as though a piece
of punk (tawa'H) had been driven into the flesh.
The people of Tikwali'tsi town, on Tuckasegee, heard rumors that
a war party under this leader had come in from the north and was
lurking somewhere in the neighborhood. The Cherokee conjurer.
whose name was Etawa'ka-tsistatla'ski, "Dead-wood -lighter," resorted
to his magic arts and found that the Shawano were in ambush along the
trail on the north side of the river a short distance above the town.
By his advice a party was fitted out to go up on the south side and
come in upon the enemy's rear. A few foolhardy fellows, however,
despised his words and boldly went up the trail on the north side until
they came to Deep Creek, where the Shawano in hiding at the ford
took them " like fish in a trap" and killed nearly all of them.
Their friends on the other side of the river heard the firing, and
crossing tlic river above Deep creek they came in behind the Shawano
and attacked them, killing a number and forcing the others to retreat
toward the Smoky mountains, with the Cherokee in pursuit. The
invaders had with them two Cherokee prisoners who were not able to
keep up with the rapid flight, so their captors took them, bound as
they were, and threw them over a cliff. An old conjurer of their own
party finding himself unable to keep up deliberately sat clown against
a tree near the same spot to wait for death. The pursuers coming up
split his head with a hatchet and threw his body over the same cliff,
which takes its name from this circumstance. The Shawano continued
to retreat, with the Cherokee close behind them, until they crossed
the main ridge at the gap just below Clingman's dome. Here the
Cherokee gave up the pursuit and returned to their homes.
ioi. THE LAST SHAWANO INVASION
Perhaps a year after the raid upon Tikwali'tsi, the Shawano again,
under the same leader, came down upon the exposed settlement of
Kanuga, on Pigeon river, and carried off a woman and two children
whom they found gathering berries near the town. Without waiting
to make an attack they hastily retreated with their prisoners. The
people of Kanuga sent for aid to the other settlements farther south,
and a strong party was quickly raised to pursue the enemy and recover
the captives. By this time, however, the Shawano had had several
days' start and it was necessary for the Cherokee to take a shorter
course across the mountains to overtake them. A noted conjurer
named Ka'lanu, '"The Raven," of Hiwassee town, was called upon to
discover by Ids magic arts what direction the Shawano had taken and
booney] THE LAST SHAW AMI [NVASION 875
how far they had already gone. Calling the chiefs together he told
them to till the pip'' and smoke and he would return with the informa-
tion before the pipe was smoked out. They sat down in a circle around
the fire and lighted the pipe, while he went out into the woods. Soon
they heard the cry of an owl, and after sonic interval they heard it
again, and the next moment the conjurer walked oul from the trees
before yet the first smoke was finished.
He reported that he had trailed the Shawano to their camp and that
they were seven days ahead. The Cherokee at once followed as The
Raven guided, and reached the place in seven days and found all the
marks of a camp, but the enemy was already gone. Again and once
again the conjurer wenl ahead in his own mysterious fashion to spy
out the country, and they followed as he pointed the way. On return-
ing the third time he reported that their enemies had halted beside the
great river (the Ohio), and soon afterward he came in with the news
that they were crossing it. The Cherokee hurried on to the river,
but by this time the Shawano were on the other side. The pursuers
hunted up and down until they found a favorable spot in the stream,
and then waiting until it was dark they prepared to cross, using logs
as rafts and tacking with the current, and managed it so well that
they were over long before daylight without alarming the enemy.
The trail was now fresh, and following it they soon came upon the
camp, which was asleep and all unguarded, the Shawano, flunking
themselves now safe in their own country, having neglected to post
sentinels. Rushing in with their knives and tomahawks, the Cherokee
fell upon their sleeping foe and killed a number of them before the
others could wake and seize their arms to defend themselves. Then
there was a short, desperate encounter, but the Shawano were taken
at a disadvantage, their leader himself being among the first killed.
and in a few moments they broke and ran. every man for himself, to
exape as best he could. The Cherokee released the captives, whom
thc\ found tied to trees, and after taking the scalps from the dead
Shawano, with their guns and other equipments, returned to their
own country.
102. THE FALSE WARRIORS OF CHILHOWEE
Some warriors of Chilhowee town, on Little Tennessee, organized a
war party, as they said, to go against the Shawano. They started off
north along the great war trail, but when they came to Pigeon river
they changed their course, and instead of going on toward the Sha-
wano country they went up the river and came in at the back of Cowee,
one of the Middle settlements of their own tribe. Here they concealed
themselves near the path until a party of three or four unsuspecting
townspeople came by, when thej rushed out and killed them, took their
scalps and a gun belonging to a man named Gunskali'skl, and then
37t) MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE ieth.ann.19
hurriedly made their way home by the same roundabout route to Chil-
howee, where they showed the fresh scalps and the gun, and told how
they had met the Shawano in the north and defeated them without
losing a man.
According to custom, preparations were made at once for a great
scalp dance to celebrate the victory over the Shawano. The dance was
held in the townhouse and all the people of the settlement were there
and looked on, while the women danced with the scalps and the gun,
and the returned warriors boasted of their deeds. As it happened,
among those looking on was a visitor from Cowee, a gunstocker, who
took particular notice of the gun and knew it at once as one he had
repaired at home for Gunskali'ski. He said nothing, but wondered
much how it had come into possession of the Shawano.
The scalp dance ended, and according to custom a second dance was
appointed to be held seven days later, to give the other warriors also
a chance to boast of their own war deeds. The gunstocker, whose
name was Gulsadikf, returned home to Cowee, and there heard for the
first time how a Shawano war party had surprised some of the town
people, killed several, and taken their scalps and a gun. He under-
stood it all then, and told the chief that the mischief had been done,
not by a hostile tribe, but by the false men of Chilhowee. It seemed
too much to believe, and the chief said it could not be possible, until
the gunstocker declared that he had recognized the gun as one he had
himself repaired for the man who had been killed. At last they were
convinced that his story was true, and all Cowee was eager for revenge.
It was decided to send ten of their bravest warriors, under the leader-
ship of the gunstocker, to the next dance at Chilhowee, there to take
their own method of reprisal. Volunteers offered at once for the service.
They set out at the proper time and arrived at Chilhowee on the night
the dance was to begin. As they crossed the stream below the town
they met a woman coming for water and took their first revenge by
killing her. Men, women, and children were gathered in the town-
house, but the Cowee men concealed themselves outside and waited.
In this dance it was customary for each warrior in turn to tell the
story of some deed against the enemy, putting his words into a song
which he first whispered to the drummer, who then sang with him,
drumming all the while. Usually it is serious business, but occasion-
ally, for a joke, a man will act the clown or sing of sonic extravagant
performance, that is so clearly impossible that all the people laugh. One
man after another stepped into the ring and sang of what he had done
against the enemies of his tribe. At last one of the late war party rose
from his seat, and after a whisper to the drummer began to sing of how
they had gone to Cowee and taken scalps and the gun, which he carried
as he danced. The chief and the people, who knew nothing of the
treacherous act, laughed heartily at what they thought was a great joke.
mooney] THE FALSE WARKIOBS OF CHILHOWEE 377
But now the gunstocker, who had hern waiting outside with the
Cowee men, stripped off his breechcloth and rushed naked into the town-
house. Bending down to the drummer — who was one of the traitors,
luit failed to recognize Gulsadihi' he gave him the words, and then
straightening up he began to sing, "///'.' Ask who has done this!"
while he danced around the circle, making insulting gestures toward
everyone there. The song was quick and the drummer beat very fast.
11«' made one round and bent down again to the drummer, then
straightened up and sang, " Fit/ I have killed a pregnant woman at
the ford and thrown her body into the river!" Several men started
with surprise, hut the chief said. "He is only joking; go on with the
dance." and the drummer heat rapidly.
Another round and he bent down again to the drummer and then
began to Sing, "We thought our enemies were from the north, but we
have followed them and they are here '." Now the drummer knew at
last what it all meant and he drummed very slowly, and the people
grew uneasy. Then, without waiting- on the drummer, Gulsadihi sane-.
"Cowee will have a ball play with you!" — and everyone knew this
was a challenge to battle— and then fiercely: "But if you want to fight
now my men are ready to die here ! "
With that he waved his hand and left the townhouse. The dancers
looked at each other uneasily and some of them rose to go. The chief.
who could not understand it, urged them to go on with the dance, but
it was of no avail. They left the townhouse. and as they went out they
met the Cowee men standing with their guns ready and their hatchets
in their belts. Neither party said anything, because they were still on
friendly ground, but everyone knew that trouble was ahead.
The Cowee men returned home and organized a strong party of
warriors from their own and all the neighboring Middle settlements to
go and take vengeance on Chilhowee and on Kuwa'hi. just below, which
had also been concerned in the raid. They went down the Tennessee
and crossed over the mountains, but when they came on the other side
they found that their enemies had abandoned their homes and fled for
refuge to the remoter settlements or to the hostile Shawano in the north.
103. COWEE TOWN
Cowee', properly Kawi'yi, abbreviated Kawi', was the name of two
Cherokee settlements, one of which existed in 1755 on a branch of
Keowee river, in upper South Carolina, while the other and more
important was on Little Tennessee river, at the mouth of Cowee creek,
about 10 miles below the present Franklin, in North Carolina. It
was destroyed by the Americans in ls7«i. when it contained about
a hundred house-, but was rebuilt and continued to be occupied
until the cession of 1819. The name can not be translated, but may
possibly mean "the place of the Deer clan" (Ani'-KawT). It was one
378 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE
of the oldest and largest of the Cherokee towns, and when Wafford
visited it as a boy he found the trail leading- to it worn so deep in places
that, although on horseback, he could touch the ground with his feet
on each side.
There is a story, told by Wafford as a fact, of a Shawano who had
been a prisoner there, but had escaped to his people in the north, ami
after the peace between the two tribes wandered back into the neigh-
borhood on a hunting trip. While standing on a hill overlooking the
valley he saw several Cherokee on an opposite hill, and called out to
them, "Do you still own Cowee'" They shouted in reply, "Yes; we
own it yet." Back came the answer from the Shawano, who wanted
to encourage them not to sell any more of their lands, " Well, it's the
best town of the Cherokee. It's a good country; hold on to it."
104. THE EASTERN TRIBES
Besides the Iroquois and Shawano, the Cherokee remember also the
Delawares, Tuscarora, Catawba, and Cheraw as tribes to the east or
north with which thev formerly had relations.
The Cherokee call the Delawares Anakwan' ki, in the singular
Akwan'ki. a derivative formed according to usual Cherokee phonetic
modification from Wapanaq'ki, "Easterners," the generic name by
which the Delawares and their nearest kindred call themselves.
In the most ancient tradition of the Delawares the Cherokee are
called Talega, Tallige, Tallige-wi, etc.1 In later Delaware tradition
they are called Kitu'hwa, and again we tind the two tribes at war, for
which their neighbors are held responsible. According to the Dela-
ware account, the Iroquois, in one of their forays to the south, killed
a Cherokee in the woods and purposely left a Delaware war club
near the body to make it appear that the work had been done by men
of that tribe. The Cherokee found the body and the club, and natur-
ally supposing that the murder had been committed by the Delawares.
they suddenly attacked the latter, the result being a long and bloody
war between the two tribes.2 At this time, i. e., about the end of the
seventeenth century, it appears that a part at least of the Cherokee
lived on the waters of the Upper Ohio, where the Delaware's made
continual inroads upon them, finally driving them from the region
and seizing it for themselves about the year 1708. 3 A century ago the
Delawares used to tell how their warriors would sometimes mingle in
disguise with the Cherokee at their night dances until the opportunity
came to strike a sudden blow and be off before their enemies recovered
from the surprise.
Later there seems to have been peace until war was again brought on
1 Brinton, Lunatic inn] Their Legends, p. 130 rt passim, isST>; Schoolcraft, Notes on Iroquois, pp. 147,305
et passim, LS47; Heckewelder, Indian Nations, pp. 47-50, ed. 1876.
- Heckewelder, op. cit., p. 54.
3 Loskiel, History of the [Moravian] Mission, pp. 124-127; London, 1794.
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY NINETEENTH ANNUAL REPORT PL. XVIII
WALINI', A CHEROKEE WOMAN
mooney] THE DELAWARES AND THE TUSCARORA 379
l>\ the action of the Shawano, who had taken refuge with the 1 >elawares,
after having been driven from their old home on Cumberland river
by the Cherokee. Feeling secure in their new alliance, the Shawano
renewed their raids upon the Cherokee, who retaliated by pursuing
them into the Delaware country, where they killed several Delawares
by mistake. This inflamed the latter people, already excited by the
sight of Cherokee scalps and prisoners brought hack through their
country by the [roquois, and another war was the result, which lasted
until the Cherokee, tired of fighting so many enemies, voluntarily made
overtures for peace in L 768, saluting the Delawares as Grandfather, an
honorary title accorded them by all the Algonquian tribes. The Dela-
wares then reprimanded the Shawano, as the cause of the trouble, and
advised them to keep quiet, which, as they were now left to fighl their
battles alone, they were clad enough to do. At the same time the
Cherokee made peace with the Iroquois, and the long war with the
northern tribes came to an end. The friendly feeling thus established
was emphasized in 177'.». when the Cherokee sent a message of con-
dolence upon the death of the Delaware chief White-eyes.1
The Tuscarora, formerly the ruling- tribe of eastern North Carolina,
are still remembered under the name Ani'-Skala'li, and are thus men-
tioned in the Feather dance of the Cherokee, in which some of the
actors are supposed to be visiting strangers from other tribes.
A- the majority of the Tuscarora fled from Carolina to the Iroquois
country about 1713, in consequence of their disastrous war with the
whites, their memory has nearly faded from the recollection of the
southern Indians. From the scanty light which history throws upon
their mutual relations, the two tribes seem to have been almost con-
stantly at war with each other. Whenat one time the Cherokee, hav-
ing already made peace with some other of their neighbors, were urged
by the whites to make peace also with the Tuscarora. they refused, on
the ground that, as they could not live without war. it was better to let
matters stand as they were than to make peace with the Tuscarora and
be obliged immediately to look about for new enemies with whom to
tight. For some years before the outbreak of the Tuscarora war in
1711 the Cherokee had ceased their inroads upon this tribe, and it was
therefore .-iippo-ed that they were more busily engaged with some
other people west of the mountains, these being probably the Shawano,
whom they drove out of Tennessee about this time." In the war of
1711-1713 the Cherokee assisted the whites against the Tuscarora. In
1731 the Cherokee again threatened to make war upon the remnant of
that tribe still residing in North Carolina and the colonial government
was compelled to interfere.3
i Heckewelder, Indian Nations, pp 88 B9, 1876.
- See Haywood, Nat. and Aborig. Hist, of Tei 9see,pp.220,224,237, 1823.
•North Carolina Colonial Records, in, pp. 153, 202, 345 1886
380 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
The Cheraw or Sara ranging at different periods from upper South
Carolina to the southern frontier of Virginia, are also remembered
under the name of Ani'-Suwa'li. or Ani'-Suwa'la, which agrees with the
Spanish form Xuala of De Soto's chronicle, and Suala, or Sualy, of
Lederer. The Cherokee remember them as having lived east of the
Blue ridge, the trail to their country leading across the gap at the
head of Swannanoa river, east from Asheville. The name of the
stream and gap is a corruption of the Cherokee Suwa'li-Nunna'hi,
"Suwa'li trail." Being a very warlike tribe, they were finally so
reduced by conflicts with the colonial governments and the Iroquois
that they were obliged to incorporate with the Catawba, among whom
they still maintained their distinct language as late as 1743. '
The Catawba are known to the Cherokee as Ani'ta'gwa, singular
Ata'gwa, or Ta'gwa. the Cherokee attempt at the name by which they
are most commonly known. They were the immediate neighbors of
the Cherokee on the east and southeast, having their principal settle-
ments on the river of their name, just within the limits of South Caro-
lina, and holding the leading place among all the tribes east of the
Cherokee country with the exception of the Tuscarora. On the first
settlement of South Carolina there were estimated to be about 7,000
persons in the tribe, but their decline was rapid, and by war and disease
their number had been reduced in 1775 to barely 500, including the
incorporated remnants of the Cheraw and several smaller tribes. There
are now, perhaps, 100 still remaining on a small reservation near the
site of their ancient towns. Some local names in the old Cherokee
territory seem to indicate the former presence of Catawba, although
there is no tradition of any Catawba settlement within those limits.
Among such names may be mentioned Toccoa creek, in northeastern
Georgia, and Toccoa river, in north-central Georgia, both names being
derived from the Cherokee Tagwa'hi, "Catawba place." An old
Cherokee personal name is Ta'gwadihi', "Catawba-killer."
The two tribes were hereditary enemies, and the feeling between
them is nearly as bitter to-day as it was a hundred years ago. Per-
haps the only case on record of their acting together was in the war
of 1711-13, when they cooperated with the colonists against the Tusca-
rora. The Cherokee, according to the late Colonel Thomas, claim
to have formerly occupied all the country about the head of the Ca-
tawba river, to below the present Morganton, until the game became
scarce, when they retired to the west of the Blue ridge, and afterward
"loaned" the eastern territory to the Catawba. This agrees pretty
well with a Catawba tradition recorded in Schoolcraft, according to
which the Catawba — who are incorrectly represented as comparatively
recent immigrants from the north — on arriving at Catawba river found
1 Mooney, Siouan Tribes of the East (bulletin of the Bureuu of Ethnology), pp. 56, 61, 1894.
THE CATAWBA 381
their progress disputed by the Cherokee, who claimed original owner-
ship of the country. A battle was fought, with incredible loss on
both sides, but with do decisive result, although the advantage was
with the ( 'aiaw ba, on account of their baving guns, while their oppo-
nents had only Indian weapons. Preparations were under way to
renew the fight when the Cherokee offered to recognize die river as
the boundary, allowing the Catawba to settle anywhere to the east.
The overture was accepted and an agreement was finally made h\ which
the Catawba were to occupy the country east of that river and the
Cherokee the country west of Broad river, with the region between
the two streams to remain as neutral territory. Stone piles were
heaped up on the battlefield to commemorate the treatj . and the Broad
river was henceforth called Eswau Huppeday (Line river), by the
Catawba, the country eastward to Catawba river being left unoccupied.1
The fact that one party had e'uns would briny this event within the
early historic period.
The Catawba assisted the whites against the Cherokee in the war
of L760 and in the later Revolutionary struggle. About 100 war-
riors, nearly the whole fighting strength of the tribe, took part in
the first-mentioned war. several being killed, and a smaller number
accompanied Williamson's force in 1770.' At the battle fought under
Williamson near the present site of Franklin. North Carolina, the
Cherokee, according to the tradition related by Watford, mistook the
Catawba allies of the troops for some of their own warriors, and were
fighting for some time under this impression before they noticed that
the Catawba wore deer tails in their hair so that the whites might not
make the same mistake. In this engagement, which was one of the
bloodiest Indian encounters of the Revolution, the Cherokee claim
that they had actually defeated the troops and their Catawba allies,
when their own ammunition gave out and they were consequently
forced to retire. The Cherokee leader was a noted war chief named
Tsaiu (John).
About 1840 nearly the whole Catawba tribe moved up from South
Carolina and joined the eastern band of Cherokee, but in consequence
of tribal jealousies they remained but a short time, and afterward
returned to their former home, as is related elsewhere.
Other tribal names (of doubtful authority) are Ani'-Sa'm and Ani'-
Sawaha'ni, belonging to people said to have lived toward the north;
both names are perhaps intended for the Shawano or Shawnee, prop-
erly Ajai'-Sawanu'gi. The Ani'-Gili' are said to have been neighbors
of the Anin'tsior Natchez; the name may possibly be a Cherokee form
for Congaree.
i Catawba MS from South Carolina official archives. Schoolcraft, Indian Tribes, m, pp. 29
sibid., p. 294, 1853.
382 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
105. THE SOUTHERN AND WESTERN TRIBES
The nearest neighbors of the Cherokee to the south were the Creeks
or Muscogee, who found mixed confederacy holding central and south-
ern Georgia and Alabama. They were known to the Cherokee as Ani'-
Ku'sa or Ani'-Gu'sa, from Kusa, the principal town of the Upper
Creeks, which was situated on Coosa river, southwest from the present
Talladega, Alabama. The Lower Creeks, residing chiefly on Chatta-
hoochee river, were formerly always distinguished as Ani-lvawi'ta,
from Kawita or Coweta, their ancient capital, on the west side of
the river, in Alabama, nearly opposite the present Columbus, Georgia.
In number the Creeks were nearly equal to the Cherokee, but differed
in being a confederacy of cognate or incorporated tribes, of which
the Muscogee proper was the principal. The Cherokee were called
by them Tsal-gal'gi or Tsulgiil'gi, a plural derivative from Tsa'lagf,
the proper name of the tribe.
The ordinary condition between the two tribes was one of hostility,
with occasional intervals of good will. History, tradition, and lin-
guistic evidence combine to show that the Creeks at one time occupied
almost the whole of northern Georgia and Alabama, extending a con-
siderable distance into Tennessee and perhaps North Carolina, and
were dispossessed by the Cherokee pressing upon them from the north
and northeast. This conquest was accomplished chiefly during the first
half of the eighteenth century, and culminated with the decisive engage-
ment of Tali'wa about 1755. In most of their early negotiations with
the Government the Creeks demanded that the lands of the various
tribes be regarded as common property, and that only the boundary
between the Indians and the whites be considered. Failing in that,
they claimed as theirs the whole region of the Chattahoochee and
Coosa, north to the dividing ridge between those streams and the Ten-
nessee, or even beyond to the Tennessee itself, and asserted that any
Cherokee settlements within those limits were only by their own
permission. In 1783 they claimed the Savannah river as the eastern
boundary between themselves and the Cherokee, and asserted their
own exclusive right of sale over all the territory between that river
and the Oconee. On the other hand the Cherokee as stoutly claimed
all to a point some 70 miles south of the present city of Atlanta,
on the ground of having driven the Creeks out of it in three successive
wars, and asserted that their right had been admitted by the Creeks
themselves in a council held to decide the question between the two
tribes before the Revolution. By mutual agreement, about 1816,
members of either tribe were allowed to settle within the territory
claimed by the other. The line as finally established through the
mediation of the colonial and Federal governments ran from the mouth
of Broad river oh Savannah nearly due west across Georgia, passing
THE CREEKS 383
about 1" miles north of Atlanta, to ( !oosa river in Alabama, and thence
northwest to strike the west line of Alabama about 2n miles south of
tlir Tennessee. '
Among the names which remain to show the former presence of
Creeks north of this boundary are the following: Coweeta, a small
creek entering the Little Tennessee above Franklin. North Carolina;
Tomatola (Cherokee, Tama' II), a former town site on Vallej river,
near Murphy. North Carolina, the name being that of a former Creek
town on Chattahoochee; Tomotley (Cherokee, Tama' In. a ford at
another town site on Little Tennessee, above Tellico mouth, in Ten-
nessee; Coosa {Cherokee. Kusa'), an upper creek of Nottely river, in
1'nion county, Georgia; Chattooga (Cherokee. Tsatu'gl), a river in
northwest Georgia; Chattooga (Cherokee, Tsatu'gl), another river, a
head-stream of Savannah; Chattahoochee river (Creek. Chatu-huchi,
"pictured rocks"); Coosawatee (Cherokee, Ku'sa-weti'yi, "Old Creek
place"), a river in northwestern Georgia; Tali'wa, the Cherokee form
of a Creek name for a place on an upper branch of Etowah river in
Georgia, probably from the Creek ta'luaox ita'lua, ■"town": Euharlee
(Cherokee. Yuha'li. said by the Cherokee to be from Yufala or Eu-
faula, the name of several Creek towns), a creek flowing into lower
Etowah river: Suwanee (Cherokee. Suwa'ni) a small creek on upper
Chattahoochee, the site of a former Cherokee town with a name which
the ( hei'okee say is Creek. Several other names within the same terri-
tory are said by the Cherokee to he of foreign origin, although perhaps
not Creek, and may he from the Taskigi language.
According to Cherokee tradition as given to Haywood nearly eighty
years ago the country about the mouth of Hiwassee river, in Tennessee,
was held by the Creeks, while the Cherokee still had their main settle
ments farther to the north, on the Little Tennessee. In the Shawano
war. about the year 1700, the Creeks pretended friendship for the
Cherokee while secretly helping their enemies, the Shawano. The
Cherokee discovered the treachery, and took occasion, when a party
of Creeks was visiting a dance at Itsa'tf ( Echota), the Cherokee capital,
to fall upon them and massacre nearly every man. The consequence
was a war between the two tribes, with the final result that the Creeks
were forced to abandon all their settlements upon the waters of the
Tennessee, and to withdraw south to the Coosa and the neighborhood
of the ■•('reek path," an old trading trail from South Carolina, which
crossed at the junction of the ( lostanaula and Etowah rivers, where now
is the city of Rome. Georgia, ami struck the Tennessee at the present
Guntersville, Alabama.
A- an incident of this war the same tradition relates how the
Cherokee once approached a large Creek settlement "at the island on
' Royce, The Cherokee Nation of In. linn-, in Fifth Report of Bureau of Ethnology, pp. 205 08, <!
272, 1887 als i 1783) Bartram, Travels, p. Is;, 1792,
384 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
tlic Creek path," in Tennessee river, opposite Guntersville, and, con-
cealing their main force, sent a small party ahead to decoy the Creeks
to an engagement. The Creek warriors at once crossed over in their
canoes to the attack, when the Cherokee suddenly rose up from their
ambush, and surrounded the Creeks and defeated them after a desperate
battle. Then, taking the captured canoes, they went over to the island
and destroyed all that was there. The great leader of the Cherokee
in this war was a chief named Bullhead, renowned in tradition for his
bravery and skill in strategy.1 At about the same time, according to
Watford, the Cherokee claim to have driven the Creeks and Shawano
from a settlement which they occupied jointly near Savannah, Georgia.
There was a tradition among the few old traders still living in upper
Georgia in 1890 that a large tract, in that part of the State had been
won by the Cherokee from the Creeks in a ballplay.2 There are no
Indians now living in that region to substantiate the story. As
originally told it may have had a veiled meaning, as among the Chero-
kee the expression "to play a ball game" is frequently used figur-
atively to denote fighting a battle. There seems to be no good ground
for Bartram's statement that the Cherokee had been dispossessed by
tlie Creeks of the region between the Savannah and the Ocmulgee, in
southwestern Georgia, within the historic period.3 The territory is
south of any traditional Cherokee claim, and the statement is at
variance with what we know through history. He probably had in
mind the Uchee, who did actually occupy that country until incor-
porated with the Creeks.
The victory was not always on one side, however, for Adair states
that toward the end of the last war between the two tribes the Creeks,
having easily defeated the Cherokee in an engagement, contemptuously
sent against them a number of women and boys. According to this
writer, the "true and sole cause" of this last war was the killing of
some adopted relatives of the Creeks in 1749 by a party of northern
Shawano, who had been guided and afterward sheltered by the Chero-
kee. The war, which he represents as a losing game for the Chero-
kee, was finally brought to an end through the efforts of the governor
of South Carolina, with the unfortunate result to the English that the
(reeks encouraged the Cherokee in the war of 1760 and rendered them
very essential help in the way of men and ammunition.4
The battle of Tali'wa, which decided in favor of the Cherokee the
long war between themselves and the Creeks, was fought about 1755
or a few years later at a spot on Mountain creek or Long-swamp
creek, which enters Etowah .river above Canton, Georgia, near where
iHaywood, Nal and Aborig. Hist. Trim., p. 241, 1823. Bullhead maybe intended for Doublehead,
an old Cherokee name.
SMooney, The Cherokee Ball Play, in The American Anthropologist, m, p. 107, April, 1890.
Bartram, Travels, p. 618,1791.
« Adair, History of American Indians, pp. 227, 247, 252-256, 270, 276-279, 1775.
hooneyJ THE SOUTHEKM TRIBES 385
the old trail crossed the river aboul Long-swamp town. All our
information concerning it is traditional, obtained from James Wafford,
who heard the story when a hoy. aboul the year 1815, from an old
trader named Brian Ward, who had witnessed the battle sixty years
before. According to his account, it was probably the bardesl battle
ever foughl between the two tribes, aboui five hundred Cherokee and
twice that number of Creek warriors being engaged. The Cherokee
were at first overmatched and fell back, but rallied again and returned
to the attack, driving the Creeks from cover so that they broke and
ran. The victory was complete and decisive, and the defeated tribe
immediately afterward abandoned the whole upper portion of Geor-
gia and the adjacent part of Alabama to the conquerors. Before
this battle the Creeks had been accustomed to shift about a good deal
from place to place, but thereafter they confined themselves more
closelj to fixed home locations. It was in consequence of this defeat
that they abandoned their town on Nottely river, below Coosa creek,
near the present Blairsville, Georgia, their old' fields being at once
occupied by Cherokee, who moved over from their settlements on the
head of Savannah river. As has been already stated, a peace was made
about 1759, just in time to enable the Creeks to assist the Cherokee in
their war with South Carolina. We hear little more concerning the
relations of the two tribes until the Creek war of 1813-14, described
in detail elsewhere; after this their histories drift apart.
The Vuehi or Uehee. called Ani'-Yu'tsi by the Cherokee, were a
tribe of distinct linguistic stock and of considerable importance in
early days; their territory bordered Savannah river on both sides imme-
diately below the Cherokee country, and extended some distance west-
ward into Georgia, where it adjoined that of the Creeks. They were
gradually dispossessed by the whites, and were incorporated with the
Creeks about the year 1740, but retain their separate identity and
language to this day. their town being now the largest in the Creek
Nation in Indian Territory.
According to the testimony of a Cherokee mixed-blood named I ran-
-e'ti or Rattling-gourd, who was born on Hiwassee river in 1820 and
came west with his people in 1838. a number of Yuchi lived, before the
Removal, scattered among the Cherokee near the present Cleveland,
Tennessee, and on Chickamauga, Cohutta, and Pinelog creeks in the
adjacent section of Georgia. They bad no separate settlements, but
spoke their own language, which he described as " hard and grunting."
Some of them spoke also Cherokee and Creek. They had probably
drifted north from the Creek country before a boundary had been
fixed between the tribes. When Tahlequah was established a~ the
capital of the Cherokee Nation in the West in 1839 a few Yuchi were
found already settled at the spot, being supposed to have removed
from the East with some Creeks after the chief .Mcintosh was killed in
19 eth— 01 25
386 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE
1825. They perished in the .smallpox epidemic which ravaged the
frontier in 184:0, and their graves were still pointed out at Tahlequah
in 1891. Shortly before the outbreak of the Civil war there was a
large and prosperous Yuchi settlement on Cimarron river, in what was
afterward the Cherokee strip.
Ramsey states that *"a small tribe of Uchees" once occupied the
country near the mouth of the Hiwassee, and was nearly exterminated
in a desperate battle with the Cherokee at the Uchee Old Fields, in
Rhea (now Meigs) county, Tennessee, the few survivors retreating to
Florida, where they joined the Seminoles.1 There seems to be no other
authority for the statement.
Another broken tribe incorporated in part with the Creeks and in
part with the Cherokee was that of the Na'rtsl, or Natchez, who origi-
nally occupied the territory around the site of the present town of
Natchez in southern Mississippi, and exercised a leading influence over
all the tribes of the region. In consequence of a disastrous war with
the French in 172M-31 the tribe was disrupted, some taking refuge
with the Chickasaw, others with the Creeks, either then or later, while
others, in 1736, applied to the government of South Carolina for per-
mission to settle on the Savannah river. The request was evidently
granted, and we find the "Nachee" mentioned as one of the tribes
living with the Catawba in 1743, but retaining their distinct language.
In consequence of having killed some of the Catawba in a drunken
quarrel they were forced to leave this region, and seem to have soon
afterward joined the Cherokee, as we find them twice mentioned in
connection with that tribe in 1755. This appears to be the last refer-
ence to them in the South Carolina records.2
.lust here the Cherokee tradition takes them up, under the name of
Anin'tsi, abbreviated from Ani'-Na' tsi, the plural of Na' tsi. From a
chance coincidence with the word for pine tree, natsi', some English
speaking Indians have rendered this name as "Pine Indians." The
Cherokee generally agree that the Natchez came to them from South
Carolina, though some say that they came from the Creek country. It
is probable that the first refugees were from Carolina and were joined
later by others from the Creeks and the Chickasaw. Bienville states,
in 1742, that some of them had gone to the Cherokee directly from
the Chickasaw when they found the latter too hard pressed by the
French to be able to care for them.3 They seem to have been regarded
by the Cherokee as a race of wizards and conjurers, a view which was
probably due in part to their peculiar religious rites and in part to the
interest which belonged to them as the remnant of an extirpated tribe.
Although we have no direct knowledge on the subject, there is every
1 Ratnsey, Annals of Tennessee, pp. 81, 84, 1853.
2 Mooney, Siouan Tribes of the East (bulletin of tbe Bureau of Ethnology), p. 83,1894.
8 Bienville, quoted in Gayarrfi, Louisiana.
THK SOUTHERN TRIBES 387
reason to suppose thai the two tribes had had communication with each
other long before the period of the Natchez war.
According to the statement of James Wafford, who was born in L806
near the site of -Clarkesville, Ga. , when this region was still Indian
country, the "Notchees" had their town on the north bank of Hiwas-
see, just above Peachtree creek, on the spot where a Baptist mission
was established 1>\ the Rev. EvanJonesin 1821, a few miles above the
present Murphy, Cherokee county. North Carolina. On his mother's
side lie bad himself a strain of Natchez blood. His grandmother had
told him that when she was a young woman, perhaps about 17.'..'.. she
once. had occasion to go to this town on some business, which she was
obliged to transact through an interpreter, as the Natchez had Keen
there so short a time that only one or two spoke any Cherokee. They
were all in the one town, which the Cherokee called Gwal ga'hif, "Frog
place," but he was unable to say whether or not it had a townhouse.
In lNi'4. as one of the census takers for the Cherokee Nation, he went
over the same section and found the Natchez then living jointly with
the Cherokee in a town called (itVlani'yi at the junction of Brasstown
and Gumlog creeks, tributary to Hiwassee, some ti miles southeast of
their former location and close to the Georgia line. The removal may
have been due to the recent establishment of the mission at the old
place. It was a large settlement, made up about equally from the two
tribes, hut by this time the Natchez were not distinguishable in dress
or general appearance from the others, and nearly all spoke broken
Cherokee, while still retaining their own language. As most of the
Indians had come under Christian influences so far as to have quit
dancing, there was no townhouse. Harry Smith, who was horn about
1820, father of the late chief of the East Cherokee, also remembers
them as living on Hiwassee and calling themselves Na' tsi.
Cause' ti. already mentioned, states that when hi' was a boy the
Natchez were scattered among the Cherokee settlements along the
upper part of Hiwassee. extending down into Tennessee. They had
then no separate townhouses. Some of them, at least, had come up
from the Creeks, and spoke Creek and Cherokee, as well as their own
language, which he could not understand, although familiar with both
of the others. They were great dance leaders, which agrees with their
traditional reputation for ceremonial and secret knowledge. They
went west with the Cherokee at the final removal of the tribe to Indian
Territory in L838. In 1890 there was a small settlement on Illinois
river a few miles south of Tahlequah, Cherokee Nation, several per-
sons in which still spoke their own language. Some of these may have
come with the Creeks, as by an agreement between Creeks and Chero-
kee about the time of the Removal it had been arranged that citizens of
either tribe living within the boundaries claimed by the other might
remain without question if they so elected. There are still several
388 J(YTHS OF THE CHEKOKEE
persons claiming- Natchez descent among the East Cherokee, but the
last one said to have been of full Natchez blood, an old woman named
Alkini', died about 1895. She was noted for her peculiarities, espe-
cially for a drawling- tone, stud to have been characteristic of her
people, as old men remembered them years ago.
Haywood, the historian of Tennessee, says that a remnant of the
Natchez lived within the present limits of the State as late as 1750,
and were even then numerous. He refers to those with the Cherokee.
and tells a curious story, which seems somehow to have escaped the
notice of other writers. According to his statement, a portion of the
Natchez, who had been parceled out as slaves among the French in
the vicinity of their old homes after the downfall of their tribe, took
advantage of the withdrawal of the troops to the north, in 175S, to
rise and massacre their masters and make their escape to the neighbor-
ing tribes. On the return of the troops after the fall of Fort Du
Quesne they found the settlement at Natchez destroyed and their
Indian slaves tied. Some time afterward a French deserter seeking an
asylum among the Cherokee, having made his way to the Great Island
town, on the Tennessee, just below the mouth of Tellico river, was sur-
prised to find there some of the same Natchez whom he had formerly
driven as slaves. He lost no time in getting away from the place to
rind safer quarters among the mountain towns. Notchy creek, a lower
affluent of Tellico, in Monroe county, Tennessee, probably takes its
name from these refugees. Haywood states also that, although incor-
porated with the Cherokee, they continued for a long time a separate
people, not marrying or mixing with other tribes, and having their
own chiefs and holding their own councils; but in 1823 hardly any-
thing was left of them but the name.1
Another refugee tribe incorporated partly with the Cherokee and
partly with the Creeks was that of the Taskigi, who at an early period
had a large town of the same name on the south side of the Little Ten-
nessee, just above the mouth of Tellico, in Monroe count}-, Tennessee.
Sequoya, the inventor of the Cherokee alphabet, lived here in his boy-
hood, about the time of the Revolution. The land was sold in 1819.
There was another settlement of the name, and perhaps once occupied
by the same people, on the north bank of Tennessee river, in a bend
just below Chattanooga, Tennessee, on land sold also in 1819. Still
another may have existed at one time on Tuskegee creek, on the south
bank of Little Tennessee river, north of Robbinsville, in Graham county.
North Carolina, on land which was occupied until the Removal in 1838.
Taskigi town of the Creek country was on Coosa river, near the junction
with the Tallapoosa, some distance above the present Montgomery,
'Haywood, Natural and Aboriginal History of Tennessee, pp. 105-107, 1823. For a sketch of the
Natchez war and the subsequent history of the scattered fragments of the tribe, see the author's
paper, The End of the Natchez, in the American Anthropologist for July, 1899.
hooney] THE SOUTHERN TRIBES 389
Alabama. We find Tasquiqui mentioned us a town in the ( Ireek coun-
ii\ visited by the Spanish captain, Juan Pardo, in L567. The name
is c\ iilcrnly the same, though we ran not be sure that the location was
identical with thai of the later town.
Who or what the Taskigi were is uncertain and can probably never
bo known, but they were neither Cherokee nor Muscogee proper. It
would seem most probable that they were of Muskhogean affinity, but
the\ may have been an immigrant tribe from another section, or may
even have constituted a distinct linguistic stock, representing all that
was left of an ancient people whose occupation of the country ante-
dated the, coming' of the Cherokee and the Creeks. The name may be
derived from taska or ta&Jca'ya, meaning '"warrior" h. several of the
Muskhogean dialects. It is not a Cherokee word, and Cherokee inform-
ants state positively that the Taskigi were a foreign people, with
distinct language and customs. They were not Creeks, Natchez.
Uchee, or Shawano, with all of whom the Cherokee were well
acquainted under other names. In the townhouse of their settlement
at the mouth of Tellico they had an upright pole, from the top of
which hung their protecting '•medicine,'' the image of a human figure
cut from a cedar log. For this reason the Cherokee in derision some-
times called the place Atsma'-k'taun, "Hanging-cedar place." Before
the sale of the land in 1819 they were so nearly extinct that the Cher-
okee had moved in and occupied the ground.
Adair, in 177.3, mentions the Tae-keo-ge {sic — a double misprint) as
one of several broken tribes which theCreekshad " artfully decoyed " to
incorporate with them in order to strengthen themselves against hos-
tile attempts. Milfort, about 17S0, states that the Taskigi on Coosa
river, were a foreign people who had been driven by wars to seek an
asylum among the Creeks, being encouraged thereto by the kind recep-
tion accorded to another fugitive tribe. Their request was granted by
the confederacy, and they were given lauds upon which the}7 built
their town. He puts this event shortly before the incorporation of
the Yuchi, which would make it early in the eighteenth century. In
1799, according to Hawkins, the town had but 3.5 warriors, " had lost
its ancient language,'' and spoke Creek. There is still a "white"' or
peace town named Taskigi in the Creek Nation in Indian Territory.1
The nearest neighbors of the Cherokee on the west, after the expul-
sion of the Shawano, were the Chickasaw, known to the Cherokee as
Ani'-Tsi'ksu, whose territory lay chiefly between the Mississippi and
the Tennessee, in what is now western Kentucky and Tennessee and
the extreme northern portion of Mississippi. By virtue, however, of
conquest from the Shawano or of ancient occupancy they claimed a
1 Adair. History of American Indians, p. 257, 1775. The other statements cor rning tie- Taskigi
among the Creeks are taken from Gatschet'S valuable study, A Migration Legend of the Creek
Indians, i. pp. 122, 1 15, 228, 1884.
390 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE
large additional territory to the east of this, including all upon the
waters of Duck river and Elk creek. This claim was disputed by
the Cherokee According to Haywood, the two tribes had I a
friends and allies in the expulsion of the Shawano, but afterward.
shortly before the year 1769, the Cherokee, apparently for no suffi-
cient reason, picked a quarrel with the Chickasaw and attacked them
in their town at the place afterward known as the Chickasaw Old
Fields, on the north side of Tennessee river, some twenty miles below
the present Guntersville, Alabama. The Chickasaw defended them-
selves so well that the assailants were signally defeated and compelled
to retreat to their own country.1 It appears, however, that the
Chickasaw, deeming this settlement too remote from their principal
towns, abandoned it after the battle. Although peace was afterward
made between the two tribes their rival claim continued to he a sub-
ject of dispute throughout the treaty period.
The Choctaw, a loose confederacy of tribes formerly occupying
southern Mississippi and the adjacent coast region, are called Ani'-
Tsa'ta by the Cherokee, who appear to have had but little communica-
tion with them, probably because the intermediate territory was held
by the Creeks, who were generally at war with one or the other. In
1708 we find mention of a powerful expedition by the Cherokee,
Creeks, and Catawba against the Choctaw living about Mobile bay.8
Of the Indians west of the Mississippi those best known to the
Cherokee were the Ani'-Wasa'si, or Osage, a powerful predatory tribe
formerly holding most of the country between the Missouri and Arkan-
sas'rivers, and extending from the Mississippi far out into the plains.
The Cherokee name is a derivative from Wasash'. the name by which
the Osage call themselves." The relations of the two tribes seem to
have been almost constantly hostile from the time when the Osage
refused to join in the general Indian peace concluded in 1768 (see
"The Iroquois Wars") up to IS'2'2, when the Government interfered
to compel an end of the bloodshed. The bitterness was largely due to
the fact that ever since the first Cherokee treaty with the United
States, made at Hopewell. South Carolina, in 1785. small bodies of
Cherokee, resenting the constant encroachments of the whites, had
been removing beyond the Mississippi to form new settlements within
the territory claimed by the Osage, where in 1817 they already num-
bered between two and three thousand persons. As showing how new
is our growth as a nation, it is interesting to note that Watford, when
a boy. attended near the site of the present Clarkesville, Georgia,
almost on Savannah river, a Cherokee scalp dance, at which the women
1 Haywood, Natural and Aboriginal History of Tennessee, p. 24, 1823. From a contemporary reference
in Rivers, South Carolina, page 57. it appears that this war was in full progress in 1757.
sjlargry, quoted in Gatschet, Creek Migration Legend, i, pp. 16, 87, 1884.
3 Wasash, French Ouasage, corrupted by the Americans into Osage.
uooney] THE LOST CHEROKEE 391
dancedoversoraeOsagescalpsse.nl b} their relatives in the west as
i rophies of ;i recent \ ictorj .
( )ther old ( iherokee names for western tribes which can not be iden-
tified are Tayun'ksi, the untranslatable name of a tribe described sim-
pi\ as living in the West; Tsuniya'tiga, "Naked | pie," described as
living in the far West; Gun'-tsuskwa' 11, "Short-arrows," who lived
in the far West, and were small, but great fighters; i'un'wini'giski,
"Man-eaters," a hostile tribe west or north, possibly the cannibal
Atakapa or Tonkawa, of Louisiana <>r Texas. Their relations with
the tribes with which they have become acquainted since the removal
to Indian Territory do not come within the scope of this paper.
106. THE GIANTS FROM THE WEST
dames Warlord, of the western Cherokee, who was born in Georgia
in L806, says thai his grandmother, who must have been born about
the middle of the last century, told him that she had heard from the
old people that lone- before her time a party of giants had come once
to visit the Cherokee. They were nearly twice as tall as common
men. and had their eyes set slanting in their heads, so that the Chero-
kee called them Tsunil' kahY. "The Slant-eyed people," because they
looked like the giant hunter Tsulkalu' (see the story). They said
that these giants lived very far away in the direction in which the sun
goes down. The Cherokee received them as friends, and they stayed
some time, and then returned to their home in the west. The story
may be a distorted historical tradition.
107. THE LOST CHEROKEE
When the first lands were sold by the Cherokee, in 1721, a part of the
tribe bitterly opposed the sale, saying that if the Indians once con-
sented to give up any of their territory tin whites would never be
satisfied, but would soon want a little more, ami a little again, until
at last there would be none left tor the Indians. Finding all they
could say not enough to prevent the treaty, they determined to
leave their old homes forever and go far into the West, beyond the
Great river, where the white men could never follow them. They
gave no heed to the entreaties of their friends, but began preparations
for the long march, until the others, finding that they could not pre-
vent their going, set to work and did their best to lit them out with
pack horses loaded with bread, dried venison, and other supplies.
When all was ready they started, under the direction of their chief.
A company of picked men was sent with them to help them in crossing
the (ireat river, and every night until they reached it runners were
sent back to the tribe, and out from the tribe to the marching band, to
carry messages and keep each party posted as to how the other was
getting alone-. At last they came to the Mississippi, and crossed it by
392 MYTHS OF THE CHEKOKEE [eth.ann.19
the help of those warriors wh<> had been sent with them. Those then
returned to the tribe, while the others kept on to the west. All com-
munication was now at an end. No more was heard of the wanderers,
and in time the story of the lost Cherokee was forgotten or remem-
bered only as an old tale.
Still the white man pressed upon the Cherokee and one piece of
land after another was sold, until as years went on the dispossessed
people began to turn their faces toward the west as their final resting
place, and small hands of hunters crossed the Mississippi to learn
what might be beyond. One of these parties pushed on across the
plains and there at the foot of the great mountains — the Rockies —
they found a tribe speaking the old Cherokee language and living still
as the Cherokee had lived before they had ever known the white man
or his ways.
108. THE MASSACRE OF THE ANI'-KUTA'Nl
Among other perishing traditions is that relating to the Ani'-Kuta'm
or Ani'-Kwata'm. concerning whom the modern Cherokee know so
little that their very identity is now a matter of dispute, a few hold-
ing that they were an ancient people who preceded the Cherokee and
built the mounds, while others, with more authority, claim that they
were a clan or society in the tribe and were destroyed long ago by
pestilence or other calamity. Fortunately, we are not left to depend
entirely upon surmise in the matter, as the tradition was noted by
Haywood some seventy years ago. and by another writer some forty
years later, while the connected story could still be obtained from
competent authorities. From the various statements it would seem
that the Ani'-Kuta'ni were a priestly clan, having hereditary super-
vision of all religious ceremonies among the Cherokee, until, in con-
sequence of having abused their sacred privileges, they were attacked
and completely exterminated by the rest of the tribe, leaving the
priestly functions to be assumed thereafter by individual doctors and
conjurers.
Haywood says, without giving name or details, "The Cherokees are
addicted to conjuration to ascertain whether a sick person will recover.
This custom arose after the destruction of their priests. Tradition
states that such persons lived among their ancestors and were deemed
superior to others, and were extirpated long ago, in consequence of
the misconduct of one of the priests, who attempted to take the wife
of a man who was the brother of the leading chief of the nation."1
A more detailed statement, on the authority of Chief John Ross and
Dr -T. B. Evans, is given in 1S66 by a writer who speaks of the mas-
sacre as having occurred about a century before, although from the
ijiat. ami Aborig. Hist. Tenn., p. 266.
moonkv] THE ANl'-KT TANI 393
dimness of the tradition ii is evident that it must have been much
earlier:
"Tin' facts, though few, are interesting. The order was heredita rj ;
in this respect peculiar, for among [ndians seldom, and among the
Cherokees never, does power pertain to any family as a matter of
right. Yi'i tin- family of the Nicotani for it seems to have been a
family or clan enjoyed this privilege. The power that they exer-
cised was not, however, political, nor does it appear that chiefs were
elected from among them.
•■The Nicotani were a mystical, religious body, of whom the people
stood in great awe, and seem to have been somewhat like the Brahmins
of India. By what means they attained their ascendancy, or how lone-
it was maintained, can never be ascertained. Their extinction by mas-
sacre is neatly all that can be discovered concerning them. They
became haughty, insolent, overbearing, and licentious to an intoler-
able degree. Relying on their hereditary privileges and the strange
awe which they inspired, they did not hestitate by fraud or violence
to rend asunder the tender relations of husband and wife when a
beautiful woman excited their passions. The people long brooded in
silence over the oppressions and outrages of this high caste, whom
they deeply hated but greatly feared. At length a daring yoiingjnan.
a member of an influential family, organized a conspiracy among the
people for the massacre of the priesthood. The immediate provoca-
tion was the abduction of the wife of the young leader of the con-
spiracy. His wife was remarkable for her beauty, and was forcibly
abducted and violated by one of the Nicotani while he was absent on
the chase. On his return he found no difficulty in exciting in others
the resentment which he himself experienced. So many had suf-
fered in the same way. so many feared that they might lie made to
suffer, that nothing was wanted hut a leader. A leader appearing in
the person of the young brave whom we have named, the people rose
under his direction and killed every Nicotani. young and old. Thus
perished a hereditary secret society, since which time no hereditary
privileges have been tolerated among the Cherokees."'1
109. THE WAR MEDICINE
Some warriors had medicine to change their shape as they pleased,
so that they could escape from their enemies. Once one of these
medicine warriors who had been away from home came hack and found
a strong party of the enemy attacking the settlement while nearly all
the men were off on a hunt. The town was on the other side of the
river, but his grandmother was there, so he made up his mind to save
her. Going down the stream a little way. he hunted until he found a
1 MacGon'an, Dr D. J., Indian Secret Societies, Historical Magazine, s irrisania, N. Y.
3V>4 MYTHS OF THE CHEKOKEE [eth.
mussel shell. With his medicine he changed this to a canoe, in which
he crossed over to his grandmother's house, and found her sitting
there, waiting for the enemy to come and kill her. Again he made
medicine and put her into a small gourd which he fastened to his belt.
Then climbing a tree he changed himself to a swamp woodcock, and
with one erj he spread his wings and flew across to the other side of
the river, whei'e both took their natural shape again and made their
way through the woods to another settlement.
There was another great Cherokee warrior, named Dasi'giya'gi, or
Shoe-boots, as the whites called him, who lived on Hightower creek,
in Georgia, lie was so strong that it was said he could throw a coru
mortar over a house, and with his magic power could (dear a river at
one jump. His war medicine was an uktena scale and a very large
turtle shell which he got from the Shawano. In the Creek war he put
this scale into water and bathed his body with the water, and also
burned a piece of the turtle shell and drew a black line around his men
with the coal, and he was never wounded and never had a man killed.
Some great warriors had a medicine by the aid of which they could
dive under the ground as underwater, come up among the enenry to
kill and scalp one, then dive under the ground again and come up
among their friends.
Some war captains knewT how to put their lives up in the tree tops
during a fight, so that even if they were struck by the enemy they
could not be killed. Once, in a battle with the Shawano, the Chero
kee leader stood directly in front of the enemy and let the whole party
shoot at him, but was not hurt until the Shawano captain, who knew
this war medicine himself, ordered his men to shoot into the branches
above the head of the other. They did this and the Cherokee leader
fell dead.
no. INCIDENTS OF PERSONAL HEROISM
In the Cherokee war of 17»>o when small bodies of the enemy,
according to Haywood, were pushing their inroads eastward almost to
Salisbury, a party of six or eight warriors was discovered, watched,
and followed until they were seen to enter a deserted cabin to pass
the night. The alarm was given, and shortly before daylight the
whites surrounded the house, posting themselves behind the fodder
stack and some outbuildings so as to command both the door and the
wide chimney top. They then began to throw fire upon the roof to
drive out the Indians, when, as the blaze caught the dry shingles, and
death either by fire or bullet seemed certain, one of the besieged
warriors called to his companions that it was better that one should be
a sacrifice than that all should die. and that if they would follow his
directions he would save them, but die himself. He proposed to sally
out alone to draw the tire of the besiegers, while his friends stood
INCIDENTS OF HEROISM 395
reach to make for the woods as soon as the gains of the whites were
empty. Thei agreed, and the door was opened, when he suddenly
rushed forth, dodging and running in a zigzag course, so thai every
gun was emptied at him before he fell dead, covered with wounds.
While ili" white- were reloading, the other warriors ran out and sur-
ceeded iii reaching the woods before the besiegers coul 1 recover from
their surprise. The historian adds. ••How greatly it is to be regretted
thai the name of this hero is not know n to the writer, that it might >»■
recorded with 1 1 1 1 — - specimen of Cherokee bravery and patriotism,
firmness and presence of mind in the hour of danger."
.Moii> than once women seem to have shown the courage of warriors
when the occasion demanded. At the beginning of the last centuiy
then' was still living among the Cherokee a woman who had killed her
husband's slayer in one of the Revolutionary engagements. For this
deed she was treated with so much consideration that she was per-
mitted to join the warriors in the war dance, carrying her gun and
tomahawk. The "Wahnenauhi manuscript has a tradition of an attack
upon a Cherokee town and the killing of the chief by a hostile war
party. Hi- wife, whose name was Cuhtahlatah (Gatun'lati, ^Wild-
hemp"?), on seeing her husband fall, snatched up his tomahawk,
shouting, ■"Kill! Kill!" and rushed upon the enemy with such fury
that the retreating Cherokee rallied and renewed the battle with so
great courage as to gain a complete victory. This may he a different
statement of the same incident.
In Rutherford's expedition against the Cherokee, in 1 7 7 < '> . the
Indians made a stand near Waya gap, in the Nantahala mountains, and
a hard-fought engagement took place, with a loss to the Americans of
nineteen men. although the enemy was finally driven from the ground.
After the main body had retreated, an Indian was seen looking out
from behind a tree, and was at once shot and killed by the soldier-.
who, on going to the spot, found that it was a woman, painted and
stripped like a warrior and armed with bow and arrow-. She had
already been -hot through the thigh, and had therefore been unable
to flee with tin- rest.
in. THE MOUNDS AND THE CONSTANT FIRE: THE OLD SACRED
THINGS
Some say that the mounds were built by another people. Others
-ay they were built bythe ancestors of the old Ani'-Kitu'hwagi for town-
house foundation-, so that the townhouses would lie safe when freshet-
came. The townhouse was always built on the level bottom lands by
the river in order that the people might have smooth ground for their
dame- and ballplays and might be able to go down to water during
the dance.
■ Haywood, Nat. and Aborig. Hist. Tenn
396 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [kth.ann.19
"When they were ready to build the mound they began by laying a
circle of stones on the surface of the ground. Next they made a fire
in the center of the circle and put near it the body of some prominent
chief or priest who had lately died — some say seven chief men from
the different clans — together with an Ulunsu'ti stone, an uktena scale
or horn, a feather from the right wing of an eagle or great tla'nuwa,
which lived in those days, and heads of seven colors, red, white, black.
blue, purple, yellow, and gray -blue. The priest then conjured all
these with disease, so that, if ever an enemy invaded the country, even
though lie should burn and destroy the town and the townhouse, he
would never live to return home.
Tlie mound was then built up with earth, which the women brought
in baskets, and as they piled it above the stones, the bodies of their
great men, and the sacred things, they left an open place at- the fire in
the center and letdown a hollow cedar trunk, with the bark on, which
fitted around the tire and protected it from the earth. This cedar log
was cut long enough to reach nearly to the surface inside the. town-
house when everything was done. The earth was piled up around it.
and the whole mound was finished off smoothly, and then the town-
house was built upon it. One man, called the fire keeper, stayed always
in the townhouse to feed and tend the tire. When there was to be a
dance or a council he pushed long stalks of the ihy&'ga weed, which
some call aisil'-sun'tl, " the fire maker" (Erig< nm canadt nst or ileal >ane),
down through the opening in the cedar log to the fire at the bottom.
He left the ends of the stalks sticking' out and piled lichens and punk
around, after which he prayed, and as he prayed the fire climbed up
along the stalks until it caught the punk. Then he put on wood, and
by the time the dancers were ready there was a large fire blazing in
the townhouse. After the dance he covered the hole over again with
ashes, but the fire was always smoldering below, .lust before the
Green-corn dance, in the old times, every fire in the settlement was
extinguished and all the people came and got new fire from the town-
house. This was called ufsi'ln gWffiifew''ti'yu, "the honored or sacred
fire." Sometimes when the fire in a house went out, the woman came
to the fire keeper, who made a new fire by rubbing an ihy&'ga stalk
against the under side of a hard dry fungus that grows upon locust
trees.
Some say this everlasting fire was only in the larger mounds at
Nikwasi', Kitu'hwa. and a few other towns, and that when the new fire
was thus drawn up for the Green-corn dance it was distributed from
them (o the other settlements. The lire burns yet at the bottom id' these
great mounds, and when the Cherokee soldiers were camped near
Kitu'hwa during the civil war they saw smoke still rising from the
mound.
The Cherokee once had a wooden box, nearly square and wrapped
up in buckskin, in which they kepi (he most sacred things of their
MISCELLANEOUS MYTHS 397
old religion. Upon everj important expedition two priests carried
it in turn and watched over it in camp so that nothing could come
near to disturb it. The Delawares captured it more than a hundred
years ago, and after thai the old religion was neglected and trouble
game to the Nation. They had also a great peace pipe, carved from
white .-tone, with >e\ en stem-holes, so that seven men could sit around
and smoke from it at onee at their peace councils. In the old town of
Keowee tiny hail a drum of stone, cut in the shape of a turtle.
which was hungup inside the townhouse and used at all the town
dances. Tin' other towns of the Lower Cherokee used to borrow it.
too. for their own dances.
All the old things are gone now and the Indians are different.
Miscellaneous Myths and Legends
112. the ignorant housekeeper
Ail old man whose wife had died lived alone with his son. One day
he said to the young man. "We need a cook here, so you would better
get married.'" So the young man got a wife and brought her home.
Then his father said. "Now we must work together and do all we can
to help her. You go hunting and bring in the meat and I'll look after
the corn and beans, and then she can cook." The young man went
into the woods to look for a deer and his father went out into the field
to attend to the corn. When they came home at night they wrvf hun-
gry, and the young woman set out a bowl of walnut hominy {kand'ta-
Ui'lii) before them. It looked queer, somehow, and when the old man
examined it he found that the walnuts had been put in whole. "Why
didn't you shell the walnuts and then beat up the kernels." said he to
the young woman. "I didn't know they had to he shelled." she
replied. Then the old man said. "You think about marrying and you
don't know how to cook." and he sent her away.
113. THE MAN IN THE STUMP
A man who had a field of growing corn went out one day to see how
it was ripening and climbed a tall stump to get a better view. The
stump was hollow and a hear had a nest of cubs in the bottom. The
man slipped and fell down upon the cubs, which set up such a squeal-
ing that the old she-bear heard them and came climbing down into t he
stump tail first, in bear fashion, to sec what was the matter. The man
caught hold of her by the hind legs and the old bear was so frightened
that she at once climbed out again, dragging the man. who thus got
: the stump, when the bear ran away.
114. TWO LAZY HUNTERS
A party of warriors once started out for a long hunting trip in the
mountain-. They went on until they came to a g 1 game region.
398 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE
when they set up their hark hut in a convenient place near the river
.side. Every morning after breakfast (hey scattered out, each man
for himself, to be gone all day. until they returned at night with
whatever game they had taken. There was one lazy fellow who went
out alone every morning like the others, but only until he found a
sunny slope, when he would stretch out by the side of a rock to sleep
until evening, returning then to camp empty-handed, but with his
moccasins torn and a long story of how he had tramped all day and
found nothing. This went on until one of the others began to suspect
that something was wrong, and made it his business to find it out. The
next morning he followed him secretly through the woods until he
saw him come out into a sunny opening, where he sat down upon a
large rock, took off his moccasins, and began rubbing them against the
rocks until he had worn holes in them. Then the lazy fellow loosened
his belt, lay down beside the rock, and went to sleep. The spy set
fire to the dry leaves and watched until the flame crept close up to
the sleeping man. who never opened his eyes.
The spy went back to camp and told what he had seen. About
supper time the lazy fellow came in with the same old story of a long
day's hunt and no game started. When he had finished the others all
laughed and called him a sleepyhead. He insisted that he had been
climbing the ridges all day, and put out his moccasins to show how
worn they were, not knowing that they were scorched from the fire,
as he had slept on until sundown. When they saw the blackened
moccasins they laughed again, and he was too much astonished to say
a word in his defense; so the captain said that such a liar was not fit to
stay with them, and he was driven from the camp.
* * * * * * *
There was another lazy fellow who courted a pretty girl, but she
would have nothing to do with him, telling him that her husband must
be a good hunter or she would remain single all her life. One morn-
ing he went into the woods, and by a lucky accident managed to kill
a deer. Lifting it upon his back, he carried it into the settlement,
passing right by the door of the house where the girl and her mother
lived. As soon as he was out of sight of the house he went by a round-
about course into the woods again and waited until evening, when he
appeared with the deer on his shoulder and came down the trail past
the girl's house as he had in the morning. He did this the next day,
and the next, until the girl began to think he must be killing all the
deer in the woods. So her mother — the old women are usually the
matchmakers— got ready and went to the young man's mother to
talk it over.
When she arrived and the greetings were done she said, ''Your son
must be a good hunter." " No." replied the old woman, " he seldom kills
anything." "But he has been killing a great many deer lately." "I
haven't seen any," said his mother. "Why. he has been carrying deer
MISCELLANEOUS MYTHS. 399
past our house twice a day for the last three days. '" ' 1 don't know
what he did with them," said the young man's mother; "he never
brought them here." Then the girl's mother was sure there was some-
thing wrong, so she went home and told her husband, who followed
up the young man's trail into the woods until it brought him to where
the body of the deer was hidden, now SO far decayed that it had to be
thrown away.
115. THE TWO OLD MEN
Two old men went hunting. One had an eye drawn down and was
called Uk-kwunagi'ta, "Eye-drawn-down." The other had an arm
twisted out of shape and was called Uk-ku'suntsuti. "Bent- bow-shape."
They killed a deer and cooked the meat in a pot. The second old man
dipped a piece of bread into the soup and smacked his lips as he ate
it. "Is it good '." said the first old man. Said the other, " Hnyvl !
uk-kioundgi'sU — Yes. sir! It will draw down one's eye."
Thought the first old man to himself, "He means me." So he dipped
a piece of bread into the pot, and smacked his lips as he tasted it.
"Do you rind it good?" said the other old man. Said his comrade.
•• Hayti'i uk-Jcu'suntsuteti' — Yes. sir! It will twist up one's arm."
Thought the second old man, "He means me"; so he got very angry
and struck the rirst old man. and then they fought until each killed the
other.
116. THE STAR FEATHERS
A longtime ago a warrior of roving disposition went down into the
white settlements toward the east, where for the first time he saw a
peacock. The beautiful lone- feathers surprised and delighted bun,
and by trading some valuable Indian possession of his own he managed
to buy a few of them, which he took with him to the mountains and
hid. until he was ready to use them, in an old heaver lodge under the
river bank. To get into the beaver lodge he had to dive under the
water.
Then he set to work secretly and made himself a headdress, with
the long peacock feathers in the front and trailing out behind and the
shorter ones at the sides. At the next dance he wore the new head
dress, and asserted that he had been up to the sky and that these were
star feathers (see number '.». "What the stars are like"). He made a
long speech also, which he pretended was a message he had received
from the star spirits to deliver to the people.
Everyone wondered at the beautiful feathers, so different /from any
they had ever seen before. They made no doubt that he had been up
to the sky and talked with spirits. He became a great prophet, and
used to keep himself hidden all day in the beaver hole, and whenever
there was a night gathering for a dance or a council he would sud-
denly appear among them wearing hi- feather headdress and give
4(10 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
the people a new message from the sky. Then he would leave them
again, pretending that he went up ti> heaven.
He grew famous and powerful among all the medicine men, until at
last it happened that another Cherokee went down among the white
settlements and saw there another peacock, and knew at once that the
prophet was a fraud. On his return he quietly told some of his
friends, and they decided to investigate. When the next night dance
came around the prophet was on hand as usual with a new message
fresh from the stars. The people listened reverently, and promised to
do all that he commanded. Then he left them, saying- that he must
return at once to the sky. but as lie went out from the circle the spies
followed him in the darkness, and saw him go down to the river and
dive under the water. They waited, but he did not come up again,
and they went back and told the people. The next morning a party
went to the spot and discovered the beaver lodge under the bank. One
man dived and came up inside, and there he found the prophet sitting
with the peacock feathers by his side.
117. THE MOTHER BEAR'S SONG
A hunter in the woods one day heard singing in a cave. He came
near and peeped in, and it was a mother bear singing to her cubs and
telling them what to do when the hunters came after them.
Said the mother bear to the cubs, "When you hear the hunters
coming down the creek, then —
Tg&'gX, tsd'ffl, hvVlaMf;
Tsd'gi, tsd'gX, hiiu'luh'i.
Upstream, upstream, you (must) go;
Upstream, upstream, you (must) go.
" But if you hear them coming up the creek, children, then—
'.'.';, </.';, hii-i'laW;
'..';. ge% hwVlatil'.
Downstream, downstream, you (must) go;
Downstream, downstream, you (must) go."
* * * * * * *
Another hunter out in the woods one day thought he heard a woman
singing to a baby. He followed the sound up to the head of the branch
until he came to a cave under the bushes, and inside was a mother bear
rocking her cub in her paws and singing to it this baby song, which
the Ani'-Tsa'guhi used to know before they were turned into bears:
Ilit'-iiitiiiiti', ha'-mnma', ha'-mama/, ha'^mama/;
Ud&'hcde'yl hi'ldnnd, hi'l&nnH;
Udd'hale'y-t hi'lfinnti, hi'imnti.
Let me carry you on my back ( four times) ;
On the sunny side >_"> to sleep, go to sleep;
On the sunny side •_" 1 to sleep. <_'.> to sleep.
m mm MISCELLANEOUS MYTHS 401
118. BABY SONG, TO PLEASE THE CHILDREN
Hit' ii-iiji'-lniiiii-i ', Hn'irnj, '-lii/llli-i',
Yii'iir-i/iiirrln'. Ilit'iriiifliiitt'-itin1' —
fii'lu'l 11 in-' 'ijlllli' l.iiiinl'silni';
K'fi iiiii'ijii/ii' tsana'st hd';
Yii'nii miili'iTui, lii' tsa'nadiskd' '.
Ha'wiye'-hyuwe', Ha'wiye'-hyuwe',
Yu'we-yiiwelie', I la'w iyclivu'-uwe/ —
The Bear is very bad, bo they say;
Long time ago he was very bad, so they say;
The Bear did so and so, they say.
119. WHEN BABIES ARE BORN: THE WREN AND THE CRICKET
The little Wren is the messenger of th<' birds, and pries into every-
thing. She gets up early in the morning and goes round to every
house in the settlemenl to gel news for the bird council. When a new
bahy is horn she finds out whether it is a boy or girl and reports to the
council. If it is a hoy the birds sine- in mournful chorus: "Alas! the
whistle of the arrow! my shins will burn," because the birds know
that when the boy grows older he will hunt them with his blowgun
and arrows and roast them on a stick.
But if the baby is a girl, they are glad and sing: "Thanks! the
sound of the pestle! At her home I shall surely be able to scratch
where she sweeps." because they know that after a while they will be
able to pick up stray grains where she beats the corn into meal.
When the Cricket hears that a girl is horn, it also is glad, and says,
'•Thanks. I shall sing in the house where she lives." But if it is a boy
thi' Cricket laments: Grwe-Ju .' He will shoot me! He will shoot me!
He will shoot me!" because hoys make little bows to shoot crickets
and grasshoppers.
When inquiring as to the sex of the new arrival the Cherokee asks,
"Is it a bow or a (meal) sifter?" or, "Is it ballsticks or bread?"
120. THE RAVEN MOCKER
Of all the Cherokee wizards or witches the most dreaded is the
Raven Mocker ( Kd'lanii A/n/* U'sM), the one that robs the <l\ ing man of
life. They are of either sex and there is no sure way to know one,
though they usually look withered and old. because they have added
so many lives to their own.
At night, when some one is sick or dying in the settlement, the
Haven Mocker goes to the place to take the life. He flies through
the air in fiery shape, with arms outstretched like wines, and sparks
trailing behind, and a rushing sound like the noise of a strong wind.
Every little while as he flies he makes a cry like the cry of a raven
when it "dives" in the air not like the common raven cry and those
19 kth— 01 :.'»)
402 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
who hear arc afraid, because they know that some man's life will soon
go out. When the Raven Mocker comes to the house he finds others
of his kind waiting there, and unless there is a doctor on guard who
knows how to drive them away they go inside, all invisible, and
frighten and torment the sick man until they kill him. Sometimes to
do this they even lift him from the bed and throw him on the floor,
but his friends who are with him think he is only struggling for
breath.
After the witcnes kill him they take out his heart and eat it, and so
add to their own lives as many days or years as they have taken from
his. No one in the room can see them, and there is no scar where they
take out the heart, but yet there is no heart left in the body. Only
one who has the right medicine can recognize a Raven Mocker, and if
such a man stays in the room with the sick person these witches are
afraid to come in. and retreat as soon as they see him, because when
one of them is recognized in his right shape he must die within seven
days. There was once a man named Gunskali'ski, who had this medi-
cine and used to hunt for Raven Mockers, and killed several. When
the friends of a dying person know that there is no more hope they
always try to have one of these medicine men stay in the house and
watch the body until it is buried, because after burial the witches do
not steal the heart.
The other witches are jealous of the Raven Mockers and afraid to
come into the same house with one. Once a man who had the witch
medicine was watching by a sick man and saw these other witches out-
side trying to get in. All at once they heard a Raven Mocker cry
overhead and the others scattered '-like a flock of pigeons when the
hawk swoops." When at last a Raven Mocker dies these other witches
sometimes take revenge by digging up the body and abusing it.
The following is told on the reservation as an actual happening:
A young man had been out on a hunting trip and was on his way
home when night came on while he was still a long distance from the
settlement. He knew of a house not far off the trail where an old man
and his wife lived, so he turned in that direction to look for a place to
sleep until morning. When he got to the house there was nobody in
it. He looked into the asi and found no one there either. He thought
maybe they had gone after water, and so stretched himself out in the
farther corner to sleep. Very soon he heard a raven cry outside, and
in a little while afterwards the old man came into the asi and sat down
by the fire without noticing the young man, who kept still in the dark
corner. Soon there was another raven cry outside, and the old man
said to himself, "Now my wife is coming." and sure enough in a
little while the old woman came in and sat down by her husband.
Then the young man knew they were Raven Mockers and he was
frightened and kept very quiet.
THE RAVEN MOCKERS 103
Said the old man to his wife, "Well, what luck did you have?"
•• None," said the old woman. " there were too many doctors watching.
What luck did you have?" "I got what I went for," said the old
man. "there is oo reason to tail, hut yon never have luck. Take this
and cook it and lct*s have something to eat." She fixed the fire and
then tin' young man smelled meat roasting and thought ii smelled
sweeter than any meat he had ever tasted. He peeped out from one
eye. and it looked like a man's heart roasting on a stick.
Suddenly the old woman said to her husband, " Who is over in the
corner?" " Nobody," said the old man. "Yes, there is," said the old
woman, "I hear him snoring," and she stirred the tire until it blazed
and lighted up tin1 whole place, and there was the young man lying in
the corner. Hi' kept quiet and pretended to lie asleep. The old man
made a noise at the fire to wake him. hut still he pretended to sleep.
Then the old man came over and shook him. and he sat up and rubbed
his eyes as if he had been asleep all the time.
Now il was near daylight and the old woman was out in the other
house getting breakfast ready, hut the hunter could hear her crying
to herself. " Why is your wife crying ? " he asked the old man. "Oh,
she has lost some of her friends lately and feels lonesome," said her
husband; but the young man knew- that she was crying because he had
heard them talking.
When they came out to breakfast the old man put a bowl of corn
mush before him and said. "This is all we have — we have had no meat
for a lony time." After breakfast the young man started on again,
but when he hail gone a little way the old man ran after him with a
tine piece of beadwork and gave it to him, saying. "Take this, and
don't tell anybody what you heard last night, because my wife and I
are always quarreling that way." The young man took the piece, hut
when he came to the first creek he threw it into the water and then
went on to the settlement. There he told the whole story, and a party
of warrior- started back with him to kill the Raven Mockers. When
they reached the place it was seven days after the first night. They
found the old man and his wife lying dead in the house, so they set
fire to it and burned it and the witches together.
121. HERBERT'S SPRING
"From the head of the southern branch of Savannah river it does
not exceed half a mile to a head spring of the Missisippi water that
runs through the middle and upper parts of the Cheerake nation about
a northwest course, and. joining other rivers, they empty themselves
into the great Missisippi. The above fountain is called 'Herbert's
spring,' so named from an early commissioner of Indian affairs, and
it was natural for strangers to drink thereof, to quench thirst, gratify
their curiosity, and have it to say they had drank of the French waters.
404 MYTHS OE THE CHEROKEE [eth.anh.19
Some of our people, who went only with the view of staying a short
time, but by some, allurement or other exceeded the time appointed,
at their return reported, either through merriment or superstition,
that the spring had such a natural bewitching quality that whosoever
drank of it could not possibly quit the nation during the tedious space
of seven years. All the debauchees readily fell in with this super-
stitious notion as an excuse for their bad method of living, when they
had no proper call to stay in that country; and in process of time it
became as received a truth as any ever believed to have been spoken
by the Delphic oracle. One cursed, because its enchantment had
marred his good fortune; another condemned his weakness for drink-
ing down witchcraft, against his own secret suspicions; one swore he
would never taste another such dangerous poison, even though he
should be forced to go down to the Missisippi for water; and another
comforted himself that so many years out of the seven were already
passed, and wished that if ever he tasted it again, though under the
greatest necessity, he might be confined to the Stygian waters. Those
who had their minds more enlarged diverted themselves much at their
cost, for it was a noted favorite place, on account of the name it went
by; and, being a well situated and good spring, there all travelers com-
monly drank a bottle of choice. But now most of the pack-horse men,
though they be dry, and also matchless sons of Bacchus, on the most
pressing invitations to drink there, would swear to forfeit sacred
liquor the better part of their lives rather than basely renew or con-
firm the loss of their liberty, which that execrable fountain occa-
sions."— Adair. American Indians, p. 231, 1775.
122. LOCAL LEGENDS OF NORTH CAROLINA
Owing chiefly to the fact that the Cherokee still occupy western
North Carolina, the existing local legends for that section are more
numerous than for all the rest of their ancient territory. For the
more important legends see the stories: Agan-unitsi's Search for
the Uktena, Ataga'hi, Hemp-carrier, Herbert's Spring, Kana'sta, The
Great Leech of Tlanusi'vi, The Great Yellow-jacket, The Nuiine'hl,
The Raid on Tikwali'tsi, The Removed Townhouses, The Spirit
Defenders of Nikwasi', The Uw'tsun'ta, Tsulkalu.', Tsuwe'nahl,
The U'tlun'ta.
Akwe ti'ti: A spot on Tuckasegee river, in Jackson county, between
Dick's creek and the upper end of Cowee tunnel. According to tra-
dition there was a dangerous water monster in the river there. The
meaning of the name is lost.
Atsi'la-wa'i: "Fire's relative," a peak, sometimes spoken of as
Rattlesnake knob, east of Oconaluftee river and about 2 miles north-
east of Cherokee or Yellow Hill, in Swain county. So called from
a tradition that a ballot fire was once seen to flv through the air from
m.m'nky] LOCAL LEGENDS OF NORTH CAROLINA 405
the direction of Highlands, in Macon county, and alight upon this
mountai The Indians believe it to have been an ulunsuti (sec num-
ber ."in), which its owner had kept in a hiding place upon the summit,
from which, after his death, it issued nightly to search for him.
Black bock: A very Inch bald peak toward the head of Scott's
creek, northeast of Webster, on the line of Jackson and Haywood
counties. Hither this peak or the adjacent Jones knob, of equal
height, is known to the Cherokee as Un'wad&-tsufgilasfin', " Where l he
storehouse was taken off," from a large flat rock, supported by four
other rocks, so as to resemble a storehouse (ufiwddd'li) raised on poles,
which was formerly in prominent view upon the summit until thrown
down by lightning some fifty years ago.
Buffalo creek, Wf.st: A tributary of Cheowa river, in Graham
county. The Cherokee name is Yunsa'i, " Buffalo place." from a tra-
dition that a buffalo formerly lived under the water at its mouth (see
Tsuta'tsinasun'yi).
Cheowa Maximum: A bald mountain at the head of Cheowa river,
on the line between Graham and Macon counties. This and the
adjoining peak. Swim bald, are together called Sehwate'yi, "Hornet
place." from a monster hornet, which, according to tradition, formerly
had its nest there, and could be seen flying about the tree tops or sun-
ning itself on the bald spots, and which was so tierce that it drove
away every one who came near the mountain. It finally disappeared.
Dakwa'i: "Dakwa' place," in French Broad river, about ti miles
above Warm Springs, in Madison county, and 80 miles below Ashe-
ville. A dakwa' or monster fish is said to have lived in the stream
at that point.
Da'xawa-(a) Sa' tsunyi: "War crossing," a ford in Cheowa river
about 8 miles below Robbinsville, in Graham county. A hostile war
party from the North, probably Shawano or Iroquois, after having
killed a man on Cheowa. was pursued and crossed the river at this
place.
DATLE'rAsTA'f: "Where they fell down," on Tuckasegee river, at
the bend above Webster, in Jackson county, where was formerly the
old town of Gansa'gi (Conasauga). Two large uktenas, twined about
each other as though in combat, were :e seen to lift themselves from
a deep hole in the river there and fall back into the water.
Datsi'yi": "Dsttsi place," just above Eagle creek, on Little Tennes-
see river, between Graham and Swain counties. So called from a
traditional water monster of that name, said to have lived in a deep
hole in the stream.
Degal'oun'yi: " Where they are piled up." a series of cairns on both
sides of the trail down the south side of Cheowa river, in Graham
county. They extend along the trail for several miles, from below
Sauteetla creek nearly to Slick Rock creek, on the Tennessee line (the
406 MYTHS OE THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.i-
first being just above Disg&'gisti'yi, <l- v.), and probably murk the
site of an ancient battle. One at least, nearly off Yellow creek, is
reputed to be the grave of a Cherokee killed by the enemy. Every
passing Indian throws an additional stone upon each heap, believing
that some misfortune will befall him should he neglect this duty.
Other cairns arc on the west side of Slick Rock creek about a mile
from Little Tennessee river, and others south of Robbinsville, near
where the trail crosses the ridge to Valley town, in Cherokee county.
Dida'skasti'yk "Where they were afraid of each other," a spot on
the cast side of Little Tennessee river, near the mouth of Alarka
creek, in Swain county. A ball game once arranged to take place
there, before the Removal, between rival teams from Qualla and Val-
leytown, was abandoned on account of the mutual fear of the two
parties.
Disga'gisti'yi: "Where they gnaw." a spot where the trail down
the south side of Cheowa river crosses a small branch about half way
between Cockram creek and Yellow creek, in Graham count}'.
Indians passing gnaw the twigs from the laurel bushes here, in the
belief that if they should fail to do so they will encounter some mis-
fortune before crossing the next ridge. Near by is a cairn to which
each also adds a stone (see Dcgafgun'yi).
DuDUx'LEKsfN'Yi: "Where its legs were broken off," a spot on the
east side of Tuckasegee river, opposite the mouth of Cullowhee river,
a few miles above Webster, in Jackson county. The name suggests
a tradition, which appears to be lost.
Dulastun'yi: "Potsherd place," a former settlement on Nottely
river, in Cherokee count}-, near the Geoigia line. A half-breed Chero-
kee ball captain who formerly lived there, John Butler or Tsan-uga'sita
(Sour John), having been defeated in a ball game, said, in contempt of
his men, that they were of no more use than broken pots.
Duxmr'LALf nyI: "Where they made arrows," on Straight creek, a
head-stream of Oconaluftee river, near Cataluchee peak, in Swain
county. A Shawano war party coming against the Cherokee, after
baving crossed the Smoky mountains, halted there to prepare arrows.
French Broad river: A magazine writer states that the Indians
called this stream "the racing river." This is only partially correct.
The ( lierokee have no name for the river as a whole, but the district
through which it flows about Asheville is called by them Un-ta'kiyas-
ti'yi, " Where they race." The name of the city they translate as Kas-
du'yi, "Ashes place."
Gakati'ti: "Place of setting free," a south bend in Tuckasegee river
about 3 miles above Bryson City, in Swain county. It is sometimes
put in the plural form, Diga'katiyi, "Place of setting them free." In
one of their old wars the Cherokee generously released some pris-
oners there.
koonei LOCAL LEGENDS <>K NORTH CAROLINA 407
( ! Aii Ti'vi: "Town-building place," near the In 'ail of Santeetla creek,
southwest from Robbinsville, in Graham county. High up on the
slopes of the neighboring mountain, Si ratton bald, is a wide " bench,"
where the people once started to build a settlement, but were frightened
oil' by a strange noise, which they thought was made by an uktena.
(ii i.i'-DiNKiif n'i i: "Where the dogs live," a deep place in Ocona-
1 uft it river, Swain county, a short distance above Yellow Hill (Chero-
kee) and just below the mound. It is so named from a tradition that
two "red does" were once seen there playing on the bank. They
were supposed to live under the water.
Gisehun'yi: •• Where the Female lives," onTuckasegee river,about
2 miles above Bryson City, Swain county. There is a tradition that
some supernatural "white people" were seen there washing clot lies in
the river and banging them out upon the bank to dry. They were
probably supposed to lie the family of the Agis'-e'gwa, or "Great
Female," a spirit invoked by the conjurers.
Gregory bald: A high peak of the Great Smoky mountains on the
western border of Swain county, adjoining Tennessee. The Cherokee
call itTsistu'yl, "Rabbit place." Here the rabbits had their townhouse
and here lived their chief, the Great Rabbit, and in the old times the
people could see him. lie was as large as a deer, and all the little
rabbits were subject to him.
Joanna bald: A bald mountain near the head of Valley river, on
the line between Graham and Cherokee counties. Called Diya'hali'yi,
"Lizard place," from a traditional great lizard, with glistening throat,
which used to haunt the place and was frequently seen sunning itself
on the rocky slopes.
Jutaculla old fields: A bald spot of perhaps a hundred acres on
the slope of Tennessee bald (TsulkahY Tsunegun'yi), at the extreme
head of Tuckasegee river, in Jackson county, on the ridge from which
the lines of Haywood, Jackson, and Transylvania counties diverge.
The giant Tsui kahY, or Jutaculla, as the name is corrupted by the
w bites, had his residence in the mountain (see storj ). and according to
local legend among the whites, said to be derived from the Indians, this
bald spot was a clearing which he made for a farm. Some distance
farther to the west, on the north bank of Cany fork, about 1 mile abo\ e
Moses creek and perhaps In miles above Webster, in the same county,
is the Jutaculla rock, a large soapstone slab covered with rude carvings,
which, according to the same tradition, are scratches made by the giant
in jumping from his farm on the mountain to the creek below.
Jutaculla rock: See Jutaculla old fields.
Kax-Detsi'iunti: " Where the bones are." a ravine on the north side
of Cheowa river, just above the mouth of East Buffalo creek, in
Graham county. In the old time two Cherokee were killed here by
408 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [ETH.Aira.19
the enemy, and their fate was unknown until, long afterward, their
friends found their hones scattered about in the ravine.
N wiaiiai.a: A river and ridge of very steep mountains in Macon
county, the name being a corruption of Nun'daye' li. applied to a for-
mer settlement about the mouth of Briertown creek, the townhouse
heing on the west side of the river, about the present Jarretts. The
tvord means ■■middle sun." i. e.. ■•midday sun," from niinda' ', "sun,"'
and m/, ''U, " middle." and refers to the fact that in places along the
stream the high cliffs shut out the direct light of the sun until nearly
noon. From a false idea that it is derived from rnn'inti, "milk," it
has been fancifully rendered. "Center of a woman's breast," ''Maiden's
bosom," etc. The valley was the legendary haunt of the Uw'tsun'ta
(see number 45). As illustrating the steepness of the cliffs along the
stream it was said of a noted hunter, Tsasta'wL who lived in the old
town, that he used to stand on the top of the bluff overlooking the
settlement and throw down upon the roof of his house the liver of
the freshly killed deer, so that his wife would have it cooked and
waiting for him by the time he got down the mountain.
Nugatsa'ni: A ridge below Yellow Hill (Cherokee), on Oconaluftee
river, in Swain county, said to be a resort of the Niiime'hi fairies.
The word is an archaic form denoting a high ridge with a long, grad-
ual slope.
Qualla: A post-office and former trading station in Jackson county.
on the border of the present East Cherokee reservation, hence some-
times called the Qualla reservation. The Cherokee form is Kwall, or
Kwalunyi in the locative. According to Captain Terrell, the former
trader at that place, it was named from Kwali, i. e., Polly, an old
Indian woman who lived there some sixty years ago.
Saligu'gi: "Turtle place." a deep hole in Oconaluftee river, about
half a mile below Adams creek, near Whittier, in Swain county, said
to be the resort of a monster turtle.
Skwax'-digu'gun'yi: For Askwan'-digugun'yi. "Where the Span-
iard is in the water," on Soco creek, just above the entrance of Wright's
creek, in Jackson county. According to tradition a party of Span-
iards advancing into the mountains was attacked here by the Chero-
kee, who threw one of them (dead;) into the stream.
Soco gap: Ahalu'na, A'halunun'yi, or Uni'halu'na, "Ambush," or
"Where they ambushed"; at the head of Soco creek, on the line
between Swain and Haywood counties. The trail from Pigeon river
ciosses tliis gap, and in the old times the Cherokee were accustomed
to keep a lookout here for the approach of enemies from the north.
On the occasion which gave it the name, they ambushed here, just
below the gap, on the Haywood side, a large party of invading Sha-
wano, and killed all but one, whose ears they cut off. after which.
ho i. LOCAL LEGENDS OF NORTH CAROLINA 40''
according to a common custom, they released him to carry the news
hack to his people.
Standing Indian: A high bald peak al the extreme head of Nanta-
hala river, in Macon county. The name is a tendering of the Chero-
kee name, Yun'wi-tsulenun'yi, "Where the man stood" (originally
Yu'nwi-dlkatagun'j i. " Where the man -lands "), given to it on accouni
of a peculiarly shaped rock formerly jutting out from the bald sum-
mit, but now broken off. A- the old memory faded, a tradition grew
up of a mysterious being once seen standing upon the mountain top.
Stekoa: A spot on Tuckasegee river, just above Whittier, in Swain
county, better known as the Thomas farm, from its being the former
residence of Colonel W. II. Thomas, for a lone- time the agent of the
East Cherokee. Tin' correct form is Stika'yi, the name of an ancient
settlement at the place, as also of another on a creek of the same name
in Rabun county, Georgia. The word has been incorrectly rendered
"little grease," from usdi'ga or usdi', •"little." and ka'i, "grease" or
"oil," lint the true meaning is lost.
Swannanoa: A river joining the French Broad at Asheville, and the
gap in the Blue ridge at its head. A magazine writer has translated
this name ••the beautiful." The word, however, is a corruption of
Suwa'li-nunna'(dii). "Suwali trail." the Cherokee name, not of the
stream, hut of the trail crossing the gap toward the country of the
Ani'-Suwa'li or Cheraw (see number L04, "The Eastern Tribes").
Swim bald ok Wolf Creek bald. See Cheowa Maximum.
Tsi'skwunsdi'-adsisti'yi: "Where they killed Little-bird," a place
near the head of West Buffalo creek, southwest of Robbinsville, in
Graham county. A trail crosses the ridge near this place, which takes
its name from a man who was killed here by a hostile war party in the
old fighting days.
Tsu'dinunti'yi: "Throwing down place," the site of a former set
tlement in a bend on the wesl side of Xantahala river, just within the
limits of Macon county. So called from a tradition that a Cherokee
pursued by the enemy threw away his equipment there.
TsuKii.rxxt x'vi: "Where he alighted," two small bald spots on the
side of the mountain at the head of Little Snowbird creek, southwest
of Robbinsville, in Graham county. A mysterious being, having the
form of a giant, with head blazing like the sun. was once seen to fly
through the air. alight at this place, and stand for some time looking
out over the landscape. It then flew away, and when the people came
afterward to look, they found the herbage burned from the ground
where it had stood. They do not know who it was, but some think it
may have been the Sun.
Tsula'sinGn'yi: " Where the footprint is," on Tuckasegee river,
about a mile above Deep creek, in Swain county. From a rock now
410 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [ethannW
blasted out to make way for the railroad, on which were impressions
said tn have been the footprints of the giant Tsulkalu' (see story) and
a deer.
Tsinoa mi.ti'yi: " Where they demanded the debt from him," a tine
camping ground, on the north side of Little Santeetla creek, about lialf-
way up, west from Robbinsville, Graham county. Here a hunter once
killed a deer, which the others of the party demanded in payment of a
debt due them. TheCherokee commonly give the creek thesame name.
Tsita'oa I'wf.yun'i: "Chicken creek.'* 'an extreme eastern head-
stream of Nantahala river, entering about 4 miles above Clear branch,
in Macon county. So called from a story that some hunters camping
there for the night once heard a noise as of chickens constantly crow-
ing- upon a high rock farther up the stream.
Tsuta'tsinasun'yi: ••Where it eddies.'" a deep hole at the mouth of
Cockram creek of Cheowa river, in Graham county, where is an eddy
said to l»e caused by a buffalo which lives under the water at this spot,
and which anciently lived at the mouth of West Buffalo creek, farther
up the river.
Tusquittee baud: A bald mountain at the head of Tusquittee creek,
eastward from Hayesville, in Clay county. The Cherokee name is
Tsinva'-uniyetsufi'vi, •"Where the water-dogs laughed," the water-dog
of the southern Alleghenies, sometimes also called mud-puppy or hell-
bender, being a large amphibious lizard or salamander of the genus
Menopoma, frequenting muddy waters. According to the story, a
hunter once crossing over the mountain in a very dry season, heard
voices, and creeping silently toward the place from which the sound
proceeded, peeped over a rock and saw two water-dogs walking
together on their hind legs along the trail and talking as they went.
Their pond had dried up and they were on the way over to Nantahala
river. As he listened one said to the other. " Where's the water? I'm
so thirsty that my apron (gills) hangs down." and then both water-dogs
laughed.
[Jkte'na-tsuganun'tatsun'yi: '■Where the uktenagot fastened," a
spot on Tuckasegee river, about 2 miles above Deep creek, near Bryson
City, in Swain county. There is a tradition that an uktena, trying to
make his way upstream, became fastened here, and in his struggles
pried up some large rocks now lying in the bed of the river, and left
deep scratches upon other rocks along the bank.
Ukte'na-TJTANSi'nastun'yi: " Where the uktena crawled," a large
rock on the Hyatt farm, on the north bank of Tuckasegee river, about
four miles above Bryson City, in Swain county. In the rock bed of the
stream and along the rocks on the side are wavy depressions said to
have been made by an uktena in going up the river.
Untlasgasti'yi": " Where they scratched." at the head of Hyatt
creek, of Valley river, in Cherokee county. According to hunting
v ' Local LEGENDS <>F NORTH ciK 'i.INA 411
tradition, every animal on arriving at tins spot was accustomed to
scratch the ground like a turkey.
Vengeance creek: A south tributary of Valley river, in Cherokee
countj . So called by the lir-t settlers from an old Indian woman who
lived there and whom they nicknamed " Vengeance," on account <>!'
hercross looks. The Cherokee call the district G&nsa"ti'yi, "Robbing
place," from their having fobbed a trader there in the Revolution.
W iya gap: A gap in the Nantahala mountains, in Macon county,
where the trail crosses from Laurel creek of Nantahala river t<> Car-
toogaja creek of the Little Tennessee. The Cherokee call it A tahi'ta,
"Shouting place." For the tradition see number 13. It was the
scene of a stubborn encounter in the Revolution (see page -J-'.n. The
name Wa.va appears to be from the Cherokee wd''ya, "wolf."
Webster: The county seat of Jackson county, on Tuckasegee river.
Known to the Cherokee as Unadanti'yi, "Where they conjured."
The name properly belongs to a gap 3 miles east of Webster, on the
trail going up Scotts creek. According to tradition, a war party of
Shawano, coming from the direction of Pigeon river, halted here to
"make medicine"* against the Cherokee, but while thus engaged were
surprised by the latter, who came up from behind and killed several,
including the conjurer.
Ya'ni -pixehi n'yi: "Where the bears live.** on Oconaluftee river,
about a mile above its junction with Tuckasegee. in Swain county.
A family of "water hears"" is said to live at the bottom of the river
in a deep hole at this point.
Ya'nu-tj'natawasti'yi: "Where the bears wash," a small pond of
very cold, purple water, which has no outlet and is now nearly dried
up, in a gap of the Great Smoky mountains, at the extreme head of
Raven fork of Oconaluftee. in Swain county. It was said to be a
favorite bear wallow, and according to some accounts its waters had
the same virtues ascribed to those of Atagfi'hi (see number 69).
Yawa'i: " Yawa place.*" a spot on the south side of Yellow creek of
Cheowa river, in Graham county, about a mile above the trail cross
ing near the mouth of the creek. The legend is that a mysterious
personage, apparently a human being, formerly haunted a round knob
near there, and was sometimes seen walking about the top of the
knoli and crying, Yiin-ii' ! Yawd'/ while the sound of invisible guns
came from the hill, so that the people were afraid to o-<> near it.
123. LOCAL LEGENDS OF SOUTH CAROLINA
As the Cherokee withdrew from all of South ( larolina except a small
strip in the extreme wot as early as 1777. the memory of the old
legends localized within the state has completely faded from the tribe.
There remain, however, some local names upon which the whites who
412 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
succeeded to the inheritance have built traditions of more or less
doubtful authenticity.
In Pickens and Anderson counties, in the northwest corner of the
state, is a series of creeks joining Keowee river and named, respectively
in order, from above downward. Mile, Six-mile, Twelve-mile, Eighteen-
mile, Twenty -three-mile, and Twenty-six-mile. According to the local
stoiy, they were thus christened by a young woman, in one of the
early Indian wars, as she crossed each ford on a rapid horseback
tiight to the lower settlements to secure help for the beleaguered gar-
rison of Fort Prince George. The names really date back almost to
the first establishment of the colony, and were intended to indicate
roughly the distances along the old trading path from Fort Ninety-six,
on Henlevs creek of Saluda river, to Keowee, at that time the frontier
town of the Cherokee Nation, the two points being considered 96 miles
apart as the trail ran. Fort Prince George was on the east bank of
Keowee river, near the entrance of Crow creek, and directly opposite
the Indian town.
Coxxeross: The name of a creek which enters Keowee (or Seneca)
river from the west, in Anderson county; it is a corruption of the
Lower Cherokee dialectic form. Kawan'-ura'siinyi or Kawan'-tsura'-
sufiyi, •""Where the duck fell off." According to the still surviving
Cherokee tradition, a duck once had her nest upon a cliff overlooking
the stream in a cave with the mouth so placed that in leaving the nest
she appeared to fall from the cliff into the water. There was proba-
bly an Indian settlement of the same name.
Toxaway: The name of a creek and former Cherokee settlement at
the extreme head of Keowee river; it has been incorrectly rendered
•"Place of shedding tears," from dakxtlwu'lhu, "he is shedding tears."
The correct Cherokee form of the name is Duksa'i or Dukw'sa'i, a
word which can not be analyzed and of which the meaning is now lost.
124. LOCAL LEGENDS OF TENNESSEE
For the more important legends localized in Tennessee see the stories
The Hunter in the Dakwa', The Nest of the Tla'nuwa, The Removed
Townhouses, The Haunted Whirlpool, Untsaiyi', and U'tliiii'ta.
Buffalo Track rock: This rock, of which the Indian name is now
lost, is indefinitely mentioned as located southwest from Cumberland
gap, on the northern border of the state. According to Watford, it
was well known some eighty years ago to the old Cherokee hunters,
who described it as covered with deep impressions made by buffalo
running along the rock and then butting their heads, as though in
mad fury, against a rock wall, leaving the prints of their heads and
horns in the stone.
Chattaxooga: This city, upon Tennessee river, near the entrance
LOCAL LEGENDS OF TENNESSEE 413
of the creek of the same name in Hamilton county, was incorporated
in L848. So far as is known there was no ( !herokee settlement at the
place, although some prominent men of the tribe lived in the vicinity.
The name originally belonged to some location upon the creek. The
Cherokee pronounce it Tsatanu'gi, l>ut say that it is not a Cherokee
word and has no meaning in their language. The best informants
express the opinion that it was from the Chickasaw (Choctaw) lan-
guage, which seems possible, as the Chickasaw country anciently
extended a considerable distance up the Tennessee, the nearest settle-
ment being within 80 miles of the present city. The Cherokee some-
time- call the city Atla'nuwa'. "Tla'nuwa (Hawk) hole.'" that being
their old name for a bluff on the south side of the river at the foot of
the present Market street. From this circumstance probably origin-
ated the statement by a magazine writer that the name Chatta ga
signifies "The crow's nest."
Ciiicka.m.u i.a: The name of two creeks in Hamilton county, enter-
ing Tennessee river from opposite sides a few miles above Chatta-
nooga. A creek of the same name is one of the head-streams of Chat-
tahoochee river, in White county. < reorgia. The ( !herokee pronounce
it Tsikama'gi, applying the name in Tennessee to the territory about
the mouth of the southern, or principal, stream, where they formerly
had a town, from which they removed in 1782. They state, however,
that it is not a Cherokee word and has no meaning in their language.
Filson. in 17(.*3, erroneously states that it is from the Cherokee language
and signifies "Boiling pot." referring to a dangerous whirlpool in
the river near by, and later writers have improved upon this by trans-
lating it to mean "Whirlpool." The error arises from confound-
ing this place with The Suck, a whirlpool in Tennessee river 15 miles
farther down and known to the Cherokee as Untiguhi', "Pot in the
water" (see number 63, " Untsaiyi', the Gambler"). On account of the
hard fighting in the neighborhood during the Civil war. the stream was
sometimes called, poetically. "The River of Death." the term being
frequently given as a translation of the Indian word. It has been sug-
gested that the name is derived from an Algonquian word referring to
a fishing or fish-spearing place, in which case it may have originated
with the Shawano, who formerly occupied middle Tennessee, and some
of whom at a later period resided jointly with the Cherokee in the
settlement- along this part of the river. If not Shawano it is prob-
ably from the Creek or Chickasaw.
Concerning "Chickamauga gulch," a canyon on the northern stream
of that name, a newspaper writer gives the following so-called legend,
which it is hardly necessary to say is not genuine:
The Cherokees were a tribe singularly rich in tradition, ami of course >■> wild,
gloomy, and remarkable a spot was not without its legend. The descendants ol the
expatriated semi-barbarians believe t.. this day that in ages gone a great serpent made
414 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
its den in the gulch, and that yearly he demanded of the red men ten of their moat
beautiful maidens as a sacrificial offering. Fearful of extermination, the demand
was always complied with by the tribe, amid weeping and wailing by the women.
On the day before the tribute was due the serpent announced its presence by a
demoniacal hiss, and the next morning the fair ones who hail been chosen to save the
tribe were taken to the summit of a cliff and left to be swallowed by the scaly
Moloch.
Chixhowee: A mountain and station on the north side of Little
Tennessee river, in Blount county. The correct Cherokee form is
Tsulunwe'i, applied to the lower part of Abrams creek, which enters
the river from the north just above. The meaning of the word is
lost, although it may possibly have a connection with tstild, " king-
fisher." It has been incorrectly rendered " fire deer," an interpretation
founded on the false assumption that the name is compounded from
atsi'la, "lire," and «W, '"deer," whence Chil-howee. For legends
localized in this vicinity, see the stories noted above. Chilhowee
occurs also as the name of a stream in the mountains of southwestern
Virginia.
Lenoir: On the north bank of the main Tennessee, at the junction
of the Little Tennessee, in Loudon county. The Cherokee name is
Wa'ginsi', of which the meaning is lost, and was applied originally to
an eddy in the stream, where, it was said, there dwelt a large serpent,
to see which was an omen of evil. On one occasion a man crossing
the river at this point saw the snake in the water and soon afterward
lost one of his children.
Morganton: On a rocky hill on the old Indian trail on the west side
of Little Tennessee river, above and nearly opposite Morganton, in
Loudon county, are, or were a few years ago, four trees blazed in a
peculiar manner, concerning which the Indians had several unsatisfac-
tory stories, the most common opinion being that the marks were very
old and had been made by Indians to indicate the position of hidden
mines.
Nashville: The state capital, in Davidson county. The Cherokee
name is Dagu'nawel&'hi, "Mussel-liver place," which would seem to
have originated in some now forgotten legend.
Nickajack: A creek entering Tennessee river from the south about
15 miles below Chattanooga. Near its mouth is a noted cave of the
same name. The Cherokee form is Nikutse'gi, the name of a former
settlement of that tribe at the mouth of the creek: but the word has
no meaning in that language, and is probably of foreign, perhaps
Chickasaw, origin. The derivation from a certain " Nigger Jack,"
said to have made the cave his headquarters is purely fanciful.
Savannah: A farm on the north bank of Hiwassee river at a ford
of the same name, about 5 miles above Conasauga creek and Columbus,
in Polk county. Here are extensive remains of an ancient settlement,
including mounds, cemetery, and also, some seventy years ago, a small
mooney] GEORGIA LEGENDS 415
square inclosure or "fort" of undressed stone. According to a tradi-
tion given to Wafford, the Cherokee once prepared an ambush here
for a hostile war party which they were expecting to come up the
river, hut were themselves defeated by the enemy, who made a detoui
around the Black mountain and came in upon their rear.
Tennessee: The Cherokee form is Tanasi', and was applied to sev
era! localities within the old territory of the tribe. The mosl impor
tant town of this name was on the south bank of Little Tennessee river,
halfway between Citico and Toco creeks, in .Monroe county, Tennes-
see. Another was on the south side of Hiwassee, just above the junction
of Ocoee, in Polk county, Tennessee. A third district of the same
name was on Tennessee creek, the extreme easterly head of Tucka-
segee river, in Jackson county. North Carolina. The meaning of the
name is lost. It was not the Indian name of the river, and does not
mean "Big spoon." as lias been incorrectly asserted.
125. LOCAL LEGENDS OF GEORGIA
For more important legends localized in Georgia see the stories
Yahula, The Nunnehi. The Ustu'tli, Agan-uni'tsi's Search for the
Cktena, and The Man who Married the Thunder's Sister. White's
Historical Collections of Georgia is responsible for a number of
pseudo-myths.
Chopped oak: A noted tree, scarred with hundreds of hatchet marks,
formerly in Habersham county. 6 miles east of Clarkesville, on the
summit of Chattahoochee ridge, and on the north side of the road from
Clarkesville to Toccoa creek. The Cherokee name is Digalu'yatuH'yi,
•• Where it is gashed with hatchets." It was a favorite assembly place
for the Indians, as well as for the early settler-, according to whom
the gashes were tally marks by means of which the Indians kept the
record of scalps taken in their forays. The tradition is thus given by
"White (Historical Collections of Georgia, ]>. 489, L855) on some earlier
authority:
Among the curiosities of this country was the Chopped Oak, a tree famous in
Indian history and in the traditions of the early settlers. This tree stood about 6
miles southeast of Clarke-vibe, and was noted as being the Law Ground, or place of
holding company musters and magistrates' courts. According to tradition, the
Chopped Oak was a celebrated rendezvous of the Indians in their predatory excur-
sions, it being at a point where a number of trails met. Here their plans of war-
fare were laid; here the several parties separated; and here, on their return, they
awaited each other; and then, in their brief language, the result of their enterprise
»;t- stated, and for every scalp taken a gasli cut in the tree. If tradition tells the
truth, and every Bear en the blasted oat counts for a scalp, the success of their scout-
ing parties must have been great. This tree was alive a few years Bince when a young
n Kin. possessing all the prejudices of his countrymen, ami caring less for the traditions
of the Indian- than his ..« 11 revenge, killed the tree by girdling it. that it might be no
longer a living monument of the cruelties of the savages The stump is -till standing.
416 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [ETH.i.vN.19
Dead Man's gap: One mile below Tallulah falls, on the west side of
the railroad, in Habersham county. So called from a former reputed
Indian grave, now almost obliterated. According to the story, it was
the grave of an Indian who was killed here while eloping with a white
woman, whom he had stolen from her husband.
Frogtown: A creek at the head of Chestatee river, north of Dah-
lonega, in Lumpkin county. The Cherokee name is Walasi'yi, "Frog
place." The name was originally applied to a mountain to the north-
east {Hock mountain '?). from a tradition that a hunter had once seen
there a frog as large as a house. The Indian settlement along the
creek bore the same name.
I Iiwassek: A river having its source in Towns county, of northern
Georgia, and flowing northwestward to join the Tennessee. The cor-
rect Cherokee form, applied to two former settlements on the stream, is
Ayuhwa'sl (meaning "A savanna"). Although there is no especial
Cherokee story connected with the name. White (Historical Collections
of Georgia, p. 660) makes it the subject of a long pseudo-myth, in
which Hiwassee. rendered ''The Pretty Fawn," is the beautiful
daughter of a Catawba chief, and is wooed, and at last won, by a
young Cherokee warrior named Notley, ''The Daring Horseman,"
who finally becomes the head chief of the Cherokee and succeeds in
making perpetual peace between the two tribes. The story sounds
very pretty, but is a pure invention.
Nacoochee: A village on the site of a former Cherokee settlement,
in a beautiful and fertile valley of the same name at the head of Chat-
tahoochee river, in White county. The Cherokee form is Nagu tsi',
but the word has no meaning in that language and seems to be of for-
eign, perhaps Creek, origin. About 2 miles above the village, on the
east bank of the river, is a large mound. White (Historical Collec-
tions of Georgia, p. 486) quotes a fictitious legend, according to which
Nacoochee, "The Evening Star," was a beautiful Indian princess, who
unfortunately fell in love with a chieftain of a hostile tribe and was
killed, together with her lover, while fleeing from the vengeance of
an angry father. The two were buried in the same grave and the
mound was raised over the spot. The only grain of truth in the story
is that the name has a slight resemblance to ?uikwlsi', the Cherokee
word for "star."
Nottely: A river rising in Union county and flowing northwest-
ward into Hiwassee. The Cherokee form is Na'dii'li', applied to a
former settlement on the west side of the river, in Cherokee county,
North Cai'olina, about a mile from the Georgia line. Although sug-
gestive of mi' full, " spicewood," it is a different word and has no mean-
ing in the Cherokee language, being apparently of foreign, perhaps
Creek, origin. For a pseudo-myth connected with the name, see the
preceding note on Hiwassee.
LOCAL LEGENDS OF GEORGIA 417
T.w.kim. Rock: A creek in upper Georgia flowing northward to
join Coosawatee river. The Indian settlements upon it were consid-
ered as belonging to Sanderstown, on the lower part of the creek, the
townhouse being located about a mile above the present Talking Rock
station on the west side of the railroad. The name is a translation of
the Cherokee Nunyu'-gunwani'skl, "" Rock that talks," and refers,
according to one informant, to an echo rock somewhere upon the stream
below the present railroad station. An old-time trader among the
Cherokee in ( reorgia says that the name was applied to a roek at which
the Indians formerly held their councils, hut the etymology of the
word is against this derivation.
Tallulah: A river in Rabun county, northeastern Georgia, which
(low- into the Tugaloo, and has a beautiful fall about 2 miles above its
mouth. The Cherokee form is TaJulu' (TariiiT in the lower Cherokee
dialect), the name of an ancient settlement some distance above the falls,
as also of a creek and district at the head of Cheowa river, in Graham
county. North Carolina. The name can not he translated. A maga-
zine writer has rendered it "The Terrible," for which there is no
authority. Schoolcraft, on the authority of a Cherokee lady, renders
it "There lies your child," derived from a story of a child having
been carried over the falls. The name, however, was not applied to
the falls, hnt to a district on the stream above, as well as to another
in North Carolina. The error arises from the fact that a word of
somewhat similar sound denotes "having children" or " being preg-
nant," used in speaking of a woman. One informant derives it from
fnliiln' '. the cry of a certain species of frog known as dulusl, which is
found in that neighborhood, hut not upon the reservation, and which
was formerly eaten as food. A possible derivation is from a'tdhtlti',
"unfinished, premature, unsuccessful." The tall was called Ugun'yl,
a name of which the meaning is lost, and which was applied also to a
locality on Little Tennessee river near Franklin, North Carolina.
For a myth localized at Tallulah falls, see number 84, "The Man who
Married the Thunder's Sister."
In this connection Lanman gives the, following story, which, not-
withstanding its white man's dress, appears to he based upon a gen-
uine Cherokee tradition of the Nufine'hi:
During my stay at the Kails of Tallulah I made every effort to obtain an Indian
legend or two connected with them, and it was my good fortune to hear one which
has never yet been printed. It was originally obtained by the white man who first
discovered tin- falls from the Cherokees, who lived in the region at the time. It is
in substance as follows: Many generations a^"> it si. happened that several famous
hunters, who hail wandered from the West toward what is now the Savannah river,
in search of game, never returned to their camping grounds. In process of time the
Quriositj as well as the fears of the nation were excited, and an effort was made to
ascertain the cause of their singular disappearance, whereupon a party of medicine
men were deputed t.. make a pilgrimage toward the great river. They were absent
a whole m and, on returning t.. their friends, they reported that they had dis-
l'.t KTII— 01 27
418 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth. ass. 19
covered a dreadful fissure in an unknown part of the country, through which a
mountain torrent took its way with a deafening noise. They said that it was an
exceedingly wild place, and that its inhabitants were a species of little men and
women, who dwelt in the crevices of the rocks and in grottoes under the waterfalls.
They had attempted by every artifice in their power to hold a council with the little
people, but all in vain; and, from the shrieks they frequently uttered, the medicine
men knew that they were the enemies of the Indian race, and, therefore, it was con-
cluded in the nation at large that the long-lost hunters had been decoyed to their
death in the dreadful gorge, which they called Tallulah. In view of this little legend,
it is worthy of remark that the Cherokee nation, previous to their departure for the
distant West, always avoided the Falls of Tallulah, and were seldom found hunting
or fishing in their vicinity.1
Toccoa: (1) A creek flowing into Tugaloo river, in Habersham
county, with ;i fall upon its; upper course, near the village of the same
name. (2) A river in upper Georgia, flowing northwestward into
Hiwassee. The correct Cherokee form applied to the former settlement
on both streams is Tagwa'hi. "Catawba place,'' implying the former
presence of Indians of that tribe. The lands about Toccoa falls were
sold by the Cherokee in 1TS3 and were owned at one time by Watford's
grandfather. According to Wafford, there was a tradition that when
the whites first visited the place they saw, as they thought, an Indian
woman walking beneath the surface of the water under the falls, and
on looking again a moment after they saw her sitting upon an over-
hanging rock 200 feet in the air, with her feet dangling over. Said
Watford, "She must have been one of the Nunne'hi."
Track Rock gap: A gap about 5 miles east of Blairsville. in Union
county, on the ridge separating Brasstown creek from the waters of
Nottely river. The micaceous soapstone rocks on both sides of the
trail are covered with petroglyphs, from which the gap takes its
name. The Cherokee call the place Datsu'nalasgun'yi, " Where there are
tracks," or Degayeluii'ha, "Printed (Branded) place." The carvings
are of many and various patterns, some of them resembling human
or animal footprints, while others are squares, crosses, circles, "bird
tracks," etc., disposed without any apparent order. On the authority
of a Doctor Stevenson, writing in 1834, White (Historical Collections
of Georgia, p. 658, 1855), and after him Jones (Antiquities of the South-
ern Indians, 1873), give a misleading and greatly exaggerated account
of these carvings, without having taken the trouble to investigate for
themselves, although the spot is easily accessible. No effort, either
state or local, is made to preserve the pictographs from destruction,
and many of the finest have been cut out from the rock and carried ofl
by vandals, Stevenson himself being among the number, by his own
confession. The illustration (plate xx) is from a rough sketch made
by the author in 1890.
The Cherokee have various theories to account for the origin of the
carvings, the more sensible Indians saying that they were made by
! the Alleghany Mountains, pages 41-42.
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY
NINETEENTH ANNUAL REPORT PL. XX
PETROGLYPHS AT TRACK-ROCK GAP, GEORGIA
From sketches by the author, 1889. Portions cut out bj vandals are indicated bj lightei
LOCAL LEGENDS OF GEORGIA 411)
hunters for their own amusement while resting in the gap. Another
tradition is thai they wore made while the surface of the newly cre-
ated earth \\a^ Mill soft by a greal army tit' birds and animals fleeing
through the gap to escape some pursuing danger from the west — some
say a great "drive hunt" of the Indians. Haywood confounds them
with other petroglyphs in North Carolina connected with the story of
the giant Tsui kahV (see number 81).
The following florid account of the carvings and ostensible Indian
tradition of their origin is from White, on the authority of Stevenson:
The numbei visible or defined is L36, some of them quite natural and perfect, and
others rattier rode imitations, ami most of them from the effects of time have become
in. ire nr less obliterated. Tiny comprise human feet from those 4 inches in length
to those of great warriors which measure 17J inches in length and 7f in breadth
across the toes. What is a hole curious, all the human feet are natural except this,
which has 6 toes, proving him to have been a descendant of Titan. There are *_'(> of
these impressions, all hare except one. which has the appearance of having worn
moccasins. A fine turned hand, rather delicate, occupied a place near the great
warrior, and probably the impression of his wife's hand, who no doubt accompanied
her husband in all his excursions, sharing his toils and soothing his cares away.
Many horse tracks are to be seen. One seems to have been shod, some are very
small, and one measures 121 inches by 9i inches. This the Cherokee say was the
footprint of the great war horse which their chieftain rode. The tracks of a great
many turkeys, turtles, terrapins, a large bear's paw, a snake's trail, and the foot-
prints of two deer are tn In- seen. The tradition respecting these impressions varies.
One asserts that the world was once deluged with water, and men with all animated
beings were destroyed, except one family, together with various animals necessary
to replenish the earth: that the Great Spirit before the floods came commanded
them tn embark in a hit.' canoe, which after long sailing was drawn to this spot by a
bevy of swans and rested there, and here the whole troop of animals was disem-
barked, leaving the impressions as they passed over the rock, which being softened
h\ reason of long submersion kindly received and preserved them.
War Woman's creek: Enters Chattooga river in Rabun county,
northeastern Georgia, in the heart of the old Lower ( Jherokee country.
The name seems to be of Indian origin, although the Cherokee name
is lost and the story has perished. A writer quoted by White (His-
torical Collections of Georgia, p. ±44) attempts to show its origin from
the exploit of a certain Revolutionary amazon, in capturing a party
of Tories, hut the name occurs in Adair (note, p. 185) as early as 177.">.
There is some reason for believing that it refers to a former female
dignitary among the Cherokee, described by Haywood under the title
of the •■ Pretty Woman" as having authority to decide the fate of
prisoners of war. Waflord once knew an old woman whose name was
Da na-ga'sta. an abbreviated form for Da'nawa-g&sta'ya, •"Sharp
war." understood to mean "" Sharp (i., e., Fierce) warrior." Several
cases of women acting the part of warriors tire on record among the
Cherokee.
420 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.asn.18
126. PLANT LORE
The Cherokee have always been an agricultural people, and their old
country is a region of luxuriant flora, with tall trees and tangled under-
growth on the slopes and ridges, and myriad bright-tinted blossoms
and sweet wild fruits along the running streams. The vegetable king-
dom consequently holds a far more important place in the mythology
and ceremonial of the tribe than it does among the Indians of the
treeless plains and arid sage deserts of the West, most of the beliefs
and customs in this connection centering around the practice of medi-
cine, as expounded by the priests and doctors in every settlement. In
general it is held that the plant world is friendly to the human species.
and constantly at the willing service of the doctors to counteract the
jealous hostility of the animals. The sacred formulas contain many
curious instructions for the gathering and preparation of the medicinal
roots and barks, which are selected chiefly in accordance with the
theory of correspondences.
The Indians are close observers, and some of their plant names are
peculiarly apt. Thus the mistletoe, which never gi-ows alone, but is
found always with its roots fixed in the bark of some supporting tree
or shrub from which it draws its sustenance, is called by a name which
signifies "it is married" (uda' It). The violet is still called by a plural
name. di ' mln 'xj.-intt, 'xki. ••they pull each other's heads off," showing that
the Cherokee children have discovered a game not unknown among
our own. The bear-grass ( Eryngium), with its long, slender leaves like
diminutive blades of corn, is called sdlikwd'yi, "greensnake," and the
larger grass known as Job's tears, on account of its glossy, rounded
grains, which the Indian children use for necklaces, is called sel-utsi',
" the mother of corn." The black-eyed Susan ( limlh, chid) of our chil-
dren is the "deer-eye" (</ wi'-ccktd') of the Cherokee, and our lady-
sb pper ( Oypripedmm) is their " partridge moccasin" (gfigw&'-'idasu'la).
The May-apple {Podophyllum), with its umbrella-shaped top. is called
a' itislir, tn' t/i. meaning " it wears a hat," while the white puffball fungus
is n&kwisi'-usdi', "the little star." and the common rock lichen bears
the musical, if rather unpoetic, name of utsdldta, "pot scrapings."
Some plants are named from their real or supposed place in the animal
economy, as the wild rose, tsist-uni'gisti, "the rabbits eat it" — refer-
ring to the seed berries — and the shield fern (Aspidiwri), i/an-nts, 'stu,
" the bear lies on it." Others, again, are named from their domestic or
ceremonial uses, as the fleabane (JErigeron canad^ nst ). called atsil'-si&n //',
"fire maker." because its dried stalk was anciently employed in pro-
ducing fire by friction, and the bugle weed (Lycopus virginicus), known
as aniwani'ski, "talkers." because the chewed root, given to children to
swallow, or rubbed upon their lips, is supposed to endow them with
the gift of eloquence. Some few, in addition to the ordinary term in
use among the common people, have a sacred or symbolic name, used
PLANT LOBE 4'_»1
onh bj the priests and doctors in the prayer formulas. Thus gin-
seng, or '"sail":'." as it is more often called by the white mountaineers,
is known to the laity as A'taU-guW, "the mountain climber," but is
addressed in the formula" as YUnvA Ubdi', "Little Man." while selu
(corn) is invoked under the name of Agawt 'la, ""The* )ld Woman." One
or two plant names have their origin in myths, as, for instance, that of
Prosartes lanuginosa, which bears the curious nai f wdlds' -until' sti,
"frogsfight with it," from a story that inthelongago Mlahi'yu two
quarrelsome frogs once fought a duel, using its stalks as lances. In
the locative form this was the name of a former Cherokee settlement
in Georgia, called by the whites Fighting-town, from a misapprehen-
sion of the meaning of the word. Of the white clover, the Cherokee
sa\ that "'it follows the white man.'"
The division of trees into evergreen and deciduous is accounted for
by a myth, related elsewhere, according to which the loss of their
leaves in winter time is a punishment visited upon the latter for their
failure to endure an ordeal to the end. With the Cherokee, as with
nearly all other tribes east and west, the cedar is held sacred above
other trees. The reasons for this reverence are easily found in its
ever-living green, its balsamic fragrance, and the beautiful color of its
fine-grained wood, unwarpingand practically undecaying. The small
green twigs are thrown upon the fire as incense in certain ceremonies,
particularly to counteract the effect of asgina dreams, as it is believed
that the anisgi'na or malevolent ghosts can not endure the smell; hut
the wood itself is considered too sacred to be used as fuel. In the war
dance, the scalp trophies, stretched on small hoops, were hung upon a
cedar sapling trimmed and decorated for the occasion. According to
a myth the red color comes originally from the blood of a wicked
magician, whose severed head was hung at the top of a tall cedar.
The story is now almost forgotten, hut it was probably nearly iden-
tical with one still existing among the Yuchi, former neighbors of the
Cherokee. According to the Yuchi myth, a malevolent magician dis-
turbed the daily course of the sun until at last two brave warriors
sought him out and killed him in his cave. They cut off his head and
brought it home with them to show to the people, but it continued
still alive. To make it die they were advised to tie it in the topmost
branches of a tree. This they did. trying one tree after another, hut
each morning the head was found at the foot of the tree and still alive.
At last they tied it in a cedar, and there the head remained until it was
dead, while the blood slowly trickling down alone- the trunk gave the
wood its red color, and henceforth the cedar was a ••medicine" tree.1
The linn or basswood ( Tilda) is believed never to be struck by light-
ning, and the hunter caught in otic of the frequent thunderstorms of
'Gate hel Some Mythic Stories of the Yuchi Indians, in American Anthropologist, vi, p. 281, ■Inly,
1893,
422 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE
the southern mountains always seeks its shelter. From its stringy
bark are twisted the hunting belts worn about the waist. Sourwood
((Irt/il, mlriiiii) is used by the hunters for barbecue sticks to roast meat
before the fire, on account of the acid flavor of the wood, which they
believe to lie thus communicated to the meat. Spoons and combs are
also carved from the wood, but it is never burned, from an idea that
lye made from the ashes will bring sickness to those who use it in pre-
paring their food. It is said also that if one should sleep beside a fire
containing sourwood sticks the sourwood "will barbecue him." which
may possibly mean that he will have hot or feverish pains thereafter.
The laurel, in its two varieties, large and small {Hhododend/ron and
Kill miii. or ■"ivy"), is much used for spoons and combs, on account of
its close grain, as also in medicine, but is never burned, as it is believed
that this would bring on cold weather, and would furthermore destroy
the medicinal virtues of the whole species. The reason given is that
the Leaves, when burning, make a hissing sound suggestive of winter
winds and falling snow. When the doctor is making up a compound
in which any part of the laurel is an ingredient, great precautions are
taken to prevent any of the leaves or twigs being swept into the fire,
as this would render the decoction worthless. Sassafras is tabued as
fuel among the Cherokee, as also among their white neighbors, per-
haps for the practical reason that it is apt to pop out of the tire when
heated and might thus set the house on fire.
Pounded walnut bark is thrown into small streams to stupefy the fish,
so that they may be easily dipped out in baskets as they float on the
surface of the water. Should a pregnant woman wade into the stream
at the time, its effect is nullified, unless she has first taken the precau-
tion to tie a strip of the bark about her toe. A fire of post-oak and
the wood of the telun'lutl or summer grape ( Vitis aestivalis) is believed
to bring a spell of warm weather even in the coldest winter season.
Mysterious properties attach to the wood of a tree which has been
struck by lightning, especially when the tree itself still lives, and such
wood enters largely into the secret compounds of the conjurers. An
ordinary person of the laity will not touch it, for fear of having cracks
come upon his hands and feet, nor is it burned for fuel, for fear that lye
made from the ashes will cause consumption. In preparing ballplayers
for the contest, the medicine-man sometimes burns splinters of it to
coal, which he gives to the players to paint themselves with in order
that they may be able to strike their opponents with all the force of a
thunderbolt. Bark or wood from a tree struck by lightning, but still
green, is beaten up and put into the water in which seeds are soaked
before planting, to insure a good crop, but, on the other hand, any
lightning-struck wood thrown into the field will cause the crop to
wither, and it is believed to have a bad effect even to go into the field
immediately after having been near such a tree.
PLANT LOBE 423
Among all vegetables the one which holds first place in the house-
hold economy and ceremonial observance of the tribe is selu, "corn,"
invoked in the sacred formulas under the name of Agawe'la, "The
Old Woman," in allusion to its mythic oxdgin from the blood of an
old woman killed by her disobedient sons (sec number '■'>. " Kana'ti
and Selu"). In former times the annual thanksgiving ceremony of the
Green-corn dance, preliminary to eating the lirst new com. was the
most solemn tribal function, a propitiation and expiation for the sins
of the past year, an amnesty for public criminals, and a prayer for
happiness and prosperity for the year to come. Only those who had
properly prepared themselves bj prayer, fasting, and purification were
allowed to take part in this ceremony, and no one dared to taste the
new corn until then. Seven ears from the last year's crop were always
put carefully aside, in order to attract tin corn until the new crop was
ripened and it was time for the dance, when they were eaten with the
rest. In eating the lirst new corn after the Green Corn dance, care was
observed not to blow upon it to cool it, for fear of causing a wind
storm to heat down the standing crop in the field.
Much ceremony accompanied the planting and tending of the crop.
Seven grains, the sacred number, were put into each hill, and these
were not afterward thinned out. After the last working of the crop,
tlte priest and an assistant — generally the owner of the field — went
into the field and built a small inclosure (detsdmdfl'li) in the center.
Then entering it. they seated themselves upon the ground, with heads
bent down, and while the assistant kept perfect silence the priest, with
rattle in hand, sang songs of invocation to the spirit of the corn. Soon.
according to the orthodox belief, a loud rustling would be heard out-
side, which they would know was caused by the "Old Woman" bring-
ing the corn into the field, but neither must look up until the song
was finished. This ceremony was repeated on four successive nights,
after which no one entered the field for seven other nights, when the
priest himself went in, and, if all the sacred regulations had been prop-
erly observed, was rewarded by rinding young ears upon the stalks.
The corn ceremonies could be performed by the owner of the field
himself, provided he was willing to pay a sufficient fee to the priest in
order to learn the songs and ritual. Care was always taken to keep a
clean trail from the field to the house, so that the corn might be
encouraged to stay at home and not go wandering elsewhere. Most
of these customs have now fallen into disuse excepting among the
old people, by many of whom they are -till religiously observed.
Another curious ceremony, of which even the memory is now almost
forgotten, was enacted after the first working of the corn, when the
owner or priest stood in succession at each of the four corners of the
field and wept and wailed loudly. Even the priests are now unable,
to give a reason for this performance, which may have been a lament
424 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
for the bloody death of Selu, as the women of Byblos were wont to
weep for Adonis.
Next to corn, the bean [tuya) is the most important food plant of the
Cherokee and other southern Indians, with whom it is probably native,
but there docs not appear to be much special ceremony or folklore
in connection with it. Beans which crack open in cooking are some-
times rubbed by mothers on the lips of their children in order to
make them look smiling and good-tempered. The association of ideas
seems to be the same as that which in Ireland causes a fat meal}'
potato, which cracks open in boiling, to be called a "laughing" potato.
Melons and squashes must not be counted or examined too closely,
while still growing upon the vine, or they will cease to thrive;
neither must one step over the vine, or it will wither before the fruit
ripens. One who has eaten a May-apple must not come near the vines
under any circumstances, as this plant withers and dries up very
quickly, and its presence would make the melons wither in the same way.
Tobacco was used as a sacred incense or as the guarantee of a solemn
oath in nearly every important function — in binding the warrior to
take up the hatchet against the enemy, in ratifying the treaty of peace,
in confirming sales or other engagements, in seeking omens for the
hunter, in driving away witches or evil spirits, and in regular medical
practice. It was either smoked in the pipe or sprinkled upon the fire,
never rolled into cigarettes, as among the tribes of the Southwest,
neither was it ever smoked for the mere pleasure of the sensation. Of
late years white neighbors have taught the Indians to chew it, but
the habit is not aboriginal. It is called tsdlu, a name which has lost
its meaning in the Cherokee language, but is explained from the
cognate Tuscarora, in which charhu', "tobacco," can still be analyzed
as "fire to hold in the mouth," showing that the use is as old as
the knowledge of the plant. The tobacco originally in use among
the Cherokee, Iroquois, and other eastern tribes was not the common
tobacco of commerce {Nicotiana tabacum), which has been introduced
from the West Indies, but the Nicotioma rustica, or wild tobacco, now
distinguished by the Cherokee as tsdl-agaytin'M, " old tobacco," and by
the Iroquois as "real tobacco." Its various uses in ritual and medi-
cine are better described under other headings. For the myth of
its loss and recovery see number 6, "How They Brought Back the
Tobacco." The cardinal flower (Lobdia), mullein ( T'< rbascvm), and one
or two related species are called ts&liyu'sU, "like tobacco,"on account
of their general resemblance to it in appearance, but they were never
used in the same way.
The poisonous wild parsnip {Pt itcedanum '.) bears an unpleasant rep-
utation on account of its frequent use in evil spells, especially those
intended to destroy the life of the victim. In one of these conjura-
tions seven pieces of the root are laid upon one hand and rubbed gently
moonei PLANT LOBE 125
with the other, the omen being taken from the position of the pieces
when the hand is removed. It is said also that puis rs mix it
secretly with the food of their intended victim, when, if he eats, hesoon
becomes drowsy, and. unless kept in motion until the effect wears off,
falls asleep, never to wake again. Suicides are said to eat it topro-
cure death. Before starting on a journey a small piece of the root is
sometimes chewed and blown upon the body to prevent sickness, but
the remedy is almost as bad as the disease, for the snakes are said to
resent the offensive smell by biting the one who carries it. In spite
of its poisonous qualities, a decoction of the root is much used for
steaming patients in the sweat bath, the idea seeming to lie that the
smell drives away the disease spirits.
The poison oak or poison ivy (Shus radieans), so abundant in the
damp eastern forests, is feared as much by Indians as by whites.
When obliged to approach it or work in its vicinity, the Cherokee
strives to conciliate it by addressing it as "My friend" (M'ginalii).
If poisoned by it. he rubs upon the affected part the beaten flesh of a
crawfish.
One variety of brier ( Smilax) is called di nu'sM, " the breeder." from
a belief that a thorn of it. if allowed to remain in the tlesh. will breed
others in a day or two.
Ginseng, which is sold in large quantities to the local traders, as
well as used in the native medical practice, is called t"tt<il}-<j>'ili' ', "the
mountain climber," hut is addressed by the priests as Yunwi Usdi',
"Little Man," or Yunwi Usdi'ga Ada'wehi'vu. "Little Man, Most
Powerful Magician," the Cherokee sacred term, like the ( Jhinese name,
having its origin from the frequent resemblance of the root in shape
to the body of a man. The beliefs and ceremonies in connection with
its gathering and preparation are very numerous. The doctor speaks
constantly of it as of a sentient being, and it is believed to be able
to make itself invisible to those unworthy to gather it. In hunting-
it, the first three plants found are passed by. The fourth is taken,
after a preliminary prayer, in which the doctor addresses it as the
"Great Ada'wehi," and humbly asks permission to take a small piece
of its tlesh. On digging it from the ground, he drops into the hole
a bead and covers it over, leaving it there, by way of payment t<> the
plant spirit. After that he takes them as they come without further
ceremony.
The catgut or devil's shoestring ( Tephrosid) is called distai'yi, k'they
are tough." in allusion to its stringy roots, from which Cherokee
u ii prepare a decoction with which to wash their hair in order to
impart to it the strength ami toughness of the plant, while a prepara-
tion of the leaves is used by ballplayers to wash themselves in order to
toughen their limb-. To enable them to spring quickly to their
feet if thrown to the ground, the players bathe their limbs also with
42<i MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.akn.19
a decoction of the small rush (Jtmcus tenuis), which, they say. always
recovers its erect position, no matter how often trampled down. The
white seeds of the viper's bugloss ( Echium vulgan ) were formerly used
in many important ceremonies of which the purpose was to look into
the future. l>ut have now been superseded by the ordinary glass beads
of the traders. The culver root (Leptcmdrd) is used in love conjura-
tions, the omen being taken from the motion of the root when held in
the hand. The campion (Silent stellata), locally known as •■rattle-
snake's master." is called gcmidawd'ski, "it disjoints itself." because the
dried stalk is said to break off by joints, beginning at the top. As
among the white mountaineers, the juice is held to he a sovereign
remedy for snake bites, and it is even believed that the deadliest snake
will flee from one who carries a small portion of the root in his mouth.
Almost all varieties of burs, from the Spanish needle Up to the
cocklebur and Jimsonweed, are classed together under the generic
name of u'nistilun'isM, which may be freely rendered as "stickers."
From their habit of holding fast to whatever object they may happen
to touch, they are believed to have an occult power for improving the
memory and inducing stability of character. Very soon after a child
is born, one of the smaller species, preferably the Lespedeza repens, is
beaten up and a portion is put into a bowl of water taken from a fall
or cataract, where the stream makes a constant noise. This is given to
the child to drink on four successive days, with the intention of
making him quick to learn and retain in memory anything once heard.
The noise of the cataract from which the water is taken is believed to
be the voice of Yitnwi Gunahi'ta, the "Long Man," or river god,
teaching lessons which the child may understand, while the stream
itself is revered for its power to seize and hold anything cast upon its
surface. A somewhat similar ceremony is sometimes used for adults,
but in this case the matter is altogether more difficult, as there are
tabus for four or seven clays, and the mind must be kept fixed upon
the purpose of the rite throughout the whole period, while if the sub-
ject so far forgets himself as to lose his temper in that time he will
remain of a quarrelsome disposition forever after.
A flowering vine, known as nuniyu'sU, "potato-like," which grows
in cultivated fields, and has a tuberous root somewhat resembling a
potato, is used in hunting conjurations. The bruised root, from which
a milk}- juice oozes, is rubbed upon the deer bleat, dwi'-ahyeli'sM, with
which the hunter imitates the bleating of the fawn, under the idea
that the doe, hearing it, will think that her offspring desires to suck,
and will therefore come the sooner. The putty-root (Adam-and-Eve,
.[/>!< (tram /u'emale), which is of an oily, mucilaginous nature, is car-
ried by the deer hunter, who, on shooting a deer, puts a small piece
of the chewed root into the wound, expecting as a necessary result to
find the animal unusually fat when skinned. Infants which seem to pine
boone> PLANT LORE 127
and grow thin are bathed with a decoction of the same root in order
to fatten them. The rool of the rare plant known as Venus' flytrap
(Dioncea), which has the remarkable property of catching and digest-
ing insects which alight upon it. is chewed by the fisherman and spit
upon the bail that no fish may escape him, and the plant is tied upon
the fish trap for the same purpose.
The root of a plant called unatMmwe' Mm, " having spirals," is used
in conjurations designed to predispose strangers in Eavorof thesubject.
The priest "'takes it to water" i. e., says certain prayers over it
while standing close to the running stream, then chews a small piece
and rubs and Mows it upon the body and anus of the patient, who is
supposed to he about tostart upon a journey, or to take part in a coun-
cil, with the result that all who meet him or listen to his words are at
once pleased with his manner and appearance, and disposed to give
ever)' assistance to his projects.
NOTES AND PARALLELS TO MYTHS
In the preparation of the following notes and parallels the pur-
pose has been to incorporate every Cherokee variant or pseudomyth
obtainable "from any source, and to give some explanation of tribal
customs and beliefs touched upon in the myths, particularly among
the Southern tribes. A certain number of parallels have been incor-
porated, but it must be obvious that this field is too vast for treat-
ment within the limits of a single volume. Moreover, in view of
the small number of tribes that have yet been studied, in comparison
with the great number still unstudied, it is very doubtful whether the
time has arrived for any extended treatment of Indian mythology.
The most complete index of parallels that has yet appeared is that
accompanying the splendid collection by Dr Franz Boas, Indianische
Sagen von der nordpaciiischen Kiiste Amerikas.1 In drawing the line
it has been found necessary to restrict comparisons, excepting in a
few special cases, to the territory of the United States or the imme-
diate border country, although this compels the omission of several
of the best collections, particularly from the northwest coast and the
interior of British America. Enough has been given to show thatour
native tribes had myths of their own without borrowing from other
races, and that these were so widely and constantly disseminated by
trade and travel and interchange of ceremonial over wide areas as to
make the Indian myth system as much a unit in this country as was
the Aryan myth structure in Europe and Asia. Every additional
tribal study may be expected to corroborate this result.
A more special study of Cherokee myths in their connection with
the medical and religious ritual of the tribe is reserved for a future
paper, of which preliminary presentation has been given in the
author's Sacred Formulas of the Cherokees, in the Seventh Annual
Report of the Bureau of Ethnology.
Stories and story tellers (p. 229): Migration legend — In Buttrick's Antiqui-
ties2 we find some notice of this migration legend, which, as given by the mission-
ary, is unfortunately so badly mixed up with the Bible story that it is almost impos-
sible to isolate the genuine. He starts them under the leadership of their "greatest
prophet," Wast — who is simply Moses — in search of a far distant country where
they may be safe from their enemies. Who these enemies are, or in what quarter
they live, is not stated. Soon after setting out they come to a great water, which
1 Asher & Co., Berlin, 1895.
-'Antiquities of the Cherokee Indians, compiled from the collection of Reverend Sabin Buttrick,
their missionary from 1817 to 1S47. its presented in the Indian Chieftain; Vinita, Indian Territory, lsx.4.
koonei NOTES AND PARALLELS 4-_",)
Wast strikes with his staff; the water divides so that they pass through safely, and
then rolls back and prevents pursuit by their enemies. They then enter a wilder-
oess and come to a mountain, and we are treated to the Bible story of Sinai and the
tables of stone. Here also they receive sacred fire from heaven, which thereafter
they carry with them until the house in which ii is kepi is at Ias1 destroyed by a
hostile invasion. This portion of the myth seems to be genuine Italian <*■*■ notes to
number 111. " The Mounds and the Constant Fire") .
In this journey "the tribes marched separately and also the elans. The elans
were distinguished by having leathers of different colors fastened to their ears. They
had two great standards, one white and one red. The white standard was under
the control of the priests, and used for civil purposes; l>nt the red standard was
under the direction of the war priests, for purposes of war and alarm. These were
carried when they journeyed, and the white standard erected in front of the build-
ing above mentioned [the ark or palladium], when they rested."
They cross four rivers in all — which ai 'ds with the Indian idea of the sacred
four — and -it down at last beyond the fourth, after having been for many years on
the march. 'Their whole journey through this wilderness was attended with great
distress and danger. At one time they were l>eset by the most deadly kind of ser-
pents, which destroyed a great many of the people, hut at length their leader shot
one with an arrow and drove them away. Again, they were walking along in .single
tile, when the ground cracked open and a number of people sank down and were
destroyed by the earth closing upon them. At another time they came nigh perish-
ing tor water. Their head men dug with their staves in all the low places, hut could
find no water. At length their leader found a most beautiful spring coming out of a
rock."1
At one point in this migration, a. rding to a tradition given to Schoolcraft by
Stand Watie, they encountered a large river or other great body of water, which
they crossed upon a bridge made by tying grapevines together.2 This idea of a vine
bridge or ladder occurs also in the traditions of the Iroquois, .Mandan. and other
tribes.
Farther on the missionary already quoted says: "Shield-eater once inquired if
I ever heard of houses with tlat roofs. saying that his father's great grandfather used
to say that once their people had a great town, with a high wall about it; that ona
certain occasion their enemies broke down a part of this wall; that the houses in this
town had tlat roofs — though, he used to say. this was so long ago it is not worth
talking about now." 3
/•'./. of cant splints — Bartraro thus describes the method as witnessed by him at
Attasse (Autossee) among the Creeks about 1775. The fire which .blazed up so mys-
teriously may have been kept constantly smoldering below, as described in number 111:
"As their virgils [sic] and manner of conducting their vespers and mystical fire in
this rotunda, are extremely singular, ami altogether different from the customs and
usages of any other people, 1 shall proceed to describe them. In the first place, the
governor or officer who has tie- management of this business, with his servants
attending, orders the black drink to be brewed, which is a decoction or infusion of
the leaves and tender shoots of the cassine. This is done under an open shed or
pavilion, at twenty or thirty yards distance, directly opposite the door of the council-
house. Next he orders bundles of dry canes to be brought in: these are previously
split and broken in pieces to about the length of two feet, and then placed obliquely
CrOSSWayS upon one another on the floor, forming a spiral circle round about the
great centre pillar, rising to a foot or eighteen inches in height from the ground; and
this circle spreading as it proceeds round and round, often repeated from tight to
1 Buttrick, Antiquities of tin- Cherokee Iii<li:m*. pp. y-10.
troq lois, p. 359, 1st;.
3Buttrick. ..p. cit.. p. 10.
430 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
left, every revolution increases its diameter, and at length extends to the distance of
ten or twelve feet from the centre, more or less, according to the length of time, the
assembly or meeting is to continue. By the time these preparations are accom-
plished, it is night, and the assembly have taken their seats in order. The exterior
or outer end of the spiral circle takes fire and immediately rises into a bright flame
(but how this is effected I did not plainly apprehend; I saw no person set fire to it;
there might have been fire left on the earth; however I neither sawnor smelt fire or
smoke until the blaze instantly ascended upwards), which gradually and slowly
creeps round the centre pillar, with the course of the sun, feeding on the dry canes,
and affords a cheerful, gentle and sufficient light until the circle is consumed, when
the council breaks up."1
1. How the world was MADE (p. 239) : From decay of the. old tradition and admix-
ture of Bible ideas the Cherokee genesis myth is too far broken down to be recovered
excepting in disjointed fragments. The completeness of the destruction may be
judged by studying the similar myth of the Iroquois or the Ojibwa. What is here
preserved was obtained chiefly from Swimmer and John Ax, the two most compe-
tent authorities of the eastern band. The evergreen story is from Ta'gwadihl'. The
incident of the brother striking his sister with a fish to make her pregnant was given
by Ayasta, and may have a phallic meaning. John Ax says the pregnancy was
brought about by the "Little. People," Yufiwi Tsunsdi', who commanded the woman
to rub spittle (of the brother?) upon her back, and to lie upon her breast, with her
body completely covered, for seven days and nights, at the end of which period the
child was born, and another thereafter every seven days until the period was made
longer. According to Wafford the first man was created blind and remained so for
sometime. The incident of the buzzard shaping the mountains occurs also in the
genesis myth of the Creeks1 and Yuchi,3 southern neighbors of the Cherokee, but
by them the first earth is said to have been brought up from under the water by the
crawfish. Among the northern tribes it is commonly the turtle which continues to
suj i] « irt the earth upon its back. The water beetle referred to is the Gyrin us, 1< ically
known as mellow ling or apple beetle. One variant makes the dttsta'ydft, water-
spider ("scissors," Dolomedes) , help in the work. Nothing is said as to whence the
sun is obtained. By some tribes it is believed to be a gaming wheel stolen from a
race of superior beings. See also number 7. "The Journey to the Sunrise."
The missionaries Buttrick and Washburn give versions of the Cherokee genesis,
both of which are so badly warped by Bible interpretation as to be worthless.
No native cosmogonic myth yet recorded goes back to the first act of creation, but
all start out with a world and living creatures already in existence, though not in
their final form and condition.
Hand-breadth — The Cherokee word is utana'hih'i, from uwdyi, hand. This is not
to be taken literally, but is a figurative expression much used in the sacred formulas
to denote a serial interval of space. The idea of successive removals of the sun, in
order to modify the excessive heat, is found with other tribes. Buttrick, already
quoted, says in his statement of the Cherokee cosmogony:. "When God created the
world he made a heaven or firmament about as high as the tops of the mountains,
but this was too warm. He then created a second, which was also too warm. He
thus proceeded till he had created seven heavens and in the seventh fixed His abode.
During some of their prayers they raise their hands to the first, second, third, fourth,
fifth, sixth and seventh heaven," etc.4
i Travels, pp. 449-450.
-\\. ii. Tuggle, Myths of the Crooks, lis, lss7. Copy in archives of the Bureau of American Eth-
nologj
aA. S. Gatschet, Some Mythic Stories of the Yuchi Indians, in American Anthropologist, vi, p.
281, .Inly. 1893.
4 Antiquities.
hooney] NOTES AM) PARALLELS 4.'il
In Hindu cosmogony also we find seven heavens or stages, increasing in sanctity
as they ascend; the Aztecs bad nine, as bad also theancienl Scandinavians.' Some
Polynesian tribes have ten, each built of azure stone, with apertures for inten
munication. The low est originally almost touched the earth and was elevated to its
present position b) successive pushes from the gode Ru and Mai t i, resting first pros-
trate upon the ground, then upon their knees, then lifting with their shoulders, their
hands, and their finger tips, until a last supreme effort sent it toils present place.2
Seven. Th sacred numbers — In every tribe and cult throughout the world we find
sacred numbers. Christianity and the Christian world have three and seven. The
Indian has always four as the principal sacred number, with usually another only
slightly subordinated. The two sacred numbers of the ( Iherokee are lour and seven,
the latter being the actual number of the tribal clans, the formulistic number of
upper world- or heavens, and the ceremonial number of paragraphs or repetitions in
the principal formulas. Thus in the prayers tor long life the priest raises his client
by successive stages to the first, second, third, fourth, and finally to the seventh
heaven before the end is accomplished. The sacred four has direct relation to the
four cardinal points, while seven, besides these, includes also "above," "below,"
and " here in the center." In many tribal rituals color and sometimes sex are
assigned to each point of direction. In the sacred Cherokee formulas the spirits of
the East, South. West, and North are, respectively, lied. White, Black, and Blue,
and each color has also its own symbolic meaning of Power (War), Peace, Death,
and Defeat.
•_'. The first fire i p. 240) : This myth was obtained from Swimmer and John Ax,
It is noted also in Fos er's "Sequoyah"3 and in the Wahnenauhi manuscript.4 The
uksu'hland the gule'g) are, respectively, tin' Colubt robsoh his and Bascanion constrictor.
The water-spider is the large hairy species Argyroneta.
Iti the version given in the Wahnenauhi manuscript the Possum and the Buzzard
first make the trial, hut come hack unsuccessful, one losing the hair from his tail,
while the Other has the feathers scorched from his head and neck. In another ver-
sion the Dragon-fly assists the Water-spider by pushing the tusti from behind. In
the corresponding ('reek myth, as given in the Tuggle manuscript, the Rabbit
obtains tire by the stratagem of touching to the blaze a cap trimmed with sticks of
rosin, while pretending to bend low in the dance. In the Jicarilla myth the Fox
steals tire by. wrapping cedar hark around his tail and thrusting it into the blaze
while dancing around the circle.5
3. Kana'ti and Self: Origin of corx and game (p. 242): This story was obtained \n
nearly the same form from Swimmer and John Ax (east) and from Wafford (west), and
aversion is also given in the Wahnenauhi manuscript. Hagar notes it briefly in his
manuscript Stellar Legends of the Cherokee. So much of belief and custom
depend upon the myth of Kana'ti that references to the principal incidents are con-
stant in the songs and formulas. It is one of those myths held so sacred that in the
old days one who wished to hear it from the priest of the tradition must first purify
himself by "going to water," i. e., bathing in the running stream before daylight
when still fasting, while the priest performed his mystic ceremonies upon the bank.
In his Letters from the Alleghany Mountains, written more than fifty years ago,
Lanman gives (pp. 136, 137) a very fair synopsis of this myth, locating the game
IE. G Squier, The Serpent Symbol and the Worship of the Reciprocal Principles of Nature in Amer-
ica i Am. Archaeological Researches, 1 1; New York, 1851.
*Rei Wm. W. Gill, Myths and Songs from the South Pacific, with a preface bj K Max Miiller;
London, 1876, pp. 18, 21, -S\ 71.
G I Foster, Sequoyah, the American Cadmus and Modern Moses; Philadelphia, [ndian Rights
Association, 1885.
4 Historical sketches of ii ogether with some of their Customs, Traditions, and Super-
stitions, by Wahnenauhi, a Cherokee Indian; MS in archives of the Burei t American Ethnology.
5 Frank Russell, Myth- ..i the Jicarilla Apaches, In Journal of Am. Folklore, October, 1898.
432 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
preserve of Kana'ti, whom he- makes an old Cherokee chief, in a (traditional) cave
on the north side of the Black mountain, now Mount Mitchell, in Yancey county,
North Carolina, tin- highest peak cast of the Rocky mountains. Alter his father had
disappeared, and could not be found by long search, "The boy fired an arrow
towards the north, but it returned and fell at his feet, and he knew that his father
had nnt travelled in that direction. He also fired one towards the east and the south
and the west, but they all came back in the same manner. He then thought that he
would tin- one directly above his head, and it so happened that this arrow never
returned, and so the hoy knew that his father had gone to the spirit land. The
Greal Spirit was angry with the Cherokee nation, and to punish it for the offense of
the foolish boy he tore away the cave from the side of the Black mountain and left
only a large cliff in its place, which is now a conspicuous feature, and he then
declared that the time would come when another race of men should possess the
mountains where the Cherokees had flourished for many generations."
The story has numerous parallels in Indian myth, so many in fact that almost
every important concept occurring in it is duplicated in the North, in the South, and
on the plains, and will probably be found also west of the mountains when sutticient
material of that region shall have been collected. The Ojibwa story of "The YVeen-
digoes,"1 in particular, has many striking points of resemblance; so, also, the < hnaha
myth, "Two-faces and the Twin Brothers," as given by Dorsey.2
His wife was Srln, •'Com"— In Cherokee belief, as in the mythologies of nearly
every eastern tribe, the corn spirit is a woman, and the plant itself has sprung origi-
nally from the blood drops or the dead body of the Corn Woman. In the Cherokee
sacred formulas thecorn is sometimes invoked as Agawe'la, "The Old Woman." and
one myth (number 72, "The Hunter and Selu" I tells how a hunter once witnessed
the transformation of the growing stalk into a beautiful woman.
In the Creek myth "Origin of Indian Corn," as given in the Tuggle manuscript,
the corn plant appears to be the transformed body of an old woman whose only son,
endowed with magic powers, has developed from a single drop of her (menstrual?)
blood.
In Iroquois legend, according to Morgan, the corn plant sprang from the bosom
of the mother of the Great Spirit (gic i after her burial. The spirits of corn. Lean, and
squash are represented as three sisters. "They are supposed to have the forms of
beautiful females, to he very fond of each other, and to delight to dwell together^.
This last belief is illustrated by a natural adaptation of the plants themselves to grow
up together in the same field and perhaps from the same hill." 3
Sprang from U<><>il — This concept of a child born of blood drops reappears in the
Cherokee story of Tsul'kalu' I see number si ). Its occurrence among the Creeks has
just been noted. It is found also among the Dakota (Dorsey, "The Blood-clots Boy,"
in Contributions to North American Ethnology, ix, 1893), Omaha (Dorsey, "The
Rabbit and the Grizzly Bear," Cont. to X. A. Eth., vi, 1890), Blackfeet ( "Kutoyis,"
in Grinnell, " Blackfoot Lodge Tales" ; New York, 1892), and other tribes. Usually
the child thus born is of wilder and more mischievous nature than is common.
Dei r shut up in hob: — The Indian belief that the game animals were originally shut
up in a cave, from which they were afterward released by accident or trickery, is
very widespread. In the Tuggle version of the Creek account of the creation of
the earth we rind the deer thus shut up and afterward set free. The Iroquois
"believed that the game animals were not always free, but were enclosed in a cavern
1 H. R. Schoolcraft, Algic Researches, Comprising Inquiries Respecting the Mental Characteristics of
Hi- North American Indians; first series, Indian Tales and Legends (two volumes); New York, 1.S39.
- Tlie Dhegiha Language, in Contributions to North American Ethnology, vi (Department of the Inte-
rior, I", S. Geographical and Geological Survey of the Rocky Mountain Region. J. W. Powell in
charge), Washington, I>. C.
A League of tile Iroquois, pp. 161, 102, and 199.
NOTES AND PARALLELS 433
where they had Itch concealed by Tawiskara' ; but that they might increase and
rill the forest Yoskeha' gave them freedom.'" The same idea occurs in the Omaha
'Ictinike, the Brothers and Sister" (Dorsey, in Contributions to North
American Ethnology, m. 1890). The Kiowa tell how the buffalo were kept thus
imprisoned l>\ the Crow until released by Sinti when the | pie were all starving
for want of meat. When the buffalo so suddenly and completely disappeared from
tlic plains about twenty-five years ago, the prairie tribes were unable to realize that
it had been exterminated, but for a long time cherished the belief that it had been
again shut up by the superior power of the whites in some underground prison, from
w hich the spells of their own medicine men would yet bring it back i see references
iu the aiithiu's Calendar History of the Kiowa Indians, in Seventeenth Annual
Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology, part I. 1901). TheKiowa tradition is
almost exactly paralleled among the Jicarilla | Russell, Myths of the Jicarilla Apaches,
in Journal of American Folk-Lore, Oct., L898).
Storehousi -Theunwada'll, or storehouse for corn, beans, dried pumpkins, andothei
provisions, was a feature of every Cherokee homestead and was probably common
to all the southern tribes. Lawson thus describes it among the Santee in South
Carolina about the- year 1700:
" They make themselves cribs alter a very curious manner, wherein they secure
their corn from vermin, which are more frequent in these warm climates than in
countries more distant from the sun. These pretty fabrics are ci immonly supported
with eight feet or posts about seven feet high from the ground, well daubed within
and without upon laths, with loam or clay, which makes them tight and tit to keep
out the smallest insert, there being a small door at the gable end. which is made of
the same composition and to be removed at pleasure, being no bigger than that
a -lender man may creep in at. cementing the door up with the same earth when
they take the corn out of the crib and are going from home, always finding their
granaries in the same posture they left them — theft to each other being altogether
mvpracticed
Rubh( d h, r stomach — This miraculous procuring of provisions by rubbing the body
ocriii- also in number 7ii, "The Bear Man."
Knew their thoughts — Mind reading is a frequent concept in Indian myth and occurs
in more than one Cherokee story.
S,r, n In, to — The idea of sacred numbers has already been noted, and the constant
recurrence of seven in the present myth exemplifies well the importance of that
number in Cherokee ritual.
.1 tuft of down — In the Omaha story, "The Corn Woman and the Buffalo Woman"
i Dorsey, < lontribiitions to North American Ethnology, vi, 1890), the magician changes
himself into a feather and allows himself to he blown about by the wind in order to
accomplish hi- purpose. The wolf does the same in a Thompson Rivermyth.8 The
self-transformation of the hero into a tuft of bird's down, a feather, a leal, or some
Other light object, which is then carried by the wind wherever he wishes to go, is
very conn l in Indian myth.
PlaybaU against them — This is a Cherokee figurative expression for a contest of any
kind, more particularly a battle.
Left 'in open space — When the Cherokee conjurer, by his magic spells, coils tin-
great i invisible i serpent around the house of a sick man to keep off the witches, he
is always careful to leave a small space between the head and tail of the snake, so
that the members of the family can go down to the spring to get water.
1 Hewitt. Cosmogonic Gods of the Iroquois, in Proc. Am. Ass. Adv. Sci., xliv. 1895.
! History of Carolina, ed. I860, p. 35.
; Traditions of the Thompson River Indians of British Columbia, collected and annotated by James
Teit. with introduction by Franz Boas (Memoirs of the American Folk I.i.n Society, VI); Huston
and New York, 1898, p. 74.
1!' ETH— 01 28
434 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
Wolves — The wolf is regarded as the servant and watchdog of Kana'tT. See
number 15, "The Fourfooted Tribes."
Prom these havi comeatt — In nearly every Indian mythology we find the idea of
certain animal tribes being descended from a single survivor of some great slaughter
by an early hero god or trickster. Thus the Kiowa say that all the prairie dogs on
the plains are descended from a single little fellow who was too wary to close his eyes,
as his companions did, when the hungry vagrant Sinti was planning to capture them
all for his dinner under pretense of teaching them a new dance.
.1 gaming wheel — This was the stone wheel or circular disk used in the wheel-and-
stick game called by the Cherokee gatayustl, and which in one form or another
was practically universal among the tribes. It was the game played by the great
mythic gambler I'fitsaiyi' (see number 63). It has sometimes been known in the
north as the "snow-snake," while to the early southern traders it was known as
chunki or chungkey, a corruption of the Greek name. Timberlake (page 77) men-
tions it under the name of iirttcatintir — for which there seems to he no other
authority — as he saw it among the Cherokee in 1762.1 It was also noted among the
Carolina tribes by Lederer in 1670 and Lawson in 1701. John Ax, the oldest man
now living among the East Cherokee, is the only one remaining in the tribe who has
ever played the game, having been instructed in it when a small boy by an old man
who desired to keep up the memory of the ancient things. The sticks used have
long since disappeared, but the stones remain, being frequently picked up in the
plowed fields, especially in the neighborhood of mounds. The best description of
the southern game is given by Adair:
"They have near their state house a square piece of ground well cleaned, and line
sand is carefully strewed over it, when requisite, to promote a swifter motion to what
they throw along the surface. Only one, or two on a side, play at this ancient game.
They have a stone about two fingers broad at the edge and two spans round. Each
party has a pole of about eight feet long, smooth, and tapering at each end, the points
flat. They set off abreast of each other at 6 yards from the end of the playground;
then one of them hurls the stone on its edge, in as direct a line as he can, a considera-
ble distance toward the middle of the other end of the square. When they have ran
[sif] a few yards each darts his pole, anointed with bear's oil, with a proper force, as
near as he can guess in proportion to the motion of the stone, that the end may lie
close to the stone. When this is the case, the person counts two of the game, and in
proportion to the nearness of the poles to the mark, one is counted, unless by meas-
uring both are found to be at an equal distance from the stone. In this manner the
players will keep running most part of the day at half speed, under the violent heat
of the sun, staking their silver ornaments, their nose, finger and ear rings; their
breast, arm and wrist plates, and even all their wearing apparel except that which
barely covers their middle. All the American Indians are much addicted to this
game, which to us appears to be a task of stupid drudgery. It seems, however, to be
of early origin, when their forefathers used diversions as simple as their manners.
The hurling stones they use at present were time immemorial rubbed smooth on the
rocks, and with prodigious labour. They are kept with the strictest religious care
from one generation to another, and are exempted from being buried with the dead.
They belong to the town where they are used, and are carefully preserved." 2
In one version of the Kana'ti myth the wheel is an arrow, which the wild boy
shoots toward the four cardinal points and finally straight upward, when it comes
back no more. When they get above the sky they find Kana'ti and Selu sitting
together, with the arrow sticking in the ground in front of them. In the Creek
story, "The Lion [Panther?] and the Little Girl," of the Tuggle collection, the lion
has a wheel "which could find anything that was lost."
1 Memoirs, p. 77.
2 History of the American Indians, p. 401.
NOTES \M> PARALLELS 135
The twilight land — I'sunhi'vl, "Where it is alwaj - gro^ ing 'lark." the spirit land in
the west. Tliis i- the word constantly used in the sacred formulas to denote the
west, instead of th< linarj word Wude'ligun'yl, "Where it sets." In the same way
Nufida'yl, or Nftndagufi'yl, the "Sun place, or region," is the formulistic name for the
easl instead of DigiilunguiVyl, "Where il [i.e., the sun] comes up," the ordinary
term. These archaic expressions give to myths and formulas a peculiar beaut j which
is lost in the translation. As the interpreter once said, "I love t" bear these old
words."
Struck l'ii lightning — With tin- American tribes, as in Europe, a mysterious potency
attaches to the Vi 1 of a tree which has been struck by lightning. The Cherokee
conjurers claim to do wonderful things by means of such wood. Splinb i
frequently buried in tin- field to make the corn grow. It must not )«■ forgotten that
the boys in this myth an- Thunder Boys.
The • ml oflhi world — See note- to number 7. "The Journey to the Sunrise."
Anisga'ya Tsunsdi' — Abbreviated from ^nisga'ya Tsunsdi'ga, "Little Men."
These two sons of Kana'ti, « ho are sometimes called Thunder Boys and who live in
in Osuflhi'yl above the, sky vault, must not be confounded with the Yunwl Tsunsdi',
or "Little People," who are also Thunderers, but who live in caves of the rocks and
cause the short, sharp claps of thunder. There is also the Great Thunderer, the
thunder of the whirlwind and the hurricane, who seen is to be identical with Kana'ti
himself.
Deer songs — The Indian hunters of the "Men time had many songs intended to
call up the deer and the hear. Must of these have perished, but a tew are still
remembered. They were sung by the hunter, with some accompanying ceremony, to
a sweetly plaintive tune, either before starting out or on reaching the hunting ground.
One Cherokee deer song, sung with repetition, may he freely rendered:
O Deer, you stand close by the tree.
You sweeten your saliva with acorns.
Now you are standing near.
You have conic win-re your food rests on the ground.
Gatechet, in his Creek Migration Legend I i. p. 79), gives the following translation
of a Hichitee deer hunting song:
Somewhere 'the deer) lies on tin- ground, I think; I walk about.
Awake, arise, stand up!
It is raising up its head. 1 believe; I walk about
Awake, arise, stand up!
It attempts to rise, I believe; I walk about.
Awake, arise, stand up!
Slowly it raises its body, I think; 1 walk about.
Awake, arise, stand up!
It has now risen on its feet. I presume; I walkabout.
Awake, arise, stand up!
4. Origin of disease and medicine i p. 250): This myth was obtained first from
Swimmer, as explaining the theory upon which i- based the medical practiceof the
Cherokee doctor. It was afterward heard, with less detail, from John Ax easl
and James Wafford (west). It was originally published in the author's Sacred
Formulas of the Cherokees, in the Seventh Annual Report of the Bureau of
Ethnology.
In the mythology of most Indian tribes, as well as of primitive peoples generally,
disea-e is caused bj animal spirits, ghosts, or witchcraft, and the doctor's efforts are
directed chiefly to driving out the malevolent spirit. In Creek belief, according to
the Tuggle manuscript, "all disease is caused by the winds, which are horn in the
air and then descend to the earth." It i.s doubtful, however, if this .statement is
436 MYTHS OF THK CHEROKEE [Era-
intended to apply to more than a few classes of disease, and another myth in the
same collection recites that "once upon a time the beasts, birds, and reptiles held a
council to devise means to destroy the enemy, man." For an extended discussion of
the Indian medical theory, see the author's paper mentioned above.
Animal chiefsand tribes — For an exposition of the Cherokee theory of the tribal
organization of the animals, with townhouses and councils, under such chiefs as the
White Bear, the Little Deer, etc., see number 15, •The Fourfooted Tribes."
Kwicd'hH mountain — "The Mulberry place," one of the high peaks in the Great
Smoky mountains, on the dividing line between Swain county, Xorth Carolina, and
Sevier county, Tennessee. The bears have a townhou.se under it.
Ask thi bear's pardon — See number 15, "The Fourfooted Tribes," and notes.
The ground squirrel' s stripes — According to a Creek myth in the Tuggle collection
the stripes on the back of the ground squirrel wen- made by the bear, who scratched
the little fellow in anger at a council held by the animals to decide upon the proper
division of day and night. Precisely the same explanation is given by the Iroquois
of New York state1 and by the Thompson River Indians of British Columbia. -
5. The Daughteb of the Sun: Origin of death (p. 252): This is one of the
principal myths of the Cherokee, and like most of its class, has several variants.
The sequel has an obvious resemblance to the myth of Pandora. It was obtained in
whole or in part from Swimmer, John Ax,, James Blythe, and others of the eastern
band. The version mainly followed is that of Swimmer, which differs in important
details from that of John Ax.
As told by John Ax, it is the Sun herself, instead of her daughter, who is killed,
the daughter having been assigned the duty of lighting the earth after the death of
her mother, the original Sun. The only snakes mentioned are the Spreading Adder
and the Rattlesnake, the first being a transformed man, while the other is a stick,
upon which the Little Men cut seven rings before throwing it in the pathway of the
Sun, where it becomes a rattlesnake. The seven rods or staves of the Swimmer ver-
sion are with John Ax seven corncobs, which are thrown at the girl as she passes
in the dance (ef. Hagar variant of number 8 in notes) . The Little Men (see number 3,
" Kana'tl and Selu," and other stories) belong to the John Ax version. The others
have only a conjurer or chief to direct proceedings.
This myth is noted in the Payne manuscript, of date about 1835, quoted in Squier,
Serpent Symbol, page 67: ''The Cherokees state that a number of beings were
engaged in the creation. The Sun was made first. The intention of the creators
was that men should live always. But the Sun, when he passed over, told them
that there was not land enough and that people had better die. At length the
daughter of the Sun, who was with them, was bitten by a snake and died. The
Sun. on his return, inquired for her and was told that she was dead. He then con-
sented that human beings might live always, ami told them to take a box and go
where the spirit of his daughter was and bring it back to her body, charging them
that when they got her spirit they should not open the box until they had arrived
where her body was. However, impelled by curiosity, they opened it, contrary to
the injunction of the Sun, and the spirit escaped; and then the fate of all men was
decided, that they must die." This is copied without credit by Foster, Sequoyah,
page 241.
Another version is thus given by the missionary Buttrick, who died in 1847, in
his Antiquities of the Cherokee Indians, page 3: "Soon after the creation one of the
family was bitten by a serpent and died. All possible means were resorted to to
bring back life, but in vain. Being overcome in this first instance, the whole race
was doomed to follow, not only to death, but to misery afterwards, as it was supposed
1 Ercnimtie Smith, Mythsof the Iroquois, in Second Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology,
2Teit, Thompson River Traditions, p. 61.
moosey] NOTES ami PAEALLELS 4.'57
thai i hat person w.-iit t isery. Another tradition saj s that -.ion after tin- creation
a young woman «a- bitten bj a serpent ami died, and her spirit went to a certain
place, and the people were told that if they would get her spirit back to her body
that the body would live again, ami they would prevent the general mortality of the
bod\ Some young men therefore started with a box to catch the spirit. They
went to a place ami saw it dancing about, an. I at length caught it in the box and
shut the lid, so as to confine it. an. I started hack. But tin- spirit kept constantlj
pleading with them to ..pen the box, so as to afford a little light, hut they hurried
on until they arrived near the place H here the ho.lv was, an. I then, on account of her
peculiar urgencj . the) re ved the li'l a very little, and out flew the spirit and was
gone, and with it all their hopes of immortality."
In a variant noted by II agar the messengers cany tour staves and are seven .lays
traveling to the ghost country. "They found her dancing in the land <.i spirits.
They struck her with the first 'stick.' it produced no effect — with the second, and she
ceased to .lance — with the third, and she looked around — with the fourth, and she
came to them. They made a l>ox and placed her in it." He was told by one
informant: "(Inly one man ever returned from the land of souls. He went there in
a dream after a snake had struck him in the forehead. He, Turkey-head, came hack
seven days after and described it all. The dead go eastward at first, then westward
to the Land of Twilight. It is in the west in the sky, but not amongst the stars"
(Stellar Legends of the Cherokee, Ms, 1898).
In a Shawano myth a girl dies. and. after grieving long for her. her brother sets
out to bring her hack from the land of shadows. He travels west until he reaches
the place w here the earth and sky meet; then he goes through and climbs up on the
other side until he comes t.. the house ..I a great beneficent spirit, who is designated,
according to the Indian system of respect, as grandfather. On learning his errand
this helper gives him " medicine " by which he will he able to enter the spirit
world, and instructs him how and in what direction to proceed to tin. 1 his sister.
'■ He -aid she would he at a dance, and when she rose to join in the movement he
must seize and ensconce her in the hollow of a reed with which he was furnished,
and cover the orifice with the end of his linger.'' lie does as directed, secures his
sister, and returns to the house of hi- instructor, who transforms both into material
beings again, an. I, after giving them sacred rituals to take hack to their tribe, dis-
misses them by a shorter route through a trapdoor in the sky.1
In an Algonquian my th of New Brunswick a bereaved fatherseeks his son's soul in
the spirit domain of Papkootpawut, the Indian Pluto, who gives it to him in the shape
..I a nut. which he is told to insert in his son's body, when the hoy will come to
lit.-, lie puts it into a pouch. and returns with the friends who had accompanied
him. Preparations are made for a dance of rejoicing. "The father, wishing to take
part in it. gave his son's soul to the keeping of a squaw who st 1 by. Being curious
to see it. she opened the bag, on which it escaped at once and took its flight for the
realms ..f Papkootpawut." ■' In a myth from British < lolumbia two brothers go upon
a similar errand to bring hack their mother's soul. After crossing over a great lake
they approach the shore ..f the spirit world ami hear tin- sound of singing and danc-
ing in the distance, hut are stopped at the landing by a sentinel, who tells them:
''Your mother is here, hut you cannot enter alive to see her. neither can you take
her away." One of them said, "1 must see her!" Then the man took 'his body or
mortal part away fr him and he entered. The other brother came back.'
i hi i., urn:.: ol .1 Santa 1 e I radi r During Eight
Expeditions across the Great Western Prairiesand .1 Residence ■■< Nearl; Nine Veais In Northern
Mexico; vol. 11, pp. 289-240; New Yorkand I...111I..11, 1844.
Parkman, The Jesuits in North v rics in the Seventeenth Century, second edition, p.
lxxxiii (qu Le 1 B »n, 1867.
»Teit, Thompson River Truditiom
438 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.anx.19
In the ancient Egyptian legend of Ici and Isis, preserved in a Turin papyrus dating
from the twentieth dynasty, the goddess Isis, wishing to force from the great god
Ra, the sun. the secret of his power, sends a serpent to bite him, with the intention
of demanding the secret for herself as the price of assistance. Taking some of her
spittle, "Isis with her hand kneaded it together with the earth that was there. She
made thereof a sacred serpent unto which she gave the form of a spear. She . . .
cast it mi the way which the great god traversed in his double kingdom whenever
he would. The venerable god advanced, the gods who served him as their Pharaoh
followed him, he went forth as on every day. Then the sacred serpent hit him.
The divine god opened Ids mouth and his cry reached unto heaven . . . The poison
seized on his flesh," etc.'
77c sky vault— See other references in number 1, " How the AVorld was Made;"
number :;, " Kanati ami Selu," and number 7, "The Journey to the Sunrise."
My grandchildren — The Sun calls the people tsufigili'si, "my grandchildren," this
being the term used by maternal grandparents, the corresponding term used by
paternal grandparents being tsungini'si. The Moon calls the people tsunkina'ttt, " my
younger brothers," the term used by a male speaking, the Moon being personified
as a man in Cherokee mythology. The corresponding term used by a female is
MnkitcV.
Tin Little Mi a — The Thunder Boys, sons of Kana'ti (see number :J., " Kana'tl ami
Selu " I. They are always represented as beneficent wonder workers, of great power.
Changed In makes — The Cherokee names of the rattlesnake (Crotalus), copper-
head i Trigonocephalus), and spreading adder (Helerodon) are, respectively, utsa'nati,
" lie has a bell " ('.'); wd'dige'i askd'U, " red-brown head"; and da'tlksW, " vomiter,"
from its habit of vomiting yellow slime, as is told in the story. For more concerning
the Uktena see number 50, "The Dktena and the Ulunsu'ti."
Hand-breadth — See note to number 1, "How the World was Made."
6. How they brought back the tobacco {p. 254) : The first version of this myth
as here given was obtained fr Swimmer, and agrees with that of John Ax, except
that for the humming bird the latter substitutes the wamHJ,, or large red-brown moth,
which flies about the tobacco flower in the evening, and states that it was selected
because it could fly so quietly that it would not be noticed. The second version was
obtained from Watford, in the Cherokee Nation west, who heard it from his great-
uncle nearly ninety years ago, and differs so much from the other that it has seemed
best to give it separately. The incident of the tree which grows taller as the man
climbs it has close parallels in the mythology of the Kiowa and other Western
tribes, but has no obvious connection with the story, and is probably either one of
a series of adventures originally belonging to tin- trip or else a fragment from some
otherwise forgotten myth. It may be mentioned that Watford was a man of rather
practical character, with but little interest or memory I'm' stories, being able to till in
details of but few of the large number which he remembered having heard when
a 1 loy .
In his Letters from the Alleghany Mountains, pages 1 19-121 , Lanman gives the story
asl btained it in 1848 from Chief Kalahu (see p. 17.". ), still well remembered by those
who knew him as an authority upon tribal traditions and ritual. In the Kalahu
version the story is connected with Hiekorynut gap, a remarkable pass in the Blue
ridge southeast from Asheville. North Carolina, and a comparison with the later
versions shows clearly how much has been lost in fifty years. The whole body of
Cherokee tradition has probably suffered a proportionate loss.
"Before visiting this remarkable passage through the mountains [Hiekorynut gap],
I endeavored to ascertain, from the Cherokees of Qualla town, its original Indian
1 Alfred Wiedemann, Religion of the Ancient Egyptians; New Yurk, 1897, p.
NOTES \NI> PABALLELS 4:i'.l
aame, bu1 without succeeding. It was my good fortune, however, to obtain a roman-
tic legend connected therewith. T heard it from the lips of a chief who glories in the
aes of Ul-bones and Flying-squirrel, and, though he occupied no li
two hours in telling the story, I will endeavor to give it to my readers in about five
minutes
"There was a time when the Cherokees were without the famous txo-hmgh, or
tobacco weed, with which they had previously been made acquainted bj a wander-
ing stranger from tlic far east. Having smoked it in their large stone pipes, they
became impatient to obtain it in abundance. The) ascertained that the country
where it grew in the greatest quantities was situated on the big wains, and that the
gateway t" that country (a mighty gorge among the mountains) was perpetually
guarded by an immense number of little people or spirits. A council of the
men in the nation was called, and, while they urn- discussing the dangers of \ isiting
the unknown country, and bringing therefrom a large knapsack of the fragrant
tobacco, a young man stepped boldly forward and saiil that he would undertake tin-
task. The young warrior departed on his mission and never returned. The Cherokee
nation was now in great tribulation, and another council was held to decide upon a
new measure. At this council a celebrated magician rose and expressed his willing-
ness to relieve his ] pie of their difficulties, and informed them that he would \ i>it
the tobacco country and see what he could a< mplish. He turned himself into a
mole, and as such made his appearance eastward of the mountains; but having been
pursued by the guardian spirits, he was compelled to return without any spoil. He
next turned himself into a humming-bird, and thus succeeded, to a very limited
extent, in obtaining what he needed. On returning to his country he found a num-
ber of his friends at the point of death, on account of their intense desire for the
fragrant weed; whereupon he placed some of it in a pipe, and, having blown the
smoke into the nostrils of those who were siek, they all revived and were quite
happy The magician now took into his head that he would revenge the loss of the
young warrior, and at the same time become the sole p. issessor of all the tobacco in
tin- unknown land, lie therefore turned himself into a whirlwind, and in passing
through the Hickorynut gorge be stripped the mountains of their vegetation, and
scattered huge rocks in every part of the narrow valley; whereupon the little ] pie
were all frightened away, and he was the only being in the country eastward of the
mountains. In the bed of a stream he- found the bones of the young warrior, ami
having brought them to life, and turned himself into ;i man again, the twain returned
to their own country heavily laden with tobacco; and ever since that time it has
been very abundant throughout the entire land."
In the Iroquois story of "The Lad and the Chestnuts,'* the ( Iherokee myth is par-
alleled with the substitution of :t chestnut tree guarded by a white heron for the
tobacco plant watched by the daguTkfi geese (see Smith, .Myths of the Iroquois, in
Second Annual Report Bureau of Ethnology, L883).
7',,/,,/rrr. — Tobacco, a- i- well known, is of American origin and is sacred among
nearly all our tribes, having an important place in almost every deliberative or reli-
gious ceremony. Thetobaci i commerce (Nicotiana labacum) wa- introduced from
the West Indie-. The original tobacco of the < Iherokee and other eastern tribes « as
the " wild tobacco" (Nicotiana rustica) , which they distinguish now as Udl-ag
"old tobacco." By the Iroquois the same species i^ called the "real tobacco."
Dag&tkfi geese. — The daguT'ku is the American w hite-fronted goose i Anst r albifroiw
gambeli). It is said to have been of bluish-white color, and to have been common
in the low country toward the coast, hut very ran- in the mountains. Ahout the
end of September it L"»s south, and can he heard at night flying far overhead and
crying dugalu! dugalu! dugalu! Swimmer had heard them passing over, hut had
nevi r -ci, one.
440 MYTHS OF THE CHEIIOKEE [eth.ann.19
7. The journey to the sunrise (]>. 255): This story, obtained from John Ax,
with additional details by Swimmer and Wafford. has parallels in many tribes.
Swimmer did not know the burial incident, but said — evidently a more recent inter-
polation— that when they came near the sunrise they found therea race of Mack men
at work. It is somewhat remarkable that the story has nothing to say of the travelers
reaching the ocean, as the Cherokee were well aware of its proximity.
What the Sun is like — According to the Payne manuscript, already quoted, the
Cherokee anciently believed that the world, the first man and woman, and the sun
and moon were all created by a number of beneficent beings who came down for the
purpose from an upper world, to which they afterward returned, leaving the sun and
moon as their deputies to finish and rule the world thus created. "Hence \\ believer
the believers in this system offer a prayer to their creator, they mean by the creator
rather the Sun and Moon. As to which of these two was supreme, then- seems to
have been a wide difference of opinion. In some of their ancient prayers, thej speak
of the Sun as mail', and consider, of course, the Moon as female. In others, however,
they invoke the Moon as male and the Sun as female; because, as they say, the
Moon is vigilant and travels by night. But both Sun and Moon, as we have before
said, are adored as the creator. . . . The expression, 'Sun, my creator,' occurs
frequently in their ancient prayers. Indeed, the Sun was generally considered the
superior in their devotions" (quoted in Squier, Serpent Symbol, p. 68). Hayw 1.
in 1823, says: "The sun they call the day moon or female, anil the night moon the
male" ( Nat. and Aborig. Hist. Tenn., p. 266). According to Swimmer, there is also
a tradition that the Sun was of cannibal habit, and in human form was once seen
killing and devouring human beings. Sun and Moon are sister and brother. See
number S, "The Moon and the Thunders."
The Indians of Thompson river, British Columbia, say of the sun that formerly
"He was a man and a cannibal, killing people on his travels every day. . . He
hung up the people whom he had killed during his day's travel when he reached
home, taking down the bodies of those whom he had hung up the night before and
eating them." He was finally induced to abandon his cannibal habit (Teit, Thomp-
son River Traditions, p. 53).
Tn the same grave — This reminds us of the adventure in the voyage of Sinbad the
Sailor, as narrated in the Arabian Nights. The sacrifice of the wife at her husband's
funeral was an ancient custom in the Orient and in portions of Africa, ami still survives
in the Hindu suttee. It may once have had a counterpart in America, but so far as
known to the author the nearest approach to it was found in the region of the lower
Columbia and adjacent northwest coast, where a slave was frequently buried alive
with the corpse.
Vault of solid rock — The sky vault which is constantly rising and falling at the
horizon and crushes those who try to go beyond occurs in the mythologies of the
Iroquois of New York, the Omaha and the Sioux of the plains, the Tillamook of
Oregon, ami other widely separated tribes. The Iroquois concept is given by Hewitt,
"Rising and Falling of the Sky," in Iroquois Legends, in the American Anthropolo-
gist for October, 1892. In the Omaha story of "The Chief's Son ami the Thunders"
l I >orsey, ( iontributions to North American Ethnology, vi. 1890), a party of travelers in
search of adventures "came to the end of the sky, and the end of the sky was going
down into the ground." They tried to jump across, and all succeeded excepting one,
who tailed to clear the distance, and "the end of the sky carried him away under the
ground." The others go on behind the other world and return the same way. In
the Tillamook myth six men go traveling anil reach "the lightning door, which
opened and closed with great rapidity and force." They get through safely, but. one
is caught on the return and has his back cut in half by the descending sky (Boas,
Traditions of the Tillamook Indians, in Journal of American Folk-Lore, Jan., 1898).
See also number 1, " How the World was Made" and number 3, " Kana'tt and Selu."
■ooney] NOTES AND PARALLELS 411
8. The Moon and the Thundebs [p. 256): The story of tin- sun and the in,
as here given, was obtained first from Swimmer and afterward from other inform-
ants, ft is noted by Hagar, in his manuscript Stellar Legends of the Cherokee, one
narrator making the girl blacken her brother's face u ith seven i charred? i corn cobs
(cf. John \\'s version of number 5 in notes). Exactly the same myth is found
with the native tribes of Greenland, Panama, Brazil, and Northern [ndia. Among
the Khasiaa of the Himalaya mountains " the changes of the moon are accounted for
by the theorj that this orb, who is a man, i ithlj falls in love with his wife's
titer, who throws ashes in his face. The sun is female." On some northern
branches of the Amazon "the moon is represented as a maiden who fell in love with
her brother and visited him at night, but who was finally betrayed by his passing
his blackened hand over her face." With the Greenland Eskimo the Sun and Moon
are sister and brother, and were playing in the dark, "when Malina, being teased
in a shameful manner by her brother Anninga, smeared her hands with the soot of
the lamp and rubbed them over the face and I muds of her persecutor, that sin- might
recognize him by daylight. Hence arise the spots in the moon (see Timothy liar-
lev. Moon Lore. London, 1885, and the story "The Sun and the Moon." in Henry
Rink'sTales and Traditions of the Eskimo, London, 1875). In British Columbia
the same incident occurs in the story of a -_drl and her lover, who was a dog trans-
formed to the likeness of a man ( Teit, Thompson River Traditions, p. 62). A v. ry
similar myth occurs among the Cheyenne, in which the chief personages are human,
but the offspring of the connection become the Pleiades 'A. 1.. Kroeber, Cheyenne
Tales, in Journal of American Folk-Lore, July, 1900). In nearly all mythologies the
Sun and Moon are sister and brother, the M i being generally masculine, while the
Sun is feminine (cf. German, l>erMond, DieSotinel.
The myth connecting the moon with the hallplay is from Haywood ! Natural ami
Aboriginal History of Tennessee, p. l's.'ii, apparently on the authority of Charles
Hicks, a mixed-blood chief.
Eclipse — Of the myth of tl clipse monster, which may he frightened away by
all >orts of horrible noises, it is enough to say that it is universal (see Harley, Moon
Lore). The Cherokee name for the phenomenon is n&fidii' wald'st u'giskCl', "the
frog is swallowing the sun or moon." Says Adair (History of the American Indians
p.65): " The first lunar eclipse I saw titter I lived with the Indians was among the
Cherokee, An. 1736, and during the continuance of it their conduct appeared very
surprizing to one who had not seen the like before. They all ran wild, this way
and that way, like lunatics, Bring their guns, whooping and hallooing, beating of
kettles, ringing horse bells, and making the most horrid noises that human beings
possibly could. This was the effect of their natural philosophy and done to assist
the suffering moon."
Sun and moon names — In probably every tribe both sun and i mare called by
the same name, accompanied by a distinguishing adjective.
Tin Thunders— The Cherokee name for Thunder, Ani'-Hyun'tlkwala'skl, is an
animate plural form and signifies literally, "The Thunderers" or " They who make
the Thunder." The great Thunderers tire Kana'ti and his sons (see the story i. but
inferior thunder spirits people all the cliffs and mountains, and re particularly
thegreat waterfalls, such as Tallulah, whose never-ceasing roar is believed to be the
voice of the Thunderers speaking to such as can understand. \ similar conception
prevailed among the [roquois and the eastern tribes generalh . ^.dair says (] listory
of the American Indians, p. 65), speaking of the southern tribes: "1 havi
them say, when it mined, thundered, and blew sharp for a considerable time, that
the beloved or holy people were at war above the clouds; and they believe that the
war at such times i- moderate or hot in proportion to the noise and violence of the
storm." In Portuguese West Africa also tit.' Thunderers tire twin brothers who
quarreled ami went, one to tl ast, the other to the west, whence each answers the
•142 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [bth.ann.19
other whenever a great Btorm arises.' Among the plains tribes both thunder and
lightning are caused by ;i great bird.
Rainbow — The conception of the rainbow as the beautiful dress of the Thunder god
occurs also among the South Sea islanders. In Mangaia it is the girdle of tin- ■_'■>< 1
Tangaroa, which he loosens and allows to hang down until the em 1 reaches to the
earth whenever he wishes to descend (Gill, Myths and Songs 'if tin' South Pacific,
p. 44 i. For some unexplained reason the dread of pointing at the rainbow, on penalty
of having the finger wither or become misshapen, is found among most of tin- tribes
even t< > the Pacific coast. Tin- author first heard of it from a Puyallup boy of Puget
sound, Washington.
ft. What the stabs are like I p. 257): This story, told by Swimmer, embodies
the old tribal belief. By a different informant Hagar was told: "Stars are birds.
We know Tlii— because one once shot from the sky to the ground, and some Cherokee
who looked for it found a little bird, about the size of a chicken just hatched,
when- it fell" (MS Stellar Legends of the Cherokee, L898).
The -lory closely resembles something heard by Lawson among the Tuscarora in
eastern North Carolina about the year 1700. An Indian having been killed by light-
ning, the people were assembled for the funeral, and t lie priest made them a long
discourse upon the power of lightning over all men, animals, and plants, save only
mice and the black-gum tree. "At last he began to tell the most ridiculous absurd
parcel .if lies about liLjlitniii^ that could be; as that an Indian of that nation had once
got lightning in the likeness of a partridge; that no other lightning could harm him
whilst he had that about him; and that after he had kept it for several years it cot,
away from him, so that he then became as liable to be struck with lightning as any
other person. There was present at the same time an Indian that had lived from
his youth chiefly in an English house, so I called to him and told him what a parcel
of lies the conjurer told, not doubting but lie thought so as well as I; but I found
to the contrary, for he replied that I was much mistaken, for the old man — who,
I believe, was upwards of an hundred years old — did never tell lies; and as for what
he said, it was very true, for lie knew it himself to be so. Thereupon seeiiiL' the
fellow's ignorance, I talked no more about it " History of Carolina, page 346).
According to Hagar a certain constellation of seven stars, which he identifies as
the Ilyades, is called by the Cherokee "The Arm," on account of its resemblance to
a human arm bent at the elbow, and they say that it is the broken arm of a man who
went up to the sky because, having been thus crippled, he was of no further use
upon earth.
A meteor, and probably also a comet, is called Alsil'-Tlmltu'tsl, "Fire-panther,"
the same concept being found among the Shawano, embodied in the name of their
great chief, Tecumtha (seep. 21o).
10. Origin of the Pleiades and the pixe \ p. 258 I: This myth is well known in the
tribe, ami was told in nearly the same form by Swimmer, Ta'gwadihl' and Suyeta.
The Feather dance, also called the Eagle dance, is one of the old favorites, and is the
same as the ancient Calumet dance of the northern tribes. For a description of the
gatayu/sti game, see note to number 3, "Kana'ti ami Selu." In a variant recorded
by Stansbury Hagar (MS Stellar Legends of the Cherokee! the boys spend their
time shooting at cornstalks.
According to Squid- (Serpent Symbol, p. 69), probably on the authority of the
Payne manuscript, "The Cherokee- paid a kind of veneration to the morning star,
and also to the seven stars, with which they have connected a variety of legends, all
of which, no doubt, are allegorical, although their significance is now unknown."
1 Heli Chatelain, Folktales of Angul": Fifty. Tales, with Ki-mbundii text, literal English transla-
tion, introduction, and notes (Memoirs of the American Folk-Lore Society, i); Boston and New York
NOTES AND PARALLELS 44.*?
111. corresponding Iroquois myth below, as given b) Mrs Erminnie Smith in her
Myths of the Iroquois Second Animal Report of Bureau of Ethnology, p 30 .
practically the same so far as it e,„.s, and the myth was probably once comi i over
a wide area in the Eas1 :
"Seven little Indian boys were once accustomed to bring at eve their corn and
i ,i liulr ii i. hi n.l, ni « hi the top of which, after their feast, the sweetest of their
singers would -it ami sing for bis mates who danced around the mound. On one
thej resolved on a more sumptuous feast, ami each was t.> ci
towards a savorj soup. But the parents refused them the needed supplies, ami they
met i"i' a feastless dance. Their heads and hearts grets lighter as they flew around
tin- 1 1 1.. in nl, until suddenly the whole company whirled off into the air. The i
solable parents called in vain for them to return, but it was too late. Higherand
higher they arose, whirling around their singer, until, transformed into bright stars.
thej t"<ik their places in tin' firmament, where, as the Pleiades, they are dancing
still the brightness of the singer having been dimmed, however, or account of his
desire t.. return t" earth."
Tn an Kskiimi taK- a hunter was pursued by enemies, ami as he ran h.- gradually
rose from the ground ami finally reached the sky. where he was turned into a star
Kroebei, Tales of the Smith Sound Eskimo, in Journal of American Folk-Lore).
This trans 1 1 irmation of human beings into stars ami stellar a a is i- one of the must
comi i incidents of primitive myth.
11. The Milky Way (p. 259): This story, in slightly different forms, is well
known among the Cherokee east ami west. The generic word fur mill is dista'sfi,
including also the self-acting pound-mill or ■Olskivtilte'gt In the original version the
mill was probablj a wooden mortar, such as was commonly used by the ( herokee
ami other eastern ami southern tribes
In a variant recorded in the Hagar Cherokee manuscript there are two hunters,
i.ne living in the north ami hunting big game, while the other lives in tin' smith
and hunt- small game. The former, discovering tin- latter' s wile grinding corn, seizes
her ami carries her far away across the sky tn his home in the north. Her dog,
after eating what meal is left, follows the pair across the sky, tin- meal falling from
his mouth as he runs, making tin- Milky Way.
With the Kiowa, Cheyenne, ami other plains tribes the Milky Way is the dusty
track along which the Buffalo ami tin- Horse once ran a rare across the sky.
12. Origin of strawberries (p. 2S9): This myth, a- here given, was obtained
from Ta'gwadiW, who said that all the fruits mentioned were then fur the first time
en ated, a n.l added. "So si inn- L"i"d came fnun the quarrel, anyhow." The Swimmer
version has more detail, hut seems overdressed.
13. The Great Yellow-jacket: Origin op pish ind progs (p. 260): This story,
obtained from Swimmer, i- well known in the tribe, and has numerous parallels in
other Indian mythologies. In nearly every tribal genesis we find the primitive world
infested bj ferocious monster animals, which are finally destroyed or rendered
harmless, leaving only their descendants, the present diminutive types. Conspicu-
ous examples are afforded in Matthew's Navaho Legends' and in the author's story
oi the Jicarilla genesis in the American Anthropologist for July, 1898.
Another version of tin- Cherokee legend is given by Lanman in his Letters from
the Alleghanj Mountains, pages 73-74:
"The Cherokee- relate that there once existed among those mountain- [about
Nantahala and Franklin] a very large bird, which resembled in appearance the
green-winged hornet, and this creature was in the hai.it. of carrying off the younger
children of the nation who happened to wander into the woods. Very many chil-
dren had mysteriously disappeared in this manner, and the entire people d. . Ian . 1 a
> Memoirs of American Folk-Lore Society, v; Boston and New v..rk, 1897.
444 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
warfare against the monster. A variety of means were employed for his destruction,
but without success. In process of time it was determined that the wise men for
medicine-men) of the nation should try their skill in the business. They met in
council and agreed that each one should station himself on the summit of a mountain,
and that, when the creature was discovered, the man who made the discovery should
utter a loud halloo, which shout should be taken up by his neighbor on the next
mountain, ami so continued to the end of the line, that all the men might have a shot
at the strange bird. This experiment was tried ami resulted in finding out the
hiding place of the monster, which was a deep cavern on the eastern sideof the Blue
ridge and at the fountain-head of the river Too-ge-lah [Tugaloo river, South Caro-
lina], On arriving at this place, they found the entrance to the cavern entirely
inaccessible by mortal feet, and they therefore prayed to the Great Spirit that lie
would bring out the bird from his den, and place him within reach of their arms.
Their petition was granted, for a terrible thunder-storm immediately arose, and a
stroke of lightning tore away one half of a large mountain, ami the Indians were suc-
cessful in slaying their enemy. The Great Spirit was pleased with the courage
manifested by the Cherokees during this dangerous fight, and, with a view of
rewarding the same, he willed it that all the highest mountains in their land should
thereafter be destitute of trees, so that they might always have an opportunity of
watching the movements of their enemies.
Asa sequel to this legend, it may be appropriately mentioned, that at the head of t he
Too-ge-lah is to be found one of the most remarkable curiosities of this mountain-land.
It is a granite cliff with a smooth sm-face or front, half a mile long, and twelve hundred
feet high, and generally spoken of in this part of the country as the White-side moun-
tain, or Ihr DeviPs court-lwuse. To think of it is almost enough to make one dizzy, but
to see it tills one with awe. Near the top of one part of this cliff is a small cave, which
can be reached only by passing over a strip of rock about two feet wide. One man
only has ever been known to enter it, and when he performed the deed he met at the
entrance of the cave a large bear, which animal, in making its escape, slipped off
the rock, fell a distance of near a thousand feet, and was of course killed. When
the man saw this, lit became so excited that it was some hours before he could quiet
his nerves sufficiently to retrace his dangerous pathway."
The Cherokee myth has a close parallel in the Iroquois story of the great mosquito,
as published by the Tuscarora traditionist, Cusick, in 1825, and quoted by School-
craft, Indian Tribes, v, page 638:
"About this time a great musqueto invaded the fort Onondaga; the musqueto was
mischievous to the people, it flew about the fort with a long stinger, and sucked the
blood of a number of lives; the warriors made several oppositions to expel the mon-
ster, but failed; the country was invaded until the Holder of the Heavens was
pleased to visit the people; while he was visiting the king at the fort Onondaga, the
musqueto made appearance as usual and flew about the fort, the Holder of the Heav-
ens attacked the monster, it flew so rapidly that he could hardly keep in sight of it,
but after a few days chase the monster began to fail, he chased on the borders of the
great lakes towards the sun-setting, and round the great country, at last lie overtook
the monster and killed it near the salt lake Onondaga, and the hi 1 became small
musquetos."
V'h! in)' — This is not the name of any particular species, but signifies a leader, prin-
cipal, or colloquially, " boss," and in this sense is applied to the large queen yellow-
jacket seen in spring, or to the leader of a working gang. The insect of the story is
described as a monster yellow-jacket.
14. The Deluge I p. 261): Thi* story is given by Schoolcraft in his Notes on the
Iroquois, page 358, as having been obtained in 1846 from the Cherokee chief, Stand
Watie. It was obtained by the author in nearly the same form in 1890 from James
Wafford, of Indian Territory, who had heard it from his grandmother nearly eighty
NOTES \M> P \K VLLELS t 1 5
years before. The incident of the dancing skeletons is tiol given by Scl rafl
and seems to indicate a lost sequel to the story. Hayw I (Nat. and Aborig.
Hist. Tenn., p. 161 mentions the Cherokee deluge myth and conjectures thai the
petroglyphs at Track Rock gap in < reorgia may have some reference to it. The ver-
sions given by the missionaries Buttrick and Washburn are simply the Bible narrative
a- told by the Indians. Washburn's informant, however, accounted for the phe-
nomenon by an upheaval and tilting of the earth, so thai the waters for a time over-
Bowed tin' inhabited parts (Reminiscences, pp. 1 ; '< > L97). In a variant related by
I [agar I MS Stellar Legends of the < Iherokee I a star with fiery tail falls from heaven
and becomes a man with long hair. \\ ho wains the \ pie of the coming deluge.
It is nol in place here to enter into a discussion of the meaning and universality of
the deluge myth, for an explanation of which the reader is referred to Bouton's Bible
Myths and Bible Folklore.' Suffice it to say that such a myth appears to have
existed with every people and in every age. Among the American tribes with which
it was found Brinton enumerates the Athapascan, Algonquian, Iroquois, Cherokee,
Chickasaw, Caddo, Natchez, I lakota, Apache, Navaho, .Mam Ian, Pueblo, Aztec, Mixtec,
Zapotec, Tlasealan. Michoac&n, Toltec, Maya, Quiche, Haitian, Darien, Popayan,
Muysca, Quichua, Tupinamba, Achagua, Auraucanian, "and doubtless others."2 It
is found also along the Northwest coast, was known aboul Albemarle sound,and, as
has been said, was probably common to all the tribes.
In one ('reek version the warning is given by wolves; in another by cranes (see
Bouton, eited above) .
15. The four-footed tribes (p. 261): No essential difference — "I have often
reflected on the curious connexion which appears to subsist in the mind of an
Indian between man and the brute creation, and found much matter in it for curious
observation. Although they consider themselves superior to all other animals and
are verj proud of that superiority; although they believe that the beasts of the
forest, the birds of the air, and the fishes of the waters were created by the Almighty
Being for the use of man; yet it seems as if they ascribe the difference between them-
selves and the brute kind, and the dominion which they have over them, • to
their superior bodily strength and dexterity than to their immortal souls. All being
em lowed by the ( Ireator with the power of volition and self motion, they view in a
manner as a great society of "which they are the head, whom they are appointed,
indeed, to govern, hut between whom and themselves intimate ties of connexion
and relationship may exist, or at least did exist in the beginning of time. They are,
in fact, according to their opinions, only the tirst among equals, the legitimate
hereditary sovereigns of the whole animated race, of which they are themselves a
constituent part. Hence, in their languages, these inflections of their nouns, which
we call genders, are not. as with us. descriptive of the masculine and ferninim species,
but of the in, limit, and inanimate kinds. Indeed, they go so far as to include trees,
and plants within the first of these descriptions. All animated nature, in whatever
degree, is in their eyes a great whole from which they have not yet ventured to
separate themselves. They do not exclude other animals from their world of spirits,
the place to which they expect to go after death."8
According to the Ojibwa the animals formerly had the faculty of speech, until it
was taken from them by Nanibojou as a punishment for having conspired against
the human race.'
Animal chief s and councils — In Pawnee belief, according to Grinnell, the animals,
>J. W. Bouton, Bible Myths and their Parallels in Other Religions: 2d ed., N.-u Y..rk, 1883; Bible
Folklore, A Study in Comparative Mythology; New York, 1884.
-The Myths of the New World, A Treatise on the Symbolism and Mythology of the Re
America; 3d ed., Philadelphia, 1896.
3Heckewelder, Indian Nations, p. 254, ed. 1876.
'Henry, Travel?- and Adventures in Canada, etc., pp. 212-213, New York, 1809.
446 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.a.n-x.19
or Xahurac, possess miraculous attributes given them by the great creator, Tirawa.
"The Pawnees know of five places where these animals meet to hold council — five
of these Xahurac lodges." He gives a detailed description of each. The fourth is a
mound-shaped hill, on the top of which is a deep well or water hole, into which the
Pawnee throw offerings. The fifth is a ruck hill in Kansas, known to the whites as
Guide rock, and "in the side of the liill then- is a '/rent hole when- tin- Xahurac hold
councils." '
The same belief is noted by Chatelain in Angola, West Africa: "In African folk
tales the animal world, as also the spirit world, is organized and governed just like
the human world. In Angola the elephant is the supreme king of all animal crea-
tion, and the special chief of th lible tribe of wild animals. Next to him in rank
the lion is special chief of the tribe of ferocious beasts and highest vassal of the ele-
phant. Chief. if the reptile tribe is the python. Chief of the finny tribe is, in the
interior, the di-lnuhi, the largest river fish. Chief of the feathery tribe is the kafadu
lea humbi, largest of the eagles. Among the domestic animals the sceptre belongs to
the bull; among the locusts to the one called di-ngundu. Even the ants and termites
have their kings or queens. Every chief or king has his court, consisting of the
iiijuliiiiihi)h\ luniliihi, and other officers, his parliament of ma-kota and his plebeian
subjects, just like any human African saba" (Folk tales of Angola, p. 22).
Ashing pardon of animals — For other Cherokee references see remarks upon the
Little Deer, the Wolf, and the Rattlesnake; also number 4, "Origin of Disease and
Medicine," and number 58, "The Rattlesnake's Vengeance." This custom was
doubtless general among the tribes, as it. is thoroughly in consonance with Indian
idea. The trader Henry thus relates a characteristic instance among the Ojibwa in
1784 on the occasion of his killing a bear near the winter camp:
"The bear being dead, all my assistants approached, and all, but more particularly
my old mother (as I was wont to call her), took his head in their hands, stroking
and kissing it several times; begging a thousand pardons for taking away her life;
calling her their relation and grandmother; and requesting her not to lay the fault
upon them, since it was truly an Englishman that had put her to death.
" This ceremony was not of long duration; and if it was I that killed their grand-
mother, they were not themselves behind-hand in what remained to be performed.
The skin being taken off, we found the fat in several places six inches deep. This,
being divided into two parts, loaded two persons; and the flesh parts were as much
as four persons could carry. In all, the carcass must have exceeded five hundred
weight.
"As soon as we reached the lodge, the bear's head was adorned with all the
trinkets in the possession of the family, such as silver arm-bands and wrist-bands, and
belts of wampum; and then laid upon a scaffold, set up for its reception, within the
lodge. Xear the nose was placed a large quantity of tobacco.
' ' The next morning no si m iner appeared, than preparations were made for a feast to
the manes. The lodge was cleaned and swept; and the head of the bear lifted up,
and a new stroud of blanket, which had never been used before, spread under it.
The pipes were now lit; and Wawatam blew tobacco smoke into the nostrils of the
bear, telling me to do the same, and thus appease the anger of the bear on account
of my having killed her. 1 endeavored to persuade my benefactor and friendly
ad\ iser, that she no longer had any life, and assured him that I was under no appre-
hension from her displeasure; but, the first proposition obtained no credit, and the
second gave but little satisfaction.
"At length, the feast being ready, AVawatam commenced a speech, resembling, in
many things, his address to the manes of his relations and departed companions;
but, having this peculiarity, that he here deplored the necessity under which men
1G. B. Grinnell, Pawnee Here Stories ami Folktale*, with Notes on the Origin, Customs, and
Character of the Pawnee People; New York, 1889, pp. 358-359,
N0TE8 AM) PARALLELS 447
labored thus to destroy their/r/< nds. He represented, however, thai the misfortune
was unavoidable, since without doing so, they could by no mean- subsist. The speech
ended, we all ate heartily of the bear's flesh; and even the head itself, after remain-
bag three days on the scaffold, was put into the kettle." Travels, pp. 143 145.
The part played by the Rabbit or Han- and his symbolic character
in Indian myth has been alreadj uoted (see "Stories and Storj rellers"). In his
pur.h animal character, as an actor among the fourfooted creatures, the same attri-
butes of trickery and surpassing sagacity are assigned him in other parts of the world.
In the folktales of Angola, West Africa, "The Hare seems to surpass the fox in
shrewdness," and "The Hare has the swiftness and shrewdness of the Monkey, but
he is never reckless, as the Monkey sometimes appears to be" (Chatelain, Folk-
tales of Angola, pp. 295, 300). In farthest Asia also "The animals, too, have their
stories, and in Korea, as in some other parts of the world, the Rabbit seems to come
offbest,asa rule" H.N.Allen, Korean Tales, p. 34; New York and London,1889
/ Timberlake repeatedly remarks upon the abundance of the buffalo
in the Cherokee country of East Tennessee in 1762. On one occasion, while in camp,
they heard rapid firing from their scouts and "in less than a minute seventeen or
eighteen buffaloes ran in amongst us, before we discovered them, so that several of
us had like to have been run over, especially the women, who with some difficulty
sheltered themselves behind the trees. Most of the men fired, but firing at random,
one only was killed, tho' several more wounded" (Memoirs, p. 101). According
to a writer in tin- Historical Magazine, volume vm. page 71, 1864, the last two wild
buffalo known in < >hio were killed in Jackson county in 1 son
-This animal ranged in eastern Carolina in 1700. "Theelkisai isterof
the venison sort. His skin is used almost in the same nature as the buffelo's [sic].
. . . His flesh is not -., sweet as the lesser deer's. IIi> hams exceed in weight all
creatures which the new world affords. They will often resort and feed with the
buffelo, delighting in the same range as they do" I Lawson, Carolina, p. 203
'ili. hamstring — No satisfactory reason has been obtained for this custom,
which lias Keen noted for more than a century. Buttrick says of the Cherokee: "The
Indians never used to eat a certain sinew in the thigh. . . . Some say that if they eat
of the sinew they will have cramp in it on attempting to run. It is said that once a
woman had cramp in that sinew and therefore none must eat it" (Antiquities, p. 12) .
Says Adair, speaking of the southern tribes generally: "When in the w Is the
Indians cut a small piece out of the lower part of the thigh of the deer they kill, length-
ways and pretty deep. Among the great number of venison hams the) bring to our
trading houses I do not remember to have observed one without it" History of the
American Indians, pp. 137-138).
mimals sacred — According to a formula in the Tuggle manuscript for curing
the "deer sickness," the "White Peer" is chief of his tribe in (reek mythology
also. Peculiar sacredness always attaches, in the Indian mind, to white and
albino animals, partly on account of the symbolic meaning attached to the color
itself and partly by reason of the mystery surrounding the phenomenon of albinism.
Among the Cherokee tl hiefs both of the Deer and of the Bear tribe wen- white. ( >n
the plains the so-called white buffalo was always sacred. Among the Iroquois,
according to Morgan League of the Iroquois, p.210), "the white deer, white squir-
rel and other chance animals of the albino kind, were regarded as consecrated to the
• neat Spirit." < >ne of their most solemn sacrifices was that of the White I >o'_'.
Tin bear — A reverence for the hear and a belief that it is half human is very gen-
eral among the trilns, and is probably based in part upon the ability of the animal
to stand upright and the resemblance of its tracks to human footprints. According
to Grinnell (Blackfoot Lodge Tales, p. 260), "Tin- Blackfeet believe it to be part
brute and part human, portions of its body, particularly the ribs and feet, being like
those of a man." In a note upon a Navaho myth Matthews says iNavaho Legends,
448 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [bth.asn.19
p. 249): " The bear is a sacred animal with the Navahpes; for this reason the hero
■ !iil not >kin tin- bears or eat their flesh. The old man. being a wizard, might do
both."
TheOjibwa ideahas been noted in connection with the ceremony of asking pardon
of the Blain animal. A curious illustration of the reverse side of the piitun- is given
by Heckewelder (Indian Nations, p. 255):
"A Delaware hunter once shot a huge bear and broke its backbone. The animal
fell ami set up a must plaintive cry, something like that of the panther when he is
hungry. The hunter instead of giving him another shot, stood up close to him, and
addressed him in these words: ' Hark ye! hear: you are a coward and no warrior as
you pretend to he. Wen- you a warrior, you would shew it by your firmness, and
not cry and whimper like an old woman. You know, hear, that our tribes are at
war with each other, and that yours was the aggressor [probably alluding to a
tradition which the Indians have of a very ferocious kind of hear, called the naked
bear, which they say once existed, hut was totally destroyed by their ancestors] . . .
You have found the Indians too powerful for you, and you have gone sneaking about
in the woods, stealing their hogs; perhaps at this time you have hog's flesh in your
belly. Had you conquered me, I would have borne it with courage and died like a
brave warrior; hut you, hear, sit here and cry, and disgrace your tribe by your cow-
ardly conduct.' I was present at the delivery of this curious invective. When the
hunter had despatched the hear. I asked him how he thought that poor animal could
understand what he said to it? 'Oh,' said he in answer, 'the bear understood me
very well; did you not observe how ashamed he looked while 1 was upbraiding
him?'"
The wolf and wolf M/,r— Speaking of the Gulf tribes generally. Adair says: "The
wolf, indeed, several of them do not care to meddle with, believing it unlucky to
kill them, which is the sole reason that few of the Indians shoot at that creature,
through a notion of spoiling their guns" | History of the American Indians, p. L6).
The author has heard among the East Cherokee an incident of a man who, while
standing one night upon a fish trap, was scented by a wolf, which came so near that
the man was compelled to shoot it. He at once went home and had the gun exor-
cised by a conjurer. Wafford, when a boy in the old Nation, knew a professional
wolf killer. It is always permissible to hire a white man to kill a depredating wolf.
as in that case no guilt attaches to the Indian or his tribe.
16. The Rabbit ooes DUCK hunting (p. 266): This story was heard from Swim-
mer, John Ax, Suyeta (east), ami Wafford (west). Discussions between animals as
to the kind of food eaten are very common in Indian myth, the method chosen to
decide the dispute being usually quite characteristic. The first incident is paralleled
in a Creek story of the Rabbit and the Lion (Panther?) in the Tuggle manuscript
collection and among the remote Wallawalla of Washington (see Kane, Wanderings
of an Artist among the Indians of North America, p. -t>K; London, 1859). In an Omaha
myth, Ictinike and the Buzzard, the latter undertakes to carry the trickster across a
stream, but drops him into a hollow tree, from which he is chopped out by some
women whom he has persuaded that there are raccoons inside ( Dorsey, Contributions
to North American Ethnology, vi ). In the Iroquois tale, "A Hunter's Adventures," a
hunter, endeavoring to trap some geese in the water, is carried up in the air and falls
into a hollow stump, from which he is released by women (Smith, Myths of the Iro-
quois, in Second Annual Report of Bureau of Ethnology). In the Uncle Remus
story, '■ Mr. Rabbit Meets His Match Again," the Buzzard persuades the Rabbit to get
upon his back in order to be carried across a river, but alights with him upon a
tree < iverhanging the water and thus compels the Rabbit, by fear of falling, to confess
a piece of trickery.1
1 Joel <J. Harris, Uncle Remus, His Songs and His Sayings; New York, 1886.
m'm.nkv] NOTES A N'H PARALLELS 449
17. How tiik Rabbit stole, the Otter's coah (p. 267): This storj i- well known
in the tribe and was heard from several informants, both east an. I west. Nothing
issai.l as to how tin' Otter recovered his coat. It has exact parallels in the Creek
myths of tin- Tnggl Ilection, in one of which the Rabbit tries to personate a boy
lien, bystealing his coat, while in another he plays a trick on tin- I. ion i Panther) by
throwing hot coals over him while asleep, at a creek which the Rabbit says is failed
"Throwing-hot-ashes-on-you."
18. Win mm Possum's tail is bare (p. 269): This stor) was heard from several
informants, east and west. In .air variant the hair clipping was .1 i b) thi VIoth,
and in another l>y the spells of the Snail, who is represented as a magician. The
version here given is the most common, and agrees best with the Cherokee folklore
concerning the Cricket (see number 59, "The Smaller Reptiles, Fishes, and Insects").
En the Creek myth, as given in the Tuggle collection, the Opossum burned the
hair from his tail in trying to put rings upon it like those of the- Raccoon's tail, and
grins from chew ing a bitter oak ball w hich he mi-took for a ripened fruit.
The anatomical peculiarities ot the opossum, of both sexes, hav icasioned much
speculation among the Indians, mam of whom believe that the female produces
ug without an) help from the male. The Creeks, according to the Tuggle
manuscript, believe that the young are born in the pouch, from the breathing of the
female against it when curled up, and even Lawson and Thnberlake assert that they
are horn at the teal, fr which the) afterward drop off into the pouch.
.1 council and a dance—In the old .lays, as to-day among the remote Western tribes,
every great council gathering was made tl :casion of a series of .lane.-, accompa-
nied always by feasting an. I a general good time.
19. How the Wlldi \t . "ught THE Gobbler (p. 269): This story was hear.] from
.John Ax and David Blythe (east) and from Wafford ami Boudinot (west). The
version given below, doctored to suit the white man's idea, appears without signa-
ture in the Cherokee Advocate of December 18, 1845:
" There was once a flock of wild turkeys feeding in a valley. As they fed they
heard a voice singing. They soon discovered that the musician was a hare, and the
burden of his ».n« was that he had a secret in his breast which he would on no
account divulge. The curiosity of the turkeys was excited, and they entreat.-. I the
hare t.. tell them the secret. Thi- h.- Snail] consented t.. .1.. it' the) would procure
for him the king's daughter for his wife and go with him and .lame around their
enemy. They engaged to do all. and the hare led them to where a wildcat lay
apparently .lead. The hare prevailed upon them to .-lose their eyes as the) danced.
The wildcat meanwhile silently arose and killed several of them before the rest found
out what a snare they had been caught in. By this artifice on the part of the wild-
cat, seconded by tin- hare, the former had a sumptuous repast."
Thi-. witli it- variants, is one of the most widespread of the animal myths. The
same story told by the Cherokee, identical even to the song, is given in the Creek
collection of Tuggle, with the addition that the Rabbit's tail is afterward bitten of!
bythe enraged Turkey-, in another Creek version, evidently a later invention, the
1 1'. i plays a similar trick upon the I teerforthe benefit of the Panther. The Kiowa
. .I thesi .1 it hern plains tell how the hungry trickster. Sinti, entices a number of prairie
dogs t'1 come near him, under pretense of teaching them a new dance, and then
kills all hut ..ne, while the) are dancing around him, according to instruction, with
their eyes shut. With the Omaha the Rabbit himself captures the Turkeys while
they dance around, with closed .yes, t.. his singing (Dorsey, "The Hal. I. it and the
Turkeys," and "Ictinike, the Turkeys. Turtle, and Elk," in Contributions to North
American Ethnology, vi). The same stratagem, with only a change of names,
recurs in another Omaha story, "The Raccoon and the Crabs," of the same collection,
and in a Cheyenne story of White-man i A. 1.. Kroeber, < 'heyenne Tales, in Journal
L9 ETH— 01 !".»
4.r)() MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [kth.ann.19
of American Folk-Lore, July, 1900), and in the Jicaijlla story of "The Fox and
the Wildcat" (Russell, Myths of the Jicarilla, ibid., October, 1898). The Southern
negro version, which lacks the important song and dance feature, is given by Harris
in his story of " Brother Rabbit and Mr Wildcat." '
20. How the Terrapin heat toe Rabbit (p. 270): This story was obtained from
John Ax and Suyeta and is well known in the tribe. It is sometimes told with the
Deer instead of the Rabbit as the defeated runner, and in this form is given by Lan-
nian, who thus localizes it: "The race was to extend from the Black mountain to the
summit of the third pinnacle extending to the eastward" (Letters, p. 37).
In the Creek collection of Tuggle the same story is given in two versions, in one of
which the Deer and in the other the Wolf is defeated by the stratagem of the Terra-
pin. The Southern negro parallel is given by Harris (Uncle Remus, His Songs and
His Sayings) in the story, "Mr Rabbit Finds His Match at Last." It seems almost
superfluous to call attention to the European folklore version, the well-known story
of the race between the Hare and the Tortoise.
21. Tfie Rabbit and the tar wolf (p. 271): This story was obtained in the
Indian Territory from James Wafford, who said he had repeatedly heard it in boy-
hood about Valley river, in the old Nation, from Cherokee who spoke no English.
The second version, from the Cherokee Advocate, December 18, 1845, is given,
together with the story of "How the Wildcat caught the Gobbler," with this intro-
duction:
" Indian Fables. Mr William P. Ross: I have recently stumbled on the following
Cherokee fables, and perhaps you may think them worth inserting in the .-' Ivocate
for the sake of the curious. I am told that the Cherokees have a great many fables.
If 1 understand the following, the intention seems to be to teach cunning and artifice
in war. .Esop." The newspaper paragraph bears the pencil initials of Sfamuel]
W[orcester] B[utler].
Other Indian versions are found with the Jicarilla ("Fox and Rabbit," Myths of
the Jicarilla, by Frank Russell, in Journal of American Folk-Lore, October, 1898)
and Sioux (S. D. Hinman, cited in Transactions of the Anthropological Society of
Washington, i, p. 103, Washington, 1882). The southern negro variant, "The Won-
derful Tar-Baby Story," is the introductory tale-in Harris's LTncle Remus, His Songs
and His Sayings. A close parallel occurs in the West African story of "Leopard,
Monkey, and Hare " (Chatelain, Folktales of Angola).
22. The Rabbit and the Possum after a wife (p. 273): This specimen of Indian
humor was obtained at different times from Swimmer, John Ax, Suyeta (east !, and
Wafford (west), and is well known in the tribe. Wafford, in telling the story,
remarked that the Rabbit was the chief's runner, and according to custom was
always well entertained wherever he went.
23. The Rabbit dines the Bear (p. 273): This favorite story with the Cherokee
east and west is another of the animal myths of wide distribution, being found with
almost every tribe from Maine to the Pacific. Beans and peas in several varieties
were indigenous among the agricultural tribes.
In the Creek version, in the Tuggle manuscript, "The Hear invited the Rabbit to
dinner. When he came the Bear called his wife and said, 'Have peas for dinner:
the Rabbit loves peas.' 'But there is no grease,' said the Bear's wife, 'tocookthem
with.' 'O,' said the Bear, 'that's no trouble, bring me a knife.' So she brought,
the knife and the Bear took it and split between his toes, while the Rabbit looked
onin wonder. 'No grease between my toes! Well, I know where there is some,'
so he cut a gash in his side and out ran the grease. His wife took it and cooked the
peas and they had a fine dinner and vowed always to be good friends," etc. The
•J. C. Harris, Nights with Uncle Remus: Myths ami Legends of the Old Plantation; Boston, 1883.
moonky] NOTES AM) PARALLELS 451
wounded Rabbitispul under the care of the Buzzard, who winds up by i
patient.
In the Passamaquoddy version, "The Rabbit's Adventure w ith Mooin, the Bear,"
the Bear cuts a slice from his foot and puts it into the pot. The Rabbit invites the
Bear to dinner and attempts to do the same thing, but comes to grief.' InaJica-
rilla myth a somewhat similar incident is related of the Fox Coyote?) and the
Prairie-dog Russell, Myths of the Jicarilla, in Journal of American Folk-Lore,
Octobi r, 1898). In a British Columbian myth nearly the same thing happens when
the ( Soyote undertakes to return the hospitality of the Black Bear < Teit, Th pson
River Indian Traditions, p. 10)
L'4. The Rabbit escapes from tin: wolves i p. 274 i: This story was obtained from
James Wafford, in Indian Territory. Compare number 19, "How the Wildcat
Caught the Gobbler."
25. Flint visits the Rabbit (p.274): This story was told in slightly different form
by John Ax and Swimmer (east) and was confirmed by Wafford (west). Although
among the Cherokee it has degenerated to a mere humorous tali- for the amusement
of a winter evening, it was originally a principal part of the great cosmogonic myth
common tn probably all tin- Iroquoian and Almoin plian tribes, and of which we find
traces also in the mythologies of the Aztec and the Maya. A ig the northern
Algonquian tribes "the West was typified as a Hint stone, and the twin brother of
Michabo, the Great Rabbit. The lend between them was bitter, and the contest
long and dreadful U last Michabo mastered his fellow twin and broke him
into pieces. He scattered the fragments over the earth. . . ." Among the Iro-
quoian tribes, cognate with the Cherokee, the name is variously Tdvnskaron, T&vnskard,,
and sometimes Ohaa, all of which are names both for flint and for hail or ice. Tawis-
kara is the evil-working god. in perpetual conflict with his twin brother Yoskeha,
the beneficent god, by whom lie is finally overpowered, when the blood that drops
from his wounds is changed into flint stones. Brintoii sees in the ' treat Rabbit and
the Flint the opposing forces of day and night, light and darkness, locally personi-
fied as East and West, while in the twin gods of the Iroquois Hewitt sees thi n-
Bicting agents of heat and cold, summer and winter. Both conceptions are identical
in the final analysis. Hewitt derives the Iroquois name from a root denoting "hail,
ice, glass"; in Cherokee we have t&vriskai&fl'i, ULwi'skW,, "flint." tUvA'skd, "smooth,"
une'staMn, "ice." See Brinton, American Hero Myths, pp. 48,56, 61; Hewitt, The
Cosmos" mic < iods of the Iroquois, in I'roc. \m. Ass. Adv. Sci., xi.iv, 1895.)
In one of the Cherokee sacred formulas collected by the author occurs the expres-
sion: "The terrible Flint is coming, lb- has his paths laid down in this direction.
He is shaking the red switches threateningly. Let us run toward the Sun land."
Siyu' — This word, abbreviated from dsiyii', "good," is the regular Cherokee salu-
tation. With probably all the tribes the common salutation is simply the word
"good," and in the sign language of the plains the gesture conveying that meaning
is used in the same way. The ordinary good-bye is usually some equivalent of
"I go now ."
L'ti. How the Deee cor his horns i p. L'75 i : This story war heard from Swimmer,
Snyeht. and others, and is well known in the tribe.
In a parallel Pawnee myth, "How the Deer Lost His Gall," the Deer and Ante-
lope wager their galls in a race, which the Antelope wins, but in sympathy take- off
bis own dew claw s and L'ives them to the Deer. In the Black foot variant the I Icel-
and the Antelope run two races. The first, which is over the prairie, the Antelope
wins and take- tic- Deer's gall, while in the second, which the Deer stipulate- -hall
lie run through the timber, the Deer wins and takes the Antelope's dewclaws
(Grinnell, Pawnee Hero Tales, pp.204,205).
>C. G. Lelaud, Algonquin Legends of New England, p. 212; Boston, 1884.
452 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.W
27. Why the Deer's teeth are blunt (p. 276): This story follows the last in reg-
ular sequence ami was told by the same informants.
In a Jicarilla myth the Fox kills a dangerous Hear monster under pretense of trim-
mi m_r down liis legs so that he can run faster ( Russell, Myth of the Jicarilla, in Jour-
nal Of American F« ilk-Lore, p. 262, October, 1898).
28. What became of the Rabbit (p. 277): This version was obtained from Suyeta,
who says the Rabbit never went lip, because he was "too mean" to be with the other
animals. Swimmer, however, says that he did afterward go up to Galuii'latl. The
helief in a large rabbit still existing beyond a great liver may possibly have its origin
in indirect reports of the jack-rabbit west of the Missouri.
The myth has close parallel in the southern negro story of "The Origin of the
Ocean" (Harris, Nights with Uncle Remus), in which the Rabbit by a stratagem
persuades the Lion to jump across a creek, when the Rabbit "cut de string w'at hoi' de
banks togedder. . . . Co'se wen Brer Rabbit tuck'n cut de string, de banks er de
creek, de banks dey fall back, dey did, en Mr Lion can't jump back. He banks dey
keep on fallin' back, en de creek keep on gittin' wider en wider, twel bimeby Brer
Rabbit en Mr Lion ain't in sight er one er n'er, en turn dat day to dis de big waters
bin rollim 'twix urn."
Ki'i.' — A Cherokee exclamation used as a starting signal and in introducing the
paragraphs of a speech. It might be approximately rendered. Now!
29. Why the Mink smells (p. 277) : Obtained from John Ax.
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 i p. i_'7si : 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 Watford and others in
the Nation, although for some reason none of them seemed able to till in the details.
A somewhat similar story was given as belonging to her own tribe by a Catawba
woman married among the Last Cherokee. It suggests number 21, "The Rabbit
and the tar wolf," ami has numerous parallels.
In the Creek version, in the Tuggle manuscript, the Terrapin ridicules a woman,
who retaliates by crushing his shell with acorn 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" iKroeber, Chey-
enne Tales, in Journal of American Folk-Lore, July, 1900). The myth is recorded
also from west Africa by Chatelain ("The Man ami the Turtle," in Folktales of
Angola, 18114).
Kanaliefna. — 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 even' visitor to help himself.
32. Origin of the Groundhog dance i 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
lln'iriiir'clii' Yaha'wiye'Shi [twice] Yu-u
Hi'yagu'wi Hahi'yagii'wl [twice] Yu-yu.
"ooi NOTES AND PARALLELS 153
33. The migration oi the inimals (p. 280): This little story ia given just as
related by Ayasta, the only woman privileged to speak in council among the Easl
Cherokee. A similar incident occurs in number 76, "The Bear Man " ^.ccordingto
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 thai if a wolf be injured his fellows will
surely revenge the injury. See als te to number 15, "The Fourfooted Tribes,"
ami number '■<, " Kana'tl and Selu."
[n a Wesl African tale recorded by Chatelain (Folktales of A.ngola, 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 w an, and
thereupon concludes to stay in tin- village, where there i- always food.
35. Tin bird tribes (p. 280): Th eagh killer — Of the Southern tribes generally
Adair says: "They use the feathers of the eagle's tail in certain friendly and relig-
ious dances, bul the \\ hole 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 it he bad brought in the scalp of an enemy." '
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 he performed w ithout them (Memoirs, p. 81 I. The figura-
tive expression, "asnowbird has been killed." used to avoid offending the eagle
tribe, i- paralleled in the expression, " he has 1 n scratched by a brier," nseil bythe
Cherokee to mean, " he has been bitten byasnake." Professional eagle killers existed
ai ig many tribes, together* with a prescribed ceremonial fur securing the eagle.
The most common method was probably that described in a note te number (is.
"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,
beinga 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 fea-
ture of Indian formulas for obtaining pardon, especially for offenses against the ani-
mal 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 \\ ith the
native language, to examine seme cave tombs near the ancient city of Cuzco, they
had arrive. 1 at the spot and he was about to give the or, lei to begin operations, when
the Indians, removing their blankets and hats, knelt down and recited in unison in
theirown language a prayer to the spirits of the dead, of which the following transla-
tion is an extract:
"Chiefs, -on- of the sun, you and we are brothers, sons of the great Pachacamac.
You only know this, hut we know that three persons exist, the Father, the Son, and
the Holy Ghost. This is th »ly difference between you and us. . . . Chiefs, sons
of the .-un. wo 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 a nee-tor-,
an, I were then ready to begin work (Horsey, 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, I77.">i: "They reckon all birds of prey, and birds of night, to be unclean and
■History of the American Indians, p 80
45-4 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE
unlawful to in' eaten." The mixed feeling of fear and reverence for all night birds
is universal among the Western tribes. » 'wis particularly are believed to bring pro-
phetic tidings to the few great conjurers who can interpret their language.
Th, 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 Iter by way of trial, she as earnestly refused it tor 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 he intimidated at the voice of a small unt unon 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 < taeida speaker said: "We, the Six Nations, have
heard the voice of a bird called Tskleleli ( TsWIMtM), 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 mis-
chievous bird and ought not to be nourished or entertained " (New York Colonial
Documents, vm, pp. 612, 628, 1857). The bird name is in the Oneida dialect.
Bruyas gives teksi reri 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, Swim-
mer, Suyeta, and A'wani'ta in the east, and from AVafford in the Territory.
The Creeks and the Seminoles also, as we learn from the Tuggle manuscript collec-
tion, have stories of ball games by the birds against the fourfooted animals. In one
storv 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'tsd, 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 ten-
nis, 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 accom-
panying 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 Cre-
oles 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," hear 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 /In- 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.
Gavt th' 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
NOTES ami PARALLELS 455
back as L700, according to Lawson: "The planters put gourds on standing holes
[poles] "ii purpose forthese fowl to build in, because thej areavery warlike bird
and beat the crows from the plantations" I History of ( 'arolina, p. 238).
37. How the Turkey got ins beard (p.287): This storj is well known in the
trilie and was heard from several informants.
According to a (reek myth in the Tuggle collection the Turkey was once a warrior
anil still wears his last scalp from his nee k. In am it her 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 wasfirst heard from John Ax
(easl and afterward from Wafford (west) . The grouse is locally called "partrid
in the southern Alleghenies.
39. How the Kingfishek got ins bill (p. 288): The lirst version is from John
Ax. the other from Swimmer.
)'iirnn txmixii:' — •• i.ittle People," another name for the Xufine'hi (see number 78).
These are not to be confounded with the Anisga'ya Tsunsdi', "Little Men," or
Thunder Boys.
TugHlu'n&—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.
4ti. Row 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 trihes for ceremonial
and amusement purposes. The w histle, usually made from an eagle bone, was worn
suspended from the neck. The flute or flageolet was commonly made from cedar
w 1.
41. How the Redbiro hot 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 (seenumber 5, "The Daughter of the Sun").
Redpaint — 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 i itherwise
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 trihes everyone coming thus to procure paint makes a prayer beside
the rock and hangs a small sacrifice upon a convenient bush or -tick before beginning
operations.
41'. The Pheasant beating corn: The Pheasant dance (p. 290): The lirst of
these little tales is from John Ax, tin- second from Swimmer. The pheasant | Bonasa
umbetta; Cherokee tlunti'slt) is also locally called grouse or partridge.
4.;. 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 Easl 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 i-
obliged to follow the windings of the stream, hut the crane takes a direct cour.-e
above the trees and thus win- the race.
Flu around the world— Noi around a globe, hut around the circumference oi a disk,
according to the Indian idea.
45(i MYTHS OF THE CHKROKEE
44. Tm-: Owl gets married (p. 201): Told by Swimmer. The three owls of the
Cherokee country are known, respectively, an tsklH' (i. e., " witch," Bubo wrginiarma
saturaivs, great, dusky-horned owl), wahuhv/ [Megaseops <ixio, screech owl), and
ugul "' i Syrruum nebuhsum, hooting or barred owl). There is no generic term. The
Cherokee say that there is almost no rlesh upon the body of the hooting owl except
upon tile head.
4.">. The Huho lets 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 g 1 imitation of the Imlm call, drawing out the sau-h slowly, giving
the In*. h'i, lifi, In'i, ln'i, lu'i 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 estab-
lishment. Matches wen- 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
( Tcteria irirens), also known as the yellow mocking bird on account of its wonderful
mimic powers.
46. Why the Buzzard's head is rare (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.
Dryingpoil — 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 cere-
monial occasions, or as the price of obtaining certain secret km >w ledge, was very gen-
eral 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
Tribe-." and number :!5, "The Bird Tribes" (eagle). Reverence for the rattlesnake
wasnniVersal 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 ser-
pent worship is not a part of our purpose.
The missionary Washburn tells how, among the Cherokee of Arkansas, be was . nice
riding along, accompanied by an Indian on foot, when they discovered a poisonous
,-nake 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,
NOTES AND PARALLELS 157
the story is very much dressed up, hul strikinglj resemhlea number 58, "The Rattle-
snake'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 thej drew into their jaws any living creatun
comingwithin their vision, and continues: "They call them and all of t In- rattle-
snake kind, kings or chieftains of the snakes, and they allow one such to every dil
ferent species of the brute creation. An old trader of Cheeowhee told me that for
the reward of twopiecesol str 1 cloth he engaged a couple of \< g warriors to
show liim 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 tin ii i 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
then i. as they Bght onlj 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 Chicka-
saw priest u ho, 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 I.
Of the Carolina tribes generally, Lawson, in 1701, says: "As for killing of snakes,
tln\ avoid it if they lie in their way, because their opinion is that some of the ser-
pents' kindred would kill some of the savage's relations that should destroy him"
i History of Carolina, p. 341).
Bart ram says of the Seminoles, a hi nit 177.">: "These people never kill the rattlesnake
or any other serpent, saying, it they do so, the spirit of the killeil 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 ha<l 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. "Tims 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).
Tin trailer Henry (Travels, pp. 176-179) narrates a must interesting instance from
among the Ojibwa of Lake Superior in 17"4. While gathering w I near the camp
he was start led by a sudden rattle, and looking down discovered a rati lesnake almost
at his feet, with body coiled and head raised to strike.
"1 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 bands. On returning, I found the snake
still coiled.
"The Indians, on their part, surrounded it. all addressing it by turns. and calling
it their arm dfath i but yet keeping at some distance. During this part of the cen
lie my. they filled their pipes: and now each hie -a 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 g I humor. Its length was between four ami five feet. Having
remained outstretched for some time, at last it moved slowly away, the Indians fol-
lowing it. ami still addressing it by the title of grandfather, beseeching it to take car •
of their families during their absence, an. I to i„- pleased to open the heart oi Sit \\ Q-
liam Johnson [the British Indian agent, whom they were about to visit], so that he
might shoiv them charity, and till their canoe with rum. One of the chiefs
petition, that the snake would take no notice of the insult which had been offered
458 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.
him by the Englishman, who would even have put him to death, but for the inter-
ference 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, ^o 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 even-
ing. 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 hail 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 lie 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 be were to tell us, •Inuk 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).
S&likwdyi — "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 kepi the teeth from decay" (W. M. Beauchamp, Iroquois Notes, in Journal of
American Folk-Lore, July, L892).
$ nd torn nis of rain — The belief in a connection between the serpent and the rain-
gods is well-nigh universal anion'.' primitive peoples, and need only be indicated
here.
50. The Uktena and the UluSsu'ti (p.297): The belief in the great Uktena and
the magic power of the Ulufisu'ti is firmly implanted in the Cherokee breast. The
Uktena has its parallel in the Gitchi-Kenebig or Great Homed Serpent of the
NOTES \M> PARALLELS 45*,)
northern Algonquian tribes, and is Bomewhal analogous to the Zemo'gu'ani or < Ireal
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 beci proverbial. Talismanic
and prophi tic stones, which are carefully guarded, and to which prayer and sacrifice
arc offered, arc kept in many tribes (see Dorse) . Teton Folklore, in American Anthro-
pologist, April, 1889 . The name of the serpent is derived from ctkta, "eye," and
may be rendered "strong looker," i.e., "keen eyed," because nothing within the
range of its vision can escape discovery. From thi - root is derived akta'tt, "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 rattle-
snake. The mythic diamond crest, when in its proper place upon the snake'- head,
is called ulstithV. literally, "it is on his head," but when detached and in the hands
of the conjurer it becomes the Ulufisu'tl, "Transparent," thegreat talisman of the
tribe. On account of its glittering brightness it is sometimes called [gagu'tT, "Day-
light." [nferii ir magic crystals arc believed to be the scale- from the same serpent,
and an' sometimes also called ulufisu'tl.
The earliest notice of the Ulufisu'tl is given by the young Virginian officer, Tim-
berlake, who was sent upon a peace mission to the Cherokee in 1762, shortly after
the close of their tirst war with the whites. He says i 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 dis-
posing of them to the trailer-, who have made many attempts to that purpose; hut
as thc\ 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 i- one in the possession of a conjurer, remarkable for its brilliancy and beauty,
hut 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: hut a great number of snakes attending him. he being, as I
suppose by his diadem, of a superior rank amongthe serpents, made it dangerous to
attack him. Many were the attempts made by the Indians, hut all frustrated, nil 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 fpr
many years, in some place unknown to all hut two women, who have been offered
large presents to betray it. hut steadily refused, lest some signal judgment or mis-
chance should follow. That such a stone exists, I believe, having seen many of
great beauty; hut I cannot think it would answer all the encomiums the Indians
bestow upon it. The conjurer, 1 suppose, hatched the account of its discovery; 1
have however given it to the reader, a- 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. Accord-
ing to his statement the uktenas had their home in a deep valley between tl
of the Tuckasegee and the "northern branch of the lower < Iheerake river" i. e., the
Little Tennessee . the valley being the deep defile of Nantahala, where,
of its gloomy and forbidding aspect, Cherokee tradition locates more than i
endary terror. With pardonable error he confounds the Uktena with the <
the Rattlesnakes. The-two, however, are distinct, the latter being simply the head of
the rattlesnake tribe, without the blazing carbuncle or the i tense size attributed
ti i the Uktena.
"Between two Inch mountains, nearly covered with old mo— \ rock-, 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 moreenoi
i than is mentioned in history. They are so large and mi» icldy, that they
take a circle almost as wide a- their length to crawl around in their shortest orbit:
but bountiful natun mpensates the heavy motion of their bodies, for, a
460 Mi'THS OB' THB: CHEROKB:E [eth.
no living creature moves within the reach of their ^i<rl it, 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 posl
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
tight 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 I page 87 I he tells us of an uluiisutl 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 illumi-
nate hi- dark winter house, like strong Hashes of continued lightning, to the great
terror of the weak, who durst not upon any account approach the dreadful fire-dart-
ing place, for fear of sudden death. When he died it was buried along with him,
according to custom, in the town of Tymahse, underthe 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 avcII as with minerals. The Ulunsu'tl is described as a triangular
crystal about two inches long. Hat 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 I'ktena. but the Ulunsu'ti — the talisman from the forehead of the
serpent — is the crystal here described, and is SO exceedingly rare that so far as is know n
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 be 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
NOTES AND PARALLELS H'>1
all other undertakings, but its great use is in life divination, and when il 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 tin1
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 < lonfederate service during the late
war suited the Ulunsu't) before starting, and survivors declare that their experi-
ences verified the prediction. < toe of these bad gone \\ iih two others to consult the
fates. The conjurer, placing the throe 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 grad-
ually ascended along the red line. Those of the other two men rose to the middle
and then again descended, but the presentment oj the one who tells the story con-
tinued to ascend until it reached the top before going down again. The conjurer
then said thai 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 con-
jurer shows them the image of the siek man lying at the bottom of the Ulunsfi'ti.
He then tells them to go home and kill some game (or, in these latter days, any f 1
animal | and to prepare a feast. < >n 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 siek man rises ami joins them at the feast the patient will recover; ii other-
w ise. he is .loomed.
51. Agan-uni'tsI's seakcb fob the Uktena i 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 Ulunsu'tl. As
here given il was obtained from Swimmer I east i with additions and variants from
Wafford (west | and others. It is recorded by Tell Kate as obtained by him in the
Territory (Legends of the Cherokees, in Journal of American Folk-Lore, January,
1889), ami is mentioned in connection with the riufisu'ti. by Adair, in 1775, and
by Tiniberlake as early as 1762 (see notes to number 50, "The Uktena and the
riufisu'ti" i. One variant makes the riufisu'ti a scale from tin- 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
tribe-. 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 rov-
ing 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).
Zxtcalities — Utawagun'ta mountain, Walasi'yl gap, Duniskwa'lgun'yl gap and
AtaL'a'hf (mythic) lake, are all points in the Great Smoky range, which forms the
dividing line between North Carolina and Tennessee. Tlanusi'yl is the native name
for the site of Murphy, at the junction of Hiwassee and Valley rivers. North Caro-
lina. Cahu'tl 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 Agan-uni'tsl for shelter place- before attacking the Uktena (see also Glos-
sary |.
52. The Rbb Man \m> the Uktena (p.300): This story was obtained from John
462 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
Ax. Swimmer had heard italso, but remembered only a part of it. Fur more in
regard to the Uktena and the talisman derived from it, see numbers 50 and 51, with
notes.
Asga'ya GH'gage'l—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
lias been struck by lightning plays an important part in Cherokee folklore.
Strong and dang< row — 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 he 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 Huntei. and the Uksu'hi (p. 301) : This story was told by Swimmer and
John Ax as an actual fact. The iiksu'hJ is the mountain blaeksnake or black racer
(Coluber obsoletus). The name seems to refer to some peculiarity of the eye, akttt
(cf. uktena). Hickory-log, properly Wane'asuiVth'tiiyi, "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.
Perspirution — The Indian belief may or may not have foundation in fact.
54. The Ustu'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
ustu'tll 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 (AbaMor erythrogrammus) , about which such wonderful tales are told by
the white mountaineers. Cohutta (Gahu'tl) mountain, in Murray county, Georgia,
was also the traditional haunt of the Uktena (see number 51, "Agan-Uni'tst's search
for the Uktena," and compare also number 55, "The Uw'tsmVta.")
55. The Uw'tsuR'ta (p. 303): This story was obtained from James Blythe. Nufl-
daye/<ll, whence Nantahala. was on the river of that name below the present Jarrett's
station.
56. The Snake Boy (p. 304): This myth was told by Swimmer.
AsH — The Cherokee asl, or "hot-house," as it was called by the old traders, is the
equivalent of the sweat-house of the western tribes. It is a small hut of logs plas-
tered over with clay, with ashed roof, and just tall enough to permit a sitting or
reclining, but not a standing, position inside. It is used f6r sweat-bath purposes, and
as it is tight and warm, and a fire is usually kept smoldering within, it is a favorite
sleeping place for the old people in cold weather. It is now nearly obsolete.
57. The Snake Man (p. 304): This myth, obtained from Chief Smith, seems
designed to impress upon the laity the importance of a strict observance of the innu-
merable gaktufi'ta, or tabus, which beset the daily life of the Cherokee, whether in
health or sickness, hunting, war, or arts of peace (see the author's "Sacred Formulas
of the Cherokees," in the Seventh Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology).
Similar transformation myths are found all over the world. One of the most ancient
is the story of Cadmus, in Ovid's " Metamorphoses, ' with the despair of the wife as
she sees the snaky change come over her husband. "Cadmus, what means this?
Where are thy feet'.' Where an- both thy shoulders and thy hands'.' Where is thy
color? and, while I speak, where all else besides?"
In a Pawnee story given by Grinnell two brothers, traveling, camp for the night.
The elder eats some tabued food, and wakes from his sleep to find that heischang-
ing into a great rattlesnake, the change beginning at. his feet. He rouses his brother
and gives him his last instructions:
" When I have changed into a snake, take me in your arms ami cany n yer to
\<n l - \XI> PARALLELS t63
that hole. Thai will be tuy home, for thai is the house of the snakes." Having
still a man's mind, !»' continues to talk as the metamorphosis extends upward, until
at last his head changes to that of a snake, when his 1 null in- takes him up and carries
him to ihe hole. The relatives make frequent visits to the placetovisil the snake,
who alwa when they call, and the brother brings it a share ol his war
trophies, including a horse and a woman, and receives in return the protection
■ ■I the snake man (Pawnee Hero Stories, pp. 171-181). AcloseOmaha variant is
given b) I torse) l "The warriors who were changed to snakes," in Contributions to
North American Ethnology, vi).
58. The Rattlesnake's vengeanci p 305 This story, told by Swi lei exem
plifies the Imliaii reverence for the rattlesnake and dread of offending it already
explained in number 49, " The Snake Tribe." and the accompanying notes.
See other references under number '■'>. " Kana'ti and Selu." Many of
the fndian ceremonial prayers and invocations are in the form of songs or chants.
59. Tin. smaller reptiles, pishes, and insects (p. 306): Gi'gd,-tsuha''tl — This
lizard is probably the Pleistodon erythrocephalus, which is described in Holbrook's
"Herpetology" as being about 11 to 13 inches long, with bright red head, olive-
brown body and tail, and yellowish-white throat and abdomen. "The Pleistodon
erythrocephalus chooses his residence in deep forests, and is commonly found about
hollow trees, often at a height of 30 or 40 feet from the ground, sometimes taking up
his abode in the last year's nest .if the w.ii m1 pecker, nut of which he tli rusts his bright
red head in a threatening manner to those who would disturb bis home. He never
makes his habitation on or near the ground, and in fact seldom descends from his
elevation unless in search of food or water. Though shy and timid, he is very fierce
when taken, and bites severely, owing to the great strength of his jaws, as well as the
size and firmness of the teeth. The bite, however, though sharp and painful, is n..t,
as i> commonly supposed, venomous." '
/..or/. horned beetle — This beetle, variously called by the Cherokee crawfish, deer ..r
buck, on account of its branching horns, is probably the "flying sta._'" of early trav-
eler- Says Timberlake: " t if insects, the flying stag is almost the only one worthy
of notice. It is about the shape of a beetle, but has very large, beautiful, branching
horns, like those of a stag, from whence it took its name " (Memoirs p. -hi I. Lawson,
about 1700, also mentions " the flying stags, with horns." among the insects of east-
ern ( larolina.
60. Why the Bullfrog's head is stbiped (p. 310): The first version is from John
Ax. the second from Swimmer, who had forgotten the details.
HI. The Bullfrog, lover (p. 310 1 : The first amusing little tale was heard from
several story-tellers. The warning words are sometimes given differently, but always
in a deep, gruff, singing tone, which makes a very fair imitation of a bullfrog's note.
The other stories were tol.l by Tsesa'ni ( Jessan ) and confirmed by Swimmer.
In a i reek variant .if the first story, in the Tuggle collection, it is a prettj girl,
who is obdurate until her lover, the Rabbit, conceals himself ill the same way near
tin- spring, with a blpwgun for a trumpet, and frightens her int.. consent by siu.-iir.'
out: -The girl who >tays single will die, will die, will die."
61'. The Katydid's warning (p. 311): Told by Swimmer and .lames Blythe.
i;:;. tjNTSAIYi', the GAMBLER p. 311 i: This story was obtained from Swimmer and
John Ax least), and confirmed also by James Wafford (west), who remembered,
however, only the main points of the pursuit and final capture at Kagun'yI. The
rsions corresponded very closely, excepting that Ax sends the boy to the
Sunset land to play against his brothers, while Swimmer brings them to meet him
1 .1. E. Hoi brook, North American Herpetology, ora Description oil he Reptiles intuitu
i. p. 119; Phila.,1842.
464 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE
at their father's house. In the Ax version, also, the gambler flees directly to the
wwt, and as often as the brothers si t at him with their arrows the thunder rolls
and the lightning flashes, but he escapes by sinking into the earth, which opens for
him, to reappear in another form somewhere else. Swimmer makes the Little Peo-
ple help in the chase. In Cherokee figure an invitation to a ball contest is a chal-
lenge to battle. Thunder is always personified in the plural, Ani'-Hyufi'tikwala'skl,
"The Thunderers." The father and the two older sons seem to be Kana'ti and
the Thunder Boys (see number 3, " Kana'ti and Selu" i. although neither informant
would positively assert this, while the hoy hero, who has no other na is said to
be the lightning. Nothing is told of hie after career.
UntsaiyV — In this name (sometimes F/tsaiyi' or Tsaiyi') the first syllable ia
almost silent and the vowels are prolonged to imitate the ringing sound produced by
striking a thin sheet of metal. The word is now translated "brass," and is applied
to any object made of that metal. The mythic gambler, who has his counterpart
in the mythologies of many tribes, is the traditional inventor of the wheel-and-
stick game, so popular among the southern and eastern Indians, and variously known
as gatayustt, chenco, or chunki (see note under number 3, "Kana'ti and Selu").
He lived on the south side of Tennessee river, at I'lVtiguhl'.
(jH'tigvhV or The Suck — The noted and dangerous rapid known to the whites as
"The Suck" and to the Cherokee as Un'tiguhl', "Pot in the water." is in Tennessee
river, near the entrance of Suck creek, about s miles below Chattanooga, at a point
where the river gathers its whole force into a contracted channel to break through
the Cumberland mountain. The popular name. Whirl, or Suck, dates back at leas*
to 1780, the upper portion being known at the same time as "The boiling pot'
(Donelson diary, in Ramsey, Tennessee, p. 71 I,1 a close paraphrase of the India
name. In the days of pioneer settlement it was a most dangerous menace to na\ iga
lion, but some of the most serious obstacles in the channel have now been removed
by blasting and other means. The Cherokee name and legend were probably sug-
gested by the appearance of the rapids at the spot. Close to where Cntsaiyl' lived,
according to the Indian account, may still be seen the large flat rock upon which he was
accustomed to play the gatayusti game with all who accepted his challenge, the lines
andgrooves worn by the rolling of the wheels beingstill plainly marked, ami thestone
wheels themselves now firmly attached to the surface of the rock. A similarly
grooved or striped rock, where also, it is said. ITitsaiyi' used to roll his wheel, is
reported to be on the north side of Hiwassee, just below Calhoun, Tennessee.
The Suck is thus described by a traveler in ISIS, while the whole was still Indian
country and Chattanooga was yet undreamed of:
"And here, I cannot forbear pausing a n tent to call your attention to the grand
and picturesque scenery which opens to the view of the admiring spectator. The
country is still possessed by the aborigines, ami the band of civilization has done but
little to soften the wild aspect of nature. The Tennessee river, having concentrated
into one mass the numerous streams it has received in its course of three or four
hundred miles, glides through an extended valley with a rapid and overwhelming
current, half a mile in width. At this place, a group of mountains stand ready to
dispute its progress. First, the 'Lookout.' an independent range mmencing thirty
miles below, presents, opposite the river's course, its bold and rocky termination of
two thousand feet. Around its brow is a pallisade [sic] of naked rocks, from seventy
to One hundred feet. The river flows ujion its base, and instantly twines to theright.
Passing on for six miles farther it turns again, and is met by the side of the Rackoon
mountain. Collecting its strength into a channel of seventy yards, it severs the
mountain,, and rushes tumultuously through the rocky defile, wafting the trembling
navigator at the rate of a mile in two or three minutes. The passage is called 'The
■ J.G. M. Ramsey, The Annuls of Tennessee to the end of the Eighteenth Century, <■!<■.. Philadel-
phia, ls.->3. •
moosey] NOTES AND PARALLELS 4<'>.r>
Suck.' The summit of the I koul mountain overlooks the whole country. And
to those who can be delighted with the view of an interminable forest, penetrated
by tin' windings of a bold river, interspersed with hundreds of verdant prairies, and
broken by many ridges and mountains, furnishes in the month of May, a landscape,
which yields to few others, in extent, variety or beauty. " — Rev. Elias Cornelius, in
(Sillinian's] American Journal of Science, i, p. 223, 1818.
Bel eren hisKfe — The Indian was a passionate gambler and there was absolutely
no limit to the risks which he was willing to take, even to the loss of liberty, if not
of life. Says Lawson (History of Carolina, p. 287): "They game verj much and
often strip one another of all they have in the world; and what is more, I have known
several of them play themselves away, so that they have remained the winners' -ei
vants till their relations or themselves could pay the money to redeem them."
His skin was dean — The idea of purification or cleansing through the efficacy of
the sweat-bath is very common in Indian myth and ceremonial. In an ( linalia story
given by Horsey the hero has been transformed, by witchcraft, into a mangy dot.'.
He builds a sweat lodge, goes into it as a dog ami sweats himself until, on his com-
mand, the people take off the blankets, when "Behold, he was not a dog; he was
a very handsome man" i "Adventures of Hingpe-agce," in Contributions to North
American Ethnology, vt, p. 175).
From thebottom — The choice of the most remote or the most insignificant appear-
ing of several objects, as being really the most valuable, is another common incident
in the myths.
Honey-loeust tree — The favorite honey-locus', tree and the seat with thorns of the
same species in the home of the Thunder Man may indicate that in Indian as in
Aryan thought there was an occult connection between the pinnated leaves and the
lightning, as we know to be the case with regard to the European rowan or mountain
ash.
All kinds of snakes — It will be remembered that the hoy's father was a thunder
god. The connection between the snake and the rain or thunder spirit has already
been noted. It appears also in number 84, "The Man who Married the Thunder's
Sister."
Elder brother — My elder brother (male speaking), iMgim/U; my elder brother
(female speaking), ungidtV; thy two elder brothers (male speaking), tsets&ni'll.
Sunset land — The Cherokee word here used is Wusuhihun'yt, "there where they
stay over night." The usual expression in the sacred formula is usunhi'yl, "tin'
darkening, or twilight place"; the common word is wude'ligun'yl, "there where it
I the sun) goes down."
Lightning at every stroke — In the Omaha myth of "The Chief's Son anil the Thun-
ders," given by Dorsey, some young men traveling to the end of the world meet a
Thunder Man, who bids the leader select one of four medicine hags. Having been
warned in advance, he selects the oldest, but most powerful, and is then given also
a club wbii h causes thunder whenever flourished in the air (Contributions to North
American Ethnology, vi, p. 185).
Strike the rock — This method of procuring water is as old at leasl n- the Look of
Exodus.
The brass rubbed off— The beautiful metallic luster on the head of Phanxus earni
fex is thus accounted for. The common roller beetle is called "dung roller," hut
tin- species is distinguished as the "horned, brass" beetle. It is also .sometimes
spi iken of as the dog of the Thunder Boys.
/,', in,,-.' i/miir ul tin i/riijH rim- -Something like this is found among the Cheyenne:
"The earth rests on a large beam or post. Far in the north there is a beaver as
white as snow who is a great father of all mankind. Some day he will gnaw thrmiL.'li
the support at the bottom. We shall lie helpless ami the earth will fall. This will
happen when he becomes angry. The post is already partly eaten through. For
19 ETH— 01 30
4()6 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
this reason one band of the Cheyenne never eat beaver or even touch the skin. If
they do touch it, they become sick" (Kroeber, Cheyenne Tales, in Journal of
American Folk-Lore, July, 1900).
64. The nest op the Tla'nuwa (p.315): This story was obtained first from John
Ax and Ta'gwadihi', and was afterward heard of frequently in connection with the
cave at Citico. It is mentioned by Ten Kate in "Legends of the Cherokees,"
obtained in flu- Indian Territory, in the Journal of American Folk-Lore, January, 1889.
TUL'nuwQ,- The Tla'nuwa (Tsa'nuwS or Su'nawain the Middle dialect ) is a mythic
bird, described as a great hawk, larger than any bird now existing. There is a small
hawk called tla'nuwa usdi', "little tla'nuwa," which is described as its smaller coun-
terpart or image, and which the Cherokee say accompanies flocks of wild pigeons,
occasionally when hungry swooping down and killing one by striking it with its sharp
breast bone. It is probably the goshawk (Astur atricapUlus) . The great Tla'nuwa,
like the other animals, "went up." According to Adair (History of the American
Indians, p. 17) the Cherokee used to compare a miserly person to a "sinnawah."
When John Ax first recited the story he insisted that the whites must also believe
it, as they had it pictured on their money, and holding up a silver" coin, he trium-
phantly pointed out what he claimed was the figure of the Tla'nuwa, holding in its
talons the arrows and in its beak the serpent. He was not so far wrong, as it is well
known that the Mexican coat of arms, stamped upon the coins of the republic, has
its origin in a similar legend handed down from the Aztec. Myths of dangerous
monster serpents destroyed by great birds were common to a number of tribes. The
Tuscarora, formerly eastern neighbors of the Cherokee, told "a long tale of a great
rattlesnake, which, a great while ago, lived by a creek in that river, which was Neus,
and that it killed abundance of Indians; but at last a bald eagle killed it, and they
were rid of a serpent that used to devour whole canoes full of Indians at a time"
(Lawson, Carolina, p. 346).
TWnuwa'l — "Tla'nuwa place," the cliff so called by the Cherokee, with the cave
half way up its face, is on the north bank of Little Tennessee river, a short distance
below the entrance of the Citico creek, on land formerly belonging to Colonel John
Lowrey, one of the Cherokee officers at the battle of the Horseshoe bend (Wafford) .
Just above, but on the opposite side of the river, is LTtlunti'yl, the former haunt of
the cannibal liver eater (see number 66, "U'tlunta, the Spear-finger").
Soon after tin1 creation — As John Ax put it, adopting the Bible expression, HUahi'yu
dine'ti&nii a'nigwa — "A long time ago the creation soon after."
Rope of linn bark — The old Cherokee still do most of their tying and packing with
ropes twisted from the inner bark of trees. In one version of the story the medicine-
man uses a long udii'I or cohosh ( Actseal) vine.
Holes are still there — The place which the Cherokee call Tla'mnva-a'tsiyelunisun'yl,
" Where the Tla'nuwa cut it up," is nearly opposite Citico, on Little Tennessee river,
just below Talassee ford, in Blount county, Tennessee. The surface of the rock bears
a series of long trenchlike depressions, extending some distance, which, according to
the Indians, are the marks where the pieces bitten from the body of the great serpent
weredropt by the Tla'nuwa.
65. The hunter and the Tla'nuwa (p. 316): This myth was told by Swimmer.
66. U'tlun'ta, the Spear-finger (p. 316) : This is oneof the most noted among the
Cherokee myths, being equally well known both east and west. The version here
given was obtained from John Ax, with some corrections and additions from Swim-
mer, Wafford (west I and others. A version of it, "The Stone-shields," in which
the tomtit is incorrectly made a jay, is given by Ten Kate, in his "Legends of the
Cherokees," in the Journal of American Folk-Lore for January, 1889, as obtained
from a mixed-blood informant in Tahlequah. Another version, "The Demon of
NOTES AND PARALLELS Mm
Consumption," bj i lapt. .lam. - VV. Terrell, formerly a trader among the East < Ihero-
kee, appears in the same journal for April, ls>n>. still another variant, apparently
condensed from Terrell's information, is given by Zeiglerand Grosscup, "Heart of
the Alleghanies," page 24 Raleigh and Cleveland, 1883). In Ten Kate's version
il»' stone coal of mail broke in pieces as soon as the monster was killed, and the
fragments were gathered up and kepi as amulets by the | pie.
There is some confusion between this story of U'tlufi'ta and that of Nun'yunu'wl
(number 67). According to some myth tellers the two i isters were husband and
wife and lived together, and were both alike dressed in stone, bad awl fingers ami
ate human livers, the only difference being that the husband waylaid hunters, while
his female partner ga\ e her attention t.. children.
Thisstoryhas a rinse parallel in the Creek myth of the Tuggle collection, "The
Big Rock Man." in which the people finally kill the stony monster by acting upon
the a.l\ ice i if the Rabbit to shoot him in the ear.
Faraway, in British Columbia, the Indians tell how the Coyote transformed him-
self to an Klk. covering his body with a hard shell. "Now this shell was like an
armor, for no arrow could pierce it; but being hardly large enough to cover all his
body, there was a small h..le left underneath histhroat." He attacks the people,
Stabbing them with his antlers ami trampling them under foot, while their arrows
glance harmlessly from his body, until 'the Meadow-lark, who was a great telltale,
appeared and cried out, 'There is just a little hole at his throat!'" A hunter directs
his arrow to that spot and the Klk falls .lead (Teit, Thompson River Traditions,
pp. 33 34
ta — The word means literally "he (or she) has it sharp," i. e., has some
sharp part ororgan. It might be used of a tooth or finger nail or some other attached
portion of the body, but here refers to the awl-like finger. Ten Kate spells the
name I'ilata. On Little Tennessee river, nearly opposite the entrance of Citico
creek, in Blount comity, Tennessee, i- a place which the Cherokee call D'tluntufi'yl,
"Sharp-finger place." because, they say, F'th'uVta used to frequent the spot.
NfmyCi'-tlit tji'iu"t — "Tree rock." .so called on account of its resemblance to a stand-
ing tree trunk: a notable monument-shape rock on the west side of Hiwassee river,
about four miles above Hayesville, North Carolina, and nearly on the ( u-oruna line.
Whitesidi mountain — This noted mountain, known to the Cherokee as Sanigila'gf,
a name for which they have no meaning, is one of the prominent peaks of the Blue
ridge, and is situated southeast from Franklin and about four miles from Highlands, 0'
the dividing line between Macon and Jackson counties. North Carolina. It is 4,900
feet high, being the loftiest elevation on the ridge which forms the watershed
between the tributaries of the Little Ten lie-see and the Chattooga branch of Savannah.
It takes its name from the perpendicular cliff on its western exposure, and is also
known sometimes as the Devil's courthouse. The Indians compare the appearance
of the cliff to that of a sheet of ice, and say that the western summit was formerly
crowned by a projecting rock, since destroyed by lightning, which formed a part of
the great bridge which CTtlun'ta attempted to build across the valley. Lanman's
description of this mountain, in 1848, has been quoted in the notes to number 13,
"The Great Yellow-jacket." Following is a notice by a later writer:
"About five miles from Highlands is that huge old cliff, Whiteside-, which forms
the advanced guard of all the mountain ranges trending on tile south. It is no higher
than the Righi, but. like it. rising direct fr the plain, it overpowers the spectator
more than its loftier brethren. Through all the lowlands of upper Georgia and Ala-
bama this dazzling white pillar of rock, uplifting the sky. is an emphatic and signifi-
cant landmark. The ascent can be made on horseback, on the rear side of the
mountain, to within a quarter of a mile ..i the Bummit. When the top is reached,
after a short stretch of nearly perpendicular climbing, the traveler finds himself on
468 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
the edge of a sheer white wall of rock, over which, clinging for life to a protecting
hand, he can look, if he chooses, two thousand feet down into the dim valley below.
A pebble dropped from his hand will fall straight as into a well. On the vast plain
below he can see the wavelike hills on which the great mountain ranges which have
stretched from Maine along the continent ebb down finally into the southern
plains" — Rebecca H. Davis, Bypaths in the Mountains, in Harper's Magazine, lxi,
p. 544, September, 1880.
Picking strawberries — For more than a hundred years, as readers of Bartram wil'l
remember, the rich bottom lands of the old Cherokee country have been noted for
their abundance of strawberries and other wild fruits.
My grandchildren — As in most Indian languages. Cherokee kinship terms are usually
specialized, and there is no single term for grandchild. "My son's child" is t'lngiui'sl,
plural ts&iigini'sl; "my daughter's child" is ungiU'sl, plural ii&ngUi'st. The use of
kinship terms as expressive of affection or respect is very common among Indians.
Taking the appearance — This corresponds closely with the European folk-belief in
fairy changelings.
To bum the leave* — The burning of the fallen leaves in the autumn, in order to get
at the nuts upon the ground below, is still practiced by the white mountaineers of
the southern Alleghenies. The line of fire slowly creeping up the mountain side upon
a dark night is one of the picturesque sights of chat picturesque country.
The song — As rendered by Swimmer, the songs seem to be intended for an imita-
tion of the mournful notes of some bird, such as the turtle dove, hidden in the deep
forests.
Pitfall — The pitfall trap for large game was known among nearly all the tribes,
but seems not to have been in frequent use.
Chickadee ami tomtit — These two little birds closely resemble each other, the Caro-
lina chickadee (Parus carolinensis) ortslkllill being somewhat smaller than the tufted
titmouse (Parus bicolor) or utsu'gi, which is also distinguished by a topknot or crest.
The belief that the tslkllill foretells the arrival of an absent friend is general among
the Cherokee, and has even extended to their neighbors, the white mountaineers.
See also number 35, "The Bird Tribes," and accompanying notes.
Her heart — The conception of a giant or other monster whose heart or "life" is in
some unaccustomed part of the body, or may even be taken out and laid aside at
will, so that it is impossible to kill the monster by ordinary means, is common in
Indian as well as in European and Asiatic folklore.
In a Xavaho myth we are told that the Coyote "did not, like other beings, keep
his vital principle in his chest, where it might easily be destroyed. He kept it in the
tip of his nose and in the end of his tail, where no one would expect to find it." He
meets several accidents, any one of which would be sufficient to kill an ordinary
creature, but as his nose and tail remain intact he is each time resurrected. Finally
a girl whom he wishes to marry beats him into small pieces with a club, grinds the
pieces to powder, and scatters the powder to the four winds. "But again she neg-
lected to crush the point of the nose and the tip of the tail," with the result that the
Coyote again comes to life, when of course they are married and live happily until
the next chapter (Matthews, Xavaho Legends, pp. 91-94).
In a tale of the Gaelic highlands the giant's life is in an egg which he keeps con-
cealed in a distant place, and not until the hero finds and crushes the egg does the
giant die. The monster or hero with but one vulnerable spot, as was the case with
Achilles, is also a common concept.
67. NASyunu'wi, the Stone Max (p. 319): This myth, although obtained from
Swimmer, the best informant in the eastern band, is but fragmentary, fur the reason
that he confounded it with the somewhat similar story of U'tlun'ta (number 66).
It was mentioned byAyastaand others (east) and by Wafford (west) as a very old
mooney] NOTES AND PARALLELS 469
and interesting story, although none of these could recall the details in connected
form. It is noted as oi f the stories heard in the Territory by Ten Kate | Legends
of the Cherokees, in Journal of American Folk-Lore, January, 1889), who spells the
name Nayunu'wi.
Xi'niiiiinn' ni, "Dressed in stone"; add'lan&ftsU, a staff or cane; axufi'itt, astfi'tttfCl,
a foot log or bridge; ada'iuehl, a great magician or supernatural wonder-worker; sec
the glossary.
A very close parallel is found among the Iroquois, who have traditions of an inva-
sion by a race of fierce cannibals known as the Stonish tiiants, who, originally like
ordinary humans, had wandered off into the wilderness, where they became addicted
to eating raw flesh ami wallowing in the sand until their bodies grew to gigantic size
ami were covered with hard scales like stone, which no arrow could penetrate (see
Cusick, in Schoolcraft, Indian Tribes, v, p. 637). One of these, which preyed par-
ticularly upon the Onondaga, was at last taken in a pitfall and thus killed. Another,
in tracking his victims used ".something which looked like a finger, but was really a
pointer made of bone. With this he could find anything he wished." The pointer
was finally snatched from him by a hunter, on which the giant, unable to find his
way without it. begged pitcously for its return, promising to eat no more men and
t.i send the hunter long life and good luck for himself and all his friends. The
hunter thereupon restored it and the giant kept his promises (Beauchamp, W. M.,
[roquois Notes, in Journal of American Folk-Lore, Boston, July, 1892.) As told by
Mrs Smith ("The Stone Giant's Challenge," Myths of the Iroquois, in Second
Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology, 1SS3), the pointer was a human finger.
"He placed it upright upon his hand, and it immediately pointed the way for him
to go."
Menstrual woman — Among all our native tribes it is believed that there is something
dangerous or uncanny in the touch or presence of a menstrual woman. Hence the
universal institution of the " menstrual lodge," to which the woman retires at such
periods, eating, working, and sleeping alone, together with a host of tabus and pre-
cautions bearing upon the same subject. Nearly the same ideas are held in regard to
a pregnant woman.
Sourwood stakes — Cherokee hunters impale meat upon sourwood (Oxydendrum)
stakes for roasting, and the wood is believed, also, to have power against the spells of
witches.
Began In lull; — The revealing of "medicine" secrets by a magician when in his
final agony is a common incident in Indian myths.
Whaten r In prayed for -Sw immer gives a detailed statement of the particular peti-
tion made by several of those thus painted. Painting the face and body, especially
with red paint, is always among Indians a more or less sacred performance, usually
accompanied with prayers.
68. The hunteb in the Dakwa' — This story was told by Swimmer and Ta'gwadihi'
and i- well known in the tribe. The version from the Wahnenauhi manuscript differs
considerably from that here given. In the Bible translation the word dakwa' is
used as the equivalent of whale. Haywood thus alludes to the story (Nat. and
Aborig. Hist. Tenn., p. 244) : " One of the ancient traditions of the Cherokees is that
once a whale -wallowed a little boy, and after some time spewed him upon the land."
It is pretty certain that the Cherokee formerly had some acquaintance with whales,
which, aln. ut the year L700, according to Lawson, were "very numerous" on the.
coast of North Carolina, being frequently stranded along the sic. re, so that settlers
derived considerable profit from the oil and blubber. He enumerates four species
there know n, and adds :i general Statement that "si .me Indians in America" hunted
then, at sea (History of Carolina, pp. 251 252).
In almost every age and country we lind a myth of a great tish swallowing a man,
470 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
who afterward finds his way nut alive. Near to the Cherokee myth art' tin- Bible
story of Jonah, and the Greek story of Hercules, swallowed by a fish and coming out
afterward alive, hut bald. For parallels and theories of the origin and meaning of
the myth among the ancient nations, see chapter i.x of Bouton's Bible Myth--.
In an < rjibwa story, the great Manabozho is swallowed, canoe and all, by the king
of the fishes. With his war club he strikes repeated blows upon the heart of the fish,
which attempts to spew him out. Fearing that he might drown in deep water,
Manabozho frustrates the endeavor by placing his canoe crosswise in the throat of
the fish, and continues striking at the heart until the monster makes for the shore
and t line dies, when the hero makes his escape through a hole which the gulls have
torn in the side of the carcass (Schoolcraft, Algic Researches, i, pp. 145-14H).
69. AtaGa'hi, the enchanted lake (p. 321): This story was heard from Swimmer,
Ta'gwadihT', and others, anil is a matter of familiar knowledge to every hunter among
the East Cherokee. If Indian testimony he believed there is actually a large bare
flat of this name in the difficult recesses of the Great Smoky mountains on the
northern boundary of Swain county, North Carolina, somewhere between the heads
of Bradleys fork and Eagle creek. It appears to be a great resort for bears and
ducks, and is perhaps submerged at long intervals, which would account for the
legend.
Prayer, fasting, and vigil — In Indian ritual, as among the Orientals and in all
ancient religions, these are prime requisites for obtaining clearness of spiritual vision.
In almost every tribe the young warrior just entering manhood voluntarily sub-
jected himself to an ordeal of this kind, of several days' continuance, in order to
obtain a vision of the "medicine" which was to be his guide and protector for the
rest of his life.
70. The bride from the south (p. 322): This unique allegory was heard from
both Swimmer and Ta'gwadihl' in nearly the same form. Hagar also (MS Stellar
Legends of the Cherokee) heard something of it from Ayasta, who, however, con-
fused it with the Hagar variant of number 11, "The Milky Way" (see notes to
number 11).
In a myth from British Columbia, " The Hot and the Cold Winds," the cold-wind
people of the north wage war with the hot-wind people of the south, until the
Indians, whose country lay between, and who constantly suffer from both sides,
bring about a peace, to be ratified by a marriage between the two parties. Accord-
ingly, the people of the south send their daughter to marry the son of the north.
The two are married and have one child, whom the mother after a time decides to
take with her to visit her own people in the north. Her visit ended, she starts on
her return, accompanied by her elder brother. " They embarked in a bark canoe
for the country of the cold. Her brother paddled. After going a long distance, and
while crossing a great lake, the cold became so intense that her brother could not
endure it any longer. He took the child from his sister and threw it into the water.
Immediately the air turned warm and the child floated on the water as a lump of
ice." — Teit, Traditions of the Thompson River Indians, pp. 55, 56.
71. The Ice Man (p. 322): This story, told by Swimmer, maybe a veiled tradi-
tion of a burning coal mine in the mountains, accidentally ignited in firing the woods
in the fall, according to the regular Cherokee practice, and finally extinguished by a
providential rainstorm. One of Buttrick's Cherokee informants told him that "a
great while ago a part of the world was burned, though it is not known now how, or
by whom, but it is said that other land was formed by washing in from the moun-
tains" ( Antiquities, p. 7).
When the French built Fort Caroline, near the present Charleston, South ( Ian ilina,
in 1562, an Indian villlage was in the vicinity, but shortly afterward the chief, with
all his people, removed to a considerable distance in consequence of a strange
mooney] NOTES AMI PARALLELS -1 7 1
accident — "a large piece of peat bog [was] kindled by lightning and consumed, which
he supposed to be the work of artillery." '
Volcanic activities, some of very recent date, have left inam traces in the Carolina
mountains. A mountain in Haywood county, near the head of Fines creek, has
been noted for it- noises an. I uuakings for nearly a century, our particular explosion
having split solid masses of granite a- though bj a blast of gunpowder. These
shocks and noises used to recur at intervals of two or three years, but have not now
been noticed for some time. In 1829 a violent earthquake on Vallej river split open
a mountain, leaving a chasm extending for several hundred yards, which is still to
be seen Satoola mountain, near Highlands, in Macon county, has crevices from
which smoke is said to issue at intervals. In Madison county there is a mountain
which lias been known to rumble and smoke, a phenomenon with which the Warm
Springs in the same county may have some connection. Another peak, known as
Shaking or Rumbling bald, in Rutherford county, attracted widespread attention in
1S74 by a succession of shocks extending over a period of six months (see Zeiglei
and Grosscup, Heart of the Alleghanies, pp. 228-229).
72. The Hi nter vnd Sblu (p. 323): The explanation of this story, told by Swim-
mer, lies in the myth which derives corn from the blood of the old woman Soln
(see number 3, " Kana'tl and Selu " I.
In Iroquois myth the spirits of Corn, Beans, and Squash are three sisters. Corn
was originally much more fertile, but was blighted by the jealousy of an evil spirit.
"To this day, when the rustling wind waves the corn leaves with a moaning sound,
the pious Indian fancies that he hears the Spirit of Corn, in her compassion for the
red man. still bemoaning with unavailing regrets her blighted fruitfulness" (Morgan,
Leagi f the Iroquois, p. L62). See number 126, "Plant Lore," and accompany-
ing notes.
73. Tiik Underground Panthers (p.324): This story was told by John Ax. For
an explanation of the Indian idea concerning animals see number 15, "The Four-
footed Tribes," and number 7i>, "The Bear Man."
Serernl daijn — The strange lapse of time, by which a period really extending over
days or even years seems to the stranger under the spell to be only a matter of a few
hours, is one of the most common incidents of European fairy recitals, and has been
made equally familiar to American readers through Irving's story of Rip Van
Winkle.
74. The Tsundige'wI (p. 325): This curious story was told by Swimmer and
Ta'gwSdihr' (east) and Watford (west). Swimmer says the dwarfs lived in the west,
but Ta'gwadihi' and Wafford locate them south from the Cherokee country.
\ story which seems to be a variant of the same myth was told to the Spanish
adventurer Ayllon by the Indians on the South Carolina coast in 1520, and is thus
given in translation from Peter Martyr's Decades, in the Discovery and Con-
quest of Florida, ninth volume of the Hakluyt Society's publications, pages xv-xvi,
London, 1851.
"Another of Ayllon's strange stories refers to a country called Inzignanin, . . .
The inhabitauntes, by report of their ancestors, say, that a people as tall as the length
of a man's arme, with tayles of a span nc long, sometime arrived there, brought thither
by sea, which tayle was not movable or wavering, as in foure-footed beastes, but
solide, broad above, and sharpe beneath, as wee see in fishes and crocodiles, and
extended into a bony hardness. Wherefore, when they desired to sill, they used
scale- with holes through them, or wanting them, digged upp the earth a spanne
deepeor little more, they must COnvay their tayle into the hole when they rest them."
1 Buckingham Smith, Letter of Hi n eu dodi Soto and Memoir of Hernando de Escalante, translated
Spanish; Washington, 1854, p.46.
472 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.amn.19
It is given thus in Barcia, Ensayo, page 5: "Tambien Uegaron a la Provineia de
Yncignavin'adonde les contaron aquellos Indios, que en cierto tiempo, avian apor-
tado a ella, unas Gentes, que tenian Cola . . . de una quarta de largo, flexible,
que les estorvaba tanto, que para sentarse agujereaban los asientos: que el Pellejo era
muiaspero, y coino escarnoso, y quecomian solo Peres erudos: y aviendo estos muerto,
se acabo esta Nacion, y la Verdad del Caso, eon ella."
A close parallel to the Cherokee story is found among the Nisqualli of Washing-
ton, in a story of three [four?] brothers, who are captured by a rnircaculously strong
dwarf who ties them and carries them off in his canoe. "Having rounded the dis-
tant point, where they had first descried him, they came to a village inhabited by
a race of people as small as their captor, their houses, boats and utensils being all
in proportion to themselves. The three brothers were then taken out and thrown,
bound as they were, into a lodge, while a council was convened to decide upon their
fate. During the sitting of the council an immense flock of birds, resembling geese,
but much larger, pounced down upon the inhabitants and commenced a violent
attack. These birds had thepowerof throwing their sharp quills like the porcupine,
and although the little warriors fought with great valour, they soon became covered
with the piercing darts and all sunk insensible on the ground. When all resistance
has ceased, the birds took to flight and disappeared. The brothers had witnessed
the conflict from their place of confinement, and with much labour had succeeded in
releasing themselves from their bonds, when they went to the battle ground, and
commenced pulling the quills from the apparently lifeless bodies; but no sooner had
they done this, than all instantly returned to consciousness" (Kane, Wanderings of
an Artict, pp. 252-253).
75. Oriuin of the Bear (p. 325): This story was told by Swimmer, from whom
were also obtained the hunting songs, and was frequently referred to by other
informants. The Ani'-Tsa'gfthi are said to have been an actual clan in ancient
times. For parallels, see number 76, "The Bear Man."
Jlml mil taken human food — The Indian is a thorough believer in the doctrine that
"man is what he eats." Says Adair (History of the American Indians, p. 133):
"They believe that nature is possessed of such a property as to transfuse into men
and animals the qualities, either of the food they use or of those objects that are pre-
sented to their senses. He who feeds on venison is, according to their physical sys-
tem, swifter and more sagacious than the man who lives on the flesh of the clumsy
bear or helpless dunghill fowls, the slow-footed tame cattle, or the heavy wallowing
swine. This is the reason that several of their old men recommend and say that
formerly their greatest chieftains observed a constant rule in their diet, and seldom
ate of any animal of a gross quality or heavy motion of body, fancying it conveyed
a dullness through the whole system and disabled them from exerting themselves
with proper vigour in their martial, civil, and religious duties." A continuous
adherence to the diet commonly used by a bear wall finally give to the eater the bear
nature, if not also the bear form and appearance. A certain term of " white man's
food" will give the Indian the white man's nature, so that neither the remedies nor
the spells of the Indian doctor will have any effect upon him (see the author's
"Sacred Formulas of the Cherokees," in Seventh Annual Report of the Bureau of
Ethnology, 1891).
Shall In,' always — For explanation of the doctrine of animal reincarnation, see
number 15, "The Four-footed Tribes."
Thesongs — These are fair specimens of the hunting songs found in every tribe, and
intended to call up the animals or to win the favor of the lords of the game (see also
deer songs in notes to number 3, "Kana'tland Selu"). As usual, the word forms are
slightly changed to suit the requirements of the tune. The second song was tirst
published by the author in the paper on sacred formulas, noted above. Tsistu'yl,
hooney] NOTE8 AM) PARALLELS 473
Kuwa'hi, (Jya'hye,and Gate'gwa (-hi) are foui mountains, under each of which the
bears have a townhouse in which they hold a dance before retiring to their dens
for their winter sleep. AtTsistu'yl, "Rabbit place," known to us as Gregory bald,
in the i rreal Smoky range, dwells the < lrea1 Rabbit, the chief of the rabbit tribe.
At Kuwa'hi. ■• Mulberry place," farther northeast along the same range, resides the
White Bear, the chief of the bear tribe, and near by is the enchanted lake of Ata-
ga'hl, to which wounded bears go to bathe and be cured I see number 15, "The Four-
footed Tribes," and number 69, "Ataga'hl, the Enchanted Lake" I. Uyahye is also a
peak of the Great Smokies, while Gategwa'hl, "Great swamp or thicket (?)," is
southeast of Franklin, North Carolina, and is perhaps identical with Fodderstack
mountain (see also the glossary).
"ii. The Bear M vn I p. 327 |: This story was obtained first from John Ax, and has
numerous parallels in other tribes, as well as in European and oriental folklore.
The classic legend of Romulus and Remus and the stories of " wolf hoys" in India
will at one- suggest themselves. Swimmer makes the trial of the hunter's weapons
by the bears a part of his story of tin- origin of disease and medicine (number 4), but
says that it may have happened on this occasion (see also number 15, "The Four-
footed Tribes," and notes to number 75J "Origin of the Bear").
Ina strikingly similar Creek myth of theTuggle collection, "Origin of the Bear
Clan," a little girl lost in the woods is adopted by a she-bear, with whom she lives
for four years, when the bear is killed by ihe hunter and the girl returns to her peo-
ple to become the mother of the Hear elan.
The [roquois have several stories of children adopted by bears. In one, "The
Man and His Stepson." a boy thus cared for is afterward found by a hunter, who
tames him and teaches him to speak, until in time he almost forgets that he had
lived like a bear. He marries a daughter of the hunter and becomes a hunter him-
self, but always refrains from molesting the bears, until at last, angered by the taunts
of his mother-in-law, he shoots one, but is himself killed by an accident while on
his return home (Smith, Myths of the Iroquois, in Second Annual Report Bureau of
Ethnology ). In line with this is the story of a hunter who had pursued a bear into its
den. " When some distance in he could no longer see the bear, but he saw a fire and
around it sat several men. The oldest of the three men looked up and asked, 'Why
did you try to shoot one of my men. We sent him out to entice you to us'" (Curt in,
Seneca Ms in Bureau of American Ethnology archives).
In a Pawnee myth, "The Bear Man," a boy whose father had put him under the
protection of the bears grows up with certain bear traits and frequently prays and
sacrifices to these animals. On a war party against the Sioux he is killed and cut to
pieces, when two bears timl and recognize the body, gather up and arrange the pieces
and re-tore him to life, after which they take him to their den, where they care for
him and teach him their secret knowledge until he is strong enough to go home
(Grirmell, Pawnee Hero Stories, pp. L21-128).
In a Jicarilla myth, "Origin and Destruction of the Bear," a boy playing about
in animal fashion runs into a cave in the hillside. "When he came out his feet and
hands had been transformed into bear's paws." Four times this is repeated, the
change each time mounting higher, until he finally emerges as a terrible bear
monster that devours human beings I Russell, Myths of the Jicarilla, in Journal
of American Folk-Lore, October, 1898).
Read th thoughts — Thought reading is a very common feature of Indian myths.
Certain medicine ceremonies are believed to confer the power upon those who fulfil
the ordeal conditions.
Food wa </< ttingscara — Several references in the myths indicate that, through failure
of the accustomed wild crop-, famine seasonswere as common among the annual
tribes as among th.- Indian- (see number 33, "The Migration of the Animal-'' >.
474 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.
Kalds'-GH.nahVta — See number 15, "The Four-footed Tribes."
Rubbed his stomach — This very original method of procuring food occurs also in
qui iber .'!, " Kana't! and Selu."
Topknotsand Splitnoses — Tsunl'stsahr, "Having topknots" — i. e., Indians, in allu-
sion to the crests of upright hair formerly worn by warriors of the Cherokee and
other eastern trihes. Timberlake thus describes the Cherokee warrior's headdress
in 17<>2 : "The hair of their head is shaved, tho' many of the old people have it
plucked out by the roots, except a patch on the hinder part of the head about twice
the bigness of a crown piece, which is ornamented with beads, feathers, wampum,
stained deer's hair, and such like baubles" (Memoirs, p. 49). TsuniV'liyu' sunfi-
stla'ta, "they have split noses" — i. e., dogs.
< 'over lln- blood — The reincarnation of the slain animal from the drops of blood spilt
upon the ground or from the bones is a regular part of Cherokee hunting belief, and
the same idea occurs in the folklore of many tribes. In the Omaha myth, "Ictinike
and the Four Creators," the hero visits the Beaver, who kills and cooks one of his
own children to furnish the dinner. When the meal was over "the Beaver gathered
the bones and put them into a skin, which he plunged beneath the water. In a
moment the youngest beaver came up alive out of the water" (Dorsey, in Contri-
butions to North American Ethnology, vi, p. 557).
IAke a man again — It is a regular article of Indian belief, which has its parallels in
European fairy lore, that one who has eaten the food of the spirit people or super-
naturals can not afterward return to his own people and live, unless at once, and
sometimes for a long time, put under a rigid course of treatment intended to efface
the longing for the spirit food and thus to restore his complete human nature. See
also number 73, " The Underground Panthers." In "A Yankton Legend," recorded
by Dorsey, a child falls into the water and is taken by the water people. The father
hears the child crying under the water and employs two medicine men to bring it
back. After preparing themselves properly they go down into the deep water, where
they find the child sitting beside the water spirit, who, when they declare their mes-
sage, tells them that if they had come before the child had eaten anything he might
have lived, but now if taken away "he will desire the food which I eat; that being
the cause of the trouble, he shall die." They return and report: "We have seen
your child, the wife of the water deity has him. Though we saw him alive, he had
eaten part of the food which the water deity eats, therefore the water deity says
that if we bring the child back with us out of the water he shall die," and so it hap-
pened. Some time after the parents lose another child in like manner, but this time
"she did not eat any of the f 1 of the water deity and therefore they took her
home alive." In each case a white dog is thrown in to satisfy the water spirits for
the loss of the child (Contributions to North American Ethnology, VI, p. 357).
77. The Great Leech of Tlanusi'yI (p. 329): This legend was heard first from
Swimmer and Chief Smith, the latter of whom was born near Murphy; it was con-
firmed by YVafford (west) and others, being one of the best known myths in the tribe
and embodied in the Cherokee name for Murphy. It is apparently founded upon a
peculiar appearance, as of something alive or moving, at the bottom of a deep hole
in Valley river, just below the old Unicoi turnpike ford, at Murphy, in Cherokee
county, North Carolina. It is said that a tinsmith of the town once made a tin
bomb which he filled with powder and sank in the stream at this spot with the
intention of blowing up the strange object to see what it might be, but the contrivance
failed to explode. The hole is caused by a sudden drop or split in the rock bed of
the stream, extending across the river. Wafford, who once lived on Nottely river,
adds the incident of t lie two women and says that the Leech had wings and could fly.
He asserts also that he found rich lead ore in the hole, but that the swift current pre-
vented working it. About two miles above the mouth of Nottely river a bend of
the stream brings it within about the same distance of the Hiwassee at Murphy.
NOTES AM) PARALLELS 475
This nearest point of approach on Nottely is also known to the Cherokee as Tlanusi'yY,
"leech place" ami from certain phenomena common to both streams it is a general
belief among Indians and whites that they are connected here by a subterranean water
way. Tlu- legend and the popular belief are thus noted in 1848 by Lanman, who
incorrectly makes the 1 It a turtle:
"The little village of Murphy, whence I date this letter, lies at the junction of the
Owassaand Valley rivers, and in point of Location is one of the prettiest places in
the world. Its Indian name was EClausuna, or the Large Turtle. It was so called,
says a Cherokee legend, on account of its being the sunning place of an immense
turtle which lived in its vicinity in ancient ti a. The turtle was particularly famous
for its repelling power, having been known not to be at all injured by a stroke of
lightning. Nothing on earth had power to annihilate the creature; but, on account
of the many attempts made to take its life, w hen it was known to he a harmless ami
inoffensive creature, it became disgusted with this world, and burrowed its way into
the middle of the earth, w here it now lives in peace.
"In connection with this legend, I may here mention what must he considered a
remarkable fact in geology. Kuuiiiutr directly across the village of Murphy is a belt
of marble, composed of the black, grey, pure white and flesh-colored varieties, which
belt also crosses the Owassa river. Just above this marble causeway tin- Owassa,
for a space of perhaps two hundred feet, is said to be over one hundred feet deep,
and at one point, in fact, a bottom has never been found. All this is simple truth,
but I have heard the opinion expressed that there is a subterranean communication
between this immense hole in ( Iwassa and the river Xotely, which is some twomiles
distant The testimony adduced in proof of this theory is, that a certain log was
once marked on the Notely, which log was subsequently found floating in the pool
of tin- Keep Hole in the ( twassa " ( Letters, pp. 63-64).
78. The XfSsE'iii and other spirit folk (p. 330): The belief in fairies and kin-
dred spirits, frequently appearing as diminutive beings in human form, is so universal
among all races as to render citation of parallels unnecessary. Every Indian tribe
has its own spirits of the woods, the cliffs, and the waters, usually benevolent and
kindly when not disturbed, but often mischievous, and in rare cases malicious and
revengeful. These invisible spirit people are regarded as a sort of supernatural
human beings, entirely distinct from ghosts and from the animal and plant spirits,
as well as from the godlike beings who rule the sun, the rain, and the thunder.
Most of the NunnS'hl stories here given were told by Watford, who believed them
all firmly in spite of his white man's blood and education. The others, excepting
that of the offended spirits (Wahnenauhi MS) and the Fire-carrier ( Watford) . were
heard from various persons upon the reservation. For other Nunng'hl references
Bee the stories of Tsuwe'nahf, Kana'sta. Yahula, etc.
.Woo;/'/// — This word uji'iTiul'h'i in a dialectic form and naye'M in the singular) may
be rendered "dwellers anywhere" or "those who live anywhere," but is under-
Stood to mean "those who live forever." i. e., Immortals. It is spelled Nanehi by
Buttrick and Nuhnayie in the Wahnenauhi manuscript. The singular form. NayPhl,
occurs also as a personal name, equivalent to Edd/hl, "One who goes about."
Sorm invisibU toumhouse — The ancient Creek town of Okmulgee, where now is the
city of Macon, in Georgia, was destroyed by the Carolina people about the time of
the Yamassee war. Sixty years later Adair says of the Creeks: "They strenuously
aver that when the necessity forces them to encamp there, they always hear at the
dawn of the morning the usual noise of Indians singing their joyful religious notes
ami dancing, as if going down to the river to purify themselves, and then returning
to the old townhouse; w ith a great deal more to the same effect. Whenever I have
been there, however, all hath been silent but they say this was 'because I
am an obdurate infidel that way ' " (Hist. Am. Indians, p. 36).
Nottely town — Properly Na'du'li. was on Nottely river, a short distance above
476 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
Raper creek in Cherokee county, North Carolina. The old townhouse was upon a
large mound on the west side of the river and about five miles below the Georgia
line. The town was practically deserted before the removal in 1838 (see glossary).
Hemptovm — Properly Gatunlti'yl, "Hemp place," existed until the Removal, on
Hemptown creek, a branch of Toccoa river, a few miles north of the present
Morganton, in Fannin county, Georgia.
Noted circular depression — This may have been a circular earthwork of about thirty
feel diameter, described as existing in 1890 a short distance east of Soquee post-office
near the head of Soquee creek, about ten miles northwest of Clarkesville, Haber-
sham county, Georgia. There are other circular structures of stone on elevated
positions within a few miles of Clarkesville (see author's manuscript notes on Chero-
kee archeology, in Bureau of American Ethnology archives). The same story about
throwing logs and stones into one of these sacred places, only to have them thrown
out again by invisible hands, is told by Zeigler and Grosscup, in connection with the
Jutaculla old fields (see note under number 81, "Tsul'kahV)-"
Bewildered — "Crazy persons were supposed to be possessed with the devil or
afflicted with the Nanehi" (Buttrick, Antiquities, p. 14). According to Hagar's
inf. irmant : "The little people cause men to lose their minds and run away and wander
in the forests. They wear very long hair, down to their heels" (MS Stellar Legends
of the Cherokee). In Creek belief, according to the Tuggle manuscript, "Fairies or
little people live in hollow trees and on rocky cliffs. They often decoy people from
their homes and lose them in the woods. When a man's mind becomes bewil-
dered— not crazy — this is caused by the little people."
Loaves seemed to shrink— The deceptive and unsatisfactory character of all fairy
belongings when the spell is lifted is well known to the European peasantry.
'IWuru'si iiml Ts&ga'si — These sprites are frequently named in the hunting prayers
and other sacred formulas.
Scratching — This is a preliminary rite of the ballplay and other ceremonies, as
well as the doctor's method of hypodermic injection. As performed in connection
with the ballplay it is a painful operation, being inflicted upon the naked skin with a
seven-toothed comb of turkey bone, the scratches being drawn in parallel lines upon
the breast, back, arms and legs, until the sufferer is bleeding from head to foot. In
medical practice, in order that the external application may take hold more effectually,
the scratching is done with a rattlesnake's tooth, a brier, a flint, or a piece of glass.
See author's Cherokee Ball Play, in American Anthropologist, April, 1890, and
Sacred Formulas of the Cherokees, in Seventh Annual Report Bureau of Ethnol-
ogy, 1891. The practice seems to have been general among the southern tribes, and
was sometimes used as a punishment for certain delinquents. According to Adair
the doctor bled patients by scratching them with the teeth of garfish after the skin
hail been first well softened by the application of warm water, while any unauthorized
prison who dared to intrude upon the sacred square during ceremonial performances
"would lie dry-scratched with snakes' teeth, fixed in the middle of a split reed or
piece of wood, without the privilege of warm water to supple the stiffened skin"
(Hist. Am. Indians, pp. 46, 120).
The Fire-carriei — This is probably the gaseous phenomenon known as the will-
of-the-wisp, which has been a thing of mystery and fear to others beside Indians.
7'.i. The removed town-houses (p. 335): The first of these stories was told by John
Ax. The second was obtained from Sala'li, "Squirrel," mentioned elsewhere as a
self-taught mechanic oi the East Cherokee. Watford (west) had also heard it, but
confused it with that of Tsal'kahV (number 81).
Excepting* Justl', the localities are all in western North Carolina. The large mound
of S£'tsl is on the south side of Valley river, about three miles below Valleytown,
in Cherokee county. Anisgaya'yl town is not definitely located by the story teller,
but was probably in the same neighborhood. Tsudaye'h'uVyl. literally "where it
is isolated," or "isolated place," is a solitary high peak near Cheowa Maximum, a
kooney] NOTKS AND PARALLELS 477
few miles northeast of Robbinsville, in Graham county, on the summit of which
theiv is sail 1 to he a large n n-k somewhat resembling in appearance a circular town-
house with a part wanting from one side. Du'stiya'lufi'yl, "Where it was shot,"
i. c, "Where it was struck by lightning," is tin- territory on Hiwassee ri \ t r. about
the mouth of Shooting creek, above Hayesville, in Clay county (see also glossary ).
W oru must shout — The same injunction occurs in the legend of Tsul'k&lu' bei
si i. Tin- necessity for strict silence while under the conduct of fairy guides is con-
stant!} emphasized in European folklore.
Toumhousi in the water below — Breton legend tells of a submerged city which rises
out of the sea at long intervals, « lien it ran lie seen by those who possess the proper
talisman, anil we know that in Ireland
"On Lough Neagh's hanks as the fisherman strays,
When the clear eol.l eve's declining,
He sees tin- round lowers of other days
In the wave beneath him shining."
•so. The spirit defenders of Nikwasi' (p.336): This story was obtained from
Swimmer. Nikwasi' or Nikw'sl', one of the most ancient settlements of the Cherokee,
was on the west hank of Little Tennessee river, where is now the town of Franklin,
in Macon county, North Carolina. The mound upon which the townhouse stood,
in a field adjoining the river, is probably the largest in western Carolina and has
never been explored. The Cherokee believe that it is the abode of the Xunne'hl or
Immortals (see number 78) and that a perpetual fire burns within it. The name, which
can not he translated, appears as Nueassee in old documents. The British agent held
a council here with the Cherokee as early as 1730. Although twice destroyed, the
town was rebuilt ami continued to be occupied probably until the land was sold
in 1819.
Bring the news h<itm- — It was a frequent custom in Indian warfare to spare a captive
taken in battle in order that he might carry hack to his people the news of the defeat.
After the disastrous defeat of the French under D'Artaguette by the Chickasaw in
upper Mississippi in 1736, D'Artaguette, Lieutenant Vincennes, Father Senac, and
fifteen others were burned at the stake by the victors, but "one of the soldiers was
spared to carry the news of the triumph of the Chickasaws and the death of these
unhappy men to the mortified Bienville" (Pickett, History of Alabama, p. 298,
ed. 1896).
81. Tsul'kalu', TnE slaxt-eyed giant (p. 337): The story of Tsul'kahV is one of
the finest and best known of the Cherokee legends. It is mentioned as early as 1823
by Haywood, who spells the name Tuli-cula, and the memory is preserved in the
local nomenclature of western Carolina. Hagar also alludes briefly to it in his
manuscript Stellar Legends of the Cherokee. The name .signifies literally "he has
them slanting," being understood to refer to his eyes, although the word eye {aktti/,
plural ilikhV) is not a part of it. In the plural form it is also the name of a traditional
race of giants in the far west (see number 106, "The Giants from the West" i.
Tsul'kalu' lives in Tsunegi'nVyf and is the great lord of the game, and as such is fre-
quently invoked in the hunting formulas. The story was obtained from Swimmer
and John Ax, the Swimmer version being the one here followed. For parallels to the
incident of the child born from blood see notes to number .'!, " Kana'tl and Selu."
In the John Ax version it is the girl's father and mother, instead of her mother
and brother, who try to bring her back. They are told they must fast seven days to
succeed. They fast four days before starting, and then set out and travel two days,
when they come to the mouth of the cave and hear the sound of the drum and the
dance within. They are able to look over the edge of the rock ami see their daugh-
ter among the dancers, hut can not enter until the seventh day is arrived. Unluckily
the man is very hungry h\ thi- time, and after watching nearly all night he insists
that it is so near daylight of the seventh morning that he may safely take a small
478 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
bite. His wife begs him to wait until the sun appears, but hunger overcomes him
and he takes a bite of food from his pouch. Instantly the cave and the dancers
disappear, and the man and his wife find themselves alone on the mountain. John
Ax was a very old man at the time of the recital, with memory rapidly failing, and
it is evident that his version is only fragmentary.
Haywood notes the story on the authority of Charles Hicks, an educated halfbreed
(Nat. and Aborig. Hist. Tenn., p. 280): "They have a fabulous tradition respecting
the mounds, which proves that they are beyond the events of their history. The
mounds, they say. were caused by the quaking of the earth and great noise with it,
a ceremony used for the adoption of their people into the family of Tuli-cula, who
was an invisible person and had taken a wife of one of their town's people. And at
the time when his first son was born the quaking of the earth and noise had com-
menced, but had ceased at the alarm whoop, which had been raised by two impru-
dent young men of the town, in consequence of which the mounds had been raised
by the quaking noise. Whereupon the father took the child and mother and
removed to near Brasstown, and had made the tracks in the rocks which are to be
seen there."
From Buttrick we get the following version of the tradition, evidently told fur the
missionary's special benefit: "God directed the Indians to ascend a certain moun-
tain— that is, the warriors — and he would there send them assistance. They started
and had ascended far up the mountain, when one of the warriors began to talk about
women. His companion immediately reproved him, but instantly a voice like
thunder issued from the side of the mountain and God spoke and told them to return,
as he could not assist them on account of that sin. They put the man to death, yet
the Lord never returned to them afterwards" (Antiquities, p. 14). On the next
page he tells it in a somewhat different form: "It is said that before coming to this
continent, while in their own country, they were in great distress from their enemies,
and God told them to march to the top of a certain mountain and He would come
down and afford them relief. They ascended far up the mountain and thought they
saw something coming down from above, which they supposed was for their aid.
But just then one of the warriors," etc.
Zeigler and Grosscup give another version, which, although dressed up for adver-
tising purposes, makes a fairly good story:
"But there is another legend of the Balsams more significant than any of these.
It is the Paradise I rained i if Cherokee mythology, and bears some distant resemblance
to the Christian doctrine of mediation. The Indians believed that they were origi-
nally mortal in spirit as well as body, hut above the blue vault of heaven there was,
inhabited by a celestial race, a forest into which the highest mountains lifted their
dark summits. * * *
"The mediator, by whom eternal life was secured for the Indian mountaineers,
was a maiden of their own tribe. Allured by the haunting sound and diamond
sparkle of a mountain stream, she wandered far up into a solitary glen, where the
azalea, the kalmia, and the rhododendron brilliantly embellished the deep, shaded
slopes, and filled the air with their delicate perfume. The crystal stream wound its
crooked way between moss-covered rocks over which tall ferns bowed their graceful
stems. Enchanted by the scene, she seated herself upon the soft moss, and, over-
come by fatigue, was soon asleep. The dream picture of a fairyland was presently
broken by the soft touch of a strange hand. The spirit of her dream occupied a
place at her side, and, wooing, won her for his bride.
"Her supposed abduction caused great excitement among her people, who made
diligent search for her recovery in their own villages. Being unsuccessful, they
made war upon the neighboring tribes in the hope of finding the place of her con-
cealment. Grieved because of so much bloodshed and sorrow, she besought the
great chief of the eternal hunting grounds to make retribution. She was accordingly
NOTES AM) PARALLELS IT'.'
appointed to call a counc'l of her people at the forks of the Wayeh Pigeon river.
She appeared unto the chiefs in a dream, and charged them to meet the spirits of the
hunting ground with fear and reverence,
" \i the hour appointed the head men of the Cherokees assembled. The high
Balsam peaks were shaken by thunder and aglare with lightning. The cloud, as
black as midnight, Bettled over the valley, then lifted, leaving upon a large rock a
cluster of strange men, armed and painted as for war. An enraged brother of the
abducted maiden swung his tomahawk and raised the war whoop, but a swift
thunderbolt dispatched him before the echo had died in the hills. The chiefs,
terror-stricken, fled to their towns.
"The bride, grieved by the death of her brother and the failure of the council,
prepared to abandon her new home and return to her kindred in the valleys. To
reconcile her the promise was granted thai all brave warriors and their faithful
women should have an eternal home in the happy hunting gr id above, after
death. The great chief of the forest bey I the clouds became the guardian spirit oi
the Cherokees. All deaths, either from wounds in battle or disease, were attributed
to his desire to make additions to the celestial hunting ground, or, on the other
hand, to his u rath, which might cause their unfortunate spirits to be turned over to
the disposition of the i'\il genius of the mountain tops." — Heart of the A Mechanics,
pp. 22-24.
K&nv/ga — An ancient Cherokee town on Pigeon river, in the present Haywood
county. North Carolina. It was deserted before the beginning of the historic period,
but may have been located about the junction of the two forks of Pigeon river, a leu
miles east of Waynesville, where there are still a number of mounds and ancienl
cemeteries extending for some miles down the stream. Being a frontier town, it was
probably abandoned early on account of its exposed position. The name, signifying
"scratcher," is applied to a comb, used for scratching the ballplayers, and is con-
nected with kd.nngH/'lBi or nuffA^ld,, a blackberry bush or brier. There are other
mounds on Richland creek, in the neighborhood of Waynesville.
'l'snf l;,il,'/ Tsiim 'inu'ii'i — Abbreviated Tsunegun'yl; the mountain in which the
giant is supposed to have his residence, is Tennessee bald, in North Carolina, where
the Haywood. Jackson, and Transylvania county lines come together, on the ridge
separating the waters of Pigeon river from those flowing into Tennessee .-reek and
Cany fork of the Tuckasegee, southeastward from Waynesville and Webster. The
name seems to mean, "at the white place," from une'ga, "white," and may refer to
a bald spot of perhaps a hundred acres on the top. locally known among the whites
as.Jutaculla old fields, from a tradition, said to be derived from the Indians, that
u w as a clearing made by "Jutaculla" (i. e., Tsul'kahV i for a farm. Some distance
farther west, on the north side of Cany fork and about ten miles above Webster, in
Jackson county, is a rock known as Jutaculla rock, covered with various rude carv-
ings, which, according to the' same tradition, are scratches made by the giant in
jumping from his farm on the mountain to the creek below. Zeigler and Grosscup
refer to the mountain under the name of " Old Field mountain" and mention a tra-
dition among the pioneers that it was regarded by the Indians as tin- special abode
of the Indian Satan!
"On the top of the mountain there is a prairie-like tract, almost level, reached by
steep -lope- covered with thickets of balsam and rhododendron, which seem to garri-
son the reputed sacred domain. It was undersj 1 among the Indians to be for-
bidden territory, but a party one day permitted their curiosity to tempt them. They
forced a way through the entangled thickets, and with merriment entered the open
ground. Aroused from sleep and enraged by their audacious intrusion, the devil,
taking the form of an immense snake, assaulted the party and swallowed fifty of
them before the thicket could lie gained. Among the first whites who settled among
the Indians, and traded with them, was a party of hunters w ho used this superstition
480 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
to escape punishment for their reprehensible conduct. They reported thai thej
were in league with the great spirit of evil, and to prove that they were, frequented
this 'old field.' They described his bed, under a large overhanging rock, as a
model of neatness. They had frequently thrown into it stones and brushwood
during the day, while the master was out, but the place was invariably as clean
the next morning 'as if it had been brushed with a bunch of feathers' " ( Heart of
the Alleghanies, p. 22).
Tin ft a ,t prints run still In- s,,n — Shining ruck or Cold mountain, between the Forks
of Pigeon river, in Haywood county, North Carolina, is known to the Cherokee as
Datsu'natesgufi'yf, "where their tracks are this way," on account of a rock at its
base, toward Sonoma and three miles south of the trail, upon which are impressions
said to be the footprints made by the giant ami his children on their way to
Tsunegufi'yl \\ ithin the mountt'.in \: also the legendan abode c.i invisible spirits.
Havw 1 confounds this with Track Kock gap, near Blairsville, Georgia, where are
other noted petroglyphs (see number 125, Minor Legends of Georgia).
The rapid growth of the two children is paralleled in many other tribal mytholo-
gies. The sequence of growth as indicated by the footprints reminds us of the con-
cluding incident of the Arabian Nights, when Queen Scheherazade stands before the
king to make a last request: "And the king answered her, 'Request, thou shalt
receive, O Scheherazade.' So thereupon she called out to the nurses and the eunuchs
and said to them, ' Bring ye my children.' Accordingly they brought them to her
quickly, and they were three male children; one of them walked, and one crawled,
and one was at the breast."
Must nut raise the war whoop — See note under number 79, "The Removed Town-
houses."
XL'. K an a 'sta, the lost settlement (p. 341): This story, obtained from Swimmer,
bears resemblance to those of Tsul'kalu', Tsuwe'nithl, The Removed Townhouses,
and others, in which individuals, or even whole settlements, elect to go with the
invisible spirit people in order to escape hardships or coming disaster.
Kana'sta— Abbreviated from Kanastufi'yi, a name which can not be translated, is
described as an ancient Cherokee town on the French Broad where the trail from
Tennessee creek of the Tuckasegee comes in,, near the present Brevard, in Transyl-
vania county, North Carolina. No mounds are known there, and we find no notice
of the town in history, but another of the same name existed on Hiwassee and was
destroyed in 177li.
Tsuwa'tel'da — Abbreviated from Tsuwa'telduii'yi, and known to the whites as Pilot
knoli, is a high mountain in Transylvania county, about eight miles north of Bre-
vard. On account of the peculiar stratified appearance of the rocks, the faces of the
cliffs are said frequently to present a peculiar appearance under the sun's rays, as of
shining walls with doors, windows, and shingled roofs.
Datsu/nAldsgufl,yt — Shining rock. See note under number 81, "TsuTkahY."
Fust seven days — This injunction of a seven days' fast upon those who would join
the spirit people appears in several Cherokee myths, the idea being, as we learn
from the priests, to spiritualize the human nature and quicken the spiritual vision
by abstinence from earthly food. The doctrine is exemplified in an incident of the
legend of Tsuwe'nahl, q. v. In a broader application, the same idea is a foundation
principle of every ancient religion. In ordinary Cherokee ceremonial the fast is
kept loi one day— i. e., from midnight to sunset. On occasions of supreme importance
it continues four or even seven days. Among the plains tribes those who volunta-
rily enter the Sun dance to make supplication and sacrifice for their people abstain
entirely from food and drink during the four days and nights of the ceremony.
The riminli rs— See number 3, "Kana'tl and Selu" and notes, and number 8, "The
Moon and the Thunders," with notes.
s:;. TsrwK'NAui, a legend of Pilot knob (p. 343): This story, from Swimmer,
moonsy] NOTES AN' I) PARALLELS 1^1
is of the same order as the legends of Tsul'killu', Kilna'sta, etc. The i pli whom
the hunter met inside the enchanted mountain are evidently the same described in
the last-named story (number 82), with the guests from the losl settlement.
The name Tsuwe'nah) can not !"• translated, but may possibly have a connection
With tnr, 'nnln, " rich."
Kanu'ga "<"/ Tsuwdtel'da — See notes under number si, "TsuTkahV," and num-
ber 82, " Kana'sta."
Parchedcorn — This was the standard provision of the warrior when on the march
among all the tribes east of the Mississippi and probably a ngall the rn-growing
tribes of America. It is the pinole of the Tarumari and other Mexican tribes. The
Cherokee call it gtth&wVsita. Hawkins thus describes it as seen with his Cherokee
guides in 1796; "They are small eaters, use no salt and but little bread. Thej carrj
their parched corn meal, wissactaw, and mix a handful in a pint of water, w hich they
drink. Although they had plenty of corn and fowls, they made no other provision
than a small bag of this for the path. I have plenty of provisions and give them
some at every meal. I have several times drank of the wissactaw, and am fond of it
with the addition of some sugar. To make of the best quality, I am (old the corn
should tirst be boiled, then parched in hot ashes, silted, powdered, and mad.' into
flour."1
Tin seat nil* a turtle — This incident also occurs in number 84, "The Man who Mar-
ied the Thunder's Sister." The species meant is the saligu'gl or common water
turtle.
Like dogs' paws — No reason is given for this peculiarity, which is nowhere else
mentioned as a characteristic of the mountain spirits.
Oldtobacco — Tsal-agSyufi'li, "ancient tobacco," the Nicotiana rustica, sacred among
all the eastern tribes. See number 6, "How they Brought back the Tobacco," and
number 1 :.'(>, "Plant Lore."
Thorns of honey locust — This incident occurs also in number 63, " Uiitsaiyl', The
Gambler."
84. The man who harried the Thunder's sister (p. 345) : This story was heard
first from John Ax, and afterward with additions and variants from Swimmer and
others. It is also briefly noted in Hagar's manuscript "Stellar Legends of tin-
Cherokee."
As explained elsewhere, the Thunder spirits are supposed to have their favorite
residence under cataracts, of which Tallulah falls is probably the greatest in the
Cherokee country. The connection of Thunder and Rain spirits with snakes and
water animals is a matter of universal primitive belief and has already been noted.
One Cherokee informant told Hagar (see above) that " Thunder is a horned snake (?),
and lightning its tongue, and it lives with water and rains." It is hardly necessary
to state that the dance was, and is, among all the tribes, not. only the most frequent,
form of social amusement, but also an important part of every great religious or
other ceremonial function.
SdkuA'yl — Abbreviated S&kwi', an ancient town about on the site of the present
village of Soquee on the creek of the same name near Clarkesville, in Habersham
county, Georgia.
Marry him — Among nearly all the tribes, with the exception of the Pueblo, the
marriage ceremony was simple, consisting chiefly of the giving, by the lover, of cer-
tain presents to the parents of the intended bride, by way of compensating them for
the loss of their daughter, after she herself had tirst signified her consent to the union.
Although this has been represented as a purchase, it was really only a formal ratili-
cation of the contract, which the girl was free to accept or reject as she chose. < >n
the other hand, should the presents be insufficient to satisfy the parents, they were
1 Manuscript Journal. 17'ji;, with Georgia Historical Society, Savannah.
19 ETH— 01 31
482 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
refused or returned and the marriage could not take place, however willing the girl
might be. The young man usually selected a friend to act as go-between with the
girl's family, and in all tribes — as now in the West — the result seems to have been
largely at the disposal of her brother, who continued to exercise some supervision
and claim over her even after her marriage.
Lawson's statement concerning the eastern Carolina tribes in 1700 will hold almost
equally good to-day in any part of the West: "As for the Indian marriages, I have
read and heard of a great deal of form and ceremony used, which I never saw; nor
yet could learn in the time I have been amongst them any otherwise than I shall here
give you an account of, which is as follows:
'• When any young Indian has a mind fur such a girl to his wife, he, or some one
for him, goes to the young woman's parents, if living; if not, to her nearest relations,
where they make offers of the match betwixt the couple. The relations reply, they
will consider of it; which serves for a sufficient answer, till there be a second meeting
about the marriage, which is generally brought into debate before all the relations
that are old people, on both sides, and sometimes the king with all his great men
give their opinions therein. If it be agreed on and the young woman approve
thereof — for these savages never give their children in marriage without their own
consent — the man pays so much for his wife, and the handsomer she is the greater
price she bears" (History of Carolina, pp. 302-303).
According to Adair, who makes it a little more formal among the Gulf tribes,
"When an Indian makes his first address to the young woman he intends to marry,
she is obliged by ancient custom to sit by him till he hath done eating and drinking,
whether she likes or dislikes him; but afterward she is at her own choice whether
to stay or retire" (Hist. Am. Indians, p. 139).
Would surely die — In Cherokee myth and ritual we frequently meet the idea that
one who reveals supernatural secrets will die. Sometimes the idea is reversed, as
when the discovery of the nefarious doings of a wizard or conjurer causes his death.
The latter belief has its parallel in Europe.
Smooth as a piimjikin — This is the rendering of the peculiar tautologic Cherokee
expression, i'ya iya'-tdiui'skage — t&wi'skage i'ya-iyu'stl, literally, "pumpkin, of pump-
kin smoothness — smooth like a pumpkin." The rendering is in line with the repe-
tition in such children's stories as that of "The House that Jack Built," but the
translation fails to convey the amusing sound effect of the original.
A large turtle — This incident occurs also in number 83, "Tsuwe'nahl."
A horse — Although the reference to the horse must be considered a more modern
interpolation it may easily date back two centuries, or possibly even to De Soto's expe-
dition in 1540. Among the plains tribes the horse quickly became so essential a part
of Indian life that it now enters into their whole social ami mythic system.
The bracelets were snakes — The same concept appears also in number 63, "Unt-
saiyl'," when the hero visits his father, the Thunder god.
85. The haunted whirlpool (p. 347): This legend was related by an East Cher-
okee known to the whites as Knotty Tom. For a description of the whirlpool rapids
known as The Suck, see notes under number 63, " Ufitsaiyi', the Gambler."
86. Yahula (p. 347): This fine myth was obtained in the Territory from Watford,
who had it from his uncle, William Scott, a halfbreed who settled upon Yahoola
creek shortly after the close of the Revolution. Scott claimed to have heard the
bells and the songs, and of the story itself Watford said, "I've heard ;t so often and so
much that I'm inclined t. > believe it." It has its explanation in the beliefs connected
with the NunnS'hl (see number 78 and notes), in whom Watford had firm faith.
Yahula — This is a rather frequent Cherokee personal name, but seems to be of
Creek origin, having reference to the song used in the "black drink" or "busk"
ceremony of that tribe, and the songs which the lost trader used to sing may have
been those of that ceremony. See the glossary.
moo.ney] NOTES AND PARALLELS 483
Tinkling of the bells — Among the southern tribes in the old days the approach of a
trader's cavalcade along tin' trail was always heralded by the jingling of bells hung
about tin- necks of the horses, somewhat in the manner of our own winter sleighing
parties. Among the plains tribes the children's ponies are always equipped with
collars of sleigh hells.
In his description of a trader's pack-train before the Revolution, Bartram says
(Travels, p. 139) : " Every horse has a bell on, which being stopped, when we start in
the morning, with a twist of grass or leaves, soon shakes out, and they are never
stopped again during the day. The constant ringing and clattering of the bells,
smacking of the whips, whooping and too frequent cursing these miserable quadru-
peds, cause an incessant uproar and confusion inexpressibly disagreeable."
ST. The water cannibals (p. 349): This story was obtained from Swimmer and
contains several points of resemblance to other Cherokee myths. The idea of the
spirit changeling is common to European fairy lore.
Tikw&li'ts't — This town, called by the whites Tuckalechee, was on Tuckasegee river,
at the present Bryson City, in Swain county, North Carolina, where traces of the
mound can still be seen on the south side of the river.
Afraid of the witches See number 120, "The Raven Mocker," and notes.
88. First contact with whites (p 350): The story of the jug of whisky left near
a spring was heard first from Swimmer; the ulufisu'tl story from Wafford; the loco-
motive story from David Blythe. Each was afterward confirmed from other sources.
The story of the book and the how, quoted from the Cherokee Advocate of
October 26, 1844, was not heard on the reservation, but is mentioned by other authori-
ties. According to an old Cherokee quoted by Buttrick, "God gave the red man a book
and a paper and told him to write, but lie merely made marks on the paper, and as he
could not read or write, the Lord gave him a how and arrows, and gave the book
to the white man." Boudinot, in "A Star in the West,"1 quoted by the same
author, says: "They have it banded down from their ancestors, that the book which
the white i pie have was once theirs; that while they had it they prospered exceed-
ingly; but that the white people bought it of them ami learned many things from it,
while the Indians lost credit, offended the Great Spirit, and suffered exceedingly
from the neighboring nations; that the Great Spirit took pity on them and directed
them to this country," etc. It is simply another version of the common tale of deca-
dent nations, "We were once as great as you."
89. The Ikoquoiswaks (p. 351): Thi Iroquois league — The Iroquois league consisted
originally of a confederacy of five kindred tribes, the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga,
Cayuga, and Seneca, in what is now the state of New York; to these were added the
cognate Tuscarora after their expulsion from Carolina about 1715. The name Iro-
quois, by which they were known to the French, is supposed to be a derivative
from some Indian term. To the English they were known as the Five, afterward the
Six Nations. They called themselves by a name commonly spelt Hodenosaunee, and
interpreted "People of the Long House." Of this symbolic long house the Mohawk
guarded the eastern door, while the Seneca protected the western. Their remarkable
governmental and clan system is still well preserved, each tribe, except the Mohan k
and i Ineida, having eight elans, arranged in two groups or phratries. The Mohan k
and Oneida are said to have now but three clans apiece, probably because of their
losses by withdrawals to the French missions. The Seneca clans, which are nearly
the same for the other tribes, are the Wolf, Bear, Turtle, Beaver, Deer, Snipe,
Heron, and Hawk. The confederacy is supposed to have been formed about the
middle of the sixteenth century, and by 16S0 the Iroquois had conquered and
dest roved or incorporated all the surrounding tribes, and had asserted a paramount
' I>r El in? Boudinot, A Star in the West, or a Humble Attempt to Discover the Long Lost Tun Tribes
of Israel, Preparatory to Their Return to Their Beloved City. Jerusalem; Trenton, N. J., 1816.
484 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
claim over the whole territory from the Cherokee border to Hudson bay and from
southern New England to the Mississippi. According to a careful estimate in 1677
the Five Nations then numbered 2,150 warriors, or about 10,750 persons. The Tus-
carora in Carolina were estimated a few years later at 1,200 warriors, or 5,000 persons,
but this is probably an exaggeration. The league afterward lost heavily by wars
with the French, and still more by withdrawals of Christianized Indians to the
French Catholic mission colonies at Caughnawaga, Saint Regis, and elsewhere, the
Mohawk being the chief sufferers. The Revolution brought about another separa-
tion, when about two-fifths of those remaining, including nearly all of the Mohawk
and Cayuga, removed in a body to Canada. A mixed band of Seneca and Cayuga,
known as the "Seneca of Sandusky," had previously settled in Ohio, whence they
removed in 1831 to Indian Territory. Between 1820 and 1826 the greater portion
of the Oneida removed from New York to lands in Wisconsin purchased from the
Menomini. In spite, however, of wars and removals the Iroquois have held their
own with a tenacity and a virility which mark their whole history, and both in this
country and in Canada they are fairly prosperous and are increasing in population,
being apparently more numerous to-day than at any former period. Those in New
York and Pennsylvania, except the Saint Regis, and on the Grand River reservation
in Canada, constituting together about one-half of the whole number, still keep up
the forms and ceremonies of the ancient league.
According to a special bulletin of the census of 1890 the total number of Indians
then belonging to the tribes originally constituting the Six Nations was 15,833, of
whom 8,483 were living in Canada and 7,350 in the United States, excluding from the
latter count 37 resident members of other tribes. Those in the United States were
on six reservations in the State of New York, one in Pennsylvania, one in Wisconsin,
and one in the Indian Territory, and were classed as follows:
Mohawk (including Indians of Saint Regis and Caughnawaga): in New York. 1,162
Oneida: in New York, 212; at Green Bay agency, Wisconsin, 1,716 1, 928
Onondaga: in New York, 470; on Cornplanter reservation, Pennsylvania, 11 . 481
Cayuga: in New York 183
Seneca: in New York, 2,680; on Cornplanter reservation, Pennsylvania, 87... 2, 767
Tuscarora: in New York 408
Iroquois mixed -bloods, separately enumerated, on reservations in New York . . 87
Iroquois outside reservations in New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts . . 79
Mixed Seneca and Cayuga at Quapaw agency, Indian Territory 255
7,350
Those in Canada were at the same time officially reported thus:
Mohawk: at Caughnawaga, 1,722; at Saint Regis, 1,190; on Grand River reser-
vation, 1,344; at Bay of Quinte, 1,056 5,312
Oneida: on Thames river, 715; on Grand River reservation, 244 959
Onondaga: on Grand River reservation 325
Cayuga: on Grand River reservation 865
Seneca: on Grand River reservation 183
Tuscarora: on Grand River reservation 327
Iroquois of Lake of Two Mountains 375
Iroquois of Gibson 137
8,483
A few Algonkin are included among the Iroquois of Caughnawaga and Saint Regis,
the Iroquois of these two settlements having been originally Catholic emigrants from
the Mohawk villages in New York, with a few Oneida and Onondaga. When the
boundary line between New York and Canada was run it cut the Saint Regis reser-
vation in two. The report of the Commissioner of Indian Affairs for 1900 shows
> sey] NOTES AMt PARALLELS |s.r>
7. Ton Iroquois living on the reservations in New York, Wisconsin, and Indian
Territory, an increase \\ ithin these limits of 527 in nine years. Assuming the same
rate of increase in Pennsylvania and on the Canada si. K>, the whole number of
Iroquois to-day would be approximately 17,000. For detailed information see
Colden, History of the Five Nations; Schoolcraft, Notes on the Iroquois; Morgan,
League of the Hodenosaunee or Iroquois; Parkman's works; reports of the commis-
sioners of Indian affairs for both the United States and (ana. la. and the excellent
report on "The six Nations of New York," by Donaldson and Carrington, con-
tained in an extra bulletin of the Eleventh Census of the United States.
§ catox , South Carolina The statement given by Schoolcraft (Notes on Iroquois,
161 i, "ii the authority of Calhoun, that the Seneca once live.] at Seneca town, in
South Carolina, has probably no foundation in fact, the story having evidently arisen
from a supposed similarity of name. The Cherokee call it fsu'nigti', and do not con-
nect it in any way with A-Se'nika or Ani'-Se'nilcQ., their name for the northern tribe.
/ I war — ; The Iroquois story of the war between themselves and the Chero-
kee is from Schoolcraft, Notes on Iroquois, panes l'.VJ ami 2.V>.
/ days' journey — This statement is on Morgan's authority, but the distance was
certainly greater, unless we are to understand only the distance that separated their
extreme accustomed hunting ranges, not that between the permanent, settlements of
the two peoples.
7"//. T, nnessee river boundary — The statement from Morgan (League of the Iroquois,
p. 337) in regard to the truce line established at Tennessee river seems to find con-
firmation in incidental references in early documents. Boundaries beyond which
war parties might not go, or neutral grounds where hereditary enemies met in peace,
were a regular institution in ancient Indian society, the most notable instance being
perhaps the famous pipestone quarry in Minnesota. Notwithstanding the claim of
the Iroquois, backed by Sir William Johnson, to all the country north of the Ten-
nesse • river, it is very plain from history and the treaties that the Cherokee asserted
a more or less valid claim as far north as the Ohio. Their actual settlements, how-
ever, were all south of the main Tennessee.
The Buffalo dance— The origin ascribed to the Buffalo dance of the Iroquois (Mor-
gan, League of the Iroquois, p. 287) is in agreement with the common Indian idea,
according to which dances named from animals are performed in imitation of the
peculiar actions and cries of these animals, or in obedience to supposed commands
from the ruling spirit animals.
The peace embassy — The story of the proposed intertribal alliance, with the state-
ments as to Cherokee captives among the Seneca, are from Schoolcraft (Notes on
Iroquois, pp. 15S, 2o2, 257i. The records of the conference at Johnson Hall in 17tis
are published in the New York Colonial Documents. The account of the Iroquois
peace embassy to Echota was given to Wafford by two eyew-itnesses, one of whom
was his mother's cousin. Sequoya. As the old man said, "Sequoya told me all about
it."' As stated in the narrative, Wafford himself had also seen the belts broughtout
and explained in a great intertribal council at Tahlequah. By common tribal cus-
tom ambassadors of peace were secure from molestation, whatever might be the result
of the negotiations, although, as among more civilized nations, this rule was some-
times violated. According to tradition, the ancient peace pipe of the Cherokee, and
probably of other eastern tribes, was of white stone, white being the universal peace
color. The red stone pipe of the Sioux was also used in peace ceremonials, from the
peculiar sacredness attached to it among the western tribes.
The accuracy of Wafford's statement from memory in 1891 is strikingly confirmed
by a contemporary account of the great intertribal council at Tahlequah in 1843, bj
the artist, Stanley, who was present and painted a number of portraits on that
occasion. The council was convened by John Boss in June and remained in session
tour weeks, some ten thousand Indians being iii attendance, representing seventeen
486 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
tribes. "During the whole session the utmost % 1 feeling and harmony prevailed.
The business was brought to a close at sundown, after which the various tribes
joined in dancing, which was usually kept up to a late hour." The wampum belt
was explained, according to Stanley's account, by Major (-ieorge Lowrey (Agitt,
"Rising"), second chief of the Nation, who thus recited the tradition of its coming
from the Seneca [i. e. Iroquois]. The talk abounds in Indian reference and sym-
bolism:
"You will now hear a talk from our forefathers. You must not think hard if we
make a few mistakes in describing our wampum. If we do, we will try and rectify
them.
"My Brothers, you will now hear what our forefathers said to us.
" In the first place, the Senecas, a great many years ago, devised a plan for us to
become friends. When the plan was first laid, the Seneca rose up and said, I fear
the Cherokee, because the tomahawk is stuck in several parts of his head. The
Seneca afterwards remarked, that he saw the tomahawk still sticking in all parts of
the Cherokee's head, and heard him whooping and hallooing say [sir] that he was
too strong to die. The Seneca further said, Our warriors in old times used to go to
war; when they did go, they always went to tight the Cherokees; sometimes one or
two would return home — sometimes none. He further said, The Great Spirit must
love the Cherokees, and we must be in the wrong, going to war with them. The
Seneca then said, Suppose we make friends with the Cherokee, and wash his wounds
and cause them to heal up, that he may grow larger than he was before. The
Seneca, after thus speaking, sat down. The Wyandot then rose and said, You have
done right, and let it be. I am your youngest brother, and you our oldest. This
word was told to the Shawnees; They replied, We are glad, let it be; you are our
elder brothers. The Senecas then said, they would go about and pray to the Great
Spirit for four years to assist them in making peace, and that they would set aside a
vessel of water and cover it, and at the end ot every year they would take the cover
off, and examine the water, which they did; every time they opened it they found
it was changed; at the end of four years they uncovered the vessel and found that
the water had changed to a colour that suited them. The Seneca then said, The
Great Spirit has had mercy upon us, and the thing has taken place just as we
wished it.
"The Shawnee then said, We will make straight paths; but let us make peace
among our neighbouring tribes first, before we make this path to those afar off.
"The Seneca then said, Before we make peace, we must give our neighboring tribes
some fire; for it will not do to make peace without it, — they might be traveling about,
and run against each other, and probably cause them to hurt each other. These
three tribes said, before making peace, that this fire which was to be given to them
should be kindled in order that a big light may be raised, so they may see each other
at a long distance; this is to last so long as the earth stands; They said further, that
this law of peace shall last from generation to generation — so long as there shall be a
red man living on this earth: They also said, that the fire shall continue among us
and shall never be extinguished as long as one remains. The Seneca further said to
the Shawnees, I have put a belt around you, and have tied up the talk in a bundle,
and placed it on your backs; we will now make a path on which we will pass to the
Sioux. The Seneca said further, You shall continue your path until it shall reach
the lodge of the Osage. When the talk was brought to the Sioux, they replied,
we feel thankful to you and will take your talk; we can see a light through the path
you have made for us.
" When the Shawnees brought the talk to the Osages, they replied, By to-morrow,
by the middle of the day, we shall have finished our business. The Osage said
further, The (treat Spirit has been kind to me. lie has brought something to me, I
being fatigued hunting for it. When the Shawnees returned to the lodge of the ( >sages,
NOTES \N'I> PARALLELS 187
thej \yere informed that thej were to be killed, and they ii Kliately made their
escape.
•■When tin' Shawnees returned to their homes whence they ca they said they
had been near being killed.
" The Seneca then said to the Shawnees, that the Osages must be mistaken. The
Shawnees went again to see the Osages the) told them their business. The Osages
remarked, The Great spirit Ikis been good to us, to-morrow bj the middle of the
day he will give us something without fatigue. When the Shawnees arrived at the
lodge, an old man of the Osages told them that thej had better make their escape;
that if they did not, by the middle of the following day, they were all to be destroyed,
and directed them to the nearest point of the woods. The Shawnees made their
escape about midday. They discovered the Osages following them, and threw away
their packs, reserving the bag their talk was in, and arrived at their camp safe.
When the Shawnees arrived home, they said they had conic near being killed, and
the Osages refused to receive their talk. The Sei a then said. If the Osages will
not take our talk, let them remain as they arc; and when the rising generation shall
become as one, the Osages shall be like some herb standing alone. The Seneca
further said, The Osages shall he like a lone cherry-tree, standing in the prairies,
where the birds of all kinds shall light upon it at pleasure. The reason this talk was
made about the Osages was, that they prided themselves upon their warriors and
manhood, and .lid not wish to make peace.
"The Seneca further said. \\ c have succ led in making peace with all the
Northern and neighbouring tribes. The Seneca then said to the Shawnees. You
must now turn your course to the- South: you must take your path to tin- Cherokees,
and even make it into their houses. When the Shawnees started at night they took
up their camp and sat up all night, praying to the Great Spirit to enable them to
arrive in peace and safety among the Cherokees. The Shawnees still kept their
course, until they reached a place called Tahde-<|uah, where they arrived in safety,
as they wished, and there met the chiefs ami warriors of the Cherokees. When
they arrived near Tah-le-quah, they went to a house and sent two men to the head
chiefs. The chief's daughter was the only person in the house. As soon as she
saw them, she went out and met them, and shook them by the hand and asked
them into the house to sit down. The men were all in the field at work — the girl's
father was with them. She ran and told him that there were two men in the house,
and that they were enemies. The chief immediately ran to the house and shook
them by the hand, and stood at the door. The Cherokees all assembled around the
house, and said, Let us kill them, for they are enemies. Some of the men said, No,
the chief's daughter has taken them by the hand; so also has our chief. The men
then became better satisfied. The chief asked the two men if they were alone
They answered, No; that there were some more with them. He told them to go
after them and bringthemto his house. When these two men returned with the
rest of their people, the chief asked them what their business was. They then
opened this valuable bundle, and told him that it contained a talk forpeace. The
chief told them. I cannot do business alone; all the chiefs are assembled at a place
called Cho-qua-ta [for E-cho-ta], where J will attend to your business in general
council. When the messengers of peace arrived at Cho-qua-ta, they were kindly
received by the chiefs, who told thorn they would gladly receive their talk of peace.
The messengers Of peace then said to the Cherokees, We will make a path for you
to travel in, and the rising generation may do tie' same, — we also will keep it swept
I lean and white, so that the ri>iii'_r generation may travel in peace. The Shawnee
further said, We will keep the doors of our houses open, so that when the rising
generation come among us they shall be wel ne. He further said. This talk is
intended for all the different tribes of our led brothers, and i^ to last to the end
of time. He further said, I have made a lire out of the dry elm — this tire is for all
488 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
the different tribes to see by. I have put one chunk toward the rising sun, one
toward the north, and one toward the south. This fire is not to he extinguished .so
long as time lasts. I shall stick up a stick close by this fire, in order that it may
frequently lie stirred, and raise a light for the rising generation to see by; if any one
should turn in the dark, you must catch him by the hand, and lead him to the
light, so that he can see that he was wrong.
"I have made you a fire-light, I have stripped some white hickory bark and set it
up against the tree, in order that when you wish to remove this fire, you can take
it and put it on the bark; when you kindle this fire it will be seen rising up toward
the heavens. I will see it and know it; lam your oldest brother. The messenger
of peace further said, I have prepared white benches for you, and leaned the white
pipe against them, and when you eat you shall have but one dish and one spoon.
We have done everything that was good, but our warriors still hold their tomahawks
in their hands, as if they wished to fight each other. We will now take their toma-
hawks from them and bury them; we must bury them deep under the earth where
there is water; and there must be winds, which we wish to blow them so far that
our warriors may never see them again.
"The messenger further said, Where there is blood spilt I will wipe it up clean —
wherever bones have been scattered, I have taken them and buried them, and cov-
ered them with white hickory bark and a white cloth — there must be no more blood
spilt; our warriors must not recollect it any more. Our warriors said that the Chero-
kees were working for the rising generation by themselves; we must take hold and
help them.
"The messengers then said that you Cherokees are placed now under the centre
of the sun; this talk 1 leave with you for the different tribes, and when you talk it,
our voice shall be loud enough to be heard over this island. This is all 1 have
to say." 1
Wampum — The celebrated wampum was a species of bead cut from the shell of the
clam, conch, or other shell-bearing mollusk of the coast or the larger streams. The
commi >n name is derived from an Algonquian word signifying white, and was properly
applied only to one variety, the generic term varying with the tribe. The beads were
rather cylindrical than globular, and were of two colors, white and purple or dark.
They were rated at definite values. The wampum was manufactured by the coast
tribes', being traded by them to those of the interior, and was largely used every-
where east of the Mississippi for necklaces, collars, belts, and other purposes of per-
sonal adornment, as well as in connection with the noted wampum belts, by means
of which the memory of treaties and tribal traditions was handed down. These
belts were woven with various designs in wampum, either pictographic or symbolic,
tin- meaning of which was preserved and explained on public occasions by an officer
appointed to that duty. In ancient times no treaty or covenant was considered bind-
ing, and no tribal embassy was recognized as official, without the delivery of a wam-
pum belt as a guaranty and memorial. The colonial documents are full of references
to this custom. Up to the end of the last century the Cherokee still tendered such
belts in their treaties with the Government, and one was delivered in the same man-
ner so late as the treaty of Prairie des Chiens in 1S25. The Iroquois still preserve
several ancient belts, of which a good idea is afforded by the illustration and accom-
panying description (figure 2, page 354). On account of the high estimation in
which these shell beads were held they were frequently used in the East as a
standard of exchange, as eagle feathers were in the West, and among the Cherokee
the same word, atela, is used alike for bead and for money. On the Pacific coast,
'J. M. Stanley, Portraits of North American Indians, with sketches of scenery, etc., painted by
J. M. Stanley, deposited with the Smithsonian Institution. Washington: Smithsonian Institution,
December, 1S52; pp. 18-22. The Stanley account was not seen by the present author until after the
Watford tradition was in proofs.
NOTES AND PARALLELS 189
shells were more generally shaped into pendants and gorgets. Fora good eye-witness
account of the manufacture and use of wampum and gorgets of shell among the South
Atlantic tribes.see Lawson, History of Carolina, 315 316
90. Hiadeoni, the Seneca (p. 356) : Of this story Schoolcraft says: "Thefollowing
incident in the verbal annals of Iroquois hardil I and heroism was related to me
by the intelligent Seneca, Tetoyoah, William Jones of Cattaraugus, along with other
reminiscences of the ancient Cherokee wars." Hewitt thinks the proper Seneca;
form of the nan i.' maj be Hflia'di'ofinl', signifying " His body lies supine."
i 31 ipe of the Seneca boys (p. 359) : The manuscript notes from which this
and several following traditions are arranged are in the archives of the Bureau of
American Ethnology, and were obtained in 1886-87 among the Seneca Indians of
New York by Mr Jeremiah Cm-tin, since noted as the author of several standard
collections of in. Han and European myths and the translator of the works of the
Polish novelist, Sienkiewicz.
' —This is a long drawn halloo wit hunt significance except as a signal to arrest
attention. It strikingly resembles the Australian "bush cry" Coowe< '.' used for the
same purpose.
93. The Unseen Helpers (p. 859): The meaning of the Seneca name can not he
given.
Animal Protectors — The leading incident of this tale is closely paralleled hy a Kiowa
story, told by the old men as an actual occurrence of some fifty years ago, concerning
a warrior who, having been desperately wounded in an engagement with Mexican
troops in southern Texas, was abandoned to die hy his retreating comrades. At
night, while lying upon the ground awaiting death, and unable to move, he heard a
long howl in the distance, which was repeated nearer and nearer, until at last lie heard
tin- patter of feet in the sand, ami a wolf came up and licked the festering wounds of
the warrior with such soothing effect that he fell asleep. This was repeated several
times until the man was able to sit up, when the wolf left him, after telling him — not
in the vision of a dream, but as a companion face to face — that he must keep up his
courage, and that he would get back in safety to his tribe. Soon afterward the
wounded warrior was found bya party of Comanche, who restored him to his ] pie
At the next Sun dance he made public thanksgiving for his rescue (see the author's
Calendar History of the Kiowa Indians, in Seventeenth Annual Report Bureau of Amer-
ican Ethnology, part 1, 1901). The story is not impossible. A wolf may easily have
licked the wounded man's sores, as a dog might do, and through the relief thus
afforded, if not by sympathy of companionship, have enabled him to hold out until
rescued by friends. The rest is easy to the imagination of an Indian, who believes
that there is no essential difference between himself and other animals.
Th, War Woman — The women described as having power to decide tin- fate ,,i cap-
tives, mentioned also in the next story (number 94), are evidently the female digni-
taries among the ancient Cherokee known to early writers as "War Women'' or
"Pretty Women." Owing to the decay of Cherokee tradition and custom it is now
impossible to gather anything positive on the subject from Indian informants, but from
documentary references it is apparent that there existed among the Cherokee a custom
analogous to that found among the Iroquois and probably other Eastern tribes, by
which the decision of important questions relating to peace and war was left to a vote
Of the women. Among the Iroquois this privilege • ercised hy a council of
matrons, the mothers of the tribes. It may have been the same among the I hero-
kee. with the "Pretty Woman " to voice the decision of the council, or the final ren-
dering may have been according to the will of the "Pretty Woman" herself. The
institution served in a measure to mitigate the evils of war and had its origin in the
elan system. Under this system a captive enemy was Still an enemy until he had
been adopted into the tribe, which could only be done through adoption into a clan
and family. As clan descent was reckoned through the women it rested with them
4.90 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
to decide the question of adoption. If they were favorable all was well, ami the cap-
tive became at once a member of a family and clan and of the tribe at large. < >ther-
wise, as a public enemy, only death remained to him, unless he was ransomed by
friends. The proper Cherokee title of this female arbiter of life and death isunknown.
The clan of the Ani'-Gil&'hl, or "Long-hairs," is sometimes spoken of as the. Pretty-
woman clan, and the office may have been hereditary in that clan. The Seneca
stories imply that there were two of these female officers, but from Haywoi id's ace. .mil
there would seem to have been hut one. An upper tributary of Savannah rw !n
Georgia bears the name War-woman creek.
Timberlake says in 1765 (Memoirs, p. 70): " These chiefs or headmen likewise com-
pose the assemblies of the nation, into which the war women are admitted, .
many of the Indian women being as famous in war as powerful in the council."
At the Hopewell treaty conference in 1785 the principal chief of Echota, after an
opening speech, said: "I have no more to say, but one of our beloved women has,
who has borne and raised up warriors." After delivering a string of wampum to
emphasize the importance of the occasion, "the war woman of Chota then addressed
the commissioners." Having expressed her pleasure at the peace, she continued:
"I have a pipe and a little tobacco to give to the commissioners to smoke in friend-
ship. I look on you and the red people as my children. Your having determined
on peace is most pleasing to me, for I have seen much trouble during the late war.
I am old, but I hope yet to bear children, who will grow up and people our nation,
as we are now to be under the protection of Congress and shall have no more dis-
turbance. The talk I have given is from the young warriors I have raised in my
town, as well as myself. They rejoice that we have peace, and we hope the chain
of friendship will never more be broken." Two strings of wampum, a pipe, and
some tobacco accompanied her words (American State Papers; Indian Affairs, i,
p. 41, 1832).
Haywood says in 1823: "The Cherokees had the law or custom of assigning to a
certain woman the office of declaring what punishment should be inflicted on great
offenders; whether, for instance, burning or other death, or whether they should be
pardoned. This woman they called the pretty woman. Mrs Ward exercised this
office when Mrs Bean, about the year 1776, was taken from the white settlements
mi the upper parts of Holston. Being bound and about to be burned on one of the
mounds, the pretty woman interfered and pronounced her pardon" (Nat. and
Aborig. Hist. Tenn., p. 278). See also historical note 20, "Peace Towns and Towns
of Refuge."
Ililirmi In;, lines nf jieuple — This custom, known to colonial writers as "running
the gauntlet," was very common among the eastern tribes, and was intended not so
much to punish the captive as to test his courage and endurance, with a view to
adoption if he proved worthy. It was practiced only upon warriors, never upon
women or children, and although the blows were severe they were not intended to
be fatal. The prisoner was usually unbound and made to run along a cleared space
in the center of the village toward a certain goal, and was safe for the time being if
he succeeded in reaching it.
94. H.vr< inoniion's escape from the Chekokee (p. 362) : The Seneca name is not
translatable.
Canebrake — The tall cane reed (Arundinaria), called i'hya by the Cherokee, is
common along the southern streams, as such names as Cany fork, Cut-cane creek,
and Young-cane creek testify. It was greatly valued among the Indians for fishing
rods, blowguns, and baskets, as well as for fodder for stock. The best canebrakes
were famous far and wide, and were resorted to from long distances in the gathering
season. Most of the cane now used by the East Cherokee for blowguns and baskets
is procured by long journeys on foot to the streams of upper iSouth Carolina, or to
points on the French Broad above Knoxville, Tennessee
i key] NOTES AM> PARALLELS 191
v vault See notes to number I, "How the World was Made."
The Seneca name for the Thunder god ia in the singular form. In
the Cherokee language Thunder and the Thunder spirits are always spoken of in the
plural. The messengers in the story ma) have been Thunder spirits.
Si e uotes I imber 76, "The Bear .Man."
Womai ■biters Seethe preceding story, number 93, and the note on the "Tin-
War Woman."
My grandson — Ann>n'_' all the eastern and plain- tribes this is a term of affectionate
address to a dependent or inferior, as "grandfather" is a respectful address to one
occupyinga superior station, or venerable by reason of age or dignity, both words
being thus used without any reference t" kinship. In tribal councils nearly all
tin- eastern tribes except the [roquois addressed the Delaware representatives as
"grandfather," ami in an Arapaho song of the Ghost dance the Whirlwind is thus
addressed.
95. Hemp-carrier (p. 364): This story of the ..1.1 wars was obtained from Colonel
William H. Thomas, who says that T&le'danigi'skl was a chief formerly living near
Valleytown, in Cherokee county. The name is variously rendered "Hemp-carrier,"
"Nettle-carrier," or "Flax-toter," fr Idle'ta, the riehweed I Pilea pwnila), a plant
with a fibrous stalk from which the Indians wove thread and cordage. The trail
along which the Seneca came ran from Valley river across tin- ridge to Cheowa
(Robbinsville) ami thenee aorthwest to connect with the "great war path" in
Tennessee see historical note 19).
Stone cairns were formerly very common along the trails throughout the
Cherokee country, hut are now almost gone, having been demolished by treasure
hunters alter the occupation of the country by the whites. They were- usually
sepulchral monuments built of large stones piled loosely together above the body to
a height of sometimes 6 feet or more, with a corresponding circumference. This
method of interment was used only when there was a desire to commemorate the
death, and every passer-by was accustomed to add a stone to the heap. The cus-
tom is ancient and world-wide, and is still kept up in Mexico ami in many parts of
Europe and Asia. Early references to it among the southern tribes occur in Lederer
I 1670), Travels, page 10, ed. 1891, and Lawson I L700), History of Carolina, pages
4:! and 78, ed. 1860. The latter mentions meeting one day "seven heaps of stones,
being the monuments of seven Indians that were slain in that place by theSinnagers
or Troquois [Iroquois]. < 'ur Indian guide added a stone to each heap." Tl m-
moii name is the Gaelic term, meaning literally "a pile."
wives — Polygamy was common among the Cherokee, as among nearly all
other tribes, although not often to such an exaggerated extent as in this instance.
The noted chief YanugunskI, who died in 1839, had two wives. With the plains
tribes, and perhaps with others, the man who marries the eldest of several daughters
has prior claim upon her unmarried sisters.
96. The Seneca peacemakers (p.365): This story was told to Schoolcraft by the
Seneca i v than fifty years ago. A somewhat similar story is related by Adair
i Hist. American Indian-, p. 392) of a young "Anantooeah" (i. e., Ni'iudawegl or
Si ueca ' warrior taken by the Shawano.
Death song — It seems to have been a chivalrous custom among the eastern tribes to
give to the condemned prisoner who requested it a chance to recite his warlike deeds
and to sing his death song before proceeding to the final torture. lie was allowed
the widest latitude of boasting, even at the expense of his captors and their tribe.
The death song was a chant belonging to the warrior himself or to the wai society
of which he wa.- a member, the burden being farewell to life and defiance to death.
When the L'reat Kiowa war chief, Set-angya, burst his shackles at Fort sill and
sprang upon the soldiers surrounding him. with the deliberate purpose to sell his
life rather than to remain a pris ■> . he iii>i sang the war song --i his order, the
492 MYTHS OF THE CHEKOKEE [eth.amn.19
KaitsnVko, of which the refrain is: "O earth, you remain forever, but we Kaitsefi'ko
must die" (see the author's Calendar History of the Kiowa Indians, in Seventeenth
Annual Report of the Bureau American Ethnology, part 1, 1901).
97. Origin of the YontoSwisas dance (p. 365): This is evidently the one called
by Morgan I League <>f Iroquois, p. 290) the Cntowesus. He describes both this and
the Oaskanea as a "shuffle dance" fur women only. The spelling of the Seneca
names in the story is that given in the manuscript.
Not l" <j" after — Morgan, in his work quoted above, asserts that the Iroquois never
made any effort to recover those of their people who have been captured by the
enemy, choosing to consider them thenceforth as lost to their tribe and kindred.
This, if true, is doubly remarkable, in view of the wholesele adoption of prisoners
and subjugated tribes by the Iroquois.
Blazing pine knots — Torches of seasoned pine knots are much in use among the
Cherokee for lighting up the way on journeys along the difficult mountain trails
by night. ( »wing to the accumulation of resin in the knots they burn with a bright
and enduring flame, far surpassing the cloudy glow of a lantern.
Wild potatoes — As is well known, the potato is indigenous to America, and our first
knowledge of it came to us from the Indians. Many other native tubers were in
use among the tribes, even those which practiced no agriculture, but depended almost
entirely upon the chase. Favorites among the Cherokee are the Cynara scolymus or
wild artichoke, and the Pltaxruhm or pig potato, the name of the latter, nuna, being
now used to designate the cultivated potato.
Sky people — These spirit messengers are mentioned also in the story of Hatcinondon
(number 94), another Seneca tradition. Every tribe has its own spirit creation.
Must do all this — Every sacred dance and religious rite, as well as almost every
important detail of Indian ceremonial, is supposed to be in accordance with direct
instruction from the spirit world as communicated in a vision.
98. Ga'na's adventures among the Cherokee (p. 367): This story, from Curtin's
Seneca manuscript, is particularly rich in Indian allusion. The purificatory rite,
the eagle capture, the peace ceremonial, the ballplay, the foot race, and the bat-
tle are all described in a way that gives us a vivid picture of the old tribal life.
The name of the Seneca hero, Ga'na', signifies, according to Hewitt, "Arrow" (cf.
Cherokee gun% "'arrow" |, while thename of the great eagle, Shada'gea, may, accord-
ing to the same authority, lie rendered " Cloud-dweller." The Seoqgwageono, living
east of the Chen ikee and near the ocean, can not be identified. They could m it have
been the Catawba, who were known to the Iroquois as Toderigh-rono, but they may
possibly have been the Congaree, Santee, or Sewee, farther down in South Carolina.
In the Seneca form, as here given, ge (ge') is a locative, and ono (ounon) a tribal suffix
qualifying the root < if the word, the whole name signifying ' ' people of, or at, Seoqgwa"
(cf. Oyadageono, etc., i. e., Cherokee, p. 186).
Go to water — This rite, as practiced among the Cherokee, has been already noted
in the chapter on stories and story tellers. Ceremonial purification by water or
the sweat bath, accompanied by prayer and fasting, is almost universal among the
tribes as a preliminary to every important undertaking. With the Cherokee it pre-
cedes the ballplay and the Green-corn dance, and is a part of the ritual for obtaining
long life, for winning the affections of a woman, for recovering from a wasting sick-
ness, and for calling down prosperity upon the family at each return of the new
moon.
Get the riujli- fmlhi rs — The Cherokee ritual for procuring eagle feathers for ceremo-
nial and decorative purposes has been described in number 35, "The Bird Tribes."
The Seneca method, as here described, is practically that in use among all the Indians i if
the plains, although the hunter is not usually satisfied with a single feather at a capture.
Among certain western tribes the eagle was sometimes strangled before being stripped
mooneyJ NOTES \\l> PARALLEL8 4'.*.'}
of it- feathers, bu1 it was essential thai the body must not be mangled or any bl 1 be
drawn. The Pueblos were sometimes accustomed to take the young eagles fr the
nest and keep them in cages for their feathers. A full tail contains twelve large
feathers of the kind used for war bonnets and on the wands of the Eagle dance
Stockctdt Stockaded villages were comi i to the troquois and most of the tribes
along the Atlantic ast. They are mentioned also i ng the ( Iherokee in some oi
the exaggerated narratives of the earl) Spanish period, but were entirely unknown
within tin' later colonial period, and it is very doubtful if the nature of the country
would permit such compact mode of settlement.
Dancers went forward— The method of ceremonial approach here described was
bly more or less general among the eastern tribes. <>n the plains the visitors
usually dismount in sight of the other camp and advance on foot in slow procession,
chantingthe "visiting song," while the leader holds out the red stone pipe, which
isthesymbol of truce or friendship. Foragood description of such a ceremonial,
reproduced from Battey, see the author's Calendar History of the Kiowa Indians,
in the Seventeenth Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology. In this
instance the visiting Pawm arried a flag in lieu of a pipe.
The Cherokee ceremonial is thus described by Timberlake as witnessed at Citicc
inl762: ' About 100 yards from the town-house we were received bya body of between
three and four hundred Indians, ten or twelve of which were entirely naked, except
a piece of cloth about their middle, ami painted all over in a hideous manner, six of
them with eagles' tails in their hands, which they shook ami flourished as they
advanced, danced in a very uncommon figure, singing in concert with some drums
of their own make, and those of the late unfortunate Capt. Damere; with several
other instruments, uncouth beyond description. Cheulah, the headman of the town.
led the procession, painted 1 > 1 l-red, except his face, which was half black, holding
an old rusty broad-sword in his right hand, and an eagle's tail in his left. As they
approached, Cheulah, singling himself out. from the rest, cut two or three capers, as
a signal to the other eagle-tails, who instantly followed his example. This violent
exercise, accompanied by the hand of musick, and a loud yell from the mob, lasted
about a minute, when the headman, waving his sword over my head, struck it into
the ground, about two inches from my left foot; then directing himself to me, made
a short discourse (which my interpreter told me was only to bid me a hearty wel-
e e) and presented me with a string of beads. We then proceeded to the door,
where Cheulah, and one of the beloved men, taking me by each arm, led me in,
and seated me in one of the first seats: it was so dark that nothing was percep-
tible till a fresh supply of canes were brought, which being burnt in the middle of
the house answers both purposes of fuel and candle. I then discovered about five
hundred faces; and Cheulah addressing me a second time, made a speech much to
the same effect as the former. lgratulating me on my safe arrival thro' the numer-
ous parties of northern Indians, that generally haunt the way I came. He then
made some professions of friendship, concluding with giving me another string of
bead-, as a token of it. He had scarce finished, when four .if those who had exhibited
at the procession made their second appearance, painted in milk-white, their eagle-
tails in one hand, and small gourds with beads in them in the other, which they
rattled in time to the musick. During this dance the peace-pipe was prepared." —
Timberlake, Memoirs, pp. 36 '•''
Adair also makes brief mention of the ceremony among the I rulf tribes (Hist. Am.
Indians, p. 260), but his account istoobadlj warped by theorizing to have much value.
Adopt a relative— This seems to poinl to a custom which has escaped the notice of
earlier writers on the eastern tribes, but which is well known in Africa and other
parts of the world, and is closely analogous to a still existing ceremonj among the
plains Indians by which two young men of the same tribe formally agree to In ne
brothers, and ratify the c ipact by a public exchange of names ami L'itt>.
494 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
White wampum — As is well known, white was universally typical of peace. The
traditional peace-pipe of the Cherokee was of white stone and the word itself is
symbolic of peace and happiness in their oratory and sacred formulas. Thus the
speaker at the Green-corn dance invites the people to come along the white path and
enter the white house of peace to partake of the new white food.
Held iij, Hi,' belt — As already noted, every paragraph of an ambassador's speech
was accompanied by the delivery of a string or belt of wampum to give authority to
his words, and to accept the belt was to accept the condition or compact which it
typified. On the plains the red stone pipe took the place of the wampum.
Try a nice — Public foot races were common among many tribes, more particularly
in the West among the Pueblos, the Apache, and the Wichita, either as simple ath-
letic contests or in connection with religious ceremonials. On the plains the horse
race is more in favor and is always the occasion of almost unlimited betting.
Thrum, hi Kin,,,, i- darts — The throwing of darts and arrows, either at a mark or
simply to see who can throw farthest, is a favorite amusement among the young
men and boys. The arrows used for this purpose are usually longer and heavier
than the ordinary ones, having carved wooden heads and being artistically painted.
They are sometimes tipped with the end of a buffalo horn.
99. The Shawano wars (p. o70): The chief authority as to the expulsion of the
Shawano from Tennessee is Haywood ( Natural and Aboriginal History of Tennessee,
pp. 222-224). The Schoolcraft reference is from Notes on the Iroquois, p. 160, and the
notice of the Cherokee- Delaware war from Loskiel, Mission of United Brethren,
p. 128, and Heckewelder, Indian Nations, p. 88. The Tuna'I story is from Wafford;
the other incidents from Swimmer.
Shawano — The Shawano or Shawnee were one of the most important of the Algon-
quian tribes. Their most noted chief was the great Tecumtha. The meaning of the
name is doubtful. It is commonly interpreted "Southerners," from the Algonquian
shawan, "the south," but may have come from another Algonquian word signifying
" salt " {siutagan, sewetagan, etc., from sewan, "sweet, pungent " ). Unlike the south-
ern Indians generally, the Shawano were great salt users, and carried on an exten-
sive salt manufacture by boiling at the salt springs of southwestern Virginia, furnish-
ing the product in trade to other tribes. They have thirteen clans — Wolf, Loon,
Bear, Buzzard, Panther, Owl, Turkey, Deer, Raccoon, Turtle, Snake, Horse, and
Babbit (Morgan), the clan of the individual being indicated by his name. They are
organized also into four divisions or bands, perhaps originally independent allied
tril.es, viz, Piqua, Mequachake, Kiscopocoke, and Chilicothe. To the second of these
belonged the hereditary priesthood, but the first was most prominent and appar-
ently most numerous. The Shawano were of very wandering and warlike habit.
Their earliest historical habitat appears to have been on the middle Savannah
river, which takes its name from them, but before the end of the seventeenth century
we find a portion of them, apparently the main body, occupying the basin of the Cum-
berland river in Tennessee and the adjacent region of Kentucky. About the year
1692 most of those remaining in South Carolina moved northward anil settled upon
the upper Delaware river, with their relatives and friends the Delaware and Mahican.
These emigrants appear to have been of the Piqua division. Up to about the year
1730 the Shawano still had a town on Savannah river, near Augusta, from which
they were finally driven by the Cherokee. From their former intimate association
with the I'chee, living in the same neighborhood, some early writers have incor-
rectly suppi «ed the two tril >es to 1 te t he same. A part of the Shawano joined the Creek
confederary, and up to the beginning of the last century, and probably until the
final removal to the West, occupied a separate town and retained their distinct
language. Those settled upon the Cumberland were afterward expelled by the
Cherokee and Chickasaw, and retired to the upper waters of the Ohio under protec-
tion of the Delaware, who had given refuge to the original emigrants from South
mooney] NOTES AM) PARALLELS 195
Carolina. With the advance of the white settlements the two tribes moved west-
ward into Ohio, the Shawano fixing themselves in the vicinity of the present Piqua
and Chillicothe aboul the year 1750. They took a leading pari in the French and
Indian war, Pontiac's war, the Revolution, and the war of 1812. In 1793 a consid-
erable band settled in Missouri upon lands granted by the Spanish government. As
a result of successive sales and removals all thai remain of the tribe are now estab-
lished in Indian Territory, about one-half being incorporated with the Cherokee
Nation. In 1900 they numbered about 1,580, viz, in Cherokee Nation (in 1898),
790; Absentee Shawnee of Sac and Fox Agency, 509; Absentee Shawnee of Big Jim's
band, special agency, 1 s I : Eastern Shawn i Quapaw Agency, 93. There arc also
a few scattered among other tribes. For detailed information consult Drake, Life
of Tecumseh; Heckewelder, Indian Nations; Brinton, Lenape and Their Legends;
American State Papers: Indian Affairs, i and n; Annual Reports of the Commissioner
of Indian Affairs.
100 The raid on TIkwali'tsi (p. 374): Swimmer, from wl i this story was
obtained, was of opinion that the event occurred when his mother was a little girl,
say about 1795, but it must have been earlier.
The I. .rations are all in Swain county, North Carolina. TIkwali'tsi town was on
Tuckasegee river, at the present Bryson City, immediately below and adjoining the
more important town of Kituhwa. Deep ereek enters the Tuckasegeefrom the north,
about a mile above Bryson City. The place where the trail crossed is called Uni-
ga'yata'ti'yl, " Where they made a tish trap." a name which may have suggested tin-
simile nseil by the story teller. The place where the Cherokee crossed, above Deep
ereek, is called Uniya'hitufi'yl, "Where they shot it," The cliff over which the
prisoners were thrown is called Kala'asufiyl, "Where he fell off," near Cold Spring
knob, west of Deep creek. The Cherokee halted for anight at Agitsta'ti'yl, "Where
they staid up all night," a few miles beyond, on the western head fork of Deep creek.
Theypassed Kunstutsi'yl. "Sassafras place," a gap about the head of Noland creek,
near Clingman's dome, and finally gave up the pursuit where the trail crossed into
Tennessee, at a gap on the main ridge, just below Clingman's dome, known as Duni-
ya''ta'lun'vi, "Where there are shelves," so called from an exposure of Hat rock on
the top of the ridge (see the glossary i.
Magic arts — It is almost superfluous to state that no Indian war party ever started
out without a vast deal of conjuring and "making medicine" to discover the where-
abouts and strength of the enemy and to insure victory and safe return to the depart-
ing warriors.
Wail for death — The Indian usually meets inevitable fate with equanimity, and
n lore than once in our Indian wars an aged warrior or helpless woman, unable to
escape, has sat down upon the ground, ami, with blanket drawn over the head, calmly
awaited the fatal bullet or hatchet stroke.
101. The last Shawano invasion (p. 374): This story also is from Swimmer,
whose antiquarian interest in the history of these wars may have been heightened by
the fact that he had a slight strain of Shawano blood himself. The descendants of
the old chief Sawanu'gi and his brothers, originally of Shawano stock, as tin- name
indicates, have been prominent in the affairs of the East Cherokee for more than
half a century, and one of them, 1 'earing the ancestral name, is now second chief of
the band and starter of the game at every large ballplay.
Tht cry of an owl — One of the commonest claims put forth by the medicine men
is that of ability to understand the language of birds and to obtain supernatural
kni 'W ledge from them, particularly from the owl, which is regarded with a species of
fear by the laity, as the embodiment of a human ghost, on ace. unit of its nocturnal
habit and generally uncanny appearance. A medicine man who died a few years ago
among the Kiowa claimed to derive his powers from that bird. The body of an owl,
496 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
wrapped in red cloth and decorated with various trinkets, was kept constantly sus-
pended from a tall pole set up in front of his tipi, and whenever at night the warn-
ing cry sounded from the thicket he was accusti imed to leave his place at the tire and
go out, returning in a short while with a new revelation.
Rafts — The Cherokee canoe is hewn from a poplar log and is too heavy to be car-
ried about like the bark canoe of the northern tribes. As a temporary expedient
the}- sometimes used a bear or buffalo skin, tying the legs together at each end to
fashion a rude boat. Upon this the baggage was loaded, while the owner swam
behind, pushing it forward through the water.
102. The false warriors of Chilhowee (p. 375): This story was given by Swim-
mer and corroborated by others as that of an actual incident of the old times. The
middle Cherokee (Kituhwa) settlements, on the head-streams of the Little Ten-
nessee, were separated from the upper settlements, about its junction with the main
Tennessee, by many miles of extremely rough mountain country. Dialectic differ-
ences and local jealousies bred friction, which sometimes brought the two sections
into collision and rendered possible such an occurrence as is here narrated. On
account of this jealousy, according to Adair, the first Cherokee war, which began
in 1760, concerned for some time only a part of the tribe. "According to the well-
known temper of the Cheerake in similar cases it might either have remained so, or
soon have been changed into a very hot civil war, had we been so wise as to have
unproved the favourable opportunity. There were seven northern towns, opposite
to the middle parts of the Cheerake country, who from the beginning of the unhappy
grievances, firmly dissented from the hostile intentions of their suffering and enraged
countrymen, and for a considerable time before bore them little goodwill, on account
of some family disputes which occasioned each party to be more favourable to itself
than to the other. These would readily have gratified their vindictive disposition
either by a neutrality or an offensive alliance with our colonists against them"
(History of the American Indians, page 248).
Chilhowee (properly Tsu'luiVweor Tsu'la'wi) was a noted settlement on the south
bank of Little Tennessee river, opposite the present Chilhowee, in Monroe county,
Tennessee. Cowee (properly Kawi'yl, abbreviated Kawi') was the name of two or
lucre former settlements. The one here meant was at the junction of Cowee creek
with Little Tennessee river, a short distance below the present Franklin, in Macon
county, North Carolina. Neither name can be analyzed. The gunstocker's name,
Gulsadi'hf or Gultsadi'hl, and that of the original owner of the gun, Guiiskali'ski,
are both of doubtful etymology.
Great war l rail — See historical note 19.
Scalp dance — This dance, common to every tribe east of the Rocky mountains, was
held to celebrate the taking of fresh scalps from the enemy. The scalps, painted
red on the fleshy side, decorated and stretched in small hoops attached tot lie ends of
poles, were carried in the dance by the wives and sweethearts of the warriors, while
in the pauses of the song each warrior in turn recited his exploits in minute detail.
Among the Cherokee it was customary for the warrior as he stepped into the center of
the circle to suggest to the drummer an improvised song which summed up in one
or two words his own part in the encounter. A new "war name" was frequently
assumed after the dance (see sketch of Tsunu'lahuiVskI, page 164). Dances were
held over the same scalps on consecutive nights or sometimes at short intervals for
weeks together.
Coming for imter — The getting of water from the neighboring stream or spring was
a daily duty of the women, and accordingly we find in Indian stories constant allu-
sion to ambuscades or lovers' appointments at such places.
To have " ballplay — See note under number 3, Kana'tl and Selu.
103. Cowee town: See the preceeding note
mookby] NOTES AND PARALLELS 41*7
104. Tin: i \mii:\ rsiBES (p. 378) Delawan The Delawares derive their popular
name from the nver upon which, in the earliest colonial period, they had their prin-
cipal settlements. They call themselves Lena'pe or Leni-lena'pe, a term apparently
signifying "real, or original men," or "men of our kind." To the cognate tribes
of the < >hio valley and the lakes they were known as Wapanaq'ki, "easterners," the
name being extended to include the closelj related tribes, the Mahican, Wappinger
(i.e. Wapanaq'ki), Nanticoke, and Conoy. By all the widespread tribes of kindred
Algonquian stock, as well as by the Winnebago, Wyandot, and Cherokee, they were
addressed under the respectful title of "grandfather," the domineering Iroquois
alone refusing to them any higher designation than ••nephew."
Their various bands and subtribes seem originally to have occupied the ivhole
basin of Delaware river, together with all of New Jersey, extending north to the
watershed of the Hudson and west and southwest to the ridge separating the waters
of the Delaware and Susquehanna. Immediately north of them, along the lower
Hudson and extending into Massachusetts and Connecticut, were the closely affili-
ated Mahican and Wappinger, while to the south were their friends and kindred.
the Nanticoke and Conoy, the former in Delaware and .m the eastern shore of Mary-
land, the latter between Chesapeake hay and the lower Potomac. All of these,
although speaking different languages of the common Algonquian stock, asserted
their traditional origin from the Delawares, with whom, in their declining days,
most of them were again merged. The Delawares proper were organized into three
divisions, which, according to Brinton, were subtribes and not elans, although each
of the three had a totemic animal by whose name it was commonly known. These
three subtribes were: (1) The Minsi or Munsee (people of the "stony mtry" ".' ),
otherwise known a- the Wolf tribe, occupying the hill country about the head of
the Delaware; (2) the Unami (people "downstream"), or Turtle tribe, on the
middle Delaware, and (3) the Unalachtgo (people "near the ocean" ?), or Turkey
tribe, in the southern part of the i mioti territory, (if these the Turtle tribe
assumed precedence in the council, while to the Wolf tribe belonged the leadership
in war. Each oi these three was divided into twelve families, or embryonic elans,
bearing female names. In this connection it may be mentioned that the Delawares
now residing with the Wichita, in Oklahoma, still use the figure of a turtle as their
distinctive cattle brand.
Of the history of the Delawares it is only possible to say a very few words here.
Their earliest European relations were with the Dutch and Swedes. In 1682 they
made the famous treaty with William Pent), which was faithfully observed on both
sides for sixty years. Gradually forced backward by the whites, they retired tir^-t
to the Susquehanna, then to the upper Ohio, where, on the breaking out of the
French and Indian war in 17o4, they ranged themselves on the side of the French.
They fought against the Americans in the Revolution, and in the war of 1812, hav-
ing by that time been driven as far west as Indiana. In ISIS they ceded all their
lands in that State and wen- assigned to a reservation in Kansas, where they were
joined by a considerable body that had emigrated to Missouri, in company with a
band of Shawano, some years before, by permission of the Spanish government.
About the close of the Revolution another portion of the tribe, including most of
those who had been Christianized by Moravian missionaries, had fled from Ohioand
taken up a permanent abode on Canadian soil. In 1867 the main body of those in
Kansas removed to Indian Territory and became incorporated with the Cherokee
Nation. A smaller band settled on the Wichita reservation in Oklahoma. The pre-
sent number of Delawares is, approximately, 1,600, viz: "Moravians and Munseesof
the Thames," Ontario, 475; incorporated in Cherokee Nation, 870 (in 1898); on
Wichita reservation, 95; Munsee in Kansas and incorporated with Stockbridges in
Wisconsin, perhaps 100; Delawares, etc., with Six Nations, in New York. 50.
Of their former allies, the Wappinger and Conoy have long sine, disappeared
19 ETH— 01 32
498 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
through absorption into other tribes; the Mahican are represented by a band of
about 530 Stockbridge Indians, including a number of Munsee, in Wisconsin, while
about 70 mixed bloods still keep up the Nanticoke name in southern Delaware.
Tuscarora — The Tuscarora, a southern tribe. of the Iroquoian stock, formerly occu-
pied an extensive territory upon Neuse river and its branches, in eastern North
Carolina, and, like their northern cousins, seem to have assumed and exercised a
certain degree of authority over all the smaller tribes about them. As early as 1670
Lederer described the Tuscarora "emperor" as the haughtiest Indian he had ever
met. About the year 1700 Lawson estimated them at 1,200 warriors (6,000 souls?)
in 15 towns. In 1711 they rose against the whites, one of their first acts of hos-
tility being the killing of Lawson himself, who was engaged in surveying lands which
they claimed as their own. In a struggle extending over about two years they were
so terribly decimated that the greater portion fled from Carolina and took refuge
with their kinsmen and friends, the Iroquois of New York, who were henceforth
known as the Six Nations. The so-called "friendly" party, under Chief Blount,
waa settled upon a small reservation north of Roanoke river in what is now Bertie
county, North Carolina. Here they gradually decreased by disease and emigration
to the north, until the few who were left sold their last remaining lands in 1804.
The history of the tribe after the removal to the north is a part of the history of the
Iroquois or Six Nations. They number now about 750, of whom about 380 are on
the Tuscarora reservation in New York, the others upon the Grand River reserva-
tion in Ontario.
Xuala, Suwali, Sara or Chara/w — For the identification and earliest notices of the
Sara see historical note 8, " De Soto's Route." Their later history is one of almost
constant hostility to the whites until their final incorporation with the Catawba,
with whom they were probably cognate, about the year 1720. In 1743 they still pre-
served their distinct language, and appear to be last mentioned in 1768, when they
numbered about 50 souls living among the Catawba. See Mooney, Siouan Tribes
of the East, bulletin of the Bureau of Ethnology, 1894.
Catawba — The origin and meaning of this name, which dates back at least two
centuries, are unknown. It may possibly come from the Choctaw through the
Mobilian trade jargon. They call themselves Nieye, which means simply "people"
or "Indians." The Iroquois call them and other cognate tribes in their vicinity
Toderigh-rono, whence Tutelo. In the seventeenth century they were often known
as Esawor Ushery, apparently from iswd', river, in their own language. The Chero-
kee name Ata'gwa, plural Ani'ta'gwa, is a corruption of the popular form. Their
linguistic affinity with the Siouan stock was established by Gatschet in 1881. See
Mooney, Siouan Tribes of the East.
105. The southern and western tribes (p. 382): The Creek confederacy — Next in
importance to the Cherokee, among the southern tribes, were the Indians of the Creek
confederacy, occupying the greater portion of Georgia and Alabama, immediately
south of the Cherokee. They are said to have been called Creeks by the early traders
on account of the abundance of small streams in their country. Before the whites
began to press upon them their tribes held nearly all the territory from the Atlantic
westward to about the watershed between the Tombigby and the Pearl and Pasca-
goula rivers, being cut off from the Gulf coast by the Choctaw tribes, and from the
Savannah, except near the mouth, by the Uchee, Shawano, and Cherokee. About
the year 1800 the confederacy comprised 75 towns, the people of 47 of which were the
Upper Creeks, centering about the upper waters of the Alabama, while those of the
remaining 28 were the Lower Creeks, upon the lower Chattahoochee and its branches
( Hawkins). Among them were represented a number of tribes formerly distinct and
speaking distinct languages. The ruling tribe and language was the Muscogee (plu-
ral, Museogiilgee), which frequently gave its name to the confederacy. Other lan-
guages were the Alabama, Koasati, Hichitee, Taskigi, Uchee, Natchee, and Sawanugi
mooney] NoTKS AM) PARALLELS 499
or Shawano. The Muscogee, Alabama, Koasati, Hichitee, and Taskigi (7 i belonged to
the Muskhogean atock, the Alabama and Koasati, however, being nearer linguisticallj
to the Choctaw than to the Muscogee. Tlie Hichitee represent the conquered or
otherwise incorporated Muskhogean tribes of the Georgia coast region. The Apa-
lachi on Appalachee bay in Florida, who were conquered by the English about 1705
and afterward incorporated with the Creeks, were dialectical! y closely akin to the
Hichitee; the Seminole also were largely an offshool from this tribe. < >f the Taskigi
all that i> known lias been told elsewhere i see number 105) .
The Uchee, Natchee, and Sawanugi were incorporated tribes, differing radically in
language from each other and from the Muskhogean tribes. The territory of the
Uchee included both hanks of the middle Savannah, below the Cherokee, and
extended into middle Georgia. They had a strong race pride, claiming to be older
in the country than the Muscogee, and are probably identical with the people of
Cofitachiqui, mentioned in the early Spanish narratives. According to Hawkins,
their incorporation with the Creeks was brought about in consequence of intermar-
riages about the year 1729. The Natchee or Natchez were an important tribe residing
in lower Mississippi, in the vicinity of the present town of that name, until driven
out by the French about the year 1730, when most of them took refuge with the
Creeks, while others joined the Chickasaw and Cherokee. The Sawanugi were
Shawano who kept their town on Savannah river, near the present Augusta, after
the main body of their tribe had removed to the north about 1692. They probably
joined the Creeks about the same time as their friends, the Uchee. The Uchee still
constitute a compact body of about 600 souls in the Creek Nation, keeping up their
distinct language and tribal character. The Natchee are reduced to one or two old
men, while the Sawanugi have probably lost their identity long ago.
According to Morgan, the Muscogee proper, and perhaps also their incorporated
tribes, have 22 clans. Of these the Wind appears to he the leading one, possessing
privileges accorded to no other clan, including the hereditary guardianship of the
aiici.nt metal tablets which constitute the palladium of the tribe. By the treaty of
Washington in 1832, the Creeks sold all of their remaining lands in their old country
and agreed to remove west of the Mississippi to what is nowthe Creek Nation in the
Indian Territory. The removal extended over a period of several years and was not
finally accomplished until 1845. In 1898 the citizen population of the Creek Nation
numbered 14,771, of whom 10,014 were of Indian blood and the remainder were
negroes, their former slaves. It appears that the Indian population included about
700 fr ther tribes, chiefly Cherokee. There are also about 300 Alabama, "Cushatta"
| Koasati |, and Muscogee in Texas. See also Hawkins, Sketch of the Creek Country;
Gatschet, Creek Migration Legend; Adair, History of the American Indian-; Bart-
ram, Travels; The Five Civilized Tribes, Bulletin of the Eleventh Census; Wyman,
in Alabama Historical Society Collections.
Chickasaw — This tribe, of Muskhogean stock, formerly occupied northern Missis-
sippi and adjacent portions of Alabama and Tennessee, and at an early period had
incorporated also several smaller tribes on Yazoo river in central Mississippi, chief
among which were the cognate Chokchuma. The name occurs first in the De Soto
narrative. The Chickasaw language was simply a dialect of CI taw, although the
two tribes were hereditary enemies and differed widely in character, the former being
active and warlike, while the latter were notoriously sluggish. Throughout the
colonial period the Chickasaw were the constant enemies of the French and friends
of the English, but they remained neutral in the Revolution. By the treaty of
Pontotoc in 1832 they sold their lands east of the Mississippi and agreed to remove
to Indian Territory, where they are now organized as the Chickasaw Nation.
According to Morgan they have 12 clans grouped into two phratries. In L890,
the citizen population of the Nation (under Chickasaw laws) consisted of 3,941 full-
blood and mixed-blood Chickasaw, 6S1 adopted whites, 131 adopted negroes, and 946
500 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [bth.ahn.19
adopted Indians from other tribes, chiefly Choctaws. Under the present law, by
which citizenship claims are decided by a Government commission, "Chickasaw by
blood " are reported in 1898 to number 4,230, while " white and negro " citizens are
reported at 4,818. See also Gatschet, Creek Migration Legend; The Five Civilized
Tribes, Bulletin of Eleventh Census.
The Choctaw confederacy — This was a loose alliance of tribes, chiefly of Muskho-
gean stock, occupying southern Alabama and Mississippi, with the adjacent Gulf
coast of western Florida and eastern Louisiana. The Choctaw proper, of Muskho-
gean stock, occupying south central Mississippi, was the dominant tribe. Smaller
tribes more or less closely affiliated were the Mobilian, Tohome, Mugulasha, Pasca-
goula, Biloxi, Acolapissa, Bayagoula, Houma, with others of less note. It had been
assumed that all of these were of Muskhogean stock until Gatschet in 1886 estab-
lished the fact that the Biloxi were of Siouan affinity, and it is quite probable that
the Pascagoula also were of the same connection. All the smaller tribes excepting
the Biloxi were practically extinct, or had entirely lost their identity, before the
year 1800.
The Choctaw were one of the largest of the eastern tribes, being exceeded in num-
bers, if at all, only by the Cherokee; but this apparent superiority was neutralized
by their unwarlike character and lack of cohesion. According to Morgan, whose
statement has, however, been challenged, they had eight clans grouped into two
phratries. There was also a geographic division into "Long towns," " Potato-eating
towns," and "Six towns," the last named differing considerably in dialect and cus-
tom from the others. By treaties in 1820 and 1830 the Choctaw sold all their lands
east of the Mississippi and agreed to remove to Indian Territory, where they ru >W con-
stitute the Choctaw Nation. A considerable number of vagrant Choctaw who had
drifted into Louisiana ami Arkansas at an early period have since joined their kin-
dred in Indian Territory, but from 1,000 to 2,000 are still scattered along the swampy
Gulf coast of Mississippi. In 1890 those of pure or mixed Choctaw blood in the
Choctaw Nation were officially reported to number 10,211. In 1899, under different
conditions of citizenship, the "Choctaw by blood" were put at 14,256, while the
adopted whites and negroes numbered 5,150. See also Gatschet, Creek Migration
Legend; The Five Civilized Tribes, Bulletin of Eleventh Census.
The Osage — The popular name is a corruption of Ouasage, the French spelling of
Wasash, the name used by themselves. The Osage were the principal southern
Siouan tribe, claiming at one time nearly the whole territory from the Missouri to
the Arkansas and from the Mississippi far out into the plains. Their geographic
position brought them equally into contact with the agricultural and sedentary tribes
of the eastern country and the roving hunters of the prairie, and in tribal habit
and custom they formed a connecting link between the two. Whether or not they
deserved the reputation, they were considered by all their neighbors as particularly
predatory and faithless in character, and had consequently few friends, but were
generally at war with all tribes alike. They made their first treaty with the Gov-
ernment in 1808. In 1825 they ceded all their claims in Missouri and Arkansas,
together with considerable territory in what is now Kansas. They have decreased
terribly from war and dissipation, and are now, to the number of about 1,780, gath-
ered upon a reservation in Oklahoma just west of the Cherokee and south of the
Kansas line.
106. The Giants from the west (p. 391): This may be an exaggerated account
of a visit from sonic warriors of a taller tribe from the plains, where it is customary
to pluck out the eyebrows and to wear the hair in two long side pendants, wrapped
round with otter skin and reaching to the knees, thus giving a peculiar expression
to the eyes and an appearance of tallness which is sometimes deceptive. The Osage
warriors have, however, long been noted for their height.
With the exception of Tsul'kalu' there seem to be no giants in the mythology of
mooney] NOTES AM) PARALLELS 501
the Cherokee, although all their woods and waters are peopled by invisible fairy
tribes. This appears to be characteristic of Indian mythologies generally, the giants
being comparatively few in number while the "little people" are legion. The
Iroquois have a story of an invasion by a race of stony-skinned cannibal giants from
the west (Schoolcraft, Notes on Iroquois, p. 266). Gianl races occur also in the
mythologies of the Navaho (Matthews, Navaho Legends), Choctaw (Gatschet, Creek
Migration Legend), and other tribes. According to the old Spanish chroniclers,
Ayllon in 1520 met on the coast of South Carolina a tribe of Indians whose chiefs
were of gigantic size, owing, as he was told, to a special course of dieting and mas-
sage to which they were subjected in infancy.
107. Tim losi Cherokee (p. 391): This tradition as hen- given is taken chiefly
from the Wahnenauhi manuscript. There is a persistent belief among the Cherokee
that a pert ion of their people once wandered far to the west or south « est, where they
were sometimes heard of afterward, but were never again reunited with their tribe. It
was the hope of verifying this tradition and restoring his lost kinsmen to their tribe
that led Sequoya to undertake the journey on which he lost his life. These tradi-
tional lost Cherokee are entirely distinct from the historic emigrants who removed
from the East shortly after the Revolution.
Similar stories are common to nearly all the tribes. Thus the Kiowa tell of a chief
who. manj years ago, quarreled over a division of game and led his people far away
across the Rocky mountains, when- they are still living somewhere about the British
border and still keeping their old Kiowa language. The Tonkawa tell of a band of
their people who in some way were cut off from the tribe by a sudden inroad of the
sea on the Texas coast, and, being unable to return, gradually worked their way far
down into Mexico. The Tuscarora tell how, in their early wanderings, they came to
the Mississippi and were crossing over to the west side by means of a grapevine, when
the vine broke, leaving those on the farther side to wander off until in time they
became enemies to those on the eastern bank. See Mooney, Calendar History of the
Kiowa Indians, Seventeenth Annual Report Bureau of American Ethnology, part 1,
and The Last of Our Cannibals, in Harper's Magazine, August, 1901; Cusick, quoted
in Schoolcraft, Notes on the Iroquois, p. 478.
L08. The massacre of the Ani'-Kuta'ni (p. 392): Swimmer, Ta'gwadihl', Ayasta,
and Watford all knew this name, which Ayasta pronounced AnV-Kw&ta'nl, but none
of them could tell anything more definite than has been stated in the opening sen-
tence. The hereditary transmission of priestly dignities in a certain clan or band is
rather the rule than the exception among the tribes, both east and west.
109. The war medicine (p. 393): The first two paragraphs are from Wafford, the
rest from Swimmer. The stories are characteristic of Indian belief and might be
paralleled in any tribe. The great Kiowa chief, Set-angya, already mentioned, was —
and still is — believed by his tribe to have possessed a magic knife, which lie carried
in his stomach and could produce from his mouth at will. The Kiowa assert that it
was this knife, which of course the soldiers failed to find when disarming him, with
which lie attacked the guard in the encounter that resulted in his death.
110. Incidents of personal heroism (p. 394): The incident of the fight at Waya
gap is on the authority of the late Maj. .lames Bryson, of Dillsboro, North Carolina,
born in 1818, who had it from his great-uncle, Daniel Bryson, a memberof YVilliam-
- n'- expedition.
Speaking of the Cherokee "War Women," who were admitted to the tribal councils,
Timberlake says (Memoirs, p. 70): "The reader will not be a little surprised to
find the story of Amazons not so great a fable as we imagined, many of the Indian
women being as famous in war as powerful in the council."
111. The mounds and the constant hue: The old sacked things (p. ::ti"> \: What is
here said concerning the mounds, based chiefly upon Swimmer's recital, is given solely
50'2 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE
as a matter of popular belief, shaped by tribal custom and ritual. The question of
fact is for the archeologist to decide. The Indian statement is of value, however,
in showing the supposed requirements for the solemn consecration of an important
work.
A note by John Howard Payne upon the sacred square of the Creeks, as observed
by him in 1835, just before his visit to the Cherokee, may throw further light on
the problem: "In the center of this outer square was a very high circular mound.
This, it seems, was formed from the earth accumulated yearly by removing the
surface of the sacred square thither. At every Green-corn festival trie sacred square
is strewn with soil yet untrodden; the soil of the year preceding being taken away,
but preserved as above explained. No stranger's foot is allowed to press the new
earth of the sacred square until its consecration is complete" (Letter of 1835 in
Continental Monthly, New York, 1862, p. 19). See note on the sa«red fire.
Oiiijitri'd irit.lt tlinetixe — The practice of conjuring certain favorite spots in order to
render them fatal to an invading enemy was common to many if not to all tribes. One
of the most terrible battles of the Creek war was fought, upon the "Holy ground,"
so called because it was believed by the Indians that in consequence of the mystic
rites which had been performed there for that purpose by their prophets, no white
troops could set foot upon it and live.
Tin surred fire — The method described for producing fire and keeping it constantly
smoldering in the townhouse appears to have been that actually in use in ancient
times, as indicated by the name given to the plant (titsil'-stinti), and corroborated
by the unanimous testimony of the old people. All the older East Cherokee believe
that the ancient fire still burns within the mounds at Franklin and Bryson City, and
those men who were stationed for a time near the latter place while in the Confed-
erate service, during the Civil war, assert that they frequently saw the smoke rising
from the adjacent mound.
The missionary Buttrick, from old Cherokee authority, says: "They were obliged
to make new fire for sacred purposes by rubbing two pieces of dry wood together,
with a certain weed, called golden rod, dry, between them. . . . When their
enemies destroyed the house in which this holy fire was kept, it was said the fire
settled down into the earth, where it still lives, though unknown to the people. The
place where they lost this holy fire is somewhere in one of the Carolinas"
(Antiquities, p. 9).
The general accuracy of Swimmer's account is strikingly confirmed by the descrip-
tion of the New-fire ceremony given more than half a century before by John
Howard Payne, the poet, who had gone among the Cherokee to study their ethnol-
ogy and was engaged in that work when arrested, together with John Ross, by the
Georgia guard in 1835. He makes the kindling of the new fire a part of the annual
spring festival. At that time, says Payne, "the altar in the center of the national
heptagon [i. e. townhouse] was repaired. It was constructed of a conical shape, of
fresh earth. A circle was drawn around the top to receive the fire of sacrifice. Upon
this was laid, ready for use, the inner bark of seven different kinds of trees. This
bark was carefully chosen from the east side of the trees, and was clear and free
from blemish. ' ' After some days of preliminary purification, sacrifice, and other cere-
monial performances, the day appointed for the kindling of the new fire arrived.
" Early in the morning the seven persons who were commissioned to kindle the
fire commenced their operations. One was the official fire-maker; the remaining six
his assistants. A hearth was carefully cleared and prepared. A round hole being
made in a block of wood, a small quantity of dry golden-rod weed was placed in it.
A stick, the end of which just fitted the opening, was whirled rapidly until the weed
took fire. The flame was then kindled on the hearth and thence taken to every
bouse l>y the women, who collectively waited for that purpose. The old fires having
been everywhere extinguished, and the hearths cleansed, new fires were lighted
mooney] NOTES AND PARALLELS 503
throughout the country, and a sacrifice was made in each one of them of the lii-t
meat killed afterwards by those to whom they respectively belonged." — Payne MS,
quoted in Squier, Serpent Symhol, pp. I L6 1 18.
Similar ceii' nirs were common to many tribes, particularly the southern tribes
and the Puehloa, in connection with the annual kindling of the Bacred new Bre. See
Adair, History of the American Indians; I lawkins, Sketch of the Creek Country,
quoted by Gatschet, Creek Migration Legend; Bartram, Travels; Fewkes, The New-
Bre Ceremony at Walpi, in American Anthropologist for January, 1900; Squier,
Serpent Symbol. Going beyond our own boundaries it may he said briefly that fire
Worship was probablj as ancient as ritual itself and well-nigh as universal.
Wooden box — The sacred ark of the Cherokee is described by Adair ( History of
the American Indians, pp. 161-162), and its capture by the Delaware's is mentioned by
Washburn (Reminiscences, pp. 191, 221), who states that to its loss the old priests
of the tribe ascribed the later degeneracy of their people. They refused to tell him
the contents of the ark. (In this subject Adair says:
" \ gentleman who was at the Ohio in the year 1756 assured me he saw a stranger
there very importunate to view the inside of the Cheerake ark, which was covered
with a drest deerskin and placed on a couple of short blocks. An Indian centinel
watched it. armed with a hiccory buw and brass-pointed barbed arrows; and he was
faithful to his trust, for finding the stranger obtruding to pollute the supposed sacred
vehicle, he drew an arrow to the head, and would have shot him through the body
had he not suddenly withdrawn. The interpreter, when asked by the gentleman
what it contained, told him there was nothing in it but a bundle of ('(injuring traps.
This shows what conjurers our common interpreters are, and how much the learned
world have really profited by their informations. "
Such tribal palladiums or " mei I icines," upon which the existence and prosperity
of the tribe are supposed to depend, are still preserved among the plains Indians, the
sacred receptacle in each case being confided to the keeping of a priest appointed for
the purpose, who alone is privileged to undo the wrappings or expose the contents.
Among these tribal "medicines" may be mentioned the sacred arrows of the ( Ihey-
enne, the "flat pipe" of the Arapaho, the great shell of the Omaha, and the taime
image of the Kiowa (see reference in the author's Ghost-dance Religion and Calen-
dar History of the Kiowa Indians).
White peace pipe — This statement concerning the ancient seven-stem peace pipe
carved from white stone is given on the authority of Swimmer, who said that the
stone was procured from a quarry near the present town of Knoxville, Tennessee.
A certain district of western North Carolina has recently acquired an unenviable
reputation for the manufacture of spurious "Indian pipes," ostensibly taken from
the mounds, carved from soapstone and having from three to half a dozen stem-
holes encircling the bowl.
Turtl drum — This statement is on the authority of Wafford, who had talked with
men who claimed to have known those who had seen the drum. He was not posi-
tive as to the town, hut thought it was Keowee. It is believed that the drum was
hidden by the Indians, in anticipation of their speedy return, when the country was
invaded by Williamson in 1776, but as the country was never recovered hy the
Cherokee the drum was lost.
112-115. Short humorous stories (pp. 397, 399): These short stories are fairly
representative of Cherokee humor. Each was heard repeatedly from several
informants, both east and west.
Ilti. Tiik STAR FEATHERS (p. 399) : This story was obtained from John A\. with
additional details from ( 'hief Smith and others, to whom it was equally familiar. It
is told as an actual happening in the early days, before the Indian had much acquaint-
ance with the whites, and is thoroughly characteristic of the methods of medicine- men.
504 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.iu
The deception was based upon the I Jherokee belief that the stars are living creatines
with feathers (see number 9, "What the Stars are Like ").
The Indian lias always been noted for his love of feather decorations, and more
than any from his native birds he prized the beautiful feathers of the peacock when-
ever it was possible to procure them from the whites. 80 far back as 1670 Lederer
noted of a South Carolina tribe: "The Oshery delight much in feather ornament, of
which they have great variety; but peacocks in most esteem, because rare in these
parts" (Travels, p. 32, ed. 1891 1.
117. The mother bear's song (p. 400): The first of these songs was obtained from
Ayasta, and was unknown to Swimmer. The second song was obtained also from
Ayfista, who knew only the verses, while Swimmer knew both the verses and the
story which gives them their setting.
The first has an exact parallel among the Creeks, which is thus given in the "Baby
Songs" of the Tuggle manuscript:
All tan Down the stream
Ah yah chokese if you hear
Mali kah eho kofe chase going
Hoehe yoke saw up the stream
Lit kahts chars, run,
Lit kahts chars. run.
A thle poo Up the stream
Ahyohchokese if you hear
Mah kah cho kofe the chase going
Thorne yoke saw to the high mountain
Lit karts chars, run,
Lit karts chars. run.
Translation
If you hear the noise of the chase
Going down the stream
Then run up the stream.
If you hear the noise of the chase
Going up the stream
Then run to the high mountain,
Then run to the high mountain.
118. Baby song, to please the children (p. 401): This song is well known to the
women and was sung by both Ayasta and Swimmer.
119. When babies are born: The wren and the cricket (p. 401): These little
bits of Indian folklore were obtained from Swimmer, but are common tribal property.
li>0. The Raven Mocker(p. 401): The grewsome belief in the "Raven Mocker" is
universal among the Cherokee and has close parallels in other tribes. Very near to
it is the Iroquois belief in the vampire or cannibal ghost, concerning which School-
craft relates some blood-curdling stories. He says: "It is believed that such doomed
spirits creep into the lodges of men at night, and during sleep suck their blood and eat
their flesh. They are invisible" (Notes on the Iroquois, p. 144). On one occasion,
while the author was among the Cherokee, a sick man was allowed to die alone because
his friends imagined they felt the presence of the Raven Mocker or other invisible
witches about the house, and were consequently afraid to stay with him. The descrip-
tion of the flying terror appears to be that of a great meteor. It is a universal prin-
ciple of folk belief that discovery or recognition while disguised in another form brings
disaster to the witch.
mooney] NOTES AND PARALLELS 505
The "diving" of the raven while flying high in air i- performed bj folding one
wing close to the body, when the bird falls to a lower plane, apparently turning a som-
ersaull in the descent. It seems to be done purely for amusement.
121. Herbert's sprini p K)3 The subject of this old trader's legend must have
been oni of the head-springs of t lhattooga river, an upper branch of Savannah, hav-
ing its rise in the southern pari of Jackson county, North Carolina, on the eastern
slope of tin' ridge from which other streams flow in the opposite direction t'i join
the waters of the Tennessee. Ii was probably in the vicinity of the present high-
lands in Macoi unty, where the trail from Chattooga river and the settlements on
Keowee crossed the Blue ridge, thence descending Cullasagee to the towns on Little
Tennessee.
126. Plani lore (p 120): For ceremonies, prayers, and precautions used by the
doctors in connection with the gathering and preparation of medicinal roots, barks,
and herbs, see the author's Sacred Formulas of the ( Iherokees, in the Seventh Annual
Report of the Bureau of Ethnology, 1891.
i The Onondaga name signifies "two heads entangled," referring, we are
told, to "the way so often seen where the heads are interlocked and pulled apart by
the. steins" \ \V. M. Beauchamp, in Journal of American Folk-Lore, October, 1888).
i 'edar — For references to the sane 1 character of the cedar among the plains tribes,
see the author's Ghost-dance Religion, in the Fourteenth Annual Report of the
Bureau of Ethnology, part 2, 1896.
Jjinn and basswood — The ancient Tuscarora believed that no tree but black gum
was immune from lightning, which, they declared, would run round the tree a
great many times seeking in vain to effect an entrance. Lawson, who records the
belief, adds: "Now, you must understand that sort of gum will not split or rive:
therefore. I suppose the story might arise from thenee" (Carolina, pp. 345-346, ed.
1860). The Pawnee claim the same immunity for the cedar, and throw sprigs of it
as incense upon the tire during storms to turn aside the lightning stroke (Grinnell,
Pawnee Hero Stories, p. 126).
iii,,:', mi — For more concerning this plant see the author's Sacred Formulas, above
mentioned.
GLOSSARY OF CHEROKEE WORDS
The Cherokee language has the continental vowel sounds a, e, >. and
>/, but lacks a. which is replaced by a deep &. The obscure or short u
is frequently nasalized, but the nasal sound is seldom heard at the end
of a word. The only labial is m, which occurs in probably not more
than half a dozen words in the Upper and Middle dialects, and is
entirely absent from the Lower dialect, in which w takes its place.
The characteristic I of the Upper and Middle dialects becomes /■ in the
Lower, but no dialect has both sounds. There is also an aspirated 1 ;
I- and t have the ordinary sounds of these letters, but ;/ and <7 are
medials, approximating the sounds of I- and t. respectively. A fre-
quent double consonant is ts, commonly rendered ch by the old traders
(seep. 188. ''Dialects").
a as in far.
a as in what, or obscure as in showman.
a as in law, all.
d medial (semisonant), approximating t.
e as in the}'.
e as in net.
g medial (semisonant), approximating k.
li as in hat.
i as in pique.
I as in pick.
k as in kick.
1 as in lull.
'1 surd 1 (sometimes written hi), nearly the Welsh 11.
in as in man.
n as in not.
r takes place of 1 in Lower dialect.
s as in sin.
t as in top.
u as in rule.
u as in cut.
un u nasalized.
w as in wit.
y as in you.
a slight aspirate, sometimes indicating the omission of a
vowel.
• sev GL08SARY 507
A number of English words, with cross references, have been intro
duced into the glossary . and these, together with corrupted Cherokee
forms, are indicated bj small capitals.
ada'lanun'stl — a staff 01 cane.
adan'ta -soul.
ada'wehl- a magician or supernatural being.
ada'wehi'yu a very great magician; intensive form of ada'wehl.
groundhog.
\ -jii'U ta "Groundhog-sausage," from d'g&nii, groundhog, ami tsixiii'u, ■■ I am
pounding it." understood to refer to pounding meat, etc., in a mortar, after h i
ing Brstcrisped it before the fire. A war chief noted in the Cherokee war of
1760, and prominent until ahout the close of the Revolution; known to the whites
as < iconostota. Also the Cherokee name for Colonel Gideon Morgan of i he war
of 1812, for Washington Morgan, his son, of the Civil war, and now for a full-blood
upon the reservation, known to the whites as Morgan < lalhoun.
A/gan-uni'tsI — " Groundhogs' -mother," from d'g&ntt and uni'Uli, their mother,
plural of xitsV, his mother (eUsV, agitsV, my mother). The Cherokee name of a
Shawano captive, who, according to tradition, killed the greal [Jktena serpenl
and procured the Ulunsu'tl.
Agawe'la — " t >ld Woman," a formulistic name- for corn or the spirit of corn.
agayun'li — for agayHfl'lige, old, ancient.
agidaYta- see ed
agidu'tfi — see edu'tH,.
Agi'll — " Hi- is rising," possibly a contraction of an old personal name, Agin'-agiU,
"Rising-fawn." Major George Lowrey, cousin of Sequoya, and assistant chief
of the Cherokee Nation ahout 18-40. Stanley incorrectly makes it " Keeth-la,
or Dog" i for ./,'!;'.
agini'sl — see i ni'tit.
agi'sl — female, applied usually to quadrupeds.
Agis'-e'gwa — "Great Female," possibly "Great Doe." A being, probably an
animal god, invoked in the sacred formulas.
agitsl' — see eteJ'.
Agitsta'ti'yl — " Where they stayed up all night," from tsigits&fi'tihii.', " I stay up all
night." A place in the Great Smoky range about the head of Noland creek, in
Swain county, North Carolina. See note- to number 100.
AGUAQUIRI — see <■! o.'i ii I.
Ahalu'na — "Ambush," Ahalun&H'yi, "Ambush place," or Uni'h&lu'na, "Where
they ambushed," from alc&lu'ga, "I am watching". Soco gap, at the head of
Soco creek, on the line between Swain and Haywood counties. North Carolina
see number 122 . The name is also applied to a lookout station for deer
hunters,
ahanu'lahi — "he is bearded," from ah&nii/UMi, a beard.
Ahulude'gl— "He throws away the drum" (habitual), from ahu'tl, drum, and
akw&de'gCi, "I am throwing it away" (round object). The Cherokee name of
John Jolly, a noted chief and adopted father of Samuel Houston, about 1S00.
ahyeli'skt — a mocker or mimic.
akta' — eye; plural, diktS,'.
akta'tl — a telescope or field glass. The name denote- something with which to
examine or look into closely, from ul.ti'i', eye.
akwandu'li — a song form for akwidu'li (-Mi, "I want it."
Akwan'kl — see Anal u ant i.
Akwe ti'yl — a location on Tuckasegee river, in .Tack-on county. North Carolina; the
meaning of the name i- lost. See number 122.
Alaska — see Yaldgt.
508 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE
aliga' — the red-horse lish (Moxostoma).
Alkinf — the last woman known to 1 f Natchez descent and peculiarity among the
East Cherokee; died about 1890. The name has no apparent meaning.
ama/ — water; in the Lower dialect, ilinV: of. a'm&, salt.
amayfi'hl — "dwelling in the water," from &md/ [&mS/yi, "in the water") and WvCif,
" I dwell," "I live."
Amaye'l-e'gwa — " Great island," from Q/m&yiU, island (from HinCi', water, and
ayiU, "in the middle") and -'</"". great. A former Cherokee settlement <>n
Little Tennessee river, at Big island, a short distance below the mouth of
Tellico, in Monroe county, Tennessee. Timberlake writes it Mialaquo, while
Bartram spells it Nilaque. Not to be confounded with Long-island town below
Chattanooga.
Amaye'll-gunahi'ta — "Long island," from Hmdye'lt, island, and gftnahi'la, long.
A former Cherokee settlement, known to the whites as Long Island town, at the
Long island in Tennessee river, on the Tennessee-Georgia line. It was one of
the Chickamauga towns (see Ttilkiima'gl).
ama'ylnS'hi — "dwellers in the water," plural of ainaye'M.
Anada'duntaskl — "Roasters," i. e., Cannibals; from g&n'taskiV, "I am putting it
(round) into the fire to roast." The regular word for cannibals is Ydfi'wini'gisM,
q. v. See number 3.
anagahuiYufisku' — the Green-corn dance; literally, "they are having a ( ireen-corn
dance": anag&k&W'Cun>i.fi'yi, "where they are having the Green-corn dance " ;
the popular name is not a translation of the Cherokee word, which has no
reference cither to corn or dancing.
Anakwan'kl — the Delaware Indians; singular Akwan'ki, a Cherokee attempt at
WapanaqkH, " Easterners," the Algonquian name by which, in various corrupted
forms, the Delawares are commonly known to the western tribes.
Anantooea h — see A n i'-Xun'iln we'g) .
a'ne'tsa, or a'netsa'gl — the ballplay.
a'netsa'unskl — a ballplayer; literally, "a lover of the ballplay."
ani' — a tribal and animate prefix.
ani'da'wehl — plural of ada'wehi.
a'niganti'skl — see d&gantti,.
Ani'-Gatage'wl — one of the seven Cherokee clans; the name has now no meaning,
but has been absurdly rendered "Blind savanna," from an incorrect idea that it
is derived from igd'tt, a swamp or savanna, and dige'wl, blind.
Ani'-( tilii'hl — "Long-haired people," one of the seven Cherokee clans; singular,
Ai/ilii'lil. The word comes from agtt&'M ( perhaps connected with agilge-nl, "the
back of (his) neck"), an archaic term denoting wearing the hair long or flowing
loosely, and usually recognized as applying more particularly to a woman.
Ani'-Gill' — a problematic tribe, possibly the Congaree. See page 381. The name
is not connected with giW , dog.
Ani'-Gusa — see Aui'-Kn'm.
a'nigwa — soon after; dine'Uana a'rdgwa, "soon after the creation."
Ani'-Ilyiin'ttkwala'skl — "The Thunderers," i. e., thunder, which in Cherokee
belief, is controlled and caused by a family of supernatural. The word lias
reference to making a rolling sound; cf. HkuMe'lu., a wheel, hence a wagon;
tliw'i'-t'ikif.'tli ■Ii'iHi/i, "rolling water place," applied to a cascade where the water
falls along the surface of the rock; alnjiiri'iiknala'atihu', "it is thundering,"
applied to the roar of a railroad train or waterfall.
Ani'-Kawl' — "Deer people," one of the seven Cherokee clans; the regular form for
deer is <i'ir}'.
Ani'-Kawi'ta — The Lower Creeks, from Kawi'tft or Coweta, their former principal
town on Chattah ihee river near the present Columbus, Georgia; the Upper
hooney] GLOSSARY 509
Creeks on the head streams of Alabama river were distinguished as Ini'-Ku'sa
q. v. \ small creek of Little Tennessee river above Franklin, in Macon
county, North Carolina, is ii"\v known as Coweeta creek.
Ani'-Kltu'hwagI— "Kltu'hwa people," fr KUu'hwS, (q. v.), an ancient Cherokee
settlement; for explanation see page 182.
Ani'-Ku'sfi or Ani'-Gu'sa— The Creek Indians, particularly the Upper Creeks on the
waters of Alabama river; singular, A-Ku'sH, from Kusa or Coosa (Spanish, Coca,
i !ossa i their principal ancient town,
Ani'-Knta'ui (also Ani'-Kwdta'rii, or, incorrectly, Nicotani)—a traditional Cherokee
priestly society or clan, exterminated in a popular uprising. Sec number ins.
anina'hili.lahi " creatures that fly about," from tslnai'tt, "I am flying," tstnd'ilidd'hH,
" I am flying about." The generic term for birds and flying insects.
Ani'-Na'tsl — abbreviated AninUH, singular A-Na'UH. The Natchez [ndians; from
coincidence with na'tsl, pine, the name has been incorrectly rendered "Pine
Indians," whereas it is really a Cherokee plural of the proper name of the
Natchez.
Anin'tsl- -see Ani'-NtitsL
Ani'-Nun'dawe'gl- -singular, NCun'd&vn '</<•' the Iroquois, more particularly the Seneca,
from N&ndawao, the name by which the Seneca call themselves. Adair spells it
Anantooeah. The tribe was also known as Ani'-SPnikH.
Aiii'-Saha'ni — one of the seven Cherokee clans; possibly an archaic form for " nine
people," from sa'ka'ni, sa'ka'nige'l, blue.
Ani'-Sa'nl, Ani'-Sawaha nl — ee Ini'-Sawdnu'gl.
Ani'-Sawanu'g) (singular Sawanv/gi) — the Shawano Indians. Ani'-Sa'nl and Ani'-
Sawahd'nl (see page 380) may be the same.
Ani'-Se'nika — see Ani'-Ntindiiwt '(ft.
anisga'ya — plural of asga'ya, man.
Anisga'ya Tsunsdi'(-ga) — "The Little Men"; the Thunder Boys in Cherokee
mythology. See numbers '■> ami 8.
Ani'sgaya'yl — " Men town" (?), a traditional Cherokee settlement on Valley river, in
Cherokee county, North Carolina,
anisgi'na — plural of asgi'na, q. v.
Ani'-Skala'll — the Tuscarora Indians; singular, Skal&'ti or A-SklU&'tt.
Ani'skwa'nl — Spaniards; singular, Askwa'nl
Ani'-Suwa'li, or Ani-'Suwa'la — the Suala, Sara, or Cheraw Indians, formerly about
the headwaters of Broad river, North Carolina, the Xuala province of the De
Soto chronicle, and Joara or Juada of the later Pardo narrative.
Ani'ta'gwa — the Catawba Indian-; singular, Ata'gviS or Tagwd.
Ani'-Tsa'guhf — a traditional Cherokee elan, transformed to hears i see number 75).
Swimmer's daughter hears the name 'I'yiii/i'ihi, which is not recognized as dis-
tinctively belonging to either sex.
Ani'-Tsa'lagi' — the Cherokee. See "Tribal Synonymy," page ls2.
Ani'-Tsa'ta — the Choctaw Indian-; singular, Tsa'ta.
Ani'-Tsi'ksn — the Chickasaw In. Hans; singular, TWksti,.
Ani'-Tsi'skwa — " Bird people; " one of the seven ( 'heiokee clans.
Ani'tsu'tsa — "The Boys," from ■itsu'txn, hoy; the Pleiades. See number hi.
Ani'-Wa'di — " Paint people"; one of the seven ( Iherokee clans.
Ani'-Wadiht' — "Place of the Paint people or clan"; faint town, a Cherokee settle-
ment On lower SOCO creek, within the reservation in Jackson and Swain coun-
ties. North Carolina. It takes its name from the Ani'-Wd'dX or Paint clan.
ani'wani'skl — the bugle weed, Lycopw virginicus; literally, "they talk" or "talk-
er-." in mi tsiwa'nihH, "I am talking," awanVtHil, "hi- talks habitually." See
number 26.
Ani'-Wasa'si — the Osage Indian-, singular, Wasa'st
510 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
Ani'-Wa''ya — "Wolf people"; the st important of the seven Cherokee clans.
Ani'-Yu'tsi — the Yuchi or Uchee Indians; singular Yu'tsl.
Ani'-Yufi'wiya' — Indians, particularly Cherokee Indians; literally "principal or real
people," from yunwl, person, yd, a suffix implying principal or real, and ani',
the tribal prefix. See pages 5 and 182.
Annie Ax — see SadayV.
Aquone — a post-office on Nantahala river, in Macon county, North Carolina, site of
the former Fort Scott. Probably a corruption of egwdni, river.
Arch, John — sec At&.
asa/gwalihu/ — a pack or burden; as&'gvidtlii!, or asd'gwl'lV, "there is a pack on him."
Cf sd'gwdW.
as£hl' — surely.
Ase/nika — singular of Ani'-Se/nik&. See Am'-Ntind&we'g't.
asga'ya — man.
Asga'ya Gi'gagel — the "Red Man"; the Lightning spirit.
asgi'na — a ghost, either human or animal; from the fact that ghosts are commonly
supposed to be malevolent, the name is frequently rendered "devil."
Asheville — see Kdsdu'yi and Unia'HyastVyl.
asl — the sweat lodge and occasional winter sleeping apartment of the Cherokee and
other southern tribes. It was a low-built structure of logs covered w:ith earth,
and from its closeness and the fire usually kept smoldering within was known to
the old traders as the "hot house."
a'siyu' (abbreviated sii/ii') — good; the common Cherokee salute; gd'svyu', "I am
good"; lni'xii/u'. " thou art good" ; d'siyu, "he (it) is good"; dstA, "very good"
(intensive!.
Askwa'nl — a Spaniard. See Ani'skwa'rit.
astu' — very good; dsttt ttiltet', very good, best of all. Cf d'siyu'.
Astu'gata/ga — A Cherokee lieutenant in the Confederate service, killed in 1862. See
page 170. The name may be rendered, " Standing in the doorway" but implies
that the man himself is the door or shutter; it has no first person; gatd'ga, "he
is standing"; stutt, a door or shutter; slnhi'i', a closed door or passage; stugi'sti,
a key, i. e. something with which to open a door.
asufi'tli, asuntlun'yi — a footlog or bridge; literally, "log lying across," from asi'ta,
log.
ata' — wood; ata/yd,, "principal wood," i. e. oak; cf. Muscogee iti, wood.
Ataga'hl — "Gall place," from a'tugu', gall, and !u, locative; a mythic lake in the
Great Smoky mountains. See number 69. The name is also applied to that
part of the Great Smoky range centering about Thunderhead mountain and
Miry ridge, near the boundary between Swain county, North Carolina, and
Blount county, Tennessee.
a'tagii'— gall.
AtiV-gul'kalu' — a noted Cherokee chief, recognized by the British government as
the head chief or "emperor" of the Nation, about 1760 and later, and commonly
known to the whites as the Little Carpenter (Little Cornplanter, by mistake,
in Haywood). The name is frequently spelled Atta-kulla-kulla, Ata-kullakulla
or Ata-culculla. It may be rendered "Leaning-wood," from at&', "wood" and
•li'ifkrtla a verb implying that something long is leaning, without sufficient
support, against some other object; it has no first person form. Bartram
describes him as "a man of remarkably small stature, slender and of a delicate
frame, the only instance I saw in the Nation; but he is a man of superior
abilities."
Ata'gwft — a Catawba Indian. See Ani'ta'gwd.
A'tahi'ta — abbreviated from A'tdhit&fi'yl, "Place where they shouted," from
gatd'hW, " I shout," and yl, locative. Waya gap, on the ridge west of Franklin,
mooney] GLOSSAR1 511
Ma i county, North Carolina, See number 13. The map name is probably
fnmi the Cherokee wa'ya, wolf.
Ata-kii.i.akii.i.a — see Atd '-gOitkaW.
ft'taMI— mountain ; in the Lower dialect d'ttirl, whence the "Ottare" or Upper
Cherokee of Adair. The form .;'/,.'. i- used only in composition; a mountain in
situ is dUMMy) or gatu'sX.
a/tall-gull' — "it climbs the mountain," i.e., "mountain-climber"; the ginseng plant,
iquefolium; from d't&tl, mountain, an. I gGXP, "it climbs" i habitually );
or tsW, "I am climbing." Also called in the sacred formulas, )<
Usdi', "Little Man." See number 126.
a'talulu' — unfinished, premature, unsuccessful; whence utalu'U, "it is not yet time."
Ata'lufiti'ski — a chief of the Arkansas Cherokee al i L818, who had originally emi-
grated from Tennessee. The name, i monly spelled Tollunteeskee, Taluntiski,
Tallotiskee, Tallotuskee, etc., denotes one who throws si une h\ m» object I'ri .n i a
place, as an enemy from a precipice. See number Kill for instance.
aVtarl — see <i'iali.
atasl' (or &t&8&', in a dialectic form) — a war club.
atatsun'skl — stinging; literally, "hestings" i habitually i.
A'tla/nuwa/— "Tla'nuwa hole"; the Cherokee name of Chattanooga, Tennessee, (see
Tsatdnu'gi) originally applied to a bluff on the south side of the Tennessee river
at the foot of the present Market street. See number 124.
A'tsI — the Cherokee name of John Arch, one of the earliest native writers in the
Sequoya characters. The word is simply an attempt at the English name Arch.
atsi'la — fire; in the Lower dialect, atsi'ra.
Atsil'-dihye'gl — "Fire Carrier": apparently the Cherokee name for the will-of-the-
wisp. See page 335. As is usually the case in Cherokee compounds, the verbal
form is plural ("it carries tires"); the singular form is akye'gi.
at>il'->un'tl (abbreviated M'-stmU) — fieabane (Eriycnm >;,,,,,<!, ,,,., i; the name sig-
nifies "material with which to make fire," from atsi'la, fire, and gas&fCtt,
(gaisufi'n or gall ini'ti), material with which to make something; from gas&fi'skfi
(or gatL6.fi' sh6), "I make it." The plant is also called ihyd'ga. See number 126.
Atsil'-tluntii'tsI — "Fire panther." A meteor or comet. See notes to number 9.
Atsi'la-wa'I — "Fire "; a mountain, s times known as Rattlesnake knob, about
two miles northeast of Cherokee, Swain county, North Carolina. See number
122.
a'tslna' — cedar; cf. Muscogee, achena or auchenau.
A'tsina'-k'ta'ufi — "Hanging cedar place"; from a'tsin&', cedar, and Uta6.fl, "where
it (long) hangs down"; a Cherokee name for the old Taskigi town on Little
Tennessee river in Monroe county, Tennessee. See number 105.
atsi'ra — see atsi'la.
AtsuiVsta'ti'yl (abbreviated Ats&fl'sta'ti') — "Fire-light place," (cf. atsil-surt/'l~i),
referring to the "fire-hunting" method of killing deer in the river at night. The
proper form for Chestatee river, near Dahlonega, in Lumpkin county, Georgia.
AXTAKtrLLAKCLLA — See AU'l -gill ' h'llii' .
awa' — Se.
awa'hlli — eagle; particularly Aquila ckryssetus, distinguished as the "pretty-feathered
eagle."
a'wl' — deer; also sometimes written and pronounced, ahawV; the name is sometimes
applied to the large homed beetle, the " flying stag" of early writers,
a'wl'-ahanu'lahl — goat; literally, "bearded deer."
a'wl'-akta' — "deer eye"; the Rudbeckia or black-eyed Susan,
a'wl'-ahyeli'skl — "deer mocker"; the deer bleat, a sort of whistle used by hunters
tn call the due by imitating the cry of the fawn.
512 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.
a'wI'-e'gwS (abbreviated aw-e'gxiiQ,) — the elk, literally "great deer.''
a'wi'-unade'na — sheep; literally "woolly deer."
A'wl' CJsdi' — " Little Deer"; the mythic chi( f of the Deer tribe. See number 15.
Ax, Annie — see SadayV .
Ax, John — see TUig&'nSM.
Aya'sta — "The Spoiler," from Isiyd'stihti, "I spoil it"; cf. uyd'i, bad. A prominent
woman and informant on the East Cherokee reservation.
aye'li — half, middle, in the middle.
Ayrate — see e'h'uJV .
Ayuhwa'sl — the proper form of the name commonly written Hiwassee. It signifies
a savanna or meadow and was applied to two (or more) former Cherokee settle-
ments. The more important, commonly distinguished as Ayuhwa'sl Egwd'hX oi
Great Hiwassee, was on the north bank of Hiwassee river at the present Savan-
nah ford above Columbus, in Polk county, Tennessee. The other was farther
up the same river, at the junction of Peachtree creek, above Murphy, in Chero-
kee county, North Carolina. Lanman writes it Owassa.
A'yun'inl — '•Swimmer"; literally, "lie is swimming," from gaijuninY, "I am swim-
ming." A principal priest and informant of the East Cherokee, died in 1899.
Ayulsu' — see liniii'ilxiiu'tfi.
Beaverdam — see Vy,gUd'gl.
Big-island — see Am&ye'l-e'gwa.
BlG-COVE — see Ki'i'hitu'itl't/t.
Big-mush— see GctMifl'wdH.
Big-witch — see TskU-i 'gwa.
Bird-town — set' Tsiskwd'hi.
Bloody-fellow — see Iskagua.
Blythe — see Diskwdnl.
Black-fox — see liui'1.1.
Boudinot, Ei. ias — see G&l&gi'na.
Bowl, The; Bowles, Colonel — see Dinu'l'i.
Brass — see UntsaiyV.
BRASSTI iWN — see Ilxi'i/1.
Breath, The — see Unli'hi.
Briertown — see K&nu'g&'ld'yt.
Buffalo (creek) — see YuumVI.
Bull-head — see Uskmalt 'na.
Butler, John — see Tsan'-uga'^UUi,
Cade's Cove — see Ts'nja'hl.
Canacaught — "Canacaught, the great Conjurer," mentioned as a Lower Cherokee
chief in 1HS4; possibly kawgwd'ti, the water-moccasin snake. See page 31.
CaNALY — see lii'ifiiul'li'i.
Canas ag i ' a — see ( !i'i nsd'gl.
( ' wnastion, Cannostee — see Kana'sta.
< !anug \ — see K&nu'ga.
Cartooga.ia — see Gain' 'gitse' ';/< '.
Cataluchee — see Gadalu'Ul.
Cauchi — a place, apparently in the Cherokee country, visted by Pardo in 1567 (see
page 29) . The name may possibly have some connection with Nacoochee or
Nagu'lsV, q. v.
Caun asaita — given as the name of a Lower Cherokee chief in 16S4; possibly for
Xiiiii'iNst'ln, "dogw 1" [Cornus florida) . .See page 31.
Chalaque — see TsU'layl, under "Tribal Synonymy," page 182.
GLOSSARY 513
CHATTANOOGA See /
CHA GA, < HATUGA -ir Tsutll'gl.
( Iheeow iii i see Tsiyd'kl,
tin i raki -it Ts&'l&gi, under "Tribal Synonymy," page 182.
Cheow \ -sci- Tsiyd'hi.
Cheowa M lximum — see Sehwalt 'ift.
Cheraqui — see Tsa'l&gl, under "Tribal Synonymy," page 182.
Cheraw— see Ani'-Suwa'U.
< in roeee — see Ts&'Mgl, under "Tribal Synonymy," page 182; also EM
Chestatee— see Atsufl'at&'ti'yt.
ChESTUA — sec Tsistu'fi).
Cheuconsene -si-f !>£' yu-gunsi'ni.
Cheulah — mentioned by Timberlake as the chief of Settacoo [Sl'tikd) in 1762. The
name may be intended for Isu'ld, "Fox."
( 'mi kiiniM see Tsl'kOma'gl.
Chilhowee— see Tsu'lufl'we.
< 'imiMi Tops — see Duni'skwa'lgAnl.
Chisca — mentioned in the De Soto narratives as a mining region in the Cherokee
country. The name may have a connection with T&i'skwa, "bird," possibly
ttiskwd'hl, " Bird plan'."
Cho \mka — see Tsistu'yl.
Chopped Oak — see Digalu'y&lun'yl.
ChOQI \ ll-sr Ttsd'tt.
Chota, Chotte — see Ttsd'tt.
ClTlCO — see S'i'tikiV.
Clear-sky — see Iskagua.
Clennuse — see Tlanusi'yl.
Cleveland — see Tsistetsi'yl.
Coca — see Ani'-Ku'sa.
Coco — see KnkiY.
Cohi'tta — see Gahu'Cl.
COLANNEH, Colon \ — see Kii'li'nll'l.
Con isauga — see G&nsd'gt.
CoNNEHoss — see K&wdn' -urd' SUflyl.
Coow eescoowee — see i • it 'wisguuV .
Coosa see Ani'-Ku'sa and Kusa'.
( 'cms uv ITEE — see Ku's&weti'yt.
Coram — see Kd'M-nu.
< '• ■: — \ — see Ani'-Ku'sa, Kusa.
Cowee' — see Kawi'yi.
Coweeta, Coweta — see Ani'-Kawi'tib.
Coyatee i variously spelled Cawatie, Coiatee, Coytee, Coytoy, Kai-a-tee) — A former
Cherokee settlement on Little Tennessee river, some ten miles below the junc-
tion of Tellico, about the present Coytee post-office in Loudon county. Tennessee.
The correct form and etymology are uncertain.
Creek-path — sec Ku'sH-n&nnd'Kt.
Crow-tow s — see Kdgufi'yt.
Cuhtahlatah — a Cherokee woman noted in the VVahnenauhi manuscript as having
distinguished herself by bravery in battle. The proper form may have some con-
nection with gatuft'MVt, "wild hemp."
Ci 1 1 vsagee — see Kulst 'tsi'yt.
CiLi.owiiEE. Corrahee — see Guldhi'yl.
Ccttaw i — see Kltu'hwS,.
19 ETH— 01 33
514 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [kth.aks.19
dSgan'tu — "he makes it rain"; from aga'skii, "it is raining," aga'nii, "it has begun
to rain"; a small variety of lizard whose cry is said to presage rain. Jt is also
called a/niganti'skl, "they make it rain" (plural form), or "rain-maker." See
number 59. "
dagufku — the American white-fronted goose [Anser albifrons gambeli). The name
may be an onomatope. See number <•.
dagu'nB — the fresh water mussel; also a variety of face pimples.
Daguiia'hi — "Mussel place," from dagtl'nQ., mussel, ami In, locative. The Muscle
shoals on Tennessee river, in northwestern Alabama. It was sometimes called
also simply Ihist&nal&n'yl, "Shoals place." Cf. iTstQma'U.
Oagu'nawe'lahf — "Mussel-liver place." from ilugu'in'i, mussel, uwe'ln, liver, and III,
locative; the Cherokee name for the site of Nashville, Tennessee. No reason
can now be given for the name.
Dahlonega — A town in Lumpkin County, Georgia, near which the first gold was
mined. A mint was established there in 1838. The name is from the Cherokee
dal&'nige'i, yellow, whence ate'lA-dald'nige'i, "yellow money," i. e., gold.
daks&wa'ihu — "he is shedding tears."
dakwa' — a mythic great fish; also the whale. See number 68.
Dakwa'I — "Dakwit place," from a tradition of Adtikwa' in the river at that point. A
former Cherokee settlement, known to the traders as Toqua or Toco, on Little
Tennessee river, about the mouth of Toco creek in Monroe county, Tennessee.
See number 68. A similar name and tradition attaches to a spot on the French
Broad river, about six miles above the Warm springs, in Buncombe county,
North Carolina. See number 122.
dakwa'nitlastestl — " I shall have them on my legs for garters" ; from ariMa'sCi { plural
tliiiilla'sll), garter; d-, initial plural; akwii, first person particle; and estt, future
suffix. See number 77.
da'liksta' — "vomiter," from dagik'siihH,', "I am vomiting," daliksla', "he vomits"
(habitually); the form is plural. The spreading adder (Heterodon), also some-
times called kwanMya/hd, a word of uncertain etymology.
1 >a''n;lgasta — iorDa''na wd-gdsta'ya , "SI iarp-\var," i.e. " Eager-warrior " ; a Cherokee
woman's name.
l>a''na\va-(a)sa'tsun'yT "War ford," from dafnaiDa, war, ami aadtxtfi/yi, a crossing-
place or ford. A ford on Cheowa river about three miles below Robbinsville,
in Graham county, North Carolina. See number 122.
Danda'ganu' — "Two looking at each other," from detsi'gtinu', "I am looking at
him." A former Cherokee settlement, commonly known as Lookout Mountain
town, on Lookout Mountain creek, near the present Trenton, Dade county,
Georgia. One of the Chickamauga towns (see TWk&ma'gi), so called on account
of the appearance of the mountains facing each other across the Tennessee river
at Chattanooga.
Da'si'giya'gl — an old masculine personal name, of doubtful etymology, but commonly
rendered by the traders "Shoe-boots," possibly referring to some peculiar style
of moccasin or leggin. A chief known to the whites as Shoe-boots is mentioned
in the Revolutionary records. Chief Lloyd Welch, of the eastern band, was
known in the tribe as Da'si'giya'gl and the same name is now used by the East
Cherokee as the- equivalenl of the name Lloyd.
Da'skwltun'yl — " Rafters place," from daskiott&fl'l, "rafters," and iii, locative. A
former settlement on Tusquittee creek, near Hayesville, in Clay county, North
Carolina.
dasuiVtall — ant; damn'Vdi atats&n/skl, "stinging ant," the large red cow-ant (Myr-
mical), also called sometimes, on account of its hard body-case, nO/H'yunu/vfl,
" stone-clad," after the fabulous monster. See number67.
Datle'yasta'I — "Where they fell down," a point on Tuckasegee river, a short dis-
tance above Webster, in Jackson county. North Carolina. For tradition see
number 122.
GLOSSARY .r)l")
i l:\t>i ;i traditional water monster. See number 122.
Datsi'yl — " Datsl place"; .1 place on Little Tennessee river, near the junction of
Eagle creek, in Swain county, North Carolina. See number 122.
Datsu'n&lasgufi'yl — " where there are tracks or footprints," from uld'sintifl'tfl or
uldsgtifl'y'l, footprint. Track [lock gap, near Blairsville, Georgia. Also some-
tirnes called /<. 'g&yi Uvn'hQ., "place of branded marks"; 1 digO.li tQ,n6.fl'hX, branded,
or printed 1. See number 125.
da'yl— beaver.
Dayulsufi'yl- " Place where they cried," a spot on the ridge at the- head of Tuckase-
gee river, in Jackson county, North Carolina; so called iron, an old tradition.
See number 80.
da'yuni'sl — "beaver's grandchild," from ddyl, beaver, and uni'til, son's child, of
either sex (daughter's child, either sex, uli'el). The water beetle or mellow
hug 1 Dhu uies discolor).
Degal'gun'yl a cairn, literally "Where they an- piled up"; a scries of cairns on
the south side of Cheowa river, in Graham county, North Carolina. See num-
ber 122.
De'gatA'ga— The Cherokee name of General stand Watie and of a prominent early
western chief known to the whites as Takatoka. The word is derived from
tsitd'gH, "I am standing," da'nitd'gA, "they are standing together," and conveys
the subtle meaning of two persons standing together and so closely unite. 1 in
sympathy as to form hut one human body.
De'gayelun'ha — see DcUsu'naldsgtifi'yl.
detsanun'll — an iuclosure or piece of level ground cleared for ceremonial purposes;
applied more particularly to tin- Green-corn dance ground. Tin- word has a
plural form, hut can not he certainly analyzed.
De'tsata — a Cherokee sprite. See number 7s.
detsinu'lahungu' — "I tried, hut failed."
■ Dida'laski'yi — "Showering place." In the story (number 17 j the name is understood
to mean •'The place where it rains tire." It signifies literally, however, the
place where it showers, or comes down, and lodges upon something animate
and has no definite reference to live {atsi'la) or rain {agiXshi, "it is raining");
degaldshA' ', "they are showering down and lodging upon him."
Dida'skasti'yl — "Where they were afraid of each other." A spot on Little Ten-
' river, near the mouth of Alarka creek, in Swain county, North Carolina.
See number 122.
diga'gwanl' — the mud-hen or didapper {Gallimda galeala). The name is a plural
form and implies "lame," or "crippled in the legs" (cf. detM/mgw&'vA, "I am
kneeling"), probably from the bouncing motion of the bird when in the water.
It is also the name of a dance.
Ihga'kati'yi — see Gakali'yi.
di'galungun'yi — "where it vise,-, or comes up" ; the east. The sacred term is Nfiftdd'yl,
q. v.
digalufi'latiyun — a height, one of a series, from gcMM'liiti, "above." See number I.
Digalu'yatufi'yi — "Where it is gashed (with hatchets)"; from tsilu'yd, "I am cut-
with a chopping stroke)," di, plural prefix, and ///, locative. The ('hopped
t lak, formerly east of Clarkesville, ( reorgia. See number 125.
Digane'sk! — "He picks them up" (habitually), from tslne'ii., "I am picking il up."
\ Cherokee Union soldier in the civil war. See page 171.
igel — the plural of gi'g&ge'i, red.
digu'lanahi'ta — for digti/ti-an&hi'la, "having long ears," "long-eared"; from .</»'.".
"ear" and g&nahi'ta, "long."
Dihyufi'dula' — "Sheaths." or "Scabbards"; singular ahyiifi'dvlA.', "a gun sheath."
or other scabbard. The probable correct form of a name which appears in Rev-
olutionary documents a.- " In too la. -.110111 Rod."
Mil MYTHS OK THE CHEROKEE [bth.asx.19
dikta'— plural otaktil', eye.
dlla' — skunk.
dilsta'yatl — "scissors" ; the water-spider (Dolomedes).
dinda'skwate'ski — the violet; the name signifies, "they pull eachother's heads off."
dine'tlana — the creation.
di'm'iskl — "the breeder"; a variety of smilax brier. See number 126.
Disga'gisti'yl — "Where they gnaw"; a i>lace on Cheowa river, in Graham county,
North Carolina. See number 122.
diskwa'nt — "chestnut bread," i.e., a variety of bread having chestnuts mixed with
it. The Cherokee name of James Blythe, interpreter and agency clerk.
distai'yl — '-'they are strong," plural of astai'yi, "strong, or tough." The Tephrogia
or devil's-shoestring. See number 126,
dista'stl — a mill (generic).
dita/stayeski — "a burlier," literally "one who ruts tilings" (as with a scissors), from
Isistit'i/i'i, ''1 cut," (as with a scissors). The cricket [lalu'ln) is sometimes so
called. See number 59.
Diwa^H — " Bowl," a prominent chief of the western Cherokee, known to the whites
as The Bowl, or Colonel Bowles, killed by the Texans in 1839. The chief men-
tioned on page 100 may have been another of the same name.
diya'hall (or duyd'hOtl ) — the alligator lizard (Sceloporue undvlatus). See number 59.
Diya'hali'yl — "Lizard place," from diyd'h&U, lizard, and yl, locative. Joanna bald,
a mountaii. at the head of Valley river, on the line between Cherokee and Graham
counties, North Carolina. For tradition see number 122; also number 59.
Double-head — see T&l-tgu' ghQ,' .
Dragging-caxoe — see Tsi'yu-gfoigi'rii.
Dudi'nVleksun'yl — " Where its legs were broken off " ; a place on Tuckasegee river,
a few miles above Webster, in Jackson county, North Carolina. See number 122.
Dugilu'yl (abbreviated Dugilu', and commonly written Tugaloo, or sometimes Too-
gelah or Toogoola) — a name occurring in several places in the old Cherokee
country, the best known being Tugaloo river, so called from a former Cherokee
settlement of that name situated at the junction of Toccoa creek with the main
stream, in Habersham county, Georgia. The word is of uncertain etymology,
but seems to refer to a place at the forks of a stream.
Duksa'I. Dukw'sa'I — The correct form of the name commonly written Toxaway,
applied to a former Cherokee settlement in South Carolina, and the creek upon
which it stood, an extreme head-stream of Keowee river having its source in
Jackson county, North Carolina. The meaning of the name is lost, although
it has been wrongly interpreted to mean "Place of shedding tears." See number
123.
DulastuiVyl — " Potsherd place." A former Cherokee settlement on Nottely river in
Cherokee county, North Carolina. See number 122.
dule'tsl — "kernels," a goitrous swelling upon the throat.
dulu'sl — a variety of frog found upon the headwaters of Savannah river. See number
125.
Duniya'ta'luiVyl — "Where there are shelves, or flat places," from aija'te'iu, Hat,
whence da/ydtaruxWH'V ', a shelf, and yV, the locative. A gap on the Great
Smoky range, near Clingman's dome, Swain county, North Carolina. See notes
to number 100.
Dunidu/lahuVyl — "Where they made arrows"; a place on Straight creek, ahead-
stream of Oconaluftee river, in Swain county, North Carolina. See number 122.
Duni'skwa'lgufi'I — the double peak known as the Chimney Tops, in the Great
Smoky mountains about the head of Deep creek, in Swain county, North Caro-
lina. On the north side is the pass known as Indian gap. The name signifies a
"forked antler," from uskmdlgu, antler, but indicates that the antler is attached
in place, as though the deer itself were concealed below.
GLOSSARY 517
Dti'stilyaliln'y) "Where ii made a noise a- of thunder or shooting," apparently
referring to a lightning stroke [detsiMya'hlhu, ■ I make a si ting, <>v tliun-
dering, noise," miirlit In- a first person form used by tin- personified Thundei
;.'"'! : a spot on rliwassee river, about the junction of SI ting creek, near Hayes
villc, in (.'lay county. North Carolina. A former settlement along the creek
bore tlu' same name. See imimiI.it 79.
ilu'stu' a species of frog, appearing very early in spring; the name is intended lor
an onomatope. It ii in the correct form of the nam.' of tin- chief noted by
VIcKenney and I [all as "Tooantnh or Spring Frog."
Dutch— see ZHtel".
duwe'gS — t lie sprint.' lizard. See number 59.
Eagle dance — see TsugiduW Uhgi'stt.
Eastinaulee see Wxttlna'li.
Echoee — see lise^yt.
K. Ill.l \ -IT ll.lli'll.
Eiia'lii " He goes about " (habitually); a masculine name.
Echota, New— see G&md'gt.
eda'ta — my father (Upper dialect) ; the Mi. I. lie ami Lower dialect form is agid&'tS,.
edu'tu — my maternal grandfather (Upper dialect); the Middle and Lower dialect
form is ai/idii'ln; cf rni'xi.
e'gwa — great; cf u'tdnu.
egwa'nl — river.
Egwanul'tl — "By the river, from egwd'nt, river, and nu'UUi or nuftt, near, beside.
The proper form of ( tconaluftee, the name of the river flowing through the East
Cherokee reservation in Swain and Jackson counties. North Carolina. The
Cherokee town, "Oconalufte," mentioned by Bartram as existing about I77"i,
was probably on the lower course of the river at the present Birdtown, on the
reservation, where was formerly a considerable mound.
ela — earth, ground.
e'ladl' — low. below; in the Lower dialect e'r&dl', whence the Ayrate or Lower
Cherokee of A. lair a- distinguished from the Ottare {d't&rl, d'tOM) or Upper
Cherokee
elanti — a son;; form for e'liidi, q. \
Elatse'yi (abbreviated El/Use') — possibly "Green (Verdant) earth," from eld, earth,
and itse'yl, green, fr fresh-springing vegetation. The name of several former
Cherokee settlements, commonly known to the whites as Ellijay, Elejoy or
Allagae. One of these was upon the headwaters of Keowee river in South Caro-
lina; another wa- on Ellijay creek of Little Tennessee river, near the present
Franklin, in Macon county. North Carolina; another was about the present Elli-
jay in Gilmer county, Georgia; and still another was on Ellejoy creek of Little
river near the present Marvville. in Blount county. Tennessee.
Klawa'.livi (abbreviated El&wd'di)—" Red-earth place" fromeM, earth, wddi, brown-
red or red paint, and y\ the locative. I. The Cherokee name of Yellow-hill
settlement, now officially known as Cherokee, the postoffice and agency head-
quarters for the East Cherokee, on Oconaluftee river in Swain county, North
Carolina. 2. A former council ground, known in history as Red ('lav, at the
site of the present village of that name in Whitfield county, Georgia, adjoining
the Tennessee line.
Ellijay — see EUUse'yt.
eni'sl — my paternal grandfather (Upper dialect); the Middle and Lower dialect
form is agini'st Cf. i du'tft
KsK OjCA SCI- IsK.M.lA.
EsTANAULA, ESTINAULA — see I '" -In ><,,' I , .
518 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.asn.-19
Etawa'hS.-tsistatla'skl "Deadwood-lighter," a traditional Cherokee conjurer. See
number 100.
i'tl, or eti — old, long ago.
Etowah — see I't&wti/.
EtsaiyI' — see UnUaiyV.
etsl' — my mother i Upper dialect I; the Middle and Lower dialect form is agitsl'.
EUHARLEE — See Ynli, i'Ii.
Feather dance — see Tsugidtilt, Ulagi'sU.
Fighting-town — see Wolds' -unAlslVyl.
Flax-toter— see T&Wdanigi'slit.
Fly i NG-SQUiiHtEL — see K&'lalvti/.
French Broad— see UnLa'HyaMi'yt.
Frogtowx — see Will, hi' in.
GadahrTu — the proper name of the mountain known to the whites as Yonah (from
iniiiii, "bear" ), or upper Chattahoochee river, in White county, Georgia. The
name has no connection with Tallulah (see Tahiln'), and can not be translated.
Gadalu'tsi — in the corrupted form of Cataluchee this appears on the map as the name
nl a peak, or rather a ridge, on the line between Swain and Haywood counties,
in North Carolina, and of a creek running down on the Haywood side into Big
Pigeon river. It is properly the name of the ridge only and seems to refer to a
" fringe standing erect," apparently from the appearance of the timber growing
in streaks along the side of the mountain; from waMlu'ydUi, fringe, gaaWtfi.,
"standing up in a row or series."
gahawl'sita — parched corn; improperly spelled wissacltzw by Hawkins. See note
under number 83.
Gahutl ( GahCiftH and Gwah&'Vl in dialectic forms) — Oohutta mountain, in Murray
county, Georgia. The name comes from i/nlu'ilii'i/i, "a shed roof supported on
poles," and refers to a fancied resemblance in the summit.
Gakati'yi — " Place of setting free" ; s. .met ii nes spoken in the plural form, Diga/k&ti'yi,
"Place of setting them free." A point on Tuckasegee river about three miles
above Bryson City, in Swain county, North Carolina. See number 122.
gaktun'ta — an injunction, command or rule, more particularly a prohibition or cere-
monial tabu. Tsit/ii'tc'i/i'i, "I am observing an injunction, or tabu"; adakte'gl,
"he is under tabu regulations."
Galagi'na — a male deer (buck) or turkey (gobbler) ; in the first sense the name is
sometimes used also for the large horned beetle (Dynastes lilyusf). The Indian
name of Elias Boudinot, first Cherokee editor. See page 111.
gali'sgisida/hu — I am dancing about; from gdli'sgid', "I am dancing," and eddhti,',
"I am going about."
galufikw'ti'yu — honored, sacred; used in the bible to mean holy, hallowed.
gah'uVlati — above, on high.
gane'ga— skin.
ganidawa'ski — the campion, catchfiy or "rattlesnake's master" {Silene si, Haiti ): the
name sigmnso it disjoints itself," from gatvAawCskt' it is urrj lntang itseli
on account of the peculiar manner in which the dried stalk breaks off at the
joints.
Gansa'gl (or G&nsdgiyl) — the name of several former settlements in the old Cherokee
country; it cannot be analyzed. One town of this name was upon Tuckasegee
river, a short distance above the present Webster, in Jackson county, North
Carolina; another was mi the lower part of Canasauga creek, in McMinn county,
Tennessee; a third was at the junction of Conasauga and Coosawatee rivers,
where afterward was located the Cherokee capital, New Echota, m Gordon
gloss Ma 5 19
county, Georgia; a fourth, mentioned in the De Soto narratives as Canasoga or
Canasagua, was located in 1540 on the upper Chattal Iiee river, possibly in
the neighborhood of Kenesau mountain, < ■ gia si
ti'v) "Robbing place," from txina'saliiiilsktY, "I am robbing him." Venge-
ance creek of Vallej river, in Cherokee county, North Carolina. The name
Vengeance was originally a white man'- nickname for an old Cherokee woman,
of forbidding aspect, who lived there before the Remo a ?ei number 122.
Ganse't) —a rattle; as the Cherokee dance rattle is made from a gourd the masculine
name, ' ranse'tl, i- usually rendered b) the w hites, " Rattling gourd."
gatayustt -the wheel and stick game of the southern tribes, incorrectly cal lei 1 h,i-
tecawaw by Timberlake. Sec note under nun
Gategwa for possibly a contraction of Igdt Gi wamp
(-thicket place." A high peak southeast from Franklin, Ma i county, North
Carolina, and perhaps identical with Fodderstack mountain. See number 75.
. i -//,;'.
Gatu'gitse'yl (abbreviated Gaiu'gitse') "New-settlement place," from gai
sgata'gt, town, settlement, ! hi, new, especially applied to new vegetation,
. tlic locative. A former settlement on Carto of Little Ten-
nessei rivi r, above Franklin, in Macon county, North Carolina.
Gatuti'yH — "Tow n-building place," or "Settlement place," f rom gatu'gl, a settlement,
and [ft, locative. A place on Santeetla creek, near Robbinsville, in Graham
county, North Carolina. See number 122.
Gatun'lti'yl — "Hemp plan-." from gat&n/Uiti, "wild hemp" {Apocyrm
num.), and yl, locative. A former Cherokee settlement, commonly known an
Hemptown, on the creek of the same name, near Morganton, in Fannin i nty,
irgia.
Gatun'wa'lf— a noted western Cherokee about 1842, known to the whites as " Hard-
mush" or "Big-mush." Gatufl'ivcCR, from ga'tV, "bread," and tinwuf'tt, "made
into balls or lumps," is a sori of mush of parched corn meal, made very thick,
so that it ran be dipped oul in lumps almosl of the consistency of bread
gel down stream, down the road, with the current; isd'gt, up stream.
geseTf- was; a separate word which, when used after the verb in the present tense,
makes it pasl tense without change of form: in the form hi'gesefl it usually
accompanies an emphatic repetition.
Ge'yagu'ga i for Ag> a formulistic name for the moon i nufi'dti?) ; it can-
not he analyzed, but seems t intain the word age'hyd, "woman." See al-o
dfif.
giga— blood; cf. gi'g&geft, red.
gi'ga-danegi'ski — " blood taker." from gigCi, bl I, and ada'negi'skX, "one who takes
liquid-." from tsi'negW, "I am taking it" (liquid). Another name forthetodm '«1
oi scorpion lizard. See number 59.
gi'gage'I— red, bright red. scarlet; the brown-red of certain animals and clays is
distinguished as u d'digt ' •
L'i'-ja-tsuha''li— "lil ly-mouth," literally, "havinglbl I on the corners of his
mouth": from gi'ga, 1 ■ 1 1. and tmili&n&nsi'yt, the corners of the mouth {dha'tt,
his mouth |. A large lizard, probably the Pleistodon. See number 59.
Lo'h' -dog; in the Lower dialect, ,
Gi'U'-dinehun'yl— " Where the dogs live," from ;///;'. dog they dwell"
,;!,,;, "I dwell" i. and yX, locative. A plaee on Oconaluftee river, a short
distance above Cherokee, in Swain county, North Carolina. See number I Hi'.
Gi'H'-utsun'stanufi'yl— " Where the dog ran," from gtW, dog, and ute&fi'st&nCuYyl,
" footprints made bj an animal running"; the Milky Way. See number 11.
ginunti — a song form for ginOflil', "to lay him (animate object) upon the '.'round."
See number 75.
520 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
gi'ri'— see gilt'.
Gisehftfi'yl — "Where the female lives," from agi'tf,, female, and yi, the locative.
\ place "ii Tuckasegee river, a short distance above Bryson City, Swain countv,
North Carolina. Sec number 122.
gitlu'— hair (Upper dialect) ; in the Middle and tower dialects, gitsu'.
gitsiV — see giilti'.
Glass, The— see Ta'gwadihi'.
Gohoma — A Lower Cherokee chief in ]tiS4; the form cannot be identified. See
page 31.
Going-ss IKK— see 1'iiildtinal.
Gorhalekf. — a Lower Cherokee chief in 1HS4; the form cannot be identified. See
page 31.
Great island — see Am&ye'l-e'gioa.
Gregory bald — see TsiMu'yt.
Guachoule — see Guaxule.
Guaquili ( WaMli) — a town in the Cherokee country, visited by Pe Soto in 1540, and
again in 1567 by Pardo, who calls it Aguaquiri (see pages 25 and 28). The name
may have a connection with waguW, "whippoorwill," or with u-)wd'gili,
"foam."
GUASULA — See Gl'AXULE.
Guasili — see Guaxule.
Guaxule — a town in the Cherokee country, visited by De Soto in 1540; variously
spelled in the narratives, Guasili, Guachoule, Guasula, Guaxule, Quaxule, etc.
It was probably about at Nacooehee mound, in White county, Georgia. It has
been suggested that the Spaniards may have changed the Indian name to resemble
that of a town in Spain. See pages 2r) and 194.
gi'i'daye'wu — "I have sewed myself together"; "I am sewing," talye'miS/; "I am
sewing myself together," gtidayeuriu. See number 31.
gugwg' (or i/ffwc') — the quail or partridge; the name is an onomatope.
gugwfi'-ulasula — "partridge moccasin," from gugwc' or g'gwi', partridge, and utasula,
moccasin or shoe: the ladyslipper (Oypripedium).
Gulahi'yl (abbreviated Ouhilii', or Gilrdhi', in the Lower dialect) — "GuUVhl place,"
so called from an unidentified spring plant eaten as a salad by the Cherokee. The
name of two or more places in the old Cherokee country; one about Currahee
mountain in Habersham county, Georgia, the other on Cullowhee river, an upper
branch of Tuckasegee, in Jackson county, North Carolina. Currahee Pick was
a noted chief about the year 1820.
i iu'lani'yi — a ( Iherokee and Natchez settlement formerly about the junction of Brass-
town creek with Hiwassee river, a short distance above Murphy, in Cherokee
county. North Carolina. The etymology of the word is doubtful.
mile' — acorn.
gulc'-diska'nihl' — the turtle-dove; literally, " it cries, or mourns, for acorns," from
i/i'lr', acorn, and diska'nihi', "it cries for them" (di-, plural prefix,-/)/, habitual
suffix). The turtle-dove feeds upon acorns and its cry somewhat resembles the
name. guW.
gule'gl — "climber," from tsilahY, "I climb" (second person, ht'lahV; third person,
gi'ilnli'i' i; the blacksnake {Bascanion conslrintor).
Gul'kala'skl — An earlier name for Tsunu'l&kCifl'sKl, q. v.
guTkwa'gl — seven; also the mole-cricket ( GryUotalpa) . See number 59.
gul'kw:"i'gine( -I — seventh ; ■ from ijuf kinh/i, seven.
Gulsadihl' (or GfiltxadiliV?) — a masculine personal name, of uncertain etymology.
Gl'MLOG — see Tsihihi'lii.
gunahi'ta — l"ii«_'.
> sf.^ GLOSSARY 521
Gft'nilhitftiVyl "Long place" i.e., Long vallej , from gdnHhitn, long, and »/7, loca-
tive. A former settlement, known to the whites as Valleytown, where 1 1 ■ ■ w i-
the town of the same name, on Valley river, in Cherokee county, North Carolina.
The various settlements on Valley river and the adjacent part of Hiwassee were
known collectively a- tin' "Valley towns."
i iitn'-dl 'gaduhufi'yl I abbreviated Giin'-dlgadu'hun i— "Turkej settlement" i gd'nd,
turkey), so called from the chief, Turkej or Little Turkey. A former settle-
ment, known to the whites as Turkeytov n, upon the west bank of Coosa river,
opposite the present < tenter, in t Iherok 'ounty, Alabama.
glYni' — arrow. Cf. Seneca ga'na1.
giin'nagel (or gtiil'n&ge) black.
( omne'hi see N&ilnS'h'i.
GOifiskSli'skl — a masculine personal name of uncertain etymology.
to STERS LANDING, Gl \ I'KHsv I I.I.K — srr h'n'.o'l- Xihlini'li'i.
Gfln-tsuskwa/'I'(— "Short arrows," from gtml', arrow, and t»uskiva/'ti, plural of
".</ara'/i, short; a traditional western tribe. See number 105.
< lunuiVda'le'gl — see Ntinnd'hl-dihV.
< ■ ti-t i ' a traditional Cherokee settlement on Tennessee river, near Kingston, Roane
county, Tennessee. See number 79. The name cannot be analyzed. Wafford
thought it a Cherokee attempt at "Kingston," but it seems rather to be abo-
riginal.
Gu'wisguwl' — The Cherokee name for the chief John Ross and for tin- district named
in his honor, conn ily spelled Cooweescoowee. Properly an onomatope for a
large bird said to have been seen formerly at infrequent intervals in the old
Cherokee country, accompanying the migratory wild geese, and described as
resembling a large snipe, with yellow legs and unwebbed feet. In boyhood John
Ross was known as Tsan'-iisdi', "Little John."
i rwai'g&'hl — "Frog place." from gwatgft, a variety of frog, and hi, locative. A place
on Hiwassee river, just above the junction of Peachtree creek, near Murphy, in
Cherokee county. North Carolina; about 1755 the site of a village of refugee
Natchez, and later of a Baptist mission.
gwehe'! — a cricket's cry. See number 11!'.
ha! — an introductory exclamation intended to attract attention or add emphasis;
about equivalent to Here! Now!
ha'-ina'ma' — a song term compounded of ha! an introductory exclamation, and
m&m&', a word which has no analysis, but is used in speaking to young children
to mean "let me carry yon on my hack." See number 117.
Hanging-maw — see Ushvd'li-ffd'tu.
ha'nia-lll'-lll' — an unmeaning dance refrain. See number 24.
IIaud-mish — see GatHn'wa I*.
ha'snyak' — a song form for hasuya'gl', "(thou) pick itout" (imperative); "I pick
it out. or select it." gn'myHgiH'; second person, ha'suy&gHt'. See number 1!).
ha'tlu — dialectic form, ga'tud, "where'" i interrogative).
ha'wive'ehr, ha'u iye'-hyuwe' — unmeaning dance refrains. See numbers 32 and 1 18.
hayu' — an emphatic affirmative, about equivalent to "Yes, sir!" See number ll">.
hayuya'haniwa' — an unmeaning refrain in one of the bear songs. See number 75.
he-e! — an unmeaning song introduction.
1 1 1: \i i •-< akriek — see TdWdam
HeMPTOWS — see GttUlnli't'l/i.
hi! — unmeaning di • exclamation.
hi'gtna'lil — "(you are) my friend"; agina'lil, "(he is) my friend." In white
man's jargon, canaty.
522 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [bth.
IIu kory-log — see IVaiu '-as&fl'tli
Hightower — see Ft&tcG '.
hfla'gu? -how many? how much? (Upper dialect); the Middle dialed form is
liiui'iti' .
hilahi'yu — long ago; the final yu makes it more emphatic,
hi'lufinn — "(thou i %;•• to sleep"; from tst'lihu', " I am asleep."
hi'skl — five; cf. Mohawk wish. The Cherokee numerals including 10 are as follows:
sd'gwu, ii'i'li, tsri'T. ntin'g], lil'skl, tu't&H, g&Ckwd'gl, tsune'la, saflve'la, askd'lti.
Hiwassee — see Ayuhwa'it.
hi'yagu'wS— an unmeaning dance refrain. See number 32.
Urn ston', Sum el see Kd'Umd.
hungft' — scr Ktta'gHt.
huhu — the yellow-breasted chat, or yellow mockingbird (lcleria uirens); tlie name is
an onomatope. See number 45.
huiiyahu'ska — "he will die."
hwl'lahi'— "tin hi i must I go."
igagu'tl — daylight. The name is sometimes applied to the iriunsiYtt (q. v.), and also
to the clematis vine.
i'hya — the rani' reed (Arundinaria) of the Gulf states, used by the Indians for blow-
guns, fishing rods, and basketry.
ihya 'ga — se( i atsil 's& titi.
i'naiUV — snake.
I'nadu-nal — "Going-shake," a Cherokee chief prominent about eighty years ago.
The name properly signifies that the person is "going along in company with a
snake," the verbal part oeing from the irregular verb askt/1, "I am going along
with him." The name has been given to a district of the present Cherokee
Nation.
i'nagS'hl — dwelling in the wilderness, an inhabitant of the wilderness; from i 'n> %
"wilderness," and Shi, habitual present form of fln'i, "he is dwelling"; /•'/(,
"I am dwelling."
['nage-utasiuVhl — "He who grew up in the wilderness," i.e. "He who grew up
wild"; from i'ndge% "wilderness, unoccupied timber land." and utdstifl'M, the
third person perfect of the irregular verb, ga'tiffiskCi/ , "I am growing up."
Ina'll — Black-fox; the common red fox is tsn/'ln (in Muscogee, chula). Black-fox
was principal chief of the Cherokee Nation in 1810. See page 86.
Iskagua — "Iskagua or Clear sky, formerly Nenetooyah or the Bloody-Fellow."
The name appears thus in a document of 1791 as that of a Cherokee chief fre-
quently mentioned about that period under the name of "the Bloody Fellow."
In one treaty it is given as "Eskaqua or Bloody Fellow." Both forms and
etymologies are doubtful, neither form seeming to have any reference either
to "sky" (gQMin'lSM) or "bl 1" [gi'ga). The lir>t may be intended for
//,-.';//r,/, "Great-day." See page 69.
Istanait — see I ''stilna'tt.
I'su'nigu — an important Cherokee settlement, commonly known to the whites as
Seneca, formerly on Keowee river, about the mouth of ( 'onneross creek, in i leo-
nee county, South Carolina. Hopeweli, the country seat of General Pickens,
where the famous treaty was made, was near it on the east side of the river. The
word cannot be translated, bin has n nnection with the tribal name, Seneca.
Itaba — see Ftiiuti '.
Itagu'nahi — the Cherokee name of John Ax.
I'tawiV— The name of one or more Cherokee settlements. One, which existed until
the Removal in 1838, was upon Etowah river, about the present Hightower, in
Forsyth county Georgia. Another may have been on Hightower creek of
GLOSSARY 523
--.■■■ river in Towns county, Georgia. The name, commonly written
Etowah ami corrupted to Hightower, cannol l> I and seems not to be
of < Cherokee origin. \ town called [taba, Ytaua or Ytava in the DeSoto chron-
ed in L540 among the Creeks, apparently on Uabama river.
Itsa'tl — commonly spelled Bchota, Chota, Chote, < ihoquata (misprint), etc; a name
occurring in several places in the old Cherokee country: the meaning is lost.
The most important settlement of this name, frequently distinguished as Great
Echota, was on the south side of Little Tennessee river a short distauci
> creek in VIon roe county, Tennessee. It was the ancient capital and sacred
■■ peace town" of the Nation. Little Echota was on Sautee (i. e., IM't
a head stream of the Chattah u I larkesville, Georgia. New Echota,
pital of the Nation foi some years before the Re val, was established at
i originally known a- i ,, ... at the junction of the Oostanaula
and Conasauga rivers, in Gordon county, Georgia. It was sometimes called
Newtown. The old Macedonia mission on Soco creek, of the North Carolina
reservation, is also known as Itsa'tl to the Cherokee, as was also the great
Nacoochee mound. See Nagn !
New green plan" or "Place of fresh green," from itsi 'hi, "green or unripi
egetation," and yl, the locative; applied more particularly to a tract of ground
made green by fresh-springing vegetation, after having been cleared of timber or
burned over. A name occurring in si .Mia I places in the old Cherokee country,
isly written Echia, Echoee, Etchowee, and sometimes a No falsely rendered
"Brasstown," from a confusion of Itsi/yl with CnliaiyV, "brass." One settle
ment of this name was upon Brasstown creek of Tugaloo river, in Oconee county,
South Carolina; another was on Little Tennessee river near tin- present Franklin,
Macon county, North Carolina, and probably about the junction of Cartoogaja
Galug-Hsi 'yl I creek; a third, known to the whites as Brasstown. was on upper
Brasstown creek of Hiwassee river, in Towns county, Georgia. In Cherokee as
.-i other Indian languages no clear distinction is made between green and
Line i.«i'/.'n'./..
i'ya — pumpkin.
iya'-iyu'stl — "like a pumpkin," from lya and iyu'nd, like.
iva'-taw i'skav'e — "of pumpkin smoothness.'' from i'yn, pumpkin, and Ub,vsi' 'singe,
5; til.
JACKSON — see 7s< kfslnV.
Jessan- -
.in, see Tsi'sl-Ska'tsi.
Joanna bald — ee Diyd'hali'yl.
Joara, Jcada— see -1".' Suwa'tt.
John — ee / a'lii.
John A \ — ee It&g&'n&hi.
Jolly, John — ee Ahu'lude'gi.
J[\\n-K. —see TsanH'laMtfi'gki.
n .w ; the name is an onomatope.
i io» place," from k&'gti', crow and yl, locative. See number 6:?.
ka'i -grease, oil.
Kala'asufi'yl — " Where he fell off," from liUa'&ikdf, " I am fallingoff," and yl, loca-
tive. A cliff near Cold Spring knob, in Swain county, North Carolina.
K&'lahft' — " All-bones," from kd'Ut, bone. A former chief of the East Cherokee.
also known in the tribe as Saw&nu'gi (Shawano), and to the whites as Sawn
6 ■ |uirrel.
524 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.asn-.19
Kiilniiu—" The Raven " ; Hie name was used as a war tide in the tribe and appears
in the old documents as Corani (Lower dialect, Kd'rtinfi) Colanneh, Colona, etc;
It is the Cherokee name for General Samuel Houston or for any person named
Houston.
Ka'lilnu Ahyeli'ski— the Raven Mocker. Sec number 120.
Ksi'lanuii'yl — " Raven place," from kd'lS/nu, raven, and yi, the locative. The proper
name "l Big-cove settlement upon the East Cherokee reservation, Swain county,
North Carolina, sometimes also called Raventown.
kalas'-gunahi'ta "long-hams" {gUvAM'tn, "long"); a variety of bear. See num-
ber 15.
Kiil-detsi'yufiyi — " Where the bones are,'' fr hi'i'lii, bone, and detgi'y&nyi, " where
(//?) they (ill — plural prefix) are lying." A spot near the junction of East
Buffalo creek with Cheowa river, in Graham county, North Carolina. See
number 122.
kania'ma — butterfly.
kama'mS u'tanu — elephant; literally "great butterfly," from the resemblance of the
trunk and ears to the butterfly's proboscis and wings. See number 15.
kanahe'na — a sour corn gruel, much in use among the Cherokee and other southern
tribes; the tumfuU or " Tom Fuller" of the Creeks.
kanane'ski — spider: also, from a fancied resemblance in apjiearance, a wateh or clock;
ki'iiidm'xh'i niin'tiii'li'i, the water spider.
Kana'sta, Kanasti'iii'vi — a traditional Cherokee settlement formerly on the head-
waters of the French Broad river near the present Brevard, in Transylvania
county, North Carolina. The meaning of the name is lost. A settlement called
Cannostee or Cannastioii is mentioned as existing on Iliwassee river in 177H.
See number si' and notes.
kana'talu'hl — hominy cooked with walnut kernels.
Kana'tT— " Lucky Hunter"; a masculine name, sometimes abbreviated Kaiml'. The
word can not We analyzed, hut is used as a third person habitual verbal form to
mean "he is lucky, or successful, in limiting"; the opposite is u'hua'lf.gtt,
"unlucky, or unsuccessful, in hunting." See number :;.
kanegwa'tl — the water-moccasin snake.
Kflnu'ga — also written Canuga; a Lower Cherokee settlement, apparently on the
waters of Keowee river in South Carolina, destroyed in 1761; also a traditional
settlement on Pigeon river, probably near the present Waynesville, in Hay-
wood county, North Carolina. SeenuniherSI and notes. The name signifies "a
scratcher," a sort of 1 '-toothed comb with which hall-players are scratched
upon their naked skin preliminary to applying the conjured medicine;
de'tsinuga'sh't, "1 am scratching it."
kauugiVla (abbreviated migfYia) — " scratcher," a generic term for the blackberry,
raspberry, ami other brier hushes. Cf. K&nu'ga.
Kaiiu'gu'luyl, or Kanu'gu'lun'y! — " Brier place," from h'tmnjiY la, brier (cf. Kanu'ga ) ;
a Cherokee settlement formerly on Nantahala river, about the mouth of Brier-
town creek, in Macoi unty. North Carolina.
kani'nVnawu' — pipe.
Kasdu'vi — "Ashes place," from hUdu, ashes, and yi, tin- locative. A modern ( Ihero-
kee name for the town of Asheville. in Buncombe county. North Carolina.
The ancient name for the same site is Vntn'kiyasti'yi, q.v.
Katal'sta — an East Cherokee woman potter, the daughter of the chief Yanagufi'skl.
The name conveys the idea of lending, from Myaldl'stil, " I lend it": agatdl'std,
"it is lent to him."
Kawan'-ura'sunyl (abbreviated Ktiwdn'-urd'xufi in the bower dialect) — "Where the
duck fell" from /.ami'iia, duck, urd's/i (idd'*&), "it fell," and lit, locative A
QLOSSARY 525
point on Conneross creek I from K&iedii'-urtVsi'tn I, near Seneca, in Oconee i nty,
South Carolina. See number 123.
Kawi'yi (abbreviated Knwi') -a former important Cherokee settle nt, commonly
known as C.wcc. about tin- mouth of Cowee creek of Little Tennessee river, some
in miles belov Franklin, in Macon county, North Carolina. The na may
possibly It a contraction of Ani'-Kawi'yl, " Place of the Deer clan."
K n i >>\ in i see K eoweb.
K exes i« see (idnx&'gi.
Keowee — the name of two or more former Cherokee settlements. One, sometimes
distinguisherl as "< > 1 • I Keowee," the principal of the Lowert Iherokee tow ns, was
on the ri\cr ol the same name, near the present Fort < ieorge, in Ocoi county,
South Carolina. Another, distinguished as Nev Keowee, was on the headwaters
of Twelve-mile creek, in Pickens county, s< mth ( !arolina. According to Wafford
the correct form is Knwdhi'ifi, abbreviated Kuwdhi', "Mulberry-grove place";
says Wafford, "The whites murdered t lie name, as they always do." Cf. Kuwd'hl.
Ke'sl-ka'g&mu — a woman's name, a ( Jherokec rruption of < 'assie < loekram; hi'g&mti
is also the Cherokee corruption for " cucumber."
K et< >< >w ,\ n — set- Kvn 'h wft .
Kittowa — see tCttu/hwd.
KTtu'hwfl — An important ancient Cherokee settlement formerly upon Tuckasegee
river, and extending from above the junction of ' Iconaluftee down nearly to the
present Bryson City, in Swain county, North Carolina. The name, which
appears aN.. as Kettooah, Kittoa. Kittowa, etc., has lost its meaning. The
people of this and the subordinate settlements on the waters of the Tuckasegee
wen- known as Ani'-KV.u'hwag\ and the name was frequently extended to include
the whole tribe. Fortius reason it was adopted in later times as the name ol
the Cherokee seeret organization, commonly known to the whites as the Ketoo-
wah Society, pledged to the defense of Cherokee autonomy. See also historical
notes 1 and 47.
kiyu'ga — ground-squirrel; /<'»,,, flying squirrel; sSM'U, gray squirrel.
Klausuna — see Tlanusi'yl.
Knoxville — see Kuwandd'td'liin'yl.
kn!— an introductory exclamation, to tix attention, about equivalent to " .Yen/"
kuku/ — '" cymling"; also the "jigger weed," or " pleurisy root"! Asclepiax tub* rom i.
Coco creek of Hiwassee river, and Coker postoffice, in Monroe county, Ten-
fjssee, derive their name from this word.
Kiilsetei yi (abbreviated Kfihe'isri) -"Honey-locust place," from ktifoe'tsl, honey-
locust til, o. ..irlii.i i and i/J, locative; as the same word. k&lxe'Uii, is also used
for "sugar." the local name has commonly been rendered Sugartown by the
traders. The name of several former settlement places in the old Cherokee
country. One was upon Keowee river, near the present Fall creek, in Oconee
county. South Carolina; another was on Sugartown or Cullasagee [Kuhe'lxi)
.■reek, near the present Franklin, in Macon county, North Carolina; a third was
on Sugartown creek, near the present Morgantpn, in Fannin uity, Georgia.
Klnnesee — see Tsi'yu-g&nxi'ril.
Kunstutsi'vi — "Sassafras place," from k&nsl&'tsl, sassafras, and >/?, locative. A gap
in the Great Smoky range, about the head of Noland creek, on the line between
North Carolina and Sevier county, Tennessee.
kunu'nu (abbreviated ki'iimn' i — the bullfrog; the name is probably an onoinatope;
the common green frog is wnld'si and there are also name- for several other
varieties of frogs am! toads.
Kusa' — Coosa creek, an upper tributary of Xottely river, near Blairsville, Union
county. Georgia. The change or accent from Ku'sH ' reek Ani'-lin'xu)
makes it locative. See page 383
526 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
Ku'sa-nunna'hl — "Creek trail," from Ku'sO., Creek Indian, ami nitftnd'M, path,
trail; cf. Suwd'ti-nHalnd'lA. A former important Cherokee settlement, includ-
ing also a dumber of (.'recks and Shawano, where the trail from the Ohio region
to the < 'reek country crossed Tennessee river, at the present Guntersville, in Mar-
shall county, Alabama. It was know n to the traders as Creek-path, and lateras
Gunter's landing, from a Cherokee mixed-blood named Gunter.
Ku'saweti'yl (abbreviated Ku'sHweti') — "Old Creek place," from Ku'sti, a Creek
Indian (plural AnV- Ku'sa) , uwe'ti, old, and y% locative. Coosawatee, an
important Cherokee settlement formerly on the lower part of Coosawatee river,
in Gordon county, Georgia. In one document the name appears, by error,
Tensawattee. See page 3S2.
KuwA'hl — "Mulberry place," from ku'wd, mulberry tree, and hi, locative; Cling-
man's dome, about the head of Deep creek, on the Great Smoky range, between
Swain county, North Carolina, and Sevier county, Tennessee. See also Keowee.
Kuwanda'ta'lufi'yl (abbreviated Kuwandd'tciMlfl) — "Mulberry grove," from kn'na,
mulberry; the Cherokee name for the present site of Knoxville, in Knox county,
Tennessee.
Kwa'll, Kwaliifi'vl — Qualla or Quallatown, the former agency for the East Cherokee
and now a postoffice station, just outside the reservation, on a branch of Soco
creek, in Jackson county, North Carolina. It is the Cherokee form for " Polly,"
and the station was so called from an old woman of that name who formerly
lived nearby; Kwa'U, "Polly," Kwai&fl'yt, "Polly's place." The reservation is
locally known as the Qualla boundary.
kwandaya'hu — see da'tihgtQ/.
la'lu — the jar-fly (Cicada auletes). See number 59.
Little Carpenter, Little Cornplanter — see AUV-giit knh'i' .
Lloyd — see Da'sigiya'gi.
Long-hair — a Cherokee chief living with his band in Ohio in 1795. See page ''■>.
The literal Cherokee translation of "Long-hair" is GMti'-gtimVii'ia, but it is not
certain that the English name is a correct rendering of the Indian form. Cf.
Ani'-<lil<i'hi.
Long island — see Am&yeVt-gtm&hi'ta.
Lookout Mountain town — see Danda/g&TvG.'.
Lowrey, Major George — see Agftt:
Mayes, J. B. — see TsiVwa Gal/ski.
Memphis — see Tsudd't&leg&n'yl
Mialaquo — see Ammie'l-e'gvn.
Morgan — see Agangtd'ta.
MoSEi — see HVi'.si.
Moytoy — a Cherokee chief recognized by the English as "emperor" in 1730. Both
the correct form and the meaning of the name are uncertain; the name occurs
again as Moyatoy in a document of 1792; a boy upon the East Cherokee reserva-
tion a few years ago bore the name of Ma'tayl', for which no meaning can be
given.
Muscle shoals — see lhigiY ndhl.
NaCOOCHEE — see Xn'git 'tsi' '.
Na'du'li' — known to the whites as Nottely. A former Cherokee settlement on Not-
tely river, close to the Georgia line, in Cherokee county, North Carolina. The
name cannot be translated and has no connection with ndtuli, "spicewood."
Nagu'tsi' — a former important settlement about the junction of Soquee and Santee
rivers, in Naeooehee valley, at the head of Chattahoochee river, in Habersham
county, Georgia. The meaning of the word is lost and it is doubtful if it be of
GLOSSARY 527
Cherokee origin. It may havi tion with tin- name of the Uehei
[ndians. The great mound farther up Sautee river, in White county, was know n
to the Cherokee as Tted'tl, q. v.
nakwlsf (abbreviated star; also the meadow lark.
nakuisi' usdi' — "little star"; the puffball fungus Lycoperdori!).
Na'na-tlu'gun'yl (abbreviated Nd'nd-tlu'glih'', or Nd'nA-lsu Spruce-tree
place," from nd'nd, spruce. tlu'gdR"! or tsug&fl'X, a tree (standing) andt/2, locative.
1. A traditional ancienl Cherokee settlement on the site of Jonesboro, Washing-
ton county. Tennessee. The name of Nolichucky river is probably a corruption
of the same word. 2. NdnA-tsugAft, a place on Nottely river, close to its junc-
tion with Hiwassee, in Cherokee county, North Carolina.
Xaxehi — see Xi'ifnit'lr,.
N kXTAH M ,.\ — st-c Ntiitdi
Nashville — sec Dagft'ndwi 'Idhl.
N 4TCHE2 — sec A in'- \<i l-f .
Na'ts-asun'tlufiyi (abbreviated Na'is-as&ii'Miil) — " Pine-footlog place," from nri'lsl,
pine asuil'tl} or asfintldn'1, footlog, l>rid'_'e. ami //;. locative. A former Chero-
kee settlement, commonly known as Pinelog, on the creek of the same name,
in Bartow county, Georgia.
na'tsl — [line.
na'tslkii' — "I eat it" (tei'fcifi', "I am eating" I.
na'tu'll — spicewood i Lindera benzoin
Nay e '111 — see Xn'nii'h',.
Nayixiwi — see N&nyunu'u ?.
nehanduyanu' — a song form for nehadu'yanH', an irregular verbal form denoting
"conceived in the womb." See number 75.
Nki i ww.rmii — given as the name of a Lower Cherokee chief in 1684. Sec page 31.
Tin' correct form and meaning are both uncertain, but the final part seems to be
the common suffix dihV, "killer." Cf. Ta'gw&diM'.
N I SI 5 Ul — Sec IsK \(.l \.
3SEE — sec Xl'kirasi'.
Nettecawaw — see gatayti'sti.
Nettle-carrier — see Tdle'danigi'skl.
\ru l.i lioTA. Newtown — see Itsd'ti.
NlCKAJACK — see S'lknls, './;.
Nn i 'i ini— see Ani'-Kula'tii
NlkwasI' i or Nikiv'sV) — an important ancient settlement on Little Tennessee river,
where now is the town of Franklin, in Macon county. North Carolina. A large
mound marks the site of the townhouse. The name appears in old documents
as Nequassee, Nucassee, etc. Its meaning is lost,
NYkutse'gl (also N&kdtse'gt, Nikwdtse'gt, or abbreviated Nlkutseg') — Nickajack, an
important Cherokee setth ment about 1790 on the south bank of Tennessee rivet
at the entrance of Nickajack creek, in Marion county. Tennessee. One of the
five Chickamauga towns (see Ttilk&ma'gl). The meaning of the word is lost and
it is probably not oi Cherokei origin, although it occurs also in the tribe as a
man's name. In the corrupted form of "Nigger .lack," it occurs also as thi
name of a creek of Cullasagee river above Franklin, in Macon county. North
Carolina.
NlLAQUE — see Amdye'l-t 'girii.
Nolichucky — ee A<
Notcht — a creek entering Tellico river, in Monroe county, Tennessee. The name
evidently refers to Natchez Indian refugees, who formerly lived in the vicinity
see Ani'-A
Nottely — see Xa'dltll'.
528 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.an.\.19
nu — used as a suffix to denote "and," or "also"; u'li-nu, "and also"; na'ski-nti.',
"and that," "that also."
NUCASSEE — sec NtfavtiM'.
nu'dufinehV — he did x<> mul *<,,- an irregular form apparently connected with the
archaic forms adHnni'ga, "it lias just become si>," and udO/nmOf, "it is matured, or
finished." See number U.S.
nufi'da' — the sun or moon, distinguished as nufl'dH' igifhX, "nUil'dd' dwelling in the
day," and n&fl'dti,' s&nnd'yihi, " n&WdA' dwelling in the night." In the sacred
formulas the moon is sometimes called Gey&gu'ga, q. v., or Su't&lidihV, "Six-
killer," names apparently founded upon myths now lost.
nufi'da'-dika'nl — a rare bird formerly seen occasionally in the old Cherokee country,
possibly the little blue heron (Floridtii cerulea). The name seems to mean "it
looks at the sun," i. e. , "sun-gazer," from n&fl'dQ/, sun, and du'ku'na' or
detsi'kanO,, "I am looking at it." See number 35.
NCuVdagun'yl, Nunda'yJ — the Sun land, or east; from nufi'dd/, sun, and »/7, locative.
Used in the sacred formulas instead of dl' ' gS.ltfigtLfi'yl, "where it rises," the
common word.
Nuii'daye'll — "Middle (i. e. Noonday) sun," from nCuUdQ.', sun and aye CI, middle;
a former Cherokee settlement on Nantahala river, near the present Jarrett
station, in Macon county. North Carolina, so called from the high cliffs which
shut out the view of the sun until nearly noon. The name appears also
as Nantahala, Nantiyallee, Nuntialla, etc. It appears to have been applied
properly only to the point on the river where the cliffs are most perpendicular,
while the settlement itself was known as Kaau'guld'y'i, "Briertown," q. v. Set-
number 122.
Nugatsa'nl — a ridge sloping down to Oconaluftee river, below Cherokee, in Swain
county, North Carolina. The word is an archaic form denoting a high ridge
with a long gradual slope. See number 122.
nun'gl' — four. See hl'skl.
nugu'la — see k&nugula.
Nuhxayie — see Ndnni'ht.
nu'na — potato; the name was originally applied to the wild "pigpotato" {Phaseolus),
now distinguished as nu'na igdlehl, "swamp-dwelling potato."
Nundawe'gl — see Ani'-Nwidawe'gt.
nuiina'hl (abbreviated ntiilnd) — a path, trail or road.
Nufina'hl-dihl' (abbreviated Xau'nd-tUhl') — "Path-killer," literally, "He kills
(habitually) in the path," from ni'tu'ndhl, path, and ahiliY, "he kills" (habit-
ually); "I am killing," txi'ilu)'. A principal chief, about the year 1813.
Major John Ridge was originally known by the same name, but afterward took
the name, Gunun'da'k'gl, "One who follows the ridge," which the whites made
simply Ridge.
Nunna'hi-tsune'ga (abbreviated) XuH.nd-tmiiL>'ya — "White-path," from n&flnd'hl,
path, and tsune'ga, plural of une'ga, white; the form is in the plural, as is
common in Indian names, and has probably a symbolic reference to the "white"
or peaceful paths spoken of in the opening invocation at the Green corn dance.
A noted chief who led the conservative party about 1828. See pages 113, 132.
Nunne'hl (also Guniie'Ii'i; singular NayPhl) — a race of invisible spirit people. The
name is derived from the verb WMif, "I dwell, 1 live," r'lu', "I dwell habitu-
ally," and may be rendered "dwellers anywhere," or "those who live any-
where," but implies having always been there, i. e., "Immortals." It has been
spelled Nanehi and Nahnayie by different writers. The singular form Nay&'hl
occurs also as a personal name, about equivalent to Edd'hl, "One who goes
about." See number 78.
Miw-iiyu'stl — "potato-like," from rni/nn, potato, ami iyu'stt, like. A flowering vine
with tuberous root somewhat resembling the potato. See number 126.
m i isi ■: ! GLOSS \KV 529
niiiiyu' — rock, stone. CI. ndyii, sand.
Nuiiyu'-gunwani'skl— "Rock thai talks." from n&flyli,', rock, and tsiwa'nikH, "I am
talking." A rock from which Talking-rock creek of Coosawatee river in
i Georgia derives its name. Sec number 125.
Xun'yunu'wl contracted from NtiflyA-unu'vit. "Stone-clad," from n&ilyli, rock.
and agw&nu'vfd, "1 am clothed or covered." A mythic- monster, invulnerable
by reason ol his stony skin. See number 67. The name is also applied - e-
times to the stinging ant, das&fUdli atatt&nsM, q. v. It has also been
Nayunuwi.
Xunyu'-thi guilt (or NAfiyA-tsugHill) — "Tree rock." A notable rock on Hiwassee
river, just within the Ninth Carolina line. See number 66 and notes,
Nufiyu'-tawi'skS "Slick rock," from niniiiii', rock, and t&uriskA, smooth, >lick; the
form remains unchanged for the locative. 1. Slick-rock creek, entering Little
Tennessee river jnsi within the west line of Graham county. North Carolina.
2. A place at the extreme head of Brasstown creek of Hiwassee river, in Tofl QS
county, Georgia.
Ocoee — see Uwag&'hX.
Oconaluftee — see EgwdnvZCt.
Oconee — see Vkuu'iii'i.
Ocoxostota — see Aganstd'ta.
Old Tassel — see IM/dstUQ,'.
OOLTEWAH — see I 'Itnin'-i.
OOLUNSADE — see UKmS&'tt.
( losTANALLA See V St&W'tl.
' ins i in \leii — see Usl&na'K.
( ionic aloga — see Uy'git&'gi.
Otacite, Otassite — see Outacity.
Otari, Otariyatiqtj] — mentioned as a place, apparently on the Cherokee frontier,
visited by Pardo in 1567. Otari seems to be the Cherokee dtclrl or dt&U, moun-
tain, but the rest of the word is doubtful. See page 28.
( )ttare — see d'la/'i.
Owasta — given as the name of a Cherokee chief in 16S4; the form cannot be identi-
fied. See page 31.
( ICi.II.LoGY — see I'll'iJ'lu',/!.
Outacity — given in documents as the name or title of a prominent Cherokee chief
about 1720. It appears also as otacite, otassite, Outassatah, Wootassite and
Wrosetasatow ( ! I, but the form cannot be identified, although it seems t,, con-
tain the personal name suffix diHl', "killer." Timberlake says (page 71 i: "There
are some other honorary titles among them, conferred in reward of great actions;
the first of which is Outacity or Man-killer, and the second Colona or the
Raven."
Ill | \-~ \ | 1H— See I II I'ACITY.
< iu issa — see Ayuhwa'sl.
Paint-town — see Am'- Wd'dihl'.
Path-killer — see N&find'hirdihV .
I'ikenix, Cherokee — see TsuWhUan^ifi hi.
Pigeon River — see Wdyi.
Pine Indians — see AnV-Ndtsl.
Pineloo — see NcCta-azCm'tlQA
Qo vlatchee — a former ( Iherokee settlement on the headwaters of the ( lhattahoochee
river in Georgia; another ol the same name was upon the waters of Eeowee
river in South Carolina. The correct form is unknown.
19 ETH— 01 34
530 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.akh.19
Qualla — see Kwali.
t^i ixule — see Guaxule.
Quinahaqui — a place, possibly in the Cherokee country, visited by Pardo in 1567.
The form cannot be identified. See page 28.
Quoneashee — see Tlanusi'yt.
Rattlesnake springs — see Visan&tiyi.
Rattling-gourd — see G&nsSU.
Raventown — see Kdl&nwYy't.
Red Clay — see El&w&'diyl.
Reid, Jesse — see Tse' 'si-Ska' 'ts'i.
Ridge, Major John — see NCunn&'lil-diW .
Ross, John — see Gu'wisguvrt' '.
Ross' landing — see Tsat&nu'gi.
Sadayl' — a feminine name, the proper name of the woman known t<> the whites as
Annie Ax; it cannot be translated.
Sagwd'hl, or SagwuiYyl — "One place," from sd/gwd, one, and In or y%, locative.
Soco creek of Oconaluftee river, on the East Cherokee reservation, in Jackson
county, North Carolina. No satisfactory reason is given for the name, which has
its parallel in Tidskd'M, "Thirty place" a local name in Cherokee county, in the
same state.
s&'gw&U', horse; from asdgw&lihti,, a pack or burden, aedgwatW \ "there is a pack on
him."
sa'gwSU dlgu'lanahi'ta — mule: literally "long eared horse," from m'ym'il'i, horse, and
digti/lan&M'ta, q. v.
Sakwi'yi (or fiuki'yt; abbreviated S'ikiri' or SukV) — a former settlement on Soquee
river, a head-stream of Chattahootcb.ee, near Clarkesville, Habersham county,
Georgia. Also written Saukee and Sookee. The name has lost its meaning.
saWH — squirrel; the common gray squirrel; other varieties are kiyu'gd, the ground
squirrel, and tevm, the Hying squirrel. Sahi'tl was also the name of an East Cher-
okee inventor who died a few years ago; S'lhi'lniti'ta, "Young-squirrels," is a
masculine personal name on the reservation.
saligu'gl — turtle, the common water turtle; soft-shell turtle, uWrnfi/wiX; land tortoise
or terrapin, lukxi'.
salikwa'yl — bear-grass (Etryngium) ; also the greensnake, on account of a fancied
resemblance; the name of a former Cherokee settlement on Sallacoa creek of
( !i ii isawatee river, in Gordon county, Georgia.
Sa'nigilaVgl (abbreviated SarigiL&'gt) — Whiteside mountain, a prominent peak of the
Blue ridge, southeast from Franklin, Macon county, North Carolina. It is con-
nected with the tradition of O'tlufi'ta (see number 66 and notes).
Santeetla — the present map name of a creek joining Cheowa river in Graham
county, North Carolina, and of a smaller tributary (Little Santeetla) . The name
is not recognized or understood by the Cherokee, who insist that it was given by
the whites. Little Santeetla is known to the Cherokee as Tsunda nilli' y% q. v. ; the
main Santeetla creek is commonly known as Ndyu'hl geyuii'i, "Sand-place
stream," from Xi'iyu/hl, "Sand place" (ndyfi, sand), a former settlement just
above the junction of the two creeks.
Sara — sec Ani'-Swwa/U.
sa'sa' — goose; an onomatope.
Sautee — see Itsd'ti.
Savannah — the popular name of this river is derived from that of the Shawano
Indians, formerly living upon its middle course, and known to the Cherokee as
Anl'-Siiiraun'ij'i, q.v., to the Creeks as Surmnikii, and to some of the coast tribes
« sirs OL08SARY 531
of Carolina as Snimma. [nold documents the river is also called Twndiga, from
I'si'i'niin'i or Seneca, q.v., an important former Cherokee settlement upon its upper
waters. See number 99.
Sawanu'gl — "Shawano" (Indian); a masculine personal name upon the East Cher-
okee reservation and prominent in the history of the band. See InV-Saidnu'tfl
and Kii'hiln'i'.
Sam \<«.k — see Kd'lahti'.
Sehwate'yl "Hornet plan', from » 'hwatCt., hornet, and yt, locative: Cheowa Maxi-
mum and Swim bald, adjoining bald peaks at the brail of < iheowa river, < rraham
county, North Carolina. See number 122.
selu — com; sometimes called in the sacred formulas Agawe'Ui, "TheOld Woman"
See number L26.
sel-utsl' (for selu-visV) "corn's mother," from selu, corn and ulsl', his mother [eUsV
or ni/itxT, my mother); the bead-corn or Job's-tears (Cbir laeryma). See num-
ber 126.
Seneca — see Ani'-Nim.'dd.we'g} (Seneca tribe), and Vsdfmgii (Sonera town).
SEQUATCHEE — see S'/./ir, Is'i ' .
Sequi n v see SUnvdyX.
Set si — a mound and traditional Cherokee settlement on the south side of Valley
river, about three miles below Yalleytown, in Cherokee county. North Carolina;
the name lias lo>t its meaning. See number 711. A settlement called Ti1.ii' 1st.
[Tassetchii in some old documents) existed on tin- extreme head of Hiwassee
river, in Towns county, Georgia.
Sevier- -see Zian'-iwcK'.
Shoe-boots — see Da'sCgiya'gl.
Shooting creek— sec Dn'staini Ii'ih'i/i.
Sl'gwetsl'— a traditional Cherokee settlement on the south bank of the French Broad
river, not far from Knoxville, Knox county, Tennessee. Near by was the
quarry from which it is said the stone for the white peace pipes was obtained.
See number 111 and notes. Sequatchee, the name of the river below Chatta-
_:i, in Tennessee, is probably a corruption of the same word.
sl'kwa — hog; originally the name of the opossum, now distinguished as sYkwH
uiset'slt, q. v.
sl'kwS utset'stl — opossum: literally "grinning hog," from fl/hod, hog, and titset'stt,,
"he grins i habitually I." Cf. sikud.
Sikwa'yl— a masculine name, commonly written Sequoya, made famous as that of
the inventor of the Cherokee alphabet. See page 108. The name, which can
not be translated, is still in use upon the East Cherokee reservation.
Sikwi'a — a masculine name, the Cherokee corruption for Sevier. See also Tsan-uidi'.
SINN HI N.H— See lli'i'liliui'l.
sftiku' (or si.'ii'iijii', in dialectic form) — a former Cherokee settlement on Little Ten-
nessee river at the entrance of Citico creek, in Monroe county, Tennessee. The
name, which can not be translated, is com lily spelled Citico, but appears also
as Sattiquo, Settico, Settacoo, Sette, Sittiquo, etc.
siyu' — see i'i'siiiii' .
skinta' — for sldn'tdgQ.', understood to mean "put a new tooth into my jaw." The
word ran not be analyzed, but is derived from g&nikd.' {ganta'gH in a dialectic
form i a tooth in place; a tooth detached is k&yu'gd. See number 15.
Skwan'-digii'gun'yi i for Askwan'-digfi'glifl'y'i} " Where the Spaniard is in the water
[or other liquid]". A plac i Upper Soco creek, on the reservation in Jackson
county, North Carolina. See number lL'2.
Slice rock — see NAUyCi'-ldwi
Smith, N. .1. — see TsalAdikV
Snow bird — see TuiVyi.
532 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [f.th.ann.19
Soco creek — see Sdgwd'ht.
Soco g up— see AhMu'na.
Soquee — see Sdkunfyt.
Spray, H. W. — see WU&nV.
Spring-Frog — see Du'stu'.
Standing Indian — see YtifivSi-Umh nij.fl/yt
Stand Watte — see De'gaMgd.
Stekoa — see Stilcd'yt
ste'tsi — your daughter; literally, your offspring; agwe'ts\, "my offspring"; uwe'tsl,
"his offspring"; to distinguish sex it is necessary to add asga'ya, "man" or
agefhya, "woman."
Stika'yl (variously spelled Stecoe, Steecoy, Stekoah, Stickoey, etc.) — the name of
several former Cherokee settlements: 1. On Sticoa creek, near Clayton, Rabun
county, Gorgia; 2. on Tuckasegee river at the old Thomas homestead just above
the present Whittier, in Swain county, North Carolina; 3. on Stekoa creek of
Little Tennessee river, a few miles below the junction of Nantahala, in Graham
county, North Carolina. The word has lust its meaning.
Strixgfield — see Tlihji '.-;.
stugi'stl, stui'sti — a key; see page 187 ami under Astu'gatd'ga.
Sick, The — see Ufi'tiguhl'.
Sugarto wx — see Kfi hi ' txi'y l .
su/nawa/ — see tWn » wa .
sunestla'ta — "split noses"; see tsunii liiii't' mhii-slld/Ui.
suiigT — mink; also onion; the name seems to refer to a smell; the various mints are
called generic-ally. gaw's&R/gt. See number 29.
Suki'yi — another form of Sahvi'i/i, q.v.
su'll' — buzzard; the Creek name is the same.
Sun laxd — see NCtUdd/yV.
su'-Ba'-sai' — an unmeaning song refrain. See number 66.
Bu'talidihl' — see ui'in'da'.
Suwa'li — see AnV-Suwa'U.
Suwa'li-nunna'hl (abbreviated Swwa'U-ntifba&'hX) — " Suwali trail," the proper name
for the gap at the head of Swannanoa (from Siui-h'I'i-Xuh' iu'i ) river, east of Ashe-
ville, in Buncombe county, North Carolina. Cf. Kv/sA-nOMnd'ht Seepages 194
and 379, also AnV-Suwa'U.
Suwa'nl — a former Cherokee settlement on Chattahoochee river, about the present
Suwanee, in Gwinnett county, Georgia. The name has no meaning in the
Cherokee language and is said to be of Creek origin. See page 382.
Suye'ta — "The Chosen One," from ii.iui/i''tn, "he is chosen," gam'yei'i, "I am choos-
ing"; the same form, suye'ta, could also mean mixed, from g'lm'yalu'i, "I am
mixing it." A masculine name, at present borne by a prominent ex-chief and
informant upon the East Cherokee reservation.
Swannanoa — see Suita'ti-nurinii'lil.
Swim bald — see Sekwate/y\.
Swimmer — see A'yUM'inl.
tadeya'statakuhl' — "we shall see each other." See number 75.
Tae-keo-ge — see TasM'gt
ta'gu — the June-bug (A ttorhina nitida), also called tu'ya-diskcUaiv'sti'sM,, "one who
keeps fire under the beans." See number 59.
Ta'gwa — see Ani'ta/gwa.
Ta'gwadihi7 (abbreviated Ta'gw&dV) — "Catawba-killer," from Ata'giva or Tn'r/iva,
Catawba Indian, and diMhV. "he kills them" (habitually) from tsi'ilnY,
GLOSSARY 533
•■I kill." An old masculine personal name, .-till in use upon the East ( !h< rokee
reservation. It was the proper naj >f the chief known to the whites about
1790 as "The Glass," from a confusion of this name with rtdak<S/'tt, glass, or
mirror.
Tagw&'hl- "Catawba place," from Ata'gwa or Ta'gv/a, Catawba Indian, and ftl,
locative. \ nam icurring in several places in the old Cherokee country. A
settlement of tins name, known to the whites as T oa, was upon Toccoa creek,
cast of Clarkesville, in Habersham county, Georgia; another was uj Toccoa
"iv river, about the present Toccoa, in Fannin county, Georgia; a third
may have been on Persimmon creek, which is known to the Cherokee as Tag-
led'M, and enters Hiwassee river some distance below Murphy, in Cherokee
county, North Carolina.
Tahkeyostee — tee I hta'kiyasti'jft.
TaHUEQUAH — see Tnlihun'
Tahchee — see T8M'.
Takatoka — see /'< 'g&id'gd
ta'kldiV (abbreviated t&ldH,')- twelve, from in'h, two. Cf. t&la'lH, cricket.
Tft'lasI' a former Cherokee settlement on Little Tennessee river, about Talassee
ford, in Blount county, Tennessee. The name has lost its meaning.
Talassee — see T&lasV.
tala'tu — cricket; sometimes also called dita'staye'slA (q. v. I , "the barber." Cf. Ui'lAdW,
twelve.
Tale'danigi'ski i IMU 'danigi'sl in a dialectic form) — variously rendered by the whites
"Hemp-carrier," "Nettle-carrier" or " Flax-toter," from tdWta or utdle'ta,
flax (Linum) or richweed [Pika pumila), and danigi'sH, "he carries them
(habitually)." \ former prominent chief on Valley river, in Cherokee county,
North Carolina. See number 95 and notes.
Tai.ihina — given as the name of the Cherokee wife of Samuel Houston; the form
cannot be identified. See page 223.
Talikwa' (commonly written Tellico, Telliquo or, in the Indian Territory, Tahle-
quah) — the name of several Cherokee settlements at different periods, viz: 1.
Creat Tellico, at Tellico Plains, on Tellico river, in Monroe county, Tennessee;
2. Little Tellico, on Tellico creek of Little Tennessee river, about ten miles below
Franklin, in Macon county, North Carolina; 3. a town on Valley river, about
rive miles above Murphy, in Cherokee county, North Carolina; 4. Tahlequah,
established as the capital of the Cherokee Nation, Indian Territory, in 1839. The
meaning of the name is lost.
Tali'wa — the site of a traditional battle between the Cherokee and Creeks about 1755,
on Mountain (?) creek of Etowah river in upper Georgia. Probably not a Chero-
kee but a ( 'reek name from the Creek ta'lua or Ua'hta, town. See pages 38 and
:;s4-385.
Talking-rock — see NUnyO.'-giifiwani'gkl.
TalLVLAH — see Tnlnlfi'.
Tal-tsu'ska' — "Two-heads." from /.,'//. two, and lxu'4;n'. plural of uskd', (his) head.
A Cherokee chief about the year 1800, known to the whites as I loiihlehead.
talull — pregnant: whence aluOf, (she is) a mother, said of a woman.
TSluhV (commonly written Tallulah, and appearing in old documents, from the
Lower dialect, as Taruraw, Torino. Turoree, etc.) — a name occurring in two or
more places in the old Cherokee country, viz: 1. An ancient settlement on the
tipper part of Tallulah river, in Rabun county, Georgia; '-'. a town on Tallulah
creek of Cheowa river, in Graham county, North Carolina. The word is of
uncertain etymology. The dulu'sl frog is said to cry t&hdi.'. See number 125.
The noted falls upon Tallulah river are known to the Cherokee as Ugtifi'tfl, q. v.
T \\ I'NTISKI — see Ala' I u Til i' xk'l .
534 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [rth.anx.19
Tama'li — a name, commonly written Tomotley or Tomatola, occurring in at least two
places in the old Cherokee country, viz: 1. On Valley river, a few miles above
Murphy, about the present Tomatola, in Cherokee county, North Carolina; 2. on
Little Tennessee river, about Tomotley ford, a few miles above Tellico river, in
Monroe county, Tennessee. The name can not be translated, and may lie of
Creek origin, as that tribe had a town of the same name upon the lower Chatta-
hoochee river.
Tanas!' — a name which can not be analyzed, comrnonly spelt Tennessee, occurring in
several places in the old Cherokee country, viz: 1. On Little Tennessee river,
about halfway between Citico and Tom creeks, in Monroe county, Tennessee;
2. "Old Tennessee town," on Hiwassee liver, a short distance above the junc-
tion of Ocoee, in Polk county, Tennessee; :;. on Tennessee creek, a head-stream
of Tuckasegee river, in Jackson county, North Carolina. Tanasqui, visited by
Pardo in 1567 (see page 29), may have been another place of the same name.
See number 124.
Tanasqui — see T&n&sV.
Ta'ski'gi (abbreviated from TdsHgi'yt or Ddskigi'yl, the locative yl being commonly
omitted) — a name variously written Tae-keo-ge (misprint), Tasquiqui, Teeskege,
Tnscagee, Tuskegee, etc. derived from that of a foreign tribe incorporated with
the Cherokee, and occurring as a local name both in the Cherokee and in the
( ireek country. 1. The principal settlement of this name was on Little Tennes-
see river, just above the junction of Tellico, in Monroe county, Tennessee;
2. another was on the north bank of Tennessee river, just below Chattanooga,
Tennessee; 3. another may have been on Tuskegee creek of Little Tennessee
river, near Eobbinsville, Graham county. North Carolina. See page 29 and
number 105.
Tasquiqui — see Tdski'gi.
Tassel, Old — see Vlsi'ds&W.
Tatsi' — "Dutch," also written Tahchee, a western Cherokee chief about 1830. See
page 141.
tatsu'hwa — the redbird.
tawa'li — punk.
Tawa'li-ukwanuii'tl — "Punk-plugged-in," from tawa'tt, punk; the Cherokee name of
a traditional Shawano chief. See number 100.
tawi'ska, tttwi'skage — smooth, slick.
Tawi'skala — "Flint"; a Cherokee supernatural, the personification of the rock flint;
tairi'sl-ah'ui'"i, lairi'skala, flint, from l&v-i'xkti, smooth, slick; cf. Iroquois Tiiwis-
kiirnn. See number 25 and notes.
Tayunkst — a traditional western tribe; the name can not be analyzed. See num-
" ber 105.
Tellico — see Tdlikwa'.
telun'latl — the summer grape ( Vitis aestivalis).
Te.nsaw.vitee — see Ku's&weH'yi.
Terrapin — see Tnkxi'.
tewa — flying squirrel; mld'tt, gray squirrel; kiyu'ga, ground squirrel.
Thomas, W. II. — see WU-usdi'.
TlkwalPtsi — a name occurring in several places in the old Cherokee country, viz:
1 . Tuckalegee creek, a tributary of War-woman creek, east of Clayton, in Rabun
county, Georgia; 2. the Tlkwali'tsl of the story, an important town on Tucka-
segee river at the present Bryson City, in Swain county, North Carolina; 3.
Tuckalechee cove, on Little river, in Blount county, Tennessee, which probably
preserves the aboriginal local name. The name appears in old documents as
Tuckarechee (Lower dialect) and Tuckalegee, and must not be confounded with
TsIksi'tsT or Tuckasegee. It can not be translated. See nuhiber 100 and notes.
Timossv — see To.massee.
GLOSSARY 535
Field"; the Cherokee name for Lieutenant-Colonel W. VV. Stringfield of
Waynesville, North Carolina, one of tl fficers of the Cherok 'ontingenl n
the Thomas Legion. It is an abbreviated rendering of his proper name,
tlage'situfi' a song form for tldge'tii a-at0.tl% "on the edge of the Beld," from
tMgeftit, or UdgefsX, field, and asMR/i, edge, border, etc; ctma'j/rtsftifi'', "the bank of
a stream." See number 24.
tla meha — bat (dialectic forms, tsa'melUl, (sa'wehd). Seepage 187.
Uanu'sl' — leech (dialectic form, tsanu'tit'). See page is7.
Tlanusi'yl (abbreviated Tlanusi') "Leech place," a former important settlement at
tin' junction of Hiwassee and Valley rivers, the present siteof Murphj . in < Ihero-
county, Xorth Carolina; also a point on Nottely river, a few miles distant,
in the same county. See number "7 and notes. The name appears also as Clen-
nuse, Klausuna, Quoneashee, etc.
'1 wa' (dialectic forms, US/nuwa' , tttifn&wll', "sinnawah" Adair)- a mythic
great hawk. Seenumbers :;•">. 64, 65, also page 1*7.
tla'niiwa' usdi' — " little tla'nuwa'"; probably tin- goshawk (Astur atrieapillus). See
number 35.
Tl:'i'tiuua'-atsi\rhifi'isuiVyi — " Where the Tla/nuwS, cut it up, " from UO/nuwd q
and Isiihh'iu'isku', an archaic form for Isiiii'inih'ui'hl-iY, "1 am cutting it up." V
place on Little Tennessee river, nearly opposite the entrance of Citico .-reck, in
Blount county, Tennessee. Sec number t>4 and notes.
Tla'nuwaO "Tla'nuwa place," a cave on the north side of Tennessee river a short
distance below the entrance of Citico creek, in Blount county, Tennessee. See
number 04 and notes.
tlay'ku' — jay (dialectic form, tsay'kti,' l. See page 187.
tlunti'stl — the pheasant {Bonam umbella), called locally grouse or partridge.
tluthV — the martin bird (dialectic form, (sutsO,' I. See page 187.
tlufltlVtsl — panther (dialectic form, ts&TM/t&). See page L87.
Tocax— a place, apparently in the Cherokee country, visited by Pardo in L567 (see
page 29). It may possibly have a connection with Toxaway (see D&faal) or
Toccoa I see Tagwd'Kt ).
Toccoa — see Tagwd'Kt.
Toco — see iMktru'-,.
TO! II NTEESKEE — see Aln'l I'lnii'sl,} .
Tomassee i also written Timossy ami Tymahse) — the name of two or more former
Cherokee settlements. \iz: 1. (Ill Tomassee creek of Keowee river, in Oconee
county. South Carolina; L'. on Little Tennessee river near the entrance of I'.inii-
ingtown creek, in Macon county. South Carolina. Tic- correct form ami inter-
pretation are unknown.
Tom m. ii \, Tomotley — see Tama'H
Ton Willi -re Thl'stU,'.
Toogelah — see Dugilu'yl.
Toqua— see Dtikwdl.
Toxaway — see D&hsal.
Track Kock gap — see Datm'naldsgti.fl'y'l.
rsaga'sl — a Cherokee sprite. See number 78.
upstream, up the road; the converse of gen. See number 117.
Tsaiyt' — see UfltsaiyX'.
Tsa'ladihl'— Chief N. J. Smith of the East Cherokee. The name might be rendered
"Charley-killer," from TbaU, "Charley," and diKP, "killer" (in composition i,
but is really a Cherokee equivalent for Jarrett (Ibal&dV), his middle name, by
which he was frequently addressed. I'i. Tagw&diht
tsal-agayiifi'li — "old tobacco," fr UdlA, tobacco, and ag&y&fi'li, or agdy&fl'lige, <•!<!,
ancient; the Nicotiana rmtica or wild tobai See number 126.
536 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [kth.ann.19
Tsa'lagI7 i Tsa'ragl' in Lower dialect) — the correct form of Cherokee. See page 182,
"Tribal Synonymy."
Tsa'll — Charley; a Cherokee shot for resisting the troops at the time of the Removal.
See page 131.
tsaliyu'st) — "tobacco-like," from tsdlti, tobacco, and iyu'sCl, like; a generic name for
the cardinal-flower, mullein and related species. See number 126.
tsalii or tsaliin (in the Lower dialect, tsdru) — tobacco; by comparison with kindred
forms in other Iroquoian dialects the meaning "fire to hold in the mouth " seems
to be indicated. Lanman spells it tso-lungh. See number 126 and page 187.
tsa'meha — see tla'mehu.
tsa'nadiska' — for ts&ndiskdl' "they say."
tsana'seha'I' — so they say. they say about him. See number 118.
tsane'nl — the scorpion lizard; also called gVgX-danegi'sld, q. v. See number 59.
Tsani — John.
TsantawiV — a masculine name which can not he analyzed.
Tsan-uga'slta — "Sour John"; John Butler, a halfbreed Cherokee ball captain,
formerly living on Nottely river. See number 122.
Tsan-usdi' — "Little John"; the Cherokee name for General John Sevier, and also
the boy name of the chief John Ross, afterward known as Gu' ' wisguwV ', q. v.
Sikwi'S., a Cherokee attempt at "Sevier." is a masculine name upon the East
Cherokee reservation.
tsanu'sf — see tlanu'xY.
tsa'nuwil' — see tl&'nuw&' ,
Tsa'ragl' — Cherokee: see page 182, "Tribal Synonymy."
tsaru — see tsdlu.
Tsasta'wi — a noted hunter formerly living upon Nantahala river, in Macon county,
North Carolina; the meaning of the name is doubtful. See number 122.
Tsatanu'gl ( commonly spelled Chattanooga) — the Cherokee name for some point
upon the creek entering Tennessee river at the city of Chattanooga, in Hamilton
county, Tennessee. It has no meaning in the Cherokee language and appears
to be of foreign origin. The ancient name for the site of the present city is
A'tlil'mnni, q. v. See number 124. Before the establishment of the town the
place was known to the whites as Ross' landing, from a store kept there by
Lewis Ross, brother of the chief John Ross.
Tsatu'gl (commonly written Chattooga or Chatuga) — a name occurring in two or
more places in the old Cherokee country, but apparently of foreign origin (see
page 382). Possible Cherokee derivations are from words signifying respec-
tively "he drank by sips," from gatu'giii', " I sip," or "he has crossed the stream
and come out upon the other side," from galu'gi, "I have crossed" etc. An
ancient settlement of this name was on Chattooga river, a head-stream of Savannah
river, on the boundary betweeu South Carolina and Georgia; another appears to
have been on upper Tellico river, in Monroe county, Tennessee; another may
have been on Chattooga river, a tributary of the Coosa, in northwestern
Georgia.
Tsa'wft GakskI — Joe Smoker, from Tsdwa, "Joe," and gaksM, "smoker," from
ga'gisku, "I am smoking." The Cherokee name for Chief Joel B. Mayes, of the
Cherokee Nation west.
Tsawa'sl — a Cherokee sprite. See number 78.
tsa'weha — see ila'rru ln'i.
tsay'ku' — see Uay'kCtf.
Tsek'slnl' — the Cherokee form for the name of General Andrew Jackson.
TsSsa'ni — Jessan, probably a derivative from Jesse; a masculine name upon the East
Cherokee reservation.
TsOVi-Ska'tsi — " Scotch Jesse " ; Jesse Reid, present chief of the East Cherokee, so
called because of mixed Scotch ancestry.
GLOSSARY 537
tsetsttni'l) "tin two elder brothers" (male speaking); my elder brother (male
speaking), (tilgini'tl. See note to numbei 63
Tsgagun'yl — " Insect place," from Isgdya, insect, an. I yt, locative. \ cave in the
ridge eastward from Franklin, in Macon county, North Carolina. See number 13.
tsgaya — insect, worm. etc. See pa^'e 30S
Tslkama'gl ;i name, commonly spelled Chickamauga, occurring in at l>a>t two places
in thf old Cherokee country, which has losl any meaning in Cherokee an. I
appears t" be of foreign origin. It is applied to a small creek at the head of
Chattahoochee river, in White county, Georgia, ami also to the district about
tin- southern (not the northern) Chickamauga creek, coming into Tennessee
river, a few miles above Chattanooga, in Hamilton county, Tennessee, in 1777
the more hostile portion of the Cherokee withdrew from the rest of the tribe
and established here a large settlement, from which thej removed about live
years later to settle lower down the Tennessee in what were known as the
< 'hickamauga towns or Five Lower towns. See page 54 and number 124.
tslkl' — a word which renders emphatic that which it follows: as li'sh'i, " very g 1."
dslii! is'ik'i, "best of all." See number 75.
tsikiki' — the katydid; the name is an onomatope.
tsl'kllill' — the Carolina chickadee (Parus carolinensis) ; the name is an onomatope.
See number 35.
Tslksi'tsI I Ti'dvi'ts'i in dialectic form; commonly written Tuckasegee) — 1. a former
Cherokee settlement about the junction of the two forks of Tuckasegee, above
Webster, ill Jackson comity. North Carolina (not to be confounded with
TlkwiUi'tsX, q. v.). 2. A former .settlement on a branch of Brasstown creek of
Hiwassee river, in Towns county, Georgia. The word has lost its meaning.
Tsi'nawi — a Cherokee wheelwright, perhaps the first in the Nation to make a spin-
ning wheel and loom. The name can not be analyzed. See page 214.
tslne/u — I am picking it (something long) up; in the Lower and Middle dialect-.
tslnigi'ti.
tsinigi'u — see tstm ' >•
tsiska'i_rlll — the large red crawfish; the ordinary crawfish is called tsist&'na. See
number 5fl
tsi'skwa — bird.
tsiskwa'gwa — robin, from t&i'skwa, bird.
Tsiskwa'hl— " Bird place," from tsi'skwa, bird, and HI, locative. Birdtow n settlement
On the East Cherokee reservation, in Swain county. North Carolina.
tsiskwa'ya — sparrow, literally " principal bird" I i. e., most widely distributed) , from
tsi'shea, bird, and yd, a sutiix denoting principal or real.
Tsilalu'hi — "Sweet-gum place." from tsila'W, sweet-gum {Liquidambar), and hi,
locative. A former settlement on a small branch of Brasstown creek of Hiwas-
see river, just within the line of Towns county, Georgia. The name is incor-
rectly rendered. Gumlog (creek i.
Tsiskwunsdi'-adsisti'yi—" Where they killed Little-bird," from TsiskwunsdV,
" Little-birds" (plural form). A place near the head of West Buffalo creek,
southeast of Robbinsville, in < rraham county. North Carolina. See number 122.
Tsistetsi'yl — "Mouse place." from tstitetsl, mouse, ami yt, locative; a former settle-
ment on South Mouse creek, of Hiwassee river, in Bradley county, Tennessee.
The present town of Cleveland, upon the same creek, is known to the Cherokee
under the same name.
tsistu — rabbit.
tsisti'i'na — crawfish; the large horned hectic is also so called. The large red crawfish
i- called tsiskafgW.
tsist-um'gistl — "rabbit foods" (plural), from tsi'stu, rabbit, and uni'gislt, plural oi
agi'stl, food, from ixi,i,',/,,', ■] am eating" (soft t I). The wild rose.
538 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [bth.aiw.19
Tsistu'yl — "Rabbit place," from tsistu, rabbit, and yi, locative. 1. Gregory bald,
high peak of the Great Smoky range, eastward from Little Tennessee river, on
the boundary between Swain county, North Carolina and Blount county, Ten-
nessee. See number 75 and notes. 2. A former settlement on the north bank of
Hiwassee river at tin- entrance of Chestua creek, in Polk county. Tennessee.
The name of ( 'hoastea creek of Tugaloo river, in Oconee county, South ( 'arolina,
is probably also a corruption from the same word.
Tsiva'hT — "Otter place," from tsiyu, otter, and ///, locative; variously spelled ( Ihei iwa,
Cheeowhee, Chewobe, Chewe, etc. 1. A former settlement on a branch of
Keowee river, near the present Cheohee, Oconee county, South Carolina. 2. A
former and still existing Cherokee settlement on Cheowa river, about Robbins-
ville, in Graham county. North Carolina. 3. A former settlement in Cades cove,
i >n Cove creek, in Blount county, Tennessee.
Tsi'yu-giinsi'nT — " He is dragging a canoe," from tsi'yu, canoe (cf. tsi'yu, otter) and
iii'inxi'iij, "he is dragging it." "Dragging-canoe," a prominent leader of the
hostile Cherokee in the Revolution. Tin- name appears in documents as ( Iheu-
cunsene and Kunnesee. See page 54.
Tskll-e'gwa — "Big-witch," from atskllY, or tsic'ih', witch, owl, and efgwa, big; an
old man of the East Cherokee, who died in 1SHH. See page 179. Although
translated Big-witch by the whites, the name is understood by the Indians to
mean Big-owl (see number 35), having been originally applied to a white man
living on the same clearing, noted for his large staring eyes.
tsklll' (contracted from atsHU') — 1. witch; 2. the dusky horned owl (Bubo virginianus
saturatus). See number 35.
TSOLHNGH — See tsa/n.
tskwa'yi — the great white heron or American egret ( Herodias egretta ).
Tsuda'talesun'yi — "Where pieces fall off," i. e. where the banks are caving in;
from addtttle'ti, "it is falling off," ts, distance prefix, "there." ami ///. locative.
The Cherokee name for the present site of Memphis, Tennessee, overlooking the
Mississippi, and formerly known as the Chickasaw bluff.
Tsuda'ye'lun'yi — "Isolated place"; an isolated peak near the head of Cheowa river,
northeast of Robbinsville, in Graham county, North Carolina. See number
79 and notes. The root of the word signifies detached, or isolated, whence
Udaf ye lin/ip, the Cherokee outlet, in the Indian Territory.
Tsu'dinunti'yl — " Throwing-down place"; a former settlement on lower Nantahala
river, in Macon county, North Carolina. See number 122.
Tsugidft'll ulsgi'sti (from tsugidu'H, plural of ugiduU, one of the long wing or tail
feathers of a bird, and tilsgi'stl or (tlsgi'ta, a dance) — the feather or eagle dance.
See number 35.
tsuiigili'sl — plural of Ciflgtti'si, q. v.
tsungini's] — plural of dfigini' '«?, q. v.
TsukilunnuiVyi — "Where he alighted"; two bald spots on a mountain at the head
of Little Snowbird creek, near Robbinsville, in Graham county, North Carolina.
For tradition, see number 122.
tsufikina'tll — "my younger brothers" i male speaking).
tsiinkihV — "my younger brothers" (female speaking I.
tsu'la — fox; cf. tsiih'i, kingfisher and tlutlu' or tsulsu', martin. The black fox is
niti'li. The Creek word for fox is chula.
tsula'skl — alligator; the name is of uncertain etymology.
TstY la' wl — see TsultiMwe'l.
Tsula'sinuii'yl — "Footprint place." A place on Tuckasegee river, about a mile above
Deep creek, in Swain county, North Carolina. See number J 22.
Tsul'kahV — "Slanting-eyes," literally "He has them slanting" (or leaning up
against Something); the prefix ts makes it a plural form, and the name is under-
moosei GLOSSARY 539
stood to refer to the eyes, although the word eye {akW, plural dikUL' is not a
pari of it. Cf. At&'-gHiJtkSU)/. A mythic giant and ruler of the game. The name
has been corrupted toJutaculla and Tuli-cula. Jutaculla roci and Jutaculla
..hi fields about the head of Tuckasegee river, in Jackson, North Carolina, take
theii name from him. See number si and notes.
Tsule'hisanufi'h) "Resurrected One, "from di'gw&WhisaniXU'lit, " I was resurrected,"
literally, " I was down and have risen." Tia'l&gl' Thile'hisan&filil, the Cherokee
title of the newspaper known to the whites as the Cherokee Phoenix. The
Cherokee title was devised by Worcester and Boudinot as suggesting the idea ol
the phoenix of classic fable. The Indian name of the recent " Cherokee Advo-
cate" is Tsa'l&gl Asdeli'skt.
Tsul'kahy tsunegufi'yl — see Tbuneg6.fi 'yl.
tli.' nuthatch i Sitta carolinensis); the word signifies literally "deaf" (a
plural form referring to the ear, g&W), although no reason is given for such a
name.
tsu'lu — kingfisher. Qf. tsu'lA.
Tsu'lufiwc'i (abbreviated Tsu'lUfl'we or TsaWvii, possibly inected with ts&'lfi.,
kingfisher) — Chilhowee creek, a north tributary of Little Tennessee river, in
Blount e. unity, Tennessee.
Tsunda'nilti'yl— "Where thej demanded the debl from him"; a place on Little
Santeetla river, \w;-t of Robbinsville, in Graham county, North Carolina. The
reels also is commonly known by the same name. See number 122.
Tsundige'wl — "Closed anuses," literally "They have them closed," understood t.>
refer to the anus; from dige'vil, plural of gefvft, closed, stopped up, blind; cf.
Tsuf knhV; alsi. GMisge'ttfi, "Blind, or closed, ears," an old personal name.
Si e number 74.
tsun'digwfin'tskl (contracted fr.nn tsun'digwCmlsugl, "they have them forked,"
referring to the peculiar forked tail; cf. TsviCkdM/ ) — a migratory bird which once
appeared for a short time upon the East Cherokee reservation, apparently, from
the description, the scissortail or swallow-tailed flycatcher {Milvuhts forficaius).
See number 35.
Tsunegufi'yl i sometimes called TsutkiUtif Tsunegixn'yV) — Tennessee bald, at the
extreme head of Tuckasegee river, on the east line of Jackson county, North
Carolina. The name seems to mean, " There where it is white," from is, a pre-
fix indicating distance, xme'gd, white, and y\ locative. See number 81 and
notes.
TsuniKkalu — the plural form for TxutktjM, q. v.: a traditional u'iant tribe in the
west. See number 106.
tsuinVliyu'sunestla'ta- "they have split noses," from agwdliyu', " I have it." and
>"'. "it is cracked" (asa crack made by the sun's heat in a log or in the
earth); the initial - makes it refer to the nose, kily&sii'. See number 7H and
notes.
tsunls'tsabi- "(those) having topknots or crests," from usts&hu', "having a top-
knot," usts&hV, "In- hasatopknot" (habitual). See number 76 and notes.
Tsuniya'tiga- "Naked People"; literally "They are naked there," from uya'tigd,
naked (singular), with the prefix Is, indicating distance. ,\ traditional western
tribe. See number 105.
tMin-.ir -contracted from tsunsdi'ga, the plural of usdi'ga or usdi', small.
iiiuii'skl — "He tries, but tails" (habitually), from detsinu'\lxM.W gii' (q. v.),
"I tried, but tailed." A former noted chief among the Kast Cherokee, com-
monly known to the whites as Junaluska. In early life he was called <,,'ifl,n.
la'ilA, a name which denotes something habitually falling from a leaning position
cf. Atti-gCWkiUti/ and TsuTkSM,'.) See page 164.
tsun-ka'wi-ye', tsi'ifi-slkwa-ya', isufi-tsu^la-ya', tsun-wa/'ya-ya/— " 1 am {tstifl or Isi,
540 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.
verbal prolix ) a real (yd,ye, noun suffix) deer" (kavil', archaic for a'wV : opos-
sum, til'kwa; tox,t$u'lit; wolf, n-n'iju. Archaic song forms. See number 15.
Tsusgina'I — " tin- ' rhost country," from asgi'na, " ghost," I, locative, ami ts, a prefix
denoting distance. The land of the dead; it is situated in UsHnhi'yl, the Twi-
light land, in the west. See number 5.
tsuskwa'li — plural of uskwdU, short.
Tsuskwaniin'nawa'ta — "Worn-out blanket," from tmskw&n&fi'ril, blanket i the word
refers to something having stripes), and uwa'td, " worn out." James I>. Wafford,
a prominent Cherokee mixed-blood and informant in the Western nation, who
died about 1896. See page 236.
Tsuta'ga Cweyuii'i — "Chicken creek," from ts&ta'ga, chicken, and uwey&a'i, stream.
An extreme eastern head-stream of Nantahala river, in Macon county, North
Carolina. See number 122.
Tsuta'tsinasun'yl — " Eddy place." A place on Cheowa river at the mouth of Cock-
ram creek, in Graham county, North Carolina. For tradition see number 122.
tsutsti' — see tliitlu'.
tsuntu'tsi — see Ih'inli'i'l.t'i.
tsuwsV — the mud-puppy or water-dog (Menopoma or Prolonopsis). See number 59.
Tsuwa'tel'da — a contraction of Tsuwdteld&n'yi; the name has lost its meaning. Pilot
knob, north from Brevard, in Transylvania county, North Carolina. See num-
ber 82 and notes.
Tsuwa'-uniyetsiin'yl — "Where the water-dogs laughed," from tmwii' (q. v.), "'water-
dog," uniye'lsd,, "they laughed" [agiyel'shfi, "I am laughing"), and yt, locative;
Tusquittee bald, near Hayesville, in Clay county, North Carolina. For story see
number 122.
Tsuwe'nahl — A traditional hunter, in communication with the invisible people. See
number 83. The name seems to mean ' ' He has them in abundance, ' ' an irregular
or archaic form for Uwefnfil, "he has abundance," "he is rich," from agwe'nal' ,
"I am rich." As a masculine name it is used as the equivalent of Richard. See
number 83.
Tuckalechee — see TthuiSU'Wl.
TUCKASEGEE — See Tgikgi'tti.
Tigaloo — see Dugttu'yi.
tugahi ! — the cry of the diigiifku goose.
tugalu'na — a variety of small fish, about four inches long, frequenting the larger streams
(from gCdu'na, a gourd, on account of its long nose). See number 39 and notes,
tuks'i' — the terrapin or land tortoise; also the name of a Cherokee chief about the
close of the Revolution. Stiligv/gl, common turtle; soft-shell turtle, n'li'iml'ira.
Tiiksi'tsi— see miasi'til.
Tuli-cula — see Tmtk&W.
tulsku'wa — "he snaps with his head," from uskH', head; the snapping beetle.
Tuna'i — a traditional warrior and medicine-man of old Itsa/ti; the name can not be
analyzed. See number 99.
Tl'RKEYTOWN — See Gt'iii-ili'i/H'liilii'in' ' ifi.
TlTRNIPTOWX — see / "li'iil'i/i.
TrSKEGEE — see 7'. iski 'ij'i.
Tusquittee bald — see Tsuwd/-uniyets6/ii/yt.
Trs.jUITTEE CREEK — See Ddnkiril i'i H' ill .
tu'sti — for tusti'gtt, a small bowl*; larger jars are called diwa^ti and GMi'yd,.
tuiVtawu' — a small yellow night-moth. The name comes from uhiiu'li'i, a word
implying that something flits into and out of the blaze. See number 59.
tu'tl — snowbird.
Tuti'yi — "Snowbird place," from tu'Ci, snowbird, and yX, locative. Little Snow-bird
creek of Cheowa river, in Graham county, North Carolina,
tu'tsahyesl' — "he will marry you."
GLOSS \K\ "ill
bean.
in i.i dlskalaw'sti'skl — see ta'gu.
tu'yahus) " "she \\ ill die."
Tym ihse see Tom issi i
Dchee — see AnV- ru'teT.
uda'hale'y] — "on the sunny side."
ii'l:M the baneberrj or cohosh vine I Irfata?). The name signifies that the plant
has something long hanging from il
uda'l) — "i it is) married"; the mistletoe, so called on account of its parasitic habit.
CPdawagufi'ta— "Bald." A bald mountain of the Great s ky range, in Yancey
county, North Carolina, not far from Mount Mitchell. See number 51.
1 dsi skala — a masculine name,
uga'sfta — sour.
ungida' — "thy two elder brothers " i male speaking I. See notes to i ber63.
ufigili'sl (plural, lstiflgili/&) — "my daughter's child." See note to number66, and
cf. unffini'sl.
ungini'M — " my elder brother" (female speaking |. See notes to number 63.
iingini'sl (plural tsAHgini'tf.) — "my son's child." See note to number 66, and cf.
I'luqili'si.
u'giska7 — " he is swallowing it; from tslkiu', "1 am eating." See number ffand notes,
u'guku' — the hooting or liar red owl i Syrnium nebulosum); the name is an onomatope.
See also '■-/. Jfl ' and wafhuhu'.
ugufistefl 'i|/ii»jii'/n in dialectic form) — the hornyhead fish {Campostoma, stone
roller). The name is said, on doubtful authority, to refer to its having horns.
See number 59.
Ugufi'yl Tallulah falls, on the river of that name, northeast from Clarkesville, in
Etabersham county, Georgia; the meaning of the name is lost. See number 84.
I'll- \ r \ — See r'tli'in'la.
uk-ku'suiitsuteti' — "it will twist up one's arm." See number 115.
Uk-ku'suStsuti — "Bent-bow-shape"; a comic masculine name. Cf. gullsO/U, bow.
See number 115.
uk-kwunagi'stl — "it will draw down one's eye." See number 115.
Uk-kwunagi'ta — "Eye-drawn-down"; a comic masculine name. See number 115'.
uksu'hi — the mountain blacksnake or black racer ( Coluber obsolelus I; the name seems
to refer to some peculiarity of the eye. akt&'; \iksuh&', "he has something lodged
in his eye." See number 53 and notes.
Ukte'na — "Keen-eyed (?)" from akt&', eye, akta'tl, to examine closely. -V mythic
great horned serpent, with a talismanic diadem. See number 50 and notes.
Ukte'na-tsuL'am'nVtatsufi'yl — "Where the Tktena got fastened." A spot on Tucka-
3i gee river, about two miles above Bryson City, in Swain county, North Caro-
lina. See number 1 22.
tjktena-utansi'nastun'yl — "Where the Uktena crawled." A ruck on the north hank
of Tuckasegee river, about four miles above Bryson City, in Swain county, North
Car'. Una. See number 122.
Ukwu'nu ior Ukw&'nl) — a former Cherokee settlement, commonly known to the
whites as ( icoiiee, on Seneca creek, near the present Walhalla, in ( Iconee county,
South < arolina.
Dla'gfl' — the mythic original of the yellow-jacket tribe. See number 13. The word
signifies "leader." "boss," or "principal one," and is applied to the tirst yellow -
jacket i if.<bi 'i i seen in the spring, to a queen bee and to the leader of a working
squad,
ul&n&'wa — the soft-shell turtle: the etymology of the word i- uncertain. See also
.-ini'iijii'ifi and
ulasii'la — moccasin, -hoe.
542 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
61e' — and; dH-nd,', and also.
Unli'ta — "(He is! long-winded," an archaic form for the regular word, g&flli'ia; an
old masculine name. A chief about the year 1790, known to the whites as
"The Breath."
ulskwulte'gl — a "pound-mill," a self-acting water-mill used in the Cherokee moun-
tains. The name signifies that "it butts with its head" (usk<Y, head), in allusion
to the way in which the pestle works in the mortar. The generic word for mill is
dista'stt.
ulstlthV — literally, "it is on his head." The diamond crest, on the head of the
mythic Uktena serpent. When detached it becomes the ClunsiYtl.
Ultiwa'I — a former Cherokee settlement about the present Ooltewah, on the creek
of the same name, in James county, Tennessee. The name has the locative
form (? suffix), but cannot be translated.
ulunni'ta — domesticated, tame; may be used for persons as well as animals, but
not for plants; for cultivated or domesticated plants the adjective is giiniitlun'1
(or gunuxun'l).
Uluiisu'tl — "Transparent"; the great talismanic crystal of the Cherokee. Spelled
Oolunsade by Hagar. See number 50 and notes.
uluii'ta — "it has climbed," from tsilahV, "I am climbing"; the poison oak (Rhus
radicans) . See number 126.
U'lun'yi — "Tuber place," from ("//', a variety of edible tuber, and yt, locative. A
former settlement upon Turniptown (for U'lun'yi) creek, above Ellijay, in Gil-
mer county, Georgia.
Unacala — see Une'g&diM'.
U'nadanti'yl — "Place where they conjured," the name of a gap about three miles
east of Webster, in Jackson county, North Carolina, and now transferred to the
town itself. See number 122.
unade'na — woolly, downy (in speaking of animals); mod/nfi, wool, down, fine fur
(detached from the animal).
u'naluV — see iimlliu-V .
unahwl' — heart; in Middle and Lower dialects, un&hii,' . See page 187.
Unaka — see une'gtt and Unicoi.
unatlunwe'hitu — "it has spirals"; a plant (unidentified) used in conjurations. See
number 126.
une'ga — white.
une'guhl — "he is (was) mischievous or had": ts&ne' 'guhi'yu, " you are very mischiev-
ous" (said to a child ). See number, 118.
une'gutsatiV — "(he is) mischievous"; a'ginefgulsiitti', "1 am mischievous."
Une'lanuii'hi — "The Apportioner" ; "I am apportioning," ganelaskfi.'; "I appor-
tion" (habitually), gane'laskl. In the sacred formulas a title of the Sun god;
in the Bible the name of God.
une'stalufi — ice.
Unicoi — the map name of the old Unicoi turnpike (see page 87), of a gap on the
watershed between Chattahoochee and Hiwassee rivers, in Georgia, and of a
county in eastern Tennessee. Probably a corruption of une'giL, white, whence
comes also Unaka, the present map name of a part of the Great Smoky range.
uni'gistl — foods; singular, agi'xCi.
Uniga'yata'ti'yi — "Where they made a fish trap," from uga'yattifl'l, fish trap, and
yl, locative: a place on Tuckasegee river, at the mouth of Deep creek, near
Bryson City, in Swain county, North Carolina. See number 100 and notes.
Uni'haluna — sec Ah&lu'na.
Unika'wl — the "Townhouse dance," so called because danced inside the townhouse;
the name does not refer to a townhouse (gati'yi) and can not be analyzed, but
mav have some connection with the archaic word for deer. Cf. Ani'-Kawl'.
the gene
ric 11
.i1
lie In
kle bur,
jimsi
>n
weed
loot," am
1 yl,
l0(
ative
City, in S
wain
11 11 1 1 V
i si • GLOSS \i:i 5 13
Une'ga-dihl' "White-man-killer"; fr une'ga, "white," for yufl'vnme'ga, "white
person," and dihl', a noun suffix denoting "killer" ("he kills them" habitually i.
A Cherokee chief, whose name appears in documents about 1 790 as White-man-
killer, or, by misprint Unacala. It is an old masculine name, existing until
recently upon the reservation. Cf. Ta'gw&dihV.
u'niskwetu'g) "they wear a hat"; 6lskwe?0.w&/, hat, from uskO,', head. The may-
apple {Podophyllum). See number 126.
unistilufi'ist) "thej stick on along their whole tengtn'
"stickers" and burs, including the Spanish needle, cockle bur, jimson weed,
etc. See number L26.
uni'tsl- -her mother; agitsV, my mother.
[Jniya'hitufi'yf — " Where they shot it," from tsiyd'ihu, "1
\ place "ii Tuckasegee river a short distance above Brysi
North Carolina. See number LOO.
I hi, i, ila see TtibiyuWduW .
Uhta'kiyasti'yl— " Where they race," from laMya'td., a rare, and yl, locative; locally
corrupted to Tahkeyostee. The district on the French Broad river, around A she-
wn.-, in Buncombe county, North Carolina. The town itself is known to the
Cherokee as Kdsdu'yi, "Ashes place," (from kdedu, ashes, and yl, locative),
which is intended as a translation of its proper name. Sec number 1l"_\
Ontlasgasti'y) — "Where they scratched"; a place at the head of Hyatt creek of
Valley river, in Cherokee county, North Carolina. Fur tradition see number li"_'.
Qntoo] \ — iee Dihyufl'duld'.
unuii'tl — milk.
asdi'gA (abbreviated usdi'), small; plural tsunsdi'gd, tsunsdi'.
usga/se*'ti/yu — very dangerous, very terrible; intensive of usga'sfti,
Dskwale'na — "Big-head," from uMf, head; a masculine name, perhaps the original
of the "Bull-head," given by Haywood as the name of a former noted Chero-
kee warrior.
Uskwa'll-gu/ta — "His stomach hangs down," from uskw&'U, his stomach, and gu'tH,
"it hangs down." A prominent chief of the Revolutionary period, known to
the whites as Hanging-maw.
U'stana'll (from vtst&naloYh't or uni'st&na'Ui (a plural form), denoting a natural
barrier of rocks ( plural ) across a stream) — a name occurring in several places in
the old Cherokee country, and variously spelled Eastinaulee, Eastanora, Esta-
naula, Eustenaree, Istanare, ( lostanaula, ( (ostinawley, Ostenary, etc. One settle-
ment of this name was on Keowee river, below the present Fort George, in
Oconee county. South Carolina; another seems to have been somewhere on the
waters of Tuckasegee river, in western North Carolina; a third, pr incut
during and after the Revolutionary period, was just above the junction of < loosa-
watee and Conasauga rivers to form the < lostanaula, in Cordon county, Georgia,
and adjoining New Echota (see G&nsd'gi). Other settlements of the same name
may have been on Eastanollee creek of Tugaloo river, in Franklin county,
Georgia, and on Eastaunaula creek, flowing into Hiwassee river, in McMinn
COUnty, Tennessee. Cf. '/■<"' <ln mil i'i n' ill . under D&gun&'hl.
u'stuti— see utm'gl.
Ustu'tll — a traditional dangerous serpent. The name signifies having something on
the calf of the leg or on the heel, from nsii'iii'ni'i, i his) calf of the leg (attached i.
It is applied also to the southern hoop-snake {Abastor eryihTogrammus). See
number 54.
I'si'inhi'vl — the "Darkening laud." where it is always getting dark, as at twilight.
The name used for the west in t he myths and sacred formulas; tin niiiinii
word is a a. I, 'Ugufi'yl, "there where it (the sun) goes down." In number 63 the
word used is wwfihihuii'yl, "there where they stay over night." See also
TaCagindl.
544 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.anh.19
u'tanu — great, fully developed. Cf. e'gwa.
utawa'hilu — "hand-breadth," from uwd'yi^hajid. A figurative term used in the
myths and sacred formulas.
Ctfiwagun'ta — "Bald place." A high bald peak of the Great Smoky range on
the Tennessee-North Carolina line, northeastward from Big Pigeon river. See
number 51.
UiVtiguhi' — "Pot in the water," from &flti'yS or iurf't', pot, and '/»//;'. "it is in the
water" (or other liquid — habitually). The Suck, a dangerous rapid in Tennessee
river, at the entrance of Suck creek, about eight miles below Chattanooga, Ten-
nessee. See number 63 and notes.
r'tlun'ta — "He (or she) has it sharp," i. e., has some sharp part or organ; it might
be used of a tooth, finger-nail, or some other attached portion of the body, but
in the story is understood to refer to the awl-like finger. Ten Kate spells it
Uilnta. A mythic half-human monster. See number 66 anil notes.
("tluntuii'yl — " U'tluii'ta place;" see l"lh'ni'la. A place on little Tennessee river,
nearly off Citico creek, in Blount county, Tennessee. See number 66 and notes
and number 124.
U'tsala — "Lichen"; another form of ats&le'ta. A Cherokee chief of the Removal
period. See page 157.
utsale'ta — lichen, literally " pot scrapings," from a fancied resemblance.
Untsaiyr' (also Etmii/V or TsaiyV, the first syllable being almost silent) — "Brass."
A mythic gambler. See number 63 and notes. The present rendering, "brass,"
is probably a modern application of the old myth name, and is based upon the
resemblance of the sound to that produced by striking a sheet of metal.
utsa'natl' — rattesnake; the name is of doubtful etymology, but is said to refer to the
rattle.
CJtsa'nati'yl — "Rattlesnake place." Rattlesnake springs, about two miles south
from Charleston, Bradley county, Tennessee. See page 132.
utset'stl — " he grins " (habitually). See sl'kwa utset'sti.
utsi' — her (his) mother; etsl', agvt&l', my mother.
Utsi'dsata' — "Corn-tassel," "Thistle-head," etc. It is used as a masculine nameand
was probably the Cherokee name of the chief known during tin- Revolutionary
period as "Old Tassel."
utsu''gi — the tufted titmouse (Parus bicolor); also called u/st&ti, "topknot, or tip,"
on account of its crest. See numbers 35 and 66.
u'tsutl' — fish. Cf. u'tsutt, many.
ufiwadii'll — store-house, provision house. See number 3 and notes.
UiVwaVla-tsu'gilasuiV — "Where the storehouse (unwada'll) was taken off." Either
Black rock or Jones knob, northeast of Webster, on the east line of Jackson
county, in North Carolina. See number 122.
Uwaga/hi (commonly written Ocoee) — "Apricot, place," from uim'ga, the "apricot
vine," or " may pop," (Pass [flora incarnata) , and lu, locative. A former important
settlement on Ocoee river, near its junction with Hiwassee, about the present
Benton, in Polk county, Tennessee.
uwa'yl — hand, paw generally used with the possessive suffix, as iwiaye'tA, "his
hand."
u we'la — liver.
uwe'nithl — rich; used also as a personal name as the equivalent of Richard. ( 'f.
Tsuwe'nahi.
Uw'tsiuVtit — "Bouncer" (habitual); from k'tsl, "it is bouncing." A traditional ser-
pent described as moving by jerks like a measuring worm, to which also the
name is applied. See number 55.
I'yahye' — a high peak in the Great Smoky range, probably on the line between
Swain county, North Carolina, and Sevier or Blount county, Tennessee. See
number 75 and notes.
■oonby] GLOSSARY 545
tJy'gila/gl — abbreviated from Tsuyu'gila'gl, "Where there are dams," i. e., beaver
dams; from gtigilu'uftekA', "he is damming it." 1. A former settlement on Ooth-
caloga 1 < >ugillogj creek of ( lostanaula river, near the present Calhoun, in Gordon
county, Georgia; 2. Beaverdam creek, west of Clarkesville, in Habersham county ,
i reorgia.
Vaiaeytown — see Gu'nahitufl'yt.
Vengeance cheek — see GS.nsa'ti'yt.
W ichesa — see Watsi'sU.
wadaiV — thanks!
wa'dl — paint, especially red paint.
wa'ilige-aska'li — "his head tis) brown,'.' i.e., "brown-head," from wddiget, brown,
brown-red, ami askd'K, possessive of mkH', head; the copperhead snake.
Wadi'yahf — A feminine name .if doubtful etymology. An expert basket-making
woman among the East Cherokee, who died in 1895. She was known to the
whites as Mrs Bushyhead. See page 179.
Wafford — see Tsuxkwantm'n&wa'ta'.
Wa'trlnsI' — The name of an eddy at the junction of the Little Tennessee and main
Tennessee rivers, at Lenoir, in Loudon county, Tennessee. The town is now
known to the Cherokee by the same name, of which the meaning is lost. See
number 124.
waguli' — whippoorwill; the name is an onomatope; the Delaware name is welcolU
i Heckewelder) .
Wahnenauhi — see Wani'n&M.
wa'huhu' — the screech-owl I Megascops asio); see also tsfclM' and »;/»/.»'.
wa'ka — cow; from the Spanish vaca, as is also the Creek waga and the Arapaho
irnll'trli.
wala'sl — the common green frog; there are different names for the bullfrog (ki'inu'nii,
q. v. i and for other varieties; warts are also called wald'sl.
YValasi'yl — "Frog place." 1. A former settlement, known to the whites as Frog-
town, upon the creek of the same name, north of Bahlonega, in Lumpkin
county, Georgia. 2. Le Conte and Bullhead mountains in the Great Smoky
range on the North Carolina-Tennessee line, together with the ridge extending
into Sevier county, Tennessee, between the Middle and West forks of Little
Pigeon river. See number 51 and notes.
walas'-unul'sti — "it fights frogs," from wald'sl, frog, and unuVstl, "it fights"
(habitually); gu'lihu', "I am fighting." The Prosartes lanuginosa plant. See
number 126.
YValas'-unulsti'yl — "Place of the plant waMs'-unul'stt," commonly known to the
whites as Fightingtown, from a translation of the latter part of the nam.-; a
former settlement on Fightingtown creek, near Morganton, in Fannin county,
i leorgia. Sec number 1L'.">.
Walini'— a feminine name, compounded from Watt, another form of Kwatt, " Polly,"
with a sutiix added for euphony.
YVane'-asufi'tlunyl — " Hickory footlog place," from irane'1, hickory, ass6.n%uW\
(q.v I, footlog, bridge, and //;, locative. A former settlement, known to the
whites as Hickory-log, on Etowah river, a short distance above Canton, in Cher-
okee county, < leorgia.
Wani'nahl' — a feminine name of uncertain etymology; the Wahnenauhi of the
Wahnenauhi manuscript.
W 18HINGTON — see Wn'slt u' un .
UVi'-i — the Cherokee form for Moses.
19 ETH— 01 35
5-JM1) MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
Wa'sitii'na, Wa'siifitu'na (different dialectic forms) — a CheroKee known to the
whites as Washington, the sole survivor of a Removal tragedy. See page 158.
The name denotes a hollow log (or other cylindrical object) lying on the ground
at a distance; the root of the word is osi'te, log, and the w prefixed makes it at
a distance
Wa'suhV — a large red-brown moth which flies about the blossoming tobacco in the
evening.
Wata'gl (commonly written Watauga, also Watoga, Wattoogee, Whatoga, etc.) — a
name occurring in two or more towns in the old Cherokee country; one was an
important settlement on Watauga creek of Little Tennessee river, a few miles
below Franklin, in Macon county. Tennessee; another was traditionally located
at Watauga Old Fields, about the present Elizabeths m, on Watauga river, in
< 'arter county, Tennessee. See page 21. The meaning of the name is lost.
Watauga — see Wat&'gt.
Watai'sa — a prominent old Cherokee, known to the whites as Wachesa, a name
which cannot be translated, who formerly lived on lower Beaverdam creek of
Hiwassee river, below Murphy, in Cherokee county, North Carolina. From
the fact that the Unicoi turnpike passed near his place it was locally known as
the Wachesa trail.
wa'va — wolf; the name is an onomatope, intended as an imitation of the animal's
howl; cf. the Creek name, yaha.
Wa'ya'hl — "Wolf place," i. e. place of the Wolf clan; the form Aui'-lVa' i/ii'lu is not
used. Wolftown settlement on upper Soco creek, on the East Cherokee reserva-
tion, in Jackson county, North Carolina.
Wava gap — see A'tdhi'ta.
Wayc.ii — see Wdyt.
Wavi — "Pigeon"; the modern Cherokee name for Big Pigeon river in western
North Carolina; probably a translation of the English name. It appears also as
Way eh.
Welch, Lloyd — see Da'sigiya'gl.
wesa — cat; a corruption of "pussy."
White-path — see Ntmn&'M-txune'ga..
Willstown — a former important settlement, so called from the halfbreed chief known
to the whites as Red-headed Will, on Will's creek below Fort Payne, in Dekalb
county. Alabama. The settlement was frequently called from him WUi'yl,
"Will's place," but this was not the proper local name.
Wllslnl' — the Cherokee name for H. W. Spray, agent and superintendent for the East
Cherokee reservation; an adaptation of his middle name, Wilson.
Wil-usdi'— "Little Will," from Witt', Will and usdi'ga or usdV, little. The Chero-
kee name for Colonel W. H. Thomas, for many years the recognized chief of the
eastern band.
Wissactaw — see g&TiAwVsita.
Wolftowx — see 1 1 'a'yd'M.
Wootassite i _
' — see Oi'tacity.
Wrosetasatow i
Wude'liguii'yl — the west; literally "there where it (the sun) goes down" (w pre-
fixed implies distance, yl, locative). See also Vsiinhi'yi and ivustihilinn'yi.
Wuliga'natutun — excelling all others, either in good or bad; it may be used as equiva-
lent to wasltifi, "beyond the limit." See page 232.
wusuhihun'yl — "there where they stay over night," i. e. "the west." An archaic
term used by the narrator of the story of Untsaiyl', number 63. The common
word is wude'ligCifl''yl,q. v., while the term in the sacred formulas is Us&fiM'yl, q.v.
Xuala — see Ani-Suwa'tt.
hooked GLOSSARY 517
-yS — a suffix denoting principal or real, as taishva'yd, "principal bird," the sparrow;
Ani'-Ytiiliviyd', "principal or real people," Indians.
V ihooi \ see Yahuld'h
Yahulii'i— " Yahu'la place," from Yahu'la, a Cherokee trader said to have been taken
by tin' spit-it people; Yahu'la seems to be from the < !reek yoho'lo, a name ha\ ing
reference to the song (yoholo) , nsed in the " black drink" ceremony of the Creeks;
thus a'si-yoho'lo, corrupted into Osceola, signified "the black drink song"; it
may, however, be a true Cherokee word, yahu'la or yahu'tl, the name for a
variety of hickory, also for the "doodle-bug"; UKyahu'la is a feminine name,
but can not be translated. Yal la creek, near Dahlonega, in Lumpkin county,
< reorgia. See aumber 86 and notes.
Yal:i'u'i Alarka creek of Little Tennessee river, above the junction of Tuckasegee,
in Swain county, North Carolina; the meaning of the name is lost.
yafidaska'ga — a faultfinder. See number 61.
Yftn-e'gwa— " Big-bear," from ydnu, hear, and egwa, great, large. A prominent chief
about the year isno; the name oeenrs in treaties as Yonah, Yohanaqua and Ydna-
hequah. See page 164.
ya'nu — bear.
Ya'nu-dineliun'yl — "Where the bears live," from ydn&, bear, dinShu', "they dwell"
\:')m. "I dwell. I live "), and yt, locative. A plac i ( tconaluftee river, a short
distance above the junction with Tuckasegee, in Swain comity, North Carolina.
See number 122.
Y:'inii>_run'skl — "The hear drowns him" (habitually), from ydliU, hear, and toig6.fi'-
ixl.n', "I am drowning him." A noted East Cherokee chief, known to tin-
whites as Yonaguska or Drowning-bear. See page 162.
Ya/nu-u'natawasti'yl — " Where the hears wash" (from y&nu, hear, and yl, locative);
a former pond in the Great Stnoky mountains, about the extreme head of
Raven fork, in Swain county, North Carolina. See number 121'.
yan'-utse'stu — "the bear lies on it"; the shield fern (Aspidium). See number 126.
Yawa'I — "YawS place"; a place on Yellow creek of Cheowa river, in Graham county,
North Carolina. See number 122.
Y'ellow-hill — see El&wd'diyl.
Yohanaqua — see Ydn-e'gwa.
yoho-o! — an unmeaning song refrain. See number 75.
Yonaguska- -see Yd'n&gufl'sld.
Yonah — 1. (mountain) see Gadalu'tu. 2. An abbreviated treaty form for the name
of the chief Yan-e'gwa.
Yonaheqcah — see Ydn-e'gwa.
Ytaua, Ytava — see I't&wd'.
Yu! — an unmeaning song refrain and interjection.
Yuha'H — Euharlee creek, of lower Etowah river, in Bartow county, Georgia. The
name is said by the Cherokee to be a corruption of Yufala (Eufaula), a well-
known Creek local name. See number 105.
yunsiV — buffalo; cf. Creek yena'sa, Choctaw yanash, Hichitee ya'nasi.
Yunsa'l — " Buffalo place"; West Buffalo creek of Cheowa river in Graham county,
North Carolina; the site of a former Cherokee settlement. See number 1L"_'.
yu've-yuwehe' — an unmeaning song refrain. See number 118.
yufi'wi — person, man; cf. Mohawk oflgwe'.
Yun'wi Ania'ytne'hl — " Water - dwelling People," from yufl'vit, person, and iiinii'-
ifnff'ln, plural of S/mdyi'hl, q. v.; a race of water fairies. See number 7s.
Y'un'w i-dlkatagun'yl - see Yi'iu' 'in-lmil, nn,',' yt,
Yufi'wl Cunahi'ta — "'Long Man"; a formulistic name for the river, personified as a
man with his head resting on the uutain and his feet stretching down to the
lowlands, who is constantly speaking to those who can understand the message.
548 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ann.19
Yufi'wini'giskl — "Man-eaters," literally, "They eat people" (habitually), from
yun'xvl, person, man. and uni'gisJA, "they eat" (habitually), from Islkiu', "I am
eating"; the Cherokee name for a distant cannibal tribe, possibly the Atakapa
or the Tonkawa. See number 105. Of. AnOda'dtifitAild.
YuiVwI-tsulem'nVyl — "Where the man stood," originally Ytifl'vX-dtkcddgti.ii'y't,
"Where the man stands," from yufi'ifi, person, man, Isitd'gCi, "I am stand-
ing," and j/7., locative; Standing Indian, a high bald mountain at the head of
Nantahala river, in Macon county, North Carolina. See number 122.
Yufi'wl Tsunsdi' — "Little People," from yufi'wl, person, people, and Immdi'ga or
tsunsdi', plural of usdi'ga or usdi', little; the Cherokee fairies. See number 78.
Yufi'wl Usdi' — "Little Man." A formulistic name for the ginseng, d'tatt-guW, q. v.
Yufi'wl-usga'se tl — "Dangerous Man, Terrible Man"; a traditional leader in the
westward migration of the Cherokee. See page 99.
YuiVwiya' — "Indian," literally, "principal or real person," from yufi'wl, person
and yd, a suffix denoting principal or real. See pages 15 and 181.
INDEX TO PART 1
Page
Abbott on effect of Georgia antl-Cheiokee
laws lis
Abraham, murder of 66,66
V. TJRATION, Study Of xxi-xxv
A. SMU III", VESTS 12-18
Acolafissa, tribe of Choctaw confederacy, 500
ACOMA, work nt xiii
Activities, discussion of Ixiv-lxv
Anvn:, Jambs, or Cherokee dialects 16
— on Cherokee intratriba] friction 496
— on Cherokee lack of conservatism "229
— on Cherokee population 34
— on Cherokee relations with Creeks : 384
— on Cherokee sacred ark 503
— on Cherokee snake myths 167,459-160,461
— on Cherokee sufferings from smallpox .. 3ti
— on Cherokee thunder myths 441
— on Cherokee war of 1759-61 41
— on Christian Priber's work 37
— on Creek myths 475
— . .11 ( reeks 499
— on decay of Cherokee ritual and tradi-
tions 'JO
— on effects of Cherokee war (1760-61 ) 45
^*— on gatayustl game 434
— on Herbert's spring 404
— on horses and swine among Cherokee . . 82,213
— on Indian beliefs concerning birds 153 154
— on Indian beliefs concerning fond 172
— on Indian beliefs concerning wolf us
— on Indian conduct during eclipse 441
— on Indian custom of removing deers1
hamstrings 447
— on Indian marriage customs 482
— on Iroquois wars 357-358, 491
— on name Cherokee 10
— on peace towns 207, 208
— on sacred tire 503
— on scratching ceremony 470
— on Shawano wars 87]
— on Taskigi among Creeks 389
— ..ii tla'nuwa 166
— on welcome ceremony 493
Adder, myths concerning 297, 136
Idoptiox among eastern tribes 493
Advocate, Cherokee, sa Cherokee Ad-
vocate.
a ..ansta'ta. see Morgan, Washington;
IOSTOTA
■ i-i in-, ih i ..ii. erning . .
Calientes, examination of caves
near xvii
Alabama in Texas, niiii me. f, with Cherokee. 1 13
— migration acn.-s the Mi --i--ij.pl by '.i'.i
— , tribe of Creek confederacy 198 199
Pagi
Alabama, production of gold in 220. 221
— . Removal forts in 221
Algonquia.n languages, studj of xxv
— myths I ",:, l ,l
— names for rabbit and dawn 2;;:!
— tribes, study of xvii-xviii. xxix
Ai.KiNi', Natchez woman among Cherokee. 388
\ I I Ii"'. I - so Ka'i.aih".
Allegheny river, origin of name of 18
Allegory, development of Ixxxix-xe
Allen, H. X., on Korean myths -117
Alligator, myths concerning 159
Almanac, Cherokee, establishment of 112
Alphabet used for Cherokee words 500
— , so also Syllabary.
Altars of religious fraternities, study of .. xlvi-
xhx, 1-lii
Ambrosial pleasures lix-lx
AMERICAN blood among Cherokee 83
American Board of Commissioners for
Foreign Missions, work of, among Cher-
okee 104-105, 136
Anadarko, see Nadako.
Angola, myths of 441-442, 146, 147,450, 152, 153
Ani'-Kitu'whagI, see Kitu'whagI.
Ani'-Ku'sa, see Creeks.
Ani'-Kuta'nI, legends concerning . . . 392 :;*..:;, ."I
Animals, chiefs and tribes 1 .f. 231,261-266, 145 n>
— , myths concerning 39,
21.;. -'.I. 2 .2, 280, el passim
ANl'-TSA'LiGi', ANI'-Yf ■N'WIY.l', 80 Is 1 '
LA..!', YUN'WIYA'.
Annuities, Cherokee 81, 86, 124
— . apportionment of Inf., 138, 177
— , withholding of lis
ant, myths concerning 152
Antelope, myths concerning 151
apache, murder of party of, by scalp hunt-
ers.
209
— , racing among 191
— , study of xxiii
— , use i>f language of, as trade language. , . 188
— , so also Jicarilla; Mesi il i bo
Appalachee. enslavement ol 232
Appleton's Cyclopedia of Ameru > Bi
ography on Rev. David Brainerd 217
— on Col. Benjamin Hawkins 212
— on chi.-i McGillii ra] 210
— on Col. It J.Meigs 212
— on i icner; 1 1 Robertson 105
— on lolm K..ss Ill
onSI Clairsdefeat 212
on 1 ei iM.iiii;. 211;
— on Nancy Ward 201
— on Wayne's victory 213
54'j
550
Page
Aqcaqctbi, see Guaquili.
Arapaho, genesis legend of 229
— , tribal medicine of 503
Arbuckle, General, on adoption of Chero-
kee constitution 135
— , reward for capture of Tahchee offered by 141
Arch, John, bible translation by 110
Arizona, report on collections from xix-.xx
— , work in xiii-xv
Arkansas, collection from xxi
Arkansas Cherokee, conference with
Osage by 105
— . fixing of boundaries to lands of 10.5
— . friction between main band and - - . 133,
135, 147, 148
— . history of 77,102,136-143
— , request of, for recognition as separate
tribe 105
— , union of, with main band 135
— , visit of Sequoya to 110
Arkansas river, settlement of Cherokee
on 102
— , cession to < Iherokee of tract on 102-103
— . exchange of tract on 139
Arts, sei Fine arts.
Asi. characters of 162
— . recitation of sacred myths in 230
Astu'gatA'ga, Lieutenant, death of 170
ATAoA'iii. myths concerning — 321-82J, 161, 170
Atagul'kAlO, see Atakullakulla.
Atakapa, Cherokee relations with 391
Ataki'LI.aki'I.i.a, agreement with, for
building of forts 40
— , attempts to bring peace by 42, 44
— , offer of aid to Americans by 54
— , rescue of Captain Stuart by 44,203
Athletic pleasures lxiii-lxviii
Atkins, J. D. C, on east Cherokee suit
against main band 152
— , r mmendation for cast Cherokee re-
moval by 177
Atlanta Constitution on effect of Georgia
anti-Cherokee law's 118
ATsi, see Arch, John.
Augusta, opening of path from Cherokee
country to 30
— , treaty of (1703) 45
Autonomy, Cherokee, waning of 153-157
Autossee, battleat 92
Avery, Mrs A.C., acknowledgments to 13
— on Cherokee part in civil war 109
— on Col. W. H. Thomas 162
A'wani'ta, myth told by 454
Ax, JOHN, Cherokee story-teller 229-230.237
— . myths told by 430,
l n, 135, 136,438,440, 448-452,454-456,
160, 162, 163, 166, 471,473,476, 477,481
— on gatayustl game 4: ;4
Aya'sta. Cherokee story-teller 237
Aya'sta. myths and songs obtained from.. 430,
453.408,470,601,504
Ayllon on gigantic Indians Mil
— .version of Tsundige'wi myth by 471
— , visit to Georgii asi by 193
A'YUN'INi, see Swimmer.
Aztec, myths of 431.451.4ti0
Bald MOUNTAIN, myth concerning 299
Page
Kali, game among East Cherokee 170
— among western Cherokee 146
— , figurative use of expression 433
—.legend connected with 384
—.myths and lore concerning 202,
286-287,308,312-313,369, 154
— , rites and practices connected with 230,
262, 122, 125, 171
Bancroft. H. H., on Mexican grant to
Cherokee 148
— on scalping by whites 209
Baptist gap, engagement at 170
Baptists, work of, among Cherokee.. 107. 165, loo
Barbarism, features of xlix
Barcia, A. G., on Creek-Cherokee wars 38
— on De Luna's expedition 201
— on Rogers expedition 202
— on Spanish mission among Cherokee 29
—.version of Tsundige'wi myth by 472
Barnwell, , Cherokee reply to 372
Barringer, Rurus, arbitrator between East
Cherokee and Thomas's creditors 174
Bartram, William, on cane-splint fire .. 429-430
— on cattle among Cherokee 213-214
— mo Cherokee relations with < Ireeks ::s:;. :;m
— on Creeks 499
rigin of mounds in Cherokee country. 22
— on ruins at Silver bluff 193
— on sacred fire 503
— on Seminole regard for snakes 457
— on strawberries in Cherokee country 468
— on traders' bells 483
— , travels of, in Cherokee country 46
Barton. B. S., on Cherokee linguistic rela-
tionship 16
— on traditional predecessors of Cherokee.. 22
Basketry among East Cherokee 170
Basswood in Cherokee lore 421,505
Bat, myths concerning 286-287, 151
Battey on visiting ceremony 493
Batts, Thomas, exploration into Cherokee
country by 31
Bayagoi'i.a, tribe of Choctaw confederacy. 500
Bean, Lieutenant, part taken by, at Horse-
si 10c bend 95
Bean, Mrs, rescue of , by Nancy Ward . is. 204, 490
Bean in Cherokee lore 124,471
Bear, myths and lore concerning 250, 264,
268, 273-274, 286-287, 325-329, 411,
436,446-447, 450-452, 472 174,504
-, songsof 010, 101
Bear-grass in Cherokee lore 420
1:1 \i:i> .In iin. killing of Indians by 74
Bear Man. myth of 262,327-329
Beasley, Maj. Daniel, commander of Fort
Minis 216
Beast fable, development of lxxxii-lxxxiii
BEAl champ, W. M., on Iroquois myths . . 158, 169
— on Onondaga name for violet 505
Beaver on Ohio Cherokee 79
Beaver. Cherokee myths ami lore con-
cerning 266, 314-315, 165-466, 171
Bechtler, coining of gold by 220
Bei k 1 1:, G. F.,on Southern gold fields — 221
Bees among Cherokee 82,214
— in Cherokee lore 309
Beetle, myths and lore concerning 239,
308,314.430.463
19]
551
Bell, John, flight of 13-1
! i herokee Na-
tion 1^1!
Bible, translations of, into Cherokee 108,
— story among Cherokee
ob m'ii'i , work in xxx
Biedm i on De Soto's i xpedition. 26, 191 201
i. mi Natchez among Cheroki i
Big-beak, w< V\
161
Big-hush, set Hard
era h, death oi 179
Biloxi in Texas, anion of, with I Cherokee 1 13
— . tribe of Choctaw confederacy
Bibd town, purchase of 161
I hs and lore concerning 241,
! 0 !94 00 10] 142 153 i -I
Bi li kberry, myth concerning 259
Blackburn, Re\ Gideon, establishment of
school among Cherokee by 84
Black-eyed Susan in Cherokee lore 120
Blackfeet, method of catching eagli
practiced by 153
— , myths of 132, 151, 147
Black-fox, an unity for 85
— . enactment signed l>y 86-87
Blai k mountain, myths concerning. 132, 150
Blacksnake, myths concerning 241,
288 289
Blacks station, encounter at 48
Bledsoe on French and Spanish encour-
agement of Cherokee hostility
B d mountain, myth concerning ...
Blount, William, endeavors of, for peace.. 78
— . governor of Tennessee 212
— life of 212
— on attack on Buchanans station 73
— on Chickamauga declaration of war { L79
— on origin of Chickamauga band 54
— on Shaw's mission 71
— , propose I of , to Cherokee I 795) 81
— , Territorial governor 68
— , treaty and cession arranged bj (1791 68 69
Blount, chief, settlement of Tuscarora
under 198
iy, myth concerning 284
Bluff, Tn e, se< Nashville.
Blythe, David, Cherokee story-ti lei
— , myths told by "'.'. is:;
Blythe, James, acknowledgments to 13
nl for East Cherokee 180
— . Cherokee story-teller 237
—, myths told by 186,462 163
. lion of Indian myths
by
— on dissemination of Indian myths 234
— on Tillamook myths 440
SOES.
Bonnell on Cherokee agreement with
Mexico 145
— on Chi : i — 145
— on Houston's
kce 145
— on Mexican grant to < hi roki 143
myth concerning
Bi on, Daniel, leader of pioneer advam ■ I ■
Boudinot, Cornelius, myths told by 149 155
— , opening of grave on farm of 143
Boudinot, Drl
Boudinot, Elias, Bible translatioi
1 1 1
--. education of 108
— . killing of
. signing of new i hi
vote of, on Ridge treal s 122
1-1
Bow ii-'. M acknowledgment" to 13
146
emigration ol - 101, 138, 141,1 13
rol 145
— , paper carried by, at death
« ith Texas signed bj 1 14
Bi • i opposition to McGillivrayb; !10
Boyd, D.T, suit of United States againsl
Br wm bd, lo \ David lifi JIT
Brai ii> 'i tndnnce ol pupils
at
ishment of
Brant. Sir William Johnsoi
with
Brass, .... UntsaiyI'.
Breath, the. death of T'.i
Brier in ' Iheroki i lore 125
Brinton, D.G., edition of Walamt ilumby. 190
..ii Delaware nam,, for < Iherokee
on Delaware tribal organization 497
— on deluge myth 1 I •
— on first appearance of whins 191
— on Flint and Rabbit myth 151
— on name Kitu'whagl 182
..ii Shawano . . : 161,495
-on Tallige'wi 19,184
British, encouragement of fndiai
tility by .: 64,08
— relations with Indians 98 99
retention of posts by 1 1790) 68
—, withdrawal of, from interior posts. . 81
— , withdrawal of, from south 62
l; i: .-, Miss A- M., acknowledgments to.. 13
111 - -.i i M -' nil- -ii I'.- SotO'S i. "II'
— on Pardo's expedition 28,29
Brown, David, Bible translation by ill
— on Cher a in 1819 112
no
Brown, ,1. M., on ancestry of Sequoya .
Blown. Joseph, capture, adoption
leaseof
— , guide to expedition of 1794 78
— on attack on Buchanan's station 7:1
on Martin's expedition 1 1788)
Brown, Orlando, on Catawba among East
Cherokee
iken by, in
haul.- ot Horseshoe bend
Brown, Thomas, teacher a -
ikee l"l
Brown, Col. , British agenl al Chii i.
Brows Mrs ransomof 06
1 1 M., on decisioi
— on East I airs 179
ee strip
on Mohawk name for till
Bryant, Ixxxix
Bryson, Ii imil ..ii Cherokee heroism
552
[ETH. ANN. 19
Bryson, Maj. James, acknowledgments to. 13
— on Cherokee heroism 501
— on Cherokee round nj> 131
— on Rutherford's route 205
Bbtson city, capture of East Cherokee at. 1 T 1
Buchanans station, attack on (17921 73
Buckle, . on Cherokee-Chickasaw war. 38
Buffalo, Cherokee gift of skin of, to Span-
iards 27
— , myths and lore concerning 263.
293.410, 112, 148
Buffalo dance, legend of origin of 352. 485
Bugle weed in Cherokee lore 120
BUGL0SS in Cherokee lore 426
Bullfrog, myths concerning 310-311,-163
— . 8< ' also Frog.
Bullhead, Cherokee leader in war with
Creeks 384
Burial, myth concerning 256,440
Burk, John, on Cherokee invasion of Vir-
ginia 30
Burnet, , commissioner to Cherokee .. 145
Burnt tobacco, contact with Nunnfi'M by. 332
Burs in Cherokee lore 426
Butler, Rev. D. S., arrest and imprison-
ment of 119
— , Cherokee missionary 105
— on Jackson's attitude toward Cherokee . 117
Butler. John, Cherokee ball captain 406
Butler, S. W„ myth told by 450
Buttkick on Cherokee myths 430,
436-437, 445, 470, 476, 478, 483
— on Cherokee sacred fire 502
— on custom of removing deers' hamstrings. 447
Buzzard, myths concerning 239,
266, 284, 293, 294, 430, 431, 456
Byhan, Rev. Gottlieb, Cherokee mission-
ary S4
Cabot, Sebastian, visit to America by 191
Caddo in Texas, union of, with Cherokee.. 143
— , wanderings of 146
Cairns in Cherokee country 20-21, 491
Cai.eebee creek, battle of 93
Calendars. Kiowa, publication of paper
on : xxvi, xxix
Calendar sysi ems, Mayan, memoir on., xli-xlii
Calhoun on Seneca town 4S5
— , reply to Cherokee memorial by 115
— . reply to Georgia's protest by 116
Cameron, . attempt to seize 48
— , encounter between Williamson's force
and 50
— , interception of letter to 47
— , raid led by 48
Campbell, Col. Ani hur, defeat of Ferguson
by 57
— , expedition under (1780-81 1 57-68
—on British agent and Tories at Chicka-
mauga 55
— on Chickamauga band ... 54
— on Nancy Ward 204
— on Sevier's expedition (1781) 59
Campion in Cherokee lore 426
Canasagi v, De Soto's visit to 26,197
Candy., John, printer of Cherokee Phoenix, in
Cane, Indian use of 490
Cannibals, mythseoneerning. 247, 349-350, 483, 501
Canoes, Cherokee 4%
Canos, see Cofitachiqui.
Canup, W.T., acknowledgments to 13
Cape Girardeau, settlement of Delawarea
and Shawano at 99
Cardinal flower in Cherokee lore 424
Carrington on East Cherokee chiefs 175
— on East Cherokee constitution 173
— on East Cherokee in Civil war 170, 171
— on Iroquois 485
— on Iroquois peace towns 208
Carroll, Gov. William, treatysigned by. 125
Carroll, . on Catawba in Cherokee
war 44
— on English conduct toward Cherokee... 38
Cartier, Indians found on St Lawrence by . 190
Cass, Lewis, reply to Schermerhorn's pro-
i by
122
Casteei. family, murder of 76
Castor Hill, treaty of (18521 99
Cat, Cherokee name for 265
Cataracts in Cherokee lore 426
Catawba, Cherokee relations with 14.
36. 31-32, 44, 49, 165, 234,380-381
— , feather ornament of 504
— , myths of 452
— name for Cherokee 16, 183
— , population of (1755) 39
— , sketch of 49S
— , Spanish contact with 28
"Catgut" in Cherokee lore 425
Cati.in on Tahchee 141
Cattle raising by Cherokee 82,
122,137,166,213-214
CAUCHI, He Soto's visit to 29
Cavitts station, attack on 75
Cebollita valley, excavation of ruins
around xiil
Cedar, lore concerning 421, 505
Censuses of Cherokee. 34, 103, 112, 125, 150, 156 157
— of East Cherokee 167-168,172,176,179,180
Central America, memoir on numeral
systemsof xliv.xlv
ceremony, development of lxxviii-lxxix
Chalaque, De Soto's visit to 24, 194
— , see also Tsa'lagI'; synonymy.
Chance, part played by, in games ... lxviii-lxix
Charleville on Cherokee wars 371
Charley*, escape, surrender, and shooting
,,f 131, 157, 158
Chat, see Huitu.
Chatelain, Heli, on Angolan folk tales .. 442,
lie. 117. 150, 152, 153
Cheowa Maximum, myth concerning 105
Cheraw, Cherokee relations with 14,380
— sketch of 498
Cherokee, meaning and derivation of
name 182-183
—.memoir on myths of xxxvii-xxxix. 3-548
— , study of fraternities, cults, and myths
of xxvi.xlvii
Cherokee Advocate, establishment of . . 111,112
—.myths published by... 272-273,449,450
— on treaty with South Carolina 31
— on western Cherokee history 146
-.revival of (1870) 147,151
:,.,:;
Page
Cherokee agency, attempt to annul
treat; ol 104
—.treaties of 102,120
— , proposal made at treaty of 113
■ : w ic, establishment of — 112
cm i: Mi -.i sgi r, establishmenl of., 112
i blishment of. 124, I 19 I I
— , see aim Chi rok i i strip.
Cherokee Phoznix, establishment of... HI,
112,217-218
— on Sequoya's ancestry bis
— , suppression of 123
Cherokee strip, cession of 153
—.establishment of 124,189,142
—, settlement of other 1 Julians on 150,151
Cheucunsene, see Kunnesee.
Cheyenne, murder of party of 209
— .myths of 229,441,443,449,452,465 166
—.tribal medicine of 503
I'll i ah a. Spanish visits to. 23,24,26,28, 197, 199,200
Chiaroscuro, development of lxxvi
Chii k v i h e, myths concerning 285 286,319, 154, 168
Chickamauga band, declaration of war
by 1792) 71.72
— , hostility of (1875-94) 62-67,70,72-78
— .origin of 54
Chickamauga oil. ii pseudomyth con-
cerning 413—114
Chickamauga towns, destruction of... ■ • ■. T-.-7'.'
— .expedition against 60
Chickasaw, attacks on Cumberland towns
by 62
— , attitude of, in Civil war 148
— . attitude of, in Creek war 90
—, boundary between Cherokee and 62,66
—.Cherokee relations with 14,
> 14,67,72,371,389-390,494
— , defeat of French by 477
— , friendliness of, toward English 35
— . land cessions by 86
— .Natchez among 386
— . sketch of 199,500
— . treaty with Virginia and North Carolina
by
,,;
,saw Council House, treaty of (1816) 98
Chickasaw Old Fields, treaty of 85
Chicken, Col. George, expedition under.. ::.;
Chilhowee, myth concerning 375
— , threatened burning of (1792) 73
ik jargon, character and use of . . is7-iss
riii-. il, Spanish visits t" 23,27,20]
CHIVINGTON, Colonel, murder of Cheyenne
by
i Civil war lis
— , attitude of, in Creek war 90,91
— . Cherokee relations with
— in Texas, union of, witli Cherokee 113
t.inythsof 501
— nam.- for Cherokee 15-16,182-183
— names for Indian tribes 182-183
—.sketch of
D oak, traditions concerning 115-416
Christ] in, Col. William, expedition und
-.life of
— , j :e agri emenl arranged '■>'■
Chrisi ianity amo
— among East Cherokee 166
— , liit!".: I ituwha 165
Chi bi h, Captain, on scalping by whites... 208
Citico, ambuscade at 65
Citizenship, Cherokee, recommendation
, 114
— in Cherokee Nation, decision of
civn. u mi, Cherokee attitude during . L48-149
— , Cherokee loss in
■ 'til 1 IS
i.i Cherokee nari in 161 162, 168-172
Claiborne, General, defeat of Creeks at
II. .h Ground by 92
— on Alabama migration 99
Clan, features of xlix.l
veng '.- ( herol I... In i.. i
of 86-87, H'7
Clans, Cherokee 212-213
— , Chickasaw 199
— , ch.. .law SO0
— , memoir on localization of, inTusayan.. xli
— , Muscogee 199
— . Seneca 183
— . Shawano 101
Clark, Governor William, Osage-Cherokee
conference arranged by 105, 137
Clarke, Peter, on Iroquoian migrations.. 189
Clay, Henry, opposition c> removal proj-
ect bj 129
Clover in Cherokee lore 121
i'ooa, Spanish visits t.. ... 23,24,26,29, 194.2 1
Coi I. i in a in Cherokee lore 1-''.
i ' .i i ii, i leneral, attack on Cre.-ks at Talla-
sechatchee, by 90,91
— ..ii battle of Horseshoe bend 03-00
— , wound received by, at Emukfaw creek. 02
Coffee among Cherokee 214
('..ill \.lli. ,11 1. 1 pie of 499
— , Spanish visits to 23,24,28,193 194
Cohutta mountain, myths concerning — 2'.r.i.
302, I-. I 162
. ■,.: .1.1 , CADWALLAD] i:, OD 1 1'. 1.(11. an II lill-
ons 189
— ..ii Iroquois is.
— on name Allege'wi lsi
Cold mountain, myth concerning 180
Coldwater, burning of 67
Colerain, Creek peace made at 81
Colli:, thins made by the Bureau xviii,
xx-xxi,xxix
Colonial per ! Cherokee history 20-10
Color, pleasures of lxiii
— , primitive ideas concerning lxxxiv
Com v Sri m:, attitude of, in Civil war 148
— . use of language of , as trade language... 188
. ..mi i . Cherokee nam., for 142
Confederacy, features of xlix
Confederate States, Cherokee declara-
tion for lis
-, Easl Cherokee reli - with 168-171
CONGABEE, Chei aions with
is, Cherokee representation in 125
. ... in ( iherol myth 255, 277-278,
279,320 i.i I ' 193 !9I 01 ■ ' ' ps im
— , Indian pn ■• ol 195
EROS! b conci rning 112
on of, with Delawares 107
Hon, Cherokee, adoption of. 112,116,135
1
554
[eth.
Coosa, Creek peace town 207-208
Ooosawatee, establishment of mission at.. 107
— , surrender of prisoners ;< t 66
COOSHATTA, See K" LSATI.
Cooweescoowee, origin of name 285
Copper, Indian use of 23, 26
Copperhead, myths and lore concerning 252-253,
296, 313
Corn, Indian use of 481
— , myths and lore concerning 244-245,
246,248,249, 121, 1-'::, 182, 171
Corncob in Cherokee myth 136,441
Cornelius, Rev. Eli as. on The Suck 164-465
Cornells on Cherokee reception of Proph-
et's doctrine 89
COBNWALLIS, attempt to invade North Caro-
lina and Virginia by 56-57
Cornwall school, education of Cherokee
at 108
Coronado, trick attempted on 191
COSMOGONIC myths 239-261
— , scealso Sacked myths.
Coste, De Soto's visit to 200
Cotton gin, grant to Cherokee of 85
Coi i an., is, Fustf.i, de, description of the
"Ancient City" by xli
Conns, Cherokee, narrowing of jurisdic-
tion oi 156
— , East ( 'lierokee 166
Cow in Cherokee myth 205
Cow-ant in Cherokee lore 309
Cowee, burning of (1783) 01
— , legends of 375-378, 496
Coyattee, treaty of 63-64
Coyote, myths concerning 467, 468
Coytmore, Lieutenant, murder of 42-43
Crab orchard, skirmish at (1794) 71, 7s
Crane, myths concerning 290-291. 325, 445, 455
Craven, Governor, defeat of 1'amassee by. 33
Crawfish, myths and lore concerning 239,
308, 125
Crawfokij, — , on East Cherokee desire for
removal 105
— on numbers of East Cherokee 168
Creeks among Cherokee 142-143
— , attitude of, during Civil war 148,149
— , attitude of, during Revolution 55,
59-60,62-66,70,72,73,74,77
— , attitude of, in 1794,1795 78,80
— , blood of, among Cherokee 234
— , boundary between Cherokee and 62
— , cane-splint fire among 429-436
— , Cherokee relations with 14,15,22,
33,38,62,89,142,372,382-385
— , chiefs of 209-210,216-217
— , Choctaw relatii ins with 390
— , conjuring by 502
— , friendly, part taken by, in Creek war. .. 90-95
— , genesis legend of 229
— in Texas, union of. with Cherokee 113
— , massacre al Fort Minis by -21c,
— , mythsof 430-
132, 134, 1:111. 117. 150, 452-455, 463, 407, 17:1, 170
— . Natchez among 3,so
— , peace town of 21 17-21 is
— , peace treaties with 1 1796) 67 68,81
— , probable origin of Cherokee myths
among 2&5
Page
Creeks, removal of, to the West 141
, sacred square of 502
— . sketch of 498
— , songs of 504
— , Taskigi among
— , treaty with Virginia and North Carolina
by 03
Creek path, Cherokee attack on settle-
ment on 383-384
— . withdrawal of Creeks to neighbor] 1
of
383
Cref:k war, beginning of s7-sy
— , Chen ikee loss by 07, 98
— , Cherokee part in sy,;i7, 164
— , Cherokee remembrance of 232
— . pensions to Cherokee veterans of 123
cremation by Pueblo Viejo inhabitants... xv
Cricket, myths and lore concerning 269,
309, 101,504
Crockett, David, opposition to removal
project by 129
Crow, Cherokee name for 282
— in Cherokee myth 283,314-315
Crow town, building of 54
Culture, processes of xxi-xxv
Culver root, Cherokee lore 426
Cumberland settlements, raids on 02-05
Cuming, sir Alexander, mission of, to
Cherokee 35
Curia, mi Fraternity.
Currahee Di< k. establishment of mission
at instance of 108
Curtix, J eremiah, myths given by 359-304,
305-370, 17::. 189
Curtis act, effect of 156
Cushatta, see Koasati 199
Ccshi.no, F. H., model of Zufli altar by xlviii
— , study of religious fraternities and cults
by xlvii
— . work of xix
CUSICK on Iroquoian migrations 189
— on Iroquois myths 229, 444, 469. 501
Cuttawa, see KiTU'HWAGi; Synonymy.
Cyclopedia of Indian tribes, work on... xxviii-
xxix
Dagul'kO geese, myths concerning 254-
255, 284, 439
Dahlonega, establishment of mint at 220
Dakota, myths of 432
DAkwA', myths concerning 307,320-321,469
Dance, characters of lxxvii-lxxviii
— , influence of, on development of music
anil drama lxxi, lxxx
— , myths concerning 251.271,279
— . scalp 496
— , visiting ). 493
Dandridge, raid near 75
Dangerous man, migration under 99-100
Darkening land, myths concerning 248,
253,261,262,313
D'Artaguette, defeat of French under 417
Dart throwing among Indians 494
Daughter of the Sun, myths concerning. 252-
254,297,436-438
Davidson, see Fay and Davidson.
Davies. history of Antilles by 202
— on Spanish mission among Cherokee 29
L9
555
Davis, Rebec . M on Whiteside moun-
tain 167 168
I»\\ is, Maj. w. M.. on Cherokee opposition
to Removal 126
I> v« i - Commission, organization and po«
ersol 153-154
-. work of 156
li w\ n libit with 238
Dai DrD i acl nov ....13
— on Southern gold fields 221
Di mi mytha concerning
1 i: ITIV1 I'l I \-i RES ... Is Ixiii, Ixxil
lu ■ herokee leader in civil
war in
LTOK A.
Deer, myths concerning
263,266,275-277,286-287, 132 150 152
— songs, i herokei 135
Delawares among Cherokee 137, 157
— . capture of c Iherok'ee medicine by. . ■■'. 0
— . Cherokee relations with . It 19 fi
— genesis legend of. -J'-".i
— . incorporation of, with Cherokee 99, 151
— in Texas, union of, with Cherokee 143
— in Texas, wanderings of 146
— , invitations to join Cheroki xtended
to 105,136
— . mode of address used to I'.'l
— . Moravian missionary work among 83
— , name of, for Cherokee 16
— regard for snakes among 45s.
— . sketch of 497
— . trans-Mississippi migration of 99
Deli gi . myths i lerning 261,444-445
in l.i s.i, Tristan, expedition of 201
Demere, Captain, commander of Fort Lou-
don 40
— , death of 44
— . surrender of 43
usi ofdrumsol 493
Deroqueod Shaw's mission 71
De SCHWEINITZ, Edmund, on Moravian
missions s4
Descriitivk ethniii.ii.. v. work in., xxviii-xxix
Di Soto, Hernando, Cherokee name used
by 182
— . expedition of, into Chi roke untry... 23-
— on bees amorjg Cherokee 214
De'tsAtA, Cherokee fairy
■■ Devil's shoestring " in Cherokee lore .. 425
De Witts Corners, treaty of 53
Dialects, Cherokee 16,188 189,. 506
Didapper, m Gallinule.
iam Johnson. 203
Dillard, .1. 11.. arbitrator bel wei n I asl
Cherokee and Thomas's creditors 174
i. myths ami lore concerning 250-
■
I)tsKw.\"Ni. see Bi.YTin i n i
D bbs, . on Cherokee and Catawbs pop-
on 39
< Dog, Cherokee use of, for food
— , myths concerning 26)
Doherty, Colonel, guinsi
Cherokee under 75
Donaldson onlroquois 485
Page
Donelson, Col I
ifi
te Suck H i
Dorsi y, in'.. \ lels iiM
under direction "i ... xlviii
on Qui< - re nj 153
Dorsi '. Rei i ' ' ., "" Siounn mytl
, stud) of fraternities and cults by xlviii
i mil ii e tpedition against Knox-
ville under 75
— . hostility of, in iT'.u
eadei
-, reservation for
.treatj signed bj 1806
Doublehead, leader in wai « ith I Ireel
hin GHERTY, i tablishment of,
i i radei ami ing Cherokee
rd's relationship with
Douglas, Genera], defeat of Texas Cheroki
b>
I 15
Dragging-canoe, chiel oi Chickamaiiga
band S3
— , enmit; to Americans of A
FLYin Cherokee lore 4.11
Draki "ii ' tierokee fs in ' Ireek war. . . ','7
— mi Cherokee government in;
i reek war
■ mi i'i ei Removal 125
— on Fort Minis massacre 216
— on Georgia acts affecting Cherokee. .. 117,221
— on imprisonment of missionaries... 120
— on Indian civilized government 113
— on Chief McGillivray Jin
— on Chief Mcintosh jit
— i m Ross arrest r:3
- nil scalping by whites 209
on Shawano 195
— on Tecumtha 216
— mi Wayne's victory 213
— mi Weatherford 217
mi Ret . S. A. Worcester 218
Drama, nature and development of. lxxvii-lxxxi
hin ss, Cherokee, in 1800 82
' in rokee, in 1819 137
,Easl Cherokee 166,176
Cherokee
lent 149
Drowning-bear, «e< Yonaguska.
Drums, Cherokee 397
Duck, myth ncerning 266-267, 112
Duncan, prof . Clinton, mi effecl ofG
law- in' lis
Dunlap, General, on removal treaty, etc. i -
Dunn, D. R.,acknov ledgments to.. 13
— mi Mi '■ 222
Dutch, teeTk i in
Dwight HI bment of ISi
— , provision for removal of 140
Eagle, method of obtainiu
— , myths .mil
283,286- '
i- i.i
ii.i ' i-i. Eli \s, attempted establish
lm-ni i,i iron works by
556
Earthquakes in Cherokee country 471
East Cherokee, conservatism of 12
-. history of 157-181
— , invitation from main band to 151
— , manuscript material obtained among.. 112
— . present status of 227-228
— . removal to West-oil some of 152
— , suit against main band by 151-152
Ecanachaco, see Holy Ground.
Echota. Cherokee capital and peace town. 14,
21,207
—.destruction of (1780) 58
— , killing of Indians at 74
— , removal of capital from 81
— , sparing of, in 1776 51
Eclipse, beliefs concerning J.'iT. 441
Education of East Cherokee 166
— , see also Schools; Syllabary.
EDWARDS, Haydex. rebellion organized by. 143
Eel in Cherokee myth 308
Eggleston, Edward, onlTecumtha 216
Egoism in esthetic activities lix
Egret, in Cherokee myth 284
Egyptians, myths of...*. 438
Elephant, Cherokee name for 265
Elk in Cherokee country 263,447
— , myth concerning 467
Ei.vas, Gentleman op, on De Soto's expe-
dition 24-27,191-201
Emory, — , study of ruins discovered by ... xiv
Emukfaw creek, battle of 92
Enchanted mesa, exploration of xiii-xix
Energy, discussion of lxiv
England. Cherokee visit to 36
— , enlistment of Tecumtha in service of.. . 88
— , see <il<n British.
Enotochopco creek, attack on Jackson at. 92
Erie, agreement between Seneca and 852
Esaw, see Catawba.
Eskimo, myths of 441,443
— , publication of paper on xxx
Espanola. visit to ruins near xv
Esthetology, or the science of activities
designed to give pleasure lv-xcii
— , subject-matter of xii
— , work in xix-xx
Ethnic science, classification of xi-xii
Etowah, burning of 1 1 793 ) 75,82
— t$et also Ytaua.
Etowah valley, collection from xx-xxi
Ettwein on nameTallige'wi 184
European myths, connection of Cherokee
with 232-236
— , position of rabbit in 232
Evans, Dr J. B.. on Ani'-Kuta'nl 392-393
Everett, Edward, on Davis's letter to Sec-
retary of War 127
— on General Dunlap's address 128
— on Georgia laws affecting Cherokee lis
— on Jackson's attitude toward Cherokee. . 117
— on Mason's letter to Secretary of War 128
— on New Echi ita treaty 123
— on number of troops employed in Re-
moval 129
— on pressure leading to Removal 125
— on Ridge's letter to President Jackson... 128
— on Ross arrest, etc 123
Page
Everett, Edward, on Wool's letter con-
cerning Removal 127
— .opposition to removal project by 129
Evergreens in Cherokee lore 421
Evil, discussion of Ivii-lviii
Fable, development of lxxxii-lxxxiii
Fair, W. A., acknowledgments to 13
Fairbanks on De Soto's route 198
Fairies in Cherokee myth 330-337. 475-477
Fallen Timbers, battle of 213
Farming among Cherokee 82,105,112
— among East Cherokee 166
— , Government aid in 82
— tools among Cherokee 101
Fasting among Cherokee 120,
321, 329, 335, 340, 341-342, 423, 470, 480
Fay and Davidson on battle of Horseshoe
bend 95,96
— on battles of Emukfaw and Enotochopco
creeks 93
— on capture of Hillabee 91
Fayne, Captain, expedition against Cher-
okee under 65
Feathers, Indian use of 503-504
— , study of symbolism of xx
Ferguson, General, attempted invasion of
North Carolina and Virginia by 56-57
Fernow, Berthold, on Cherokee popula-
tion 34
Ferns in Cherokee lore 420
Fewkes, Dr J. W., identification of Hopi
altar by xlix, li-lii
— . memoirs by xxxix-xl, xlv-xlvi
— , model of Hopi altar by xlviii
— on New-fire ceremony 503
— , study of fraternities and cults by xlviii
— , work of xiii-xv, xix-xxi,xxx
Field on Davies' history 202
Field Columbian Museum, models of
altars in xlviii
Fiesta de San Estevan, witnessing of xiii
Fighting, Indian method of, in 1793 76
Financial statement xxxiii
Fine arts, discussion of lxx-xci
Finney, Alfred, Cherokee missionary 136
Fire, Indian methods of keeping 429-430
— , myths concerning 240-242, 404, 409, 431
— , sacred, of Cherokee 395-396, 501-503
Firearms, Cherokee use of, in eighteenth
century 82
— , introduction of, among Cherokee 32,213
— , introduction of, among coast tribes 31
Fire-carrier, Cherokee spirit 335,475
Firefly in Cherokee lore 309
Fishes, myths concerning 251,
285,289,307,320,455,469
Fishing, relation of, to games lxix
Fish river, identity of 190
Five Nations, see Iroquois.
Flageolets among Indians 455
Fleabane in Cherokee lore 420
Fletcher, Miss A. C, study of fraternities
and cults by xlviii
Flint, myths concerning 234, 274, 451
Flood, myth concerning 261,444-445
Florida, Indian migration to 99
— . study of collections from xix
557
Page
Floyd, General, assistance given by Lower
Creeks to '.hi
— , capture of Autossee by 92
— , defeat of, at Calal :reek 93
Flutes, see Flageolets.
Plyi ati her iti Cherokee myth 285
I i \ M SQ1 n:i;l I .., . KA'LAHl
Flyinq squirrel, myth concerning 262,
286 287, 154
Fontanedo, Cherokee name used bj - . L82 183 187
Food, Indian beliefs icerning -172
] n Presbyterian missionary work
among Cherokee
Forbes, John, treaty with Cherokee made
l»v
111
Form, pleasures of lx-lxiii, lxxiv, lxxvii
Fort Armstrong, garrisoning of, by Cher-
okee 92
Fort Dobbs, building of 40
FortJm Quesne, building of 39
— , capture of 40
Fort Gibson, claims based on treats of 125
— . military reservation at 110
— . provisions of treaty of 124
— , treaty of 142
Fort Loudon, building of 4U
Fort Mms, massacre at 89,216
i'ii Patrick Henry, building of 51
Fort Pitt, suggestion made at treaty of... 113
Fort Prince George, building of 40
— . legend of siege of 412
— . siege of 42-13
Fort Recovery, building of 212
i "in Smith, Osage-Cherokee council at — 137
iii Stanwix, treaty of 203
Fort Toulouse, establishment of 34-35
Foster on Cherokee literature 112
— on Cherokee myths 431,436
— on Cherokee sehoolbooks 151
— on death of Sequoya 148
— on invention of the syllabary 110
— on translation of St John's gospel Ill
Fourfooted tribes 261-266,445-448
Foormile, collections from xxi
Fowke, Gerard, work of xviii
Fox, myths and lore concerning 263,
265,266,272,431,452
Franklin, State of, intended campaign
against Creeks and Cblckamauga by 65
— . treaty with Cherokee by 63-64
Fraternity, features of 1
— , study of xlvi-1
Fredonia rebellion, Cherokee connec-
tion with 143
Freelanhs station, attack on 62-63
French, encouragement of Cherokee hos-
tility by I 64
— . Natchez war with 386
— , relations of, with Indians 98,99
— . rivalry of, with English :n-;,~>
— traders m Coldwater, rapture of 67
French and Indian war, Cherokee part in. 39-10
Friends, work of. among Cherokee 175-176
Frog, myths concerning 251
— , see als<i BULLFROG.
Frostbite, Cherokee ideas concerning 263
Finn GROWING by Cherokee 82,112
— by Fast Cherokee 176
Page
Gaelic myths 168
Gallatin. Alrert, on Cherokee linguistic
relationship 16
on i Ihi roki e bj llabary
on he Soto's route 198,198
ik, Cherokee name for '-i
Galphin, George, establishmenl of trad-
ing post by 193
GalCS'latI, mytl ncerning.'. 231,239,240 i i2
Gambling among Indians ... lxvlii-lxix,434,465
Gambold, Rev. J., Cherokee missionary s4
Games discussion of lxviii-lxix
Ga'na.', legend of 367-370, 192 194
GANE, — , collection by xxix
Gann, Thomas, memoir by vii \iii
I, inogv. i -. legend of
■ i\-i "ii set l; vi 1 1 a rd 387
G ircilaso de la Vega on DeSoto
tion 23-27,191-201
GATAYtSTl CAME of Cherokee 434
—, myths concerning 258-259,310,311 315 164
GATSCHET.Dr A.S..0D Alabama migration - '.>'.•
— onBiloxi linguistic affinity 500
— on Catawba linguistic affinity 198
— on Catawba name for Cherokee 16
— on Cherokee relations with CI taw 390
— on Chickasaw 500
— on Creek genesis legend 229
— on Creeks 499
— on Creek towns I'm, 201
— on Col. Benjamin Hawkins 212
— on 1 1 it-li i t leer si nigs 435
— on Koasati migration 99
— on Mobilian trade language 187
— on inline CotitMrhenii 193
— on sacred fire 503
— on Taskigi among Creeks 389
— on Yuchi myths 421
— work of xvii-xviii, xxv
GatOR'wa'li, see Hard-mi sit.
Gauntlet running, Indian custom of 490
GAYARRE on Natchez among Cherokee 386
Genesis myths, see Cosmogonic myths,
sacred myths.
Gens, features of xlix.l
' 1 -. of Elvas, see Elvas.
Gentleman's Magazine on Cherokee war
Of 1760-61 45
Geological Survey, aeknow ledgments to. 12
Georgia, agreement between Federa 1 1 Ii n
eminent and (1802) 114
— , arrest of John Ross by 122
— , expedition from, in 1776 50
— , extension of laws of, over < Iherokee 221
— , intended campaign of, against Creeks
and Chickamauga 65
— , local legends of 415-419
— , opposition to a Hot merit project by 114
— , part taken by, in Cherokee removal 114-
120. 129, 140
pressure for land cessions bj 114-115
— , product ion of gold in 2211,221
. protest against conditions of Bopi
by 61
— . raid by citizens of 71
—.Removal fort-sin 221
1 1 y. ac-
knowledgments to 13
558
[ETH. ANN. 19
( ; i: i: M a n blood among Cherokee 83
Ghost country, myths concerning 253-254
Ghost-dance religion among Cherokee .. 89
Giants, myths of 391,500-501
Gibson, Col. John, on name Talligewi 184
Gill, DeLancey \y., work of xxxi
Gill, Rev. W.W., on Polynesian myths.. 431.112
GlLLESPIES station, attack on 65-66
Gilmer, Governor, declaration of, concern-
ing delay in removal 129
Ginseng in Cherokee lore 121, 425, 505
Gist, George, see Sequoya.
Glass, Cherokee chief, expulsion of whites
from Muscle shoals by 68
Glossary of Cherokee words 506-548
Glowworm in Cherokee lore 309
Goat, Cherokee name for 265
Gold, discovery of, in Cherokee country... 116
— , occurrence of, in Cherokee country 26,
29, 220-221
Golden Circle, Knights of, secessionist
organization 14S
Golden eagle, Cherokee ideas concerning. 281
— , see also Eagle.
Going-snake, signer of act of union 135
Gomez, visit to America by 191
Good, discussion of lvii-lviii
Goose, myths concerning 251-255, 284, 325
Goshawk, myths concerning 284,466
Gourd in Cherokee lore 454-455
Government, Cherokee, modification in... 112-
113, 116, 135
— , East Cherokee, organization of 1 73
— , Indian, steps toward abolition of 153-154
— , republican, adoption of, by Cherokee. 106-107
— , tribal, organization of xlix
— , United States, aid in farming and me-
chanic arts given by 82-83, 104-105
Grant, Col. , expedition against Chero-
kee under 44
Grape in Cherokee lore 422
Grapevine, myths concerning 465,501
Graphic art, nature and development of. Ixxiv-
lxxvii
Graves, Edward, supposed introduction of
spinning wheels by 214
Gray squirrel, myths concerning 262
Greeley, Horace, on Cherokee part in
civil war t 148
— on effect of Georgia anti-Cherokee laws. . 118
— on events preceding removal 125
— on imprisonment of missionaries by
Georgia 120
Green-corn dance among western Chero-
kee 146
— , component ceremonies of 279, 290, 452
— , fire lighting before 396
— .purificatory rites in 230
Greenland, work in xviii
Greensnake, myths concerning 280,296-297
Greer, L.JI., acknowledgments to 13
Gregg, Josiah, on Shawano myths 437
Gregory bald, myths concerning 407.473
Grinnell on Blackfoot and Pawnee myths, 432
445-446, 447, 451. 462-463, 473
— on Blackfoot method of catching eagles . 453
Grippe among East Cherokee 179
Page
Groundhog, myths concerning . . 279.152
Gboi nd squirrel, myths concerning. 251,263,436
Grouse, see Pheasant.
grub worm, myths and lore concerning 251-
252,280,308
Guadalajara, Cherokee in vicinity of 1 16
Guaquili, De Soto's visit to 25,28, 194
GUASII.I, six GUAXULE.
Gl'ATARI, see Wateree.
GUAXULE, De Soto's visit to 25,26,195-197
Guess (Guest), George, see Sequoya.
GCLSADmi', legend of 376-377
Guns, see Firearms.
GuSsk Ali'sk i . legend of 375-377
Habitat, Cherokee 14-15
Hagar, Stansbury, acknowledgments to.. 13
— on Cherokee myths 431
437, 441, 442, 443, 445, 447, 470. 476, 481
— on Ulunsu'tl 460
Hale on Cherokee linguistic relationship.. 16
— on Cherokee migrations 191
— on Iroquoian migrations 189
Haliburton, , acknowledgments to... 13
Hall, Rev. James, shooting of negro by... 52
Hall, see McKenney and Hall 85
Hamilton, Governor, project of, for unit-
ing Indians in attack on American fron-
tier 55
Hamilton, , on Fort Mims massacre... 216
Hamstrings, Indian custom of removing.. 447
Handley, Capt. Samuel, capture and re-
lease Of 74
Hanging-maw, capture of Creek murderer
by order of 77
— , conference at Tellico attended by 79
— , killing of wife of 74
— , expedition against Creeks under 77
— , wounding of 74
Harden, E. J., on events leading to Re-
moval 125
Harden, William, acknowledgments to .. 13
Hard Labor, treaty of 46,203
Hard-mush, death of 145
— on Iroquois peace embassy 353, 355, 356
— , treaty with Texas signed by 144
Harley, Timothy, on Eskimo myths .441
— on primitive ideas concerning eclipses .. 141
Harmony, development of lxxii-lxxiii
Harris, Bird, plan for emigration by 156
Harris, I. X., printer of Cherokee Phoenix. Ill
Harris, J. C, on character of rabbit in ne-
gro tales 233
— on negro myths 448, 450, 452
— on relation of Indian, negro, and Euro-
pean myths 234
Harrison, Benjamin, proclamation by,
preventing lease of Cherokee strip 153
Harrison, Gen. W. H., capture of Prophet's
town by 215
Hart, J. C, on East Cherokee condition in
1897 179
Hatcher, J. B., work of xviii
Hatcinondon, legend of 362,490-491
Haunted whirlpool, legend of 347
Hawk, myths and lore concerning .. 284,286-287
— , see also TlA'nuwA.
55VI
Page
Hawkins, Col. Benjamin, life of 211-212
ob ' iherokee attitude in war ,,i 1812 89
— mi Cherokee industries in 1801 . 82
— on Cherokee receptionof Prophet -
trine
— on Chi refugees at \\ illstown 209
ide 82
on i >, eks 199
— on Fori Mims massacre 216
—on introduction of spinning » 1 Is 214
— on Koasati migration 99
icred fire 503
— on Taskigi among Creeks 389
— mi threatened secession of progressives
(aboul 1800) 88
— on use of parched corn 181
— en Yin In 499
—, treaty concluded bj 61
— , visit to Cherokee b> 55
Haywood, John, or. Cherokee migrations
and predecessors 21-22
— on Cherokee heroism 394-395
— on Cherokee myths 20,
229, 140, 111, 445, 169, 17! 178
— on Cherokee relations with Chickasaw.. 390
— on Cherokee relations with Creeks .... 184
— on Cherokee relations with Tuscarora... 379
— on conflicts with Cherokee 76
— on destruction of < Ihickamauga towns. . . 55, 79
— on tirst trader among Cherokee 31
— on introduction of guns among Chero-
kee 32, 213
— on killing of Scott party and Bowl mi-
gration 77,100-101
— on Nancy Ward 204
— on Natchez among Cherokee 388
— on office of " pretty woman " 490
— on Sevier and Campbell's expedition
(1780) 58
Haywood, John, on Shawano wars.. 371,372,494
— on shining rock and Track Mock gap ... 4so
— on surrender of Fort London 44
— on Tennessee Assembly'smemorial 1 1794) 76
Headdress. Cherokee 474
Hearin... pleasure, of lxx-lxxiv
Heckewelder, John, on Cherokee migra-
tions 191
— on Delaware-Cherokee relations 37.1,
:;s 179, 194
— ..n Delaware regard for snakes 158
— on Delaware traditions concerning
Cherokee is
— on expression "a night's encampment". 20
— on Indian attitude toward bear 44s
— on Indian ideas a I ! animals 445
— on name Tallege'wi 184
— on Shawano 195
Hell, development of concept of lxxxv
flEMR .'ARRIKR. legend of 364, 367, I'M
Henderson purchase from Cherokee 4f>
Henry on Indian attitude toward bears. 446-147
— on Ojibwa myths 445
— on i niiiua regard forsnakes 457-i.\s
Herbert's 9pbing, legend of "
Heron on Cherokee myths 284,285
Heroism, legends of 894-395,501
Herring, Elbert, on assassination of John
Walker 121
ius by 176
Hewai on as ul ol 3i luth ' larollna
u ith I i erol ee 32
-on Chei 34
Iheroki e relations with Tuscarora... 32
— on Cherokee » i 3 i
— on first i iherokee war « ith col
on surrender of F..rt London 13,44
Hewitt, J, v B„ on Cherokee lin
relationship 16
on ] roquois mj ths i
— on Mohawk language 188
— on Mohawk name for Cherokee 16
— on name Hiadeoni 189
— , study of fraternities and cults by xlviii
— . work of xviii. xxv-xxvi
IIey.iwam iii Texas, union of, with Chei
okee 143
II; m. legend of 356, 189
Hichitee, deei songs of 135
— , migration of , to Florida 99
— , tribe of Creek confederacy 198 199
Hickoryntjt oar, myth connected with. 138
Hicks, C, R., election of, as chief 112
— , endeavor to introduce coffee by 214
on m in \ Ills 441
Hicks, Elijah, letter to Secretary of War bj 11
Hightower, establishment of mission at .. 105
Hillabee, capture of 91
Hindi- myths 431
Hi n.man, S. D-, on Sioux myths 450
Historical traditions, Cherokei
History of Cherokee 1 1-228
Histrionic art, development of... lxxix-lxxxi
Hiwassee, pseudomyth concerning 416
Hiwassee Towns, burning of (1788 i 65
— . hostility of (1786) 63
Hobbs, B. C. contract for schools among
East Cherokee brought aboul by 176
Hobbs, B. C, on East Cherokee schools 176
Hodge, F. W., work of xiii,
xv. xxix-xxx. xxxi, xxxii
HOG, ' Iherokee name for 215
— , raising of, by Cherokee s2. 1 12
Hog-sucker in Cherokee myth 308
Holbrook, J. E., on Pleistodon 163
HoLMl -, J. I... on Chief X. ,1. Smith 178
— on Cherokee missions v I
Holston, supplement to treaty of 77
-, treaty of 17911 69.211
Holy Ground, battle of 92,217 .02
Honduras, memoir on mounds in xli-xlii
Honey, see Bees.
Honey-locust, myths and lore concerning. 312-
, a.', i-i
HOOTING owl, Cherokee name for 281,284
— . myth concerning 211
Hopewell, location of 211
—.treaty of 61
— , violations of treaty of 68
Hopewell i ommission ers on spinning and
weaving among Cherokee 211
Hori. model of altar of xlviii-xlix
— , Owakulti altar ..f l.liii
— ,-tud: .a ceremonies, fraternities, and
altars of xiii, xlv-lii
Horned owl, Cherokee name for 281,284
—.myth concerning 241
Hornet, myth concerning 106
560
[ETH.
Page
Horses among Cherokee 82, 112,213
— among East Cherokee ITS
— in Cherokee myth 265,346, 143, 182
Horseshoe bend, battle of 93-96
— , Cherokee warriors at 104
— , conduct of Houston at 222
"Hot-house," see Asi 462
Hough, Dr Walter, work of xv
Hoi'MA, tribe of Choctaw confederacy 500
Houses, Cherokee 82, 137
— , East Cherokee 166
Houston-, Samuel, adopted father of 136
— , conduct of, at battle of Horseshoe bend . 95
— . efforts of, in behalf of Texas Cherokee. 144-145
— life of 222-224
— , treaty with Cherokee by 144
Huckleberries, myths concerning 259
Hudson, Henry, legend of landing of 350
Huhu, myths and lore concerning 281
285, 292-293. 456
Hummingbird, myths concerning 254-
255,290-291,455
Humor, Cherokee 397-399,503
Hunting among Cherokee (1800) 82
— , relation of, to games - - 1 xix
Hutchins on Indian warpath 207
Hyades, myth concerning 442
Iawanie, see Heyowani.
Ice Man, myth of 322-323,470
Illustrations, work in xxx-xxxi
Imitation, part played by, in sports lxiv, lxy-lxvi
Indian Territory, population of 154
— , steps toward opening up of 153-154
Insects, myths and lore concerning 239,
241-242,244,308,401,430
Intermarriage of whites with Cherokee. . 83
Intruders in territory of civilized tribes. 152,154
Irish blood among Cherokee 83
Iroquoian tribes, distribution of 17
— , migrations of 189-190
— , study of lauguages of x xvi
— , work among xviii
Iroquois, attitude of, during Revolution . . 47
— , blood of, among Cherokee 234
— , Cherokee relations with 14, 18, 38
— , control of revenues of 156
— , legends of Cherokee wars with 232,
351-370,485-494
— , migration to Canada by 99
— , mode of addressing Delawares used by. . 497
— , myths of 229,234,429,430,432,436,439,440,
443, 447, 448, 451, 454, 469, 471, 473, 501, 504
— name for Catawba 498
— name for Cherokee 16
— , peace embassies of 109,352,
353-356, 365, 367-370, 485-488, 491-194
— , peace towns among 208
— , sketch of 483-485
— , study of fraternities and cults of xlvii
Irrigation by inhabitants of Pueblo Viejo. xv
Irving on De Soto's route 193, 195, 198
Isu, JOHN, killing of 77
Iskagua, change of name by 69
Issa, De Soto's visit to 28
Itaba, see Ytaua.
ItAgO'nAh!, see Ax, John.
Ivy, A. E., on Cherokee schools 155
Page
Jack, Col. Samuel, expedition under 50
Jackal, myth concerning 453
Jackson, Gen. Andrew, address to Chero-
kee by 122
— , attack on Creeks at Talladega by 91
— , attitude of, toward Cherokee 117,119
— , defeat of Creeks at Horseshoe bend by.. 93-96
— , determination of, for Cherokee removal 123,
140, 159
— , election of, as President 117
— , Houston's relations with 223
— , Junaluska's saying about 164
— , proclamation against crossing Sabine
river by 143
— , relief of Turkeytown by order of 90
— , remark of, concerning Supreme Court
decision 120
— , reply to Cherokee protests against New
Echota treaty by 126
— , retreat from Emukfaw creek by 92
— , treaty signed by 103
Jackson, Mai. R. C, acknowledgments to.. 13
— on assassination of John Walker 121
Jamaica, collection from xxix
Jar-fly in Cherokee lore 308
JAY, myth concerning 284,466-468
Jefferson, President Thomas, encourage-
ment of westward emigration by. . . 101, 102, 113
— on attempted establishment of iron
w i irks in Cherokee country (1807) 86
— on burial mound in Virginia 20-21
— , suggestions to Cherokee by 113
Jeffreys on Mobilian trade language 187
Jenks, Dr Albert E., memoir by lii-liv
J ESSAN, ser TSESA'NI.
Jesuits, work of, among Cherokee 36-37
J ews, peace towns among 207
Jicarilla, myths of 229,
431, 433, 443, 450. 451 , 452. 473
— , study of language of xxvi
— , work among xv-xvi
Jimsonweed in Cherokee lore 426
Joanna bald, myth concerning 407
Joara, sec Xuala.
Job's tears in Cherokee lore 420
Johnson, Sir William, arrangement of
peace between Iroquois and Cherokee by 38, 352
— , life of 202-203
Johnson, Gov. , census of Cherokee com-
piled by 34
— on Indian civilized government 113
Johnston, Gen. A. S., commissioner to Cher-
okee 145
Johnston, William, seizure of East Cher-
okee lands by 173-174
Johnston, .study of ruins discovered by. xiv
Jolly, John, Cherokee chief 136-137
— , Houston's relations with 222-223
Jones, Rev. Evan, admission of, to Cherokee
citizenship 150
— , missionary among Cherokee 108
— , payment to 150
— , translation of New Testament by 108
— , Wafford's study under 238
— , worl} of N. J. Smith for 178
Jones, John B., admission of, to Cherokee
citizenship 150
— , organization of Ketoowah society by - . . 225
ETtl. ANN. 19]
561
Fohn B.. preparation of schoolbooks
by 153
lost:-. \v. A., mii Cherokee emigration plana 156
i told by Is!'
Junks. . on Cherokee refugees in Flor-
ida
— on De Luna's expedition 201
—on De Soto's route 193,195,197, 198
—on Jack's expedition 50
—on petroglyphs at Track Rock gap 118
— tin Spanish mines 201,202
— on Williamson's expedition :'ii
JUADA, .-" X' Al I.
Judgment, discussion of Ivi-lvii
ska, East Cherokee chief i"i 165
— . pan taken by, in Creek war '.'7
JTJTACULLA, see TSUL'KALU'.
Jutaculi .. Dld Kin ds, myths concerning. 107,
176, IT'.'
Ki'i. in"". East Cherokee chief 178
-. myth told by 139
Houston - imuel.
KAna'sta, myth concerning Ml 342, 180
Kana'il myths concerning 242 249,
21 2, 264,280, 13] 135, ill. 164
Kane on Nisqualli myths 172
— on Wallawalla myths 448
Kabankawa, information concerning — xvi
Katal'sta, last Cherokee potter 164
K at y ini i. myth concerning Ill 16 3
Kaw, settlement of, on Cherokee strip 151
Keenek. Rev. Ulrich, preacher among
Cherokee 165
Kennedy. . expedition againsl I hero
kee under (1788) 65
Kentucky , work in xviii
K ei i wee. stone cirnm in 397
Kerr, Captain, part taken by. in battle of
Horseshoe bend 94
Ketoowab society, eharactei and history
of.
I-. J
226
— . opposition to allotment project by 156
— , part taken by. in Civil war lis
Khasias, myths of 411
... in Texas, wanderings of . lit;
— , union of, with Cherokee 143
Kini4. Cussetah, mi Cherokee attitude in
war of 1812 89
Kingi [SHER, myths concerning
Kings mountain, battle at 7
Kinship, Cherokee term- of 168
— . Indian use of terms of 191, 197
— . influence of, on tribal organization xlix
Kintiei- ruin, excavation of xiii
— . collection from xxi
Kiowa, death song of warrior order of .
— . myths nf i
— . owl-inspired medicine-man of
-, publication of paper mi xvi, xxi x
— , tribai 503
•.mii.y. murder oft ■■ 65
— , murder of mi Chi rokee — 65
Kituhwa, introduction of Christianity at.. 1'-''
— , legend of mound at
. Ketoowah.
ming iimi derive
na ine 16,182,878
— . », also >ym inymy.
kmi.ii i- -i i in Golden Ciri i e, ret
secessionist organization
i..m. myth told bj
Knox J J, instructions of, i" Ethnologisl
70-71
— on Chickamauga declaration "f war
(1792) 71
— .in .mi inn, in mi i iherokee lands
(1789 68
ii i exas, union of, with Chi rokei 1 13
. i hi i i-Mi"issippi migration b) 99
ini i Creek confederacy 198-499
Korean myths, position of rabbit in
Kroebek, A.. L., on Cheyenne myths 141,
149, i i
— on Eskimo myths
KUNNESEE, part taken by. in creek war '.'7
i Ioca; Coosa; ■ s
Lady-slipper in Cherokee lore i-'t)
I.ai.i na, work at xiv
Lake Chapala, Cherokee in vicinity of... 116
Lamar, M. B.. attitude of, towai :
Indians
Land cessions, Cherokee ;i
15-46,53-54,60,61, n- 69
8, 102, 123, i
— , Chickasaw 86
-, laws against 107,141
— . publication of paper mi xxx
Lands, Cherokee, fixing of boundaries of.. 188
—, Cherokee, lottery of 117
— . East Cherokee, adjustment oi nib' to 173-174
Lanman, chaki.es. on Charley's escapi in ■
surrender 131
— on Cherokee myths
■ c
gia gold lottery 117
— on Junulraska 164
luthem gold fields — l
— on Col. u ill bomas. 162
■ -. visit to East Cherokee by 166
■ name lor 281
Laurel in Cherokee lore i-"-'
Lawson on cairns in eastern Uniti
— on English conduct toward Indians 38
— on "flying stag"
— on gambling by Indians
— on gatayustl game
mi heating ami lighl ingi
— mi I in ban marriage customs is'j
mi Indian regard for snakes 157
— on Indian storehouse
— on lake in South Carolina 200
ppossum 149
— on peaches i ng i Iherokee 214
mi planters' regard for martin 455
— on Tuscarora myths and
- on Tuscarora population 198
— on wampum 489
ong North i Carolina ea
, i i i i 'i 1 nited
!!.» ETII "1
-36
562
[ETH. ANN. 19
Page
Lederer, John, on Cherokee invasion of
Virginia 300
— on gatayustl game 434
— on 1 ; i k ■ - in South Carolina 200
— on Rickahockan 30-31
— on Tuscarora " emperor " 198
— on Ushery feather ornament 501
Leech, myth concerning 329-330, 171
Leland, C. G.,on Algqnquian myths 451
Lenoir, myth concerning Ill
Lewis, Maj. Andrew, building of Fort Lou-
don by 40
— , expedition against Shawano by 11
Library, accessions to xxx
Library of Congress, acknowledgments
to 12
Lichen, see U'tsAla
Lichens in Cherokee lore 420
Life. Indian ideas concerning seat of 391,415s
Lightning, myths concerning 300-301.
422, 135, 142. 461,462, 464, 465, 506
Lingoa GERAL, character and use of 187
Linguistic research xvi
Linn in Cherokee myths and Lire 121.46ti.50o
Lion , my tiis concerning 452
— , see oho Panther.
Lipan, study of language of xxvi
Little Carpenter on Shawano wars ... 371,372
Little Deer, myths concerning. 250-251,262-264
Little Men, myths concerning 252-254,
295,297.435,430.438
Little People, myths concerning 289,
333-334, 430, 455, 464
Little Tennessee towns, burning of (178S). 65
Little Turtle, defeat of St Clair by 212
Lizards in Cherokee myth and lore.. 305-307,407
Locomotive, myth concerning 351
Lone peak, myth concerning 335
Long Hair, chief of Ohio band 79
Long island, battle near 48
— , cession of S5
— , treaty of (1777) 53
— , treaty of (1781) 59
Long Island ti pwn, building of 54
L [OUT Mountain town, building of 54
Looms, set Weaving.
Los kiel on Delaware-Cherokee relations. 378, 194
— on name Tallige'wi 184
Lossing on battle of Hillabee 91
— on battle of Horseshoe bend 96
— on battle of Tallaseehatchee 91
— on garrisoning of Fort Armstrong by
Cherokee 92
Louisiana, cession of, to Spain 40
Lovewell, — , Indian scalp hunting by.. 20.8-209
Low on capture of Hillabee 91
Low re y, Maj. George, letter to Calhoun by. 115
— on Iroquois peace embassy Iso
— , signer of act of union 135
Lowrey, Col. John, part taken by, in Creek
war 90,91,97
Lyttleton, Governor, negotiations with
Cherokee by (1758-59) 42
McCarthy, W. C. East Cherokee agent.. 174-175
— .,ii East Cherokee condition (1875) 17.5
MacCormack, — , collection by xxix
Page
Mcculloch on De Soto's route 193
McDowell, — . defeat of Ferguson by 57
— on Ohio Cherokee / 79
McFarland, Colonel, expedition under... 75
McGee, Dr W J, memoir by xliii-xliv
— , work of xx. xxi.xxix
McGillviray, Gen. Alexander, endeavor
to form Indian confederacy by 72
— , life of 209-210
—.ransom of Mrs.Brownby 65
— , remonstrance against Creek raids to 67
M im.uwan, Dr D. J., on Ani' Kuta'nl 393
— on farewell address of Floyd Welch... 226-227
— on Ketoowah society 226
McIntosh, Gen. William, attitude of, during
Creek war 89, 90
— , killingoi 134
— , life of 216-217
— , removal of Creeks after killing of 385
— , treaty signed by 61
McKenney, Thomas, Chief of Indian Bu-
reau (1825) Ill
— on Cherokee government 107
McKenney and Hall on battle of Horse-
shoe bend 96
— on Cherokee declaration of war against
Creeks (1813) 89
— on invention of Cherokee syllabary 110
— on killing of Doublehead 85
— on number of Cherokee in Creek war 96
— on Osage-Cherokee troubles 137
— on Prophet's mission among Cherokee . . 89
— on Sequoya's ancestry 109
— on Tahehee 141
McMinn.Gov. Joseph, effort to cause Chero-
kee removal by 105
— , emigration under direction of 103
— , figures of, on Cherokee emigration 106
— , treaty signed by 103
McNair, David, grave of 221-222
Magic in Cherokee myth 243,246,
255, 277-278, 279, 320, 374-375,
393-394,434,501, 502, passim
— . Indian practiceof 495
Mahii an. association of, with Delawares..
— . modern representatives of 498
— . separation of, from Delawares 19
Maine, work in xiii.xvii-xviii
Maize, see Corn.
Man, myth of origin of 240
Mandan, myths of 429
Manso, work among xvi
Manteran, meaning of name 16,183
— , see also Catawba.
Margry* on Cherokee relations with Choc-
taw 390
Marion, aid given to, by Sevier 211
Marriage, acculturation through... xxiii-xxiv
— , Cherokee customs relating to 481-482
Marshall, John, decision of, in Worcester
0. State of Georgia 119-120
Martin, Joseph, on Cherokee temper in
1786 63
— on encroachments of Tennesseeans 64
— on French and Spanish encouragement
of Cherokee hostility 62
— on Sevier's expedition ( 1781 ) 59
563
Martin. Joseph, treaty signed by 61
. Gen. — , expedition against
Cherokee under 65
Martin, -, on expedition trom Virginia
through I herokee country SO
M w: 1 1' i'i\ iii- concerning 287, i A
Maryi ind, production of gold in 220
Maryville, attack on 65
M \so\ .1 M , nil I IliTi '1., e upp,,- II hi
removal project 128
m MMii«-. in Washington, on Navaho
myths 229,443,447-448,468 01
— , stu.ly oi fraternities and cults by xlvii
Maumee rapids, effect of battle of 81
— , participation ol Cherokee in battle of .. 79
Mauvila, battle of 96, 191
Jhvi mythsof 151
— , memoir on calendar system of xlii-xliii
May apple in Cherokee lore 420
Mayes, Chief J. B., proposition for land ces-
sion made to 153
i lark, Cherokee name for 281
— , myth concerning 467
Mechanic lets among Cherokee 104,112
— among East Cherokee 166-167
Medicine, myths concerning 250-252,435-436
"Medicine," tribal, of Cherokee 396-397,503
— . war, Indian beliefs concerning... 393-394,501
Medii l, \V.. on Catawba among East Cher-
okee 165
— on Ea-t Cherokee censuses 167
Meek on De Soto's route 192,193,197,198
Meherrix, habitat and migrations of 17
Meigs, Gen. R. J., aid given to missionary-
work by 84
— .delegation brought to Washington by
(1898) 106
— , instructions to, to cause removal of Cher-
fco the West mi
— . life of 211-21:,
— Iherokee attitude in war of 1812 89
— on Cherokee services in creek war 97
— on se.ret article of treaty of 1807 86
— . recommendation for Cherokee citizen-
ship by 114
— . treaties brought about by m 85
M blody, development of lxxi
Memphis, surrender of Spanish post at si
Menendez, establishment of fort by.. 27
— on Pardo's expedition 28,29
MENSTRUATION in Cherokee myth ami be-
lief 319 ' !
Meredith on adoption of Cherokee con-
stitution 113
— on .loh n ROSS 114,221
Meriwether, Gen. David, treaty signed by. 1113
Mesa Knoantada, exploration of xiii
"Mescal," ta Peyote.
Mkscai.ci;,,, study of language of xxvi
— . work among xvi
Ml SSENGER, chi rokee. .-■>' CHEROKEE mi -
-km. 1 1:
Mir iboi law, pleasures of lix-lx
Metaphor, development of lxxvii-xei
METEOR, Cherokee name for 112
Methodists, work of, among East Cherokei
Mexico, alleged < eementwith. 144-
145
Mi\ Iherokee in in;
collection from xxix
— , granl I,. Cherokee by I 13
"i. men on numeral sysl loi xliv-xlv
— , proposed Che] ........ 1 . 1 1 .e
work in xvi.xvii
Migrations, Cherokee 17-21
Migration traditions, Cherokee... 1
, set alto Sacred my i hs,
. of rusayan, memoir on xxxix xl
Sai red MY I us
Milfori en raskigi among Creeks 389
Milky Way, myth concerning
Mim 1 ernor, efforts for 1 isagi Chero
kee peace bj 137
Mni igan, .mi ' latawba In 1 herokee war. 11
M11 is among Cherokee 85, mi
Mimicry, part played by. in athletics Ixiv,
Ixv-lxvi
MlNDELKFF, COSMOS, memoirs by xxix, xli
Minks. Spanish, in Alleghenies 29,202
Mink, myths concerning 263 . 152
MlRO.Gov. Kstevan, on Cherokee migra-
tion across the Mississippi 100
Missionaries among Cherokee, arrest of. ll'.i. 1211
— and missions among Cherokee 37-38,
si; 84,104-105,107,123,136,150,1 12,155 [66
Mission sidge, cause of name of 105
Missouri, settlement of, on Cherokee atrip. 151
Missouri, Kansas and Texas railway,
construction of 151
Mistletoe in Cherokee lore 120
Mobile, Spanish possession of 68
Mobilian, tribe of Choctaw confederacy .. 500
Mobilian TRADE LANGUAGE, character and
use of 187-188
Moccasin in Cherokee myth 297
Mocking-bird, sec Hchu.
Mohawk language, comparison of Chero-
kee language with 1 ss
— , legends of Cherokee wars with 357-358
— name for Cherokee It;
— name for titmouse 454
Mole, myths concerning 254,277 278
Mole cricket in Cherokee lore 309
M on a can, Cherokee relations with 14
Monarchical stage, development of mu-
sic in lx.xii
Monette on In- Soto's route 193.198
— on Spanish encouragement of Indian
hostility 67
— on Thomas Walker's expedition 39
Monroe, President James, approval of al-
lotment project by 114
— . protest tn. by Georgia delegation in Con
gl ess 115
—, reply to Georgia's protest by 115-116
Montgomery, Col. , defeat ol expedition
under 43
— , expedition against Chickamaugs towns
under
Moon, myths concerning 252,256-257, im. ill
Mooney, James, memoir by, on Cherokee
myths xxxvii-xx\i\, 3-548
— , study of fraternities and cults by xlvii
— , work of xv-xeii. x' xvi. xxix
M tE, 1 •"■, 1 .mi - accusation against 32
— . exploration into ' hi ntry by.. 31
564
(ETH. ANN. 19
Page
Moore, Co]. Maurice, expedition of 33
Moore, , on character of Indian war-
fare in 1776 53
— on Rutherford's expedition 49,205
Moore, , on Cherokee in civil war 170
— on Chief N. J. Smith 178
Moore, — , capture and burning of 48
Moravians among Cherokee 83-84
Morgan, Col, Gideon, part taken by, in
Creek war 90, 91, 94-96
Morgan. L. II.. hrmkr.-Ini^uois wars 352.
185, 192
— on Chickasaw clans 499
— On Choctaw i -bins 500
— on distance between Iroquois and Chero-
kee countries 485
— on Iroquoian migrations 189
— on Iroquois _ 485
— on Iroquois myths 432, 4 17, 171
— on Muscogee clans 499
— on origin of Buffalo dance 4x5
— on Yontonwisas dance 492
—, on agreement with Cherokee(1892) 153
— on East Cherokee schools 171;
— on Chief N.J.Smith 17s
Morgan, Washington, attempt to enlist
East Cherokee by 168-169
Morris, , collection by Xxi
Mouse, on Blackburn's school 84
— on election of C. R. Hicks as chief 113
— on missions among Cherokee in 1820 105
Mortuary CUSTOMS, study of xv, xvii
Moses, appointment of peace towns by 207
— in Cherokee myth 236,428-429
Mosquito, myth concerning 444
Moth, myths and lore concerning 310,438
Motion, discussion of.... lvi-lvii
Moiniis, Cherokee legends concerning.. 395-396,
501-502
— in northern Honduras, memoir on xli-xlii
Mount Mitchell, myth concerning i:;j
Moytoy, "emperor" of Cherokee 35
Mudhen, set Gallinule.
Mud-puppy, set Water-dog.
Mugulusha, tril i Choctaw eoniederaej - flO
Mulberry pi ice, myths concerning 250,
204.436,473
M cle, Cherokee name for 265
Mullay.J.C, East Cherokee censuses by. 167.171
Mummy, finding of, at Aguas Calientes xvii
Muniz, Antonio, collection by xxix
Munsee, separation of, from Delawares 19
— . set also Delaw i res.
Murphs , Hr I', s., acknowledgments to 13
Murray, Captain, expedition under 67
Muscle shoais. attempted settlement at .. 68
— , conflict at 70
— , massacre of Scott party at 100-101
Mrs. ogee, tribe of Creek confederacy .. . 498-499
Misii , discussion of lxx-lxxiv
Muskwaki, fmrchase of loom of xxix
Missel in Cherokee lore 308
Mythology, primitive, study of xxvii
Myths, Cherokee, memoir on xxxvii-
xxxix, 3-548
— . Cherokee, work on xxvi
—, development of Ixxxii-lxxiv
Myths, interchange of, among tribes 234-235
— , Iroquois, work on xxvi
Nai oochee, pscudomyth concerning 416
— , set also Cauchi.
Nadako in Texas, union of, with Cherokee. 143
Namaesi SIPU, Namassik, see Fish river.
Names, Cherokee custom of changing 69
, set also Synonymy.
Nantahala, myths concerning 303,408
Nanticoke, association of, with DelaYvares. 497
— , modern remnants of 493
— , separation of, from Delawares 18-19
Nashville, attack on 63
— , conference at (1792) 72
— foundingof 56
Natchbe, tribe of Creek confederacy 198-499
Natchez, blood of, among Cherokee 234
, enslavement of 233
— . surrender of post at 81
National committee, establishment of 107
National council, enactment by 86-87
— . establishment of 107
Navaho. myths of 443, 447-14*. Ills, 501
— . publication of memoir on xxix
— . study of paternities and cults of xlvii
— . use of language of. as trade language. . . L88
Necromancy, development <>i lxxxv-lxxxvi
— see also Magic.
Negroes in Cherokee Nation, education of. . 155
— in Cherokee Nation, number of 155, 157
— , myth concerning 351
— . myths of 448,4,50,452,483
— , relation of myths of, to Indian myths . . 231,
233-236
Nelson, E. W., publication of paper by xxx
Nenetooyah, change of name by 69
New Brunswick, work in xvii-xviii
New Echota, attendance at conference at.. 123
— , attitude of Cherokee toward treatyof... 135
— , capital of Cherokee Nation 107
— . constitutional convention at 112
— , Majc ir Mavis on treatyof 126
— . East Cherokee right to benefits of treaty
of 165-107
— . provisions of treaty of 227-228
— , ratification of treaty of 125-126
-.treaty of 123-125,158-159
New-fire ceremony, Cherokee 502-503
New Mexico, report on collections from, xix-xx
— . work in xiii,xv-xvi
Newspapers, Cherokee 111-112
Newtown, see New Echota.
Nez Perces, settlement of. on Cherokee
strip 151
Nicholson, Governor, conference with
Cherokee by 34
Nickajack towns, building of 54
— , destruction of 78
— , effect of destruction of 68
Nicotani. see Ani'-Kcta'ni.
NikwAsI', myths concerning. 330,336-337,396,477
NlSQUALLI, myths of 472
NrTZE, II. K, c, on discovery of gold in
Cherokee country 116
"i! Georgia gold lottery 117
— "ii Southern gold fields 221
565
Pag
North, myth of 322
IN \. appointment of chci.i
agent by ''l
— , Cherokee relations with
— , expedition from, in 17Tt'> 19
— , land grant to ".State of Franklin " b> . 64
—, local legends of 104 HI
— . opposition to allotment project bj Ill
— . permission to remain given toEastCbero-
168
— , production of gold in 221
— . protest against conditions of Hopewell
treaty by 61
— . Removal forts In 221
— , treaty with Cherokee, ( reeks, and Chick-
asaw by 68
Nottely, myth concerning 882
— . pseudomyth < cerning 116
Nottoway, ha hi tat and migrations ol 17
NOV! L, dev lopment of lxxxvi
Number, discussion of lv-lvii
Ni mbers, primitive, memoiron xliii-xliv
sacred 131
Ni mi i:\. systems of Mexico and Central
America, memoir on xliv-xl v
NCnne'hI. myths concerning 330
i 337,348 117 118, 156*47 - it:
— . Watford's belief in 238
NOn'YUNU'wI, myths concerning. 316-320, 16" 169
Nuthatch in Cherokee lore 281
Nuttall, Thomas, on ArkansasCherokee. 136, 137
— on cattle among Cherokee 213
— on Nancy Ward 204
Oak. in Cherokee lore 122
< i, onostota, capture and release of i 1859) . 42
— . capture of Fort Loudon hy 43
— , on Chert tkee peace town 207
reception of Iroquois peace embassy by. 356
— , resignation of , as chief 61
i of Fort Prince George by 42-43
— . signing of treaty of Johnson Hall by — 353
Offici i i -' i:cii xi.xix-xxiii
or, Cherokee partici-
pation in expedition of 36
Ohio, Cherokee band in 79
Ojibwa, myths of 130,445,448,470
— , regard for snakes among
— . study of feather symbolism of xx
Old Settlers, se< Arkansas Chi i
Old I iSSEL, complaint against American
encroachments by tin
Oklahoma, allotment of la in is in 163
Oh ib i, myths of
440,448, ice I >-' I ' 16 16 i, li i
— , tribal medicine of
Oneida, Cherokee endeavor toi union with 105
— . myths of i l
Onokdag o Iroquoi wampums
hy
— name lor violet -r>n>
i at.. HI7
myths and lore concerning 263,
:. ICC 150
Ore, Major, expedition against Chicka-
mauga towns under 78-79
Orphan asylum 152
ittitude of. in civil war 148
I Uee relations with 102,
105, i ■ 1,141, 190
refusal of peace im It n i.
settlement of, on Cherokee -trip I'd
. ski u 1. ..i 50U
Otariyatiqi i De - 's \ i-it to
i itermin, Governor, Indian- taken to Mex
xvi
i no. settlement of , on Cherokee strip 151
i ytbs concerning 266 6 149
OVERHILL towns, treaty with "S
Franklin b; 64
Oviedo, Incorpon a of K
history hy 191
- oil lie Solo's expedition 25,26
iiwakI'i ti altar, study of xlviii, 1-lii
Owen on Fort Mims massacri 216
Owl, myths and lore concerning 241,
281,284,29 195 196
i iwl. the. legend of
Oyata'ge'ronoS', meaning of name.. 16, 183,351
— . se< also Synonomy.
l'AIN. development of lix-lx, Ixvi-lxviil.xeii
Paint in Cherokee myth
— , use of, hy Indians
Paint town, purchase of ltd
Palmer, — . collection hy xxix
PAMUNKEY, Cherokee relation- with 30
Pandora, Indian parallel to myths of ... 136
Panther, myths concerning 247,484, 149 171
Papago, study of xxiii
Pari h - Indian use of is]
l'AKiio, .Han, explorations in Cherokee
country hy 27129,880
I 'a Ills, treaty of 00
Parker, i ' iroline, proposal i" bestow title
of " Peacemaker" on
Pabki r, Mr Peter, attack on Charleston
hy 47
I'arkman, Francis, on Algonqnian myths. 137
Parsnip, \\ lid, in i Iherokei lore. ...
Partridge, set 1'iif.asant.
Pascagoi la, tribe of Choctaw confederacy. f>00
Pa— vm iquoddy, myths of 151
Pai t JIA, work in xviii
PATHKILLER, relief of 90
Pawnee, ceremony of 413
— . myths and beliefs of 445-446,
— , settlement of , on Cherokee strip 151
— , study of fraternities and cults of xlviii
Payne, J. H., arrest of 122-123
01 :rol ee myths 186, id. 112
— on New tire ceremony of i
— on -at red 02
Peace em bassi es, Iroquois 109,
152
Peace pipe, Cherokee
l'i , u\s, Indian
iiii I ">' 214
Peacock, i
■i use "i feathers ol
Pi \ r e, Cherokee participant- in battle
ol.
n'j
566
[ETH. ANN. 19
Page
Penn, William, treaty with Delawares by. 497
Pensacola, Spanish possession of G8
I'fksimmon, myth concerning 278
Personification, development of lxxxvii-
Ixxxviii
Perspective, development of lxxvi
Peyute, study of use of xv-xvii
PHEASANT.mythsconcerning. 285,288,289,290,455
Philadelphia, treaty at (1791) 69
— , treaty at (1794) 77
Philip, Kintx, mutilation of body of 208
Phillips on ancestry of Sequoya 108,109
— on Cherokee syllabary 110,219,220
— cm death of Sequoya 148
Philology, subject-matter of xii
— , work in xxv
PHGSNIX, Cherokee, see Cherokee
Phoenix.
Phon etics, Cherokee 506
Phratry, see Fraternity.
Pick ens, Gen. Andrew, expeditionsagainst
( 'lierokees under 59,60
— , home of, at Hopewell 211
— on Shaw's missions 71
— . signing of treaty by til
Pickering on Cherokee chief among
Seneca ■- 353
Pickett on Creek war 90-93,96
— on defeat of D'Artaguette 477
— on De Soto's route 193, 195, 196, 197. 198-199
— on Fort Mims massacre 216
— on Chief McGillivray 210
— on Chief Weatherford 217
Pig eon, myth concerning 280
Pike, Gen. Albert, treaty negotiated by... 148
Pilling, James, on Cherokee literature 112
— on Cherokee schoolbooks 151
— on Cherokee syllabary 110,220
— on Jones and Warlord 108
— on translation of New Testament Ill
— on Rev. S. A. Worcester 108, lis, 218
Pilot knob, myths concerning 330,
341-342, 343-345, 480-481
Pincknev on Cherokee attitude in war of
1812 89
Pinedale, collection from ruins near xxi
— , excavation of ruins near xvi
Pine knots, Cherokee use of, as torches 492
Pin Indians; see Ketoowah society.
Pipe, sacred, of Cherokee 397,503
I'n: eric a i ' ulturation, Btudyof xxii-xxv
Piro, study of language of xxvi
— , work among xvi
Pitfalls, see Traps.
Plants, myths and lore concerning 231,
240,252,420-427,505
Pleasure, activities designed to give — lv-xcii
— , development of lix-lx,
lxii-lxiii. lxvi-lxxii-lxxiii, xcii
Pleiades, myths concerning 258-259,142-443
Poetry, development of lxxxvii-xcii
Poison ivy in Cherokee lore 125
Polygamy among Cherokee 163,365,481
Polynesians, myths of 431
Punka, settlement of. on Cherokee strip... i51
— . study of feather symbolism of xx
— . stiah' of fraternities and cults of xlviii
Page
Pontiac, confederacy of 41,235
Population, Cherokee 11,
34, 39, 103, 112, 125, 136, 150, 155, 156-157
— , Cherokee loss in, through Civil war 150
— . East Cherokee 166-168,172,176,179,180
— , T.-xas Cherokee (1838) 145
Pork, Indian, quality of 82
Portuguese gentleman, see Elvas.
Possum, see Opossum.
Potatoes among Cherokee 214, 492
Potter, T. \\\. on East Cherokee affairs ... 179
Pottery' among Cherokee 164
Poultry-raising among Cherokee 82
Power myth, development of .. lxxxiii-lxxxiv
Powhatan, Cherokee relations with 14
— , name for Cherokee 16,29,183
Prairie dog, myth concerning 449
Prayer among Indians 423, 463, 170
Pregnancy, beliefs concerning 422. 469
Presbyterians, mission work of, among
Cherokee 83, 84
Press, national, of Cherokee 111-112
Pretty- Woman town, purchase of 161
Priber, Christian, work of, among Cher-
okee 15,36-37,113
Price, H., on East Cherokee affairs 175
— on East Cherokee censuses 167, 176
— on East Cherokee suit for participation
in annuities 151,177
Primitive numbers, memoir on xliii-xliv
Printing among Cherokee 111-112,139-140
Proctor, General, stand against Americans
at Thames river by 215
Proctor, , arrest of 119
Pronoun, study of xxv
Properties, discussion of lv-lvii, lviii
Property, acquisition of xxxiii
— , classes of xxxi-xxxii
Prophet, revelation of 87, 89, 215, 235
Protolithic stage, features of xxi-xxii
Publication, work in xxix-xxx
Pueblo Grande, excavation of xiii-xiv
Pueblo Indians, devotional tendency of. xxviii
— . New-fire ceremony among 503
— , racing among 494
Pueblo Viejo, excavation of ruin of xiv-xv
Pumpkin in Cherokee myth 346,482
Punk-plugged-in, legend of raid by 374
Purificatory rites, Cherokee 230
Putty-root in Cherokee lore 426
Puyallup, myths of 412
Quadrupeds, myths concerning 261-280
Quakers, see Friends.
Qualla reservation, clearing of East
Cherokee title to 173-174
— , purchase of 159
— , settlement of boundary of 179
Qualities, discussion of lv.lvii-lviii
Quantities, discussion of lv-lvi
Quapaw in Texas, union of, with Cherokee. 143
Quebec, fal 1 of 40
QUICHUA, ceremony of 453
Quinahaqui. De Soto's visit to 28
Rabbit, character of, in various mytholo-
gies 231-233
567
Pago
Rabbit, myths concerning 262,
— anil hear, distribution of myth of 234
— and Flint, origin ol myth of 234
among Indians 194
— in Seneca myth 369
Raccoon, mj the concerning 289
Rafinesqi i C. S., "ii first appearance of
whin* 19]
— , on nam,- Tallige'wi 184
— , translation of WalamOlum by 190
Cherokee u | 490
Railroads in Cherokee country 15]
Rainbow, myths concerning. 142
R \.iimv J. G. M on ogitatii in for cession
(1796) 80
— <>n appointment ol Governor Blount 69
— on appointment of Cherokee agent by
North Carolina 61
— on a i tar k on Buchanan's station 73
— on lint tlr of Kings mountain 57
— on border conditions in 1777 55
— on bounties for American scalps 17
— on burning of Cowee in
— on capture and release of Joseph Brown. 66
— on capture and release ol Samuel Hand-
ley 74
— on Cherokee attitude at beginning of
the Revolution 47
— on Cherokee desire for peace (1792) 71
— on Cherokee land cessions 46
— on Cherokee part in French and Indian
war 39
— on Cherokee peace town 207
— on Cherokee war of 17(10-61 45
— on Chickasaw surrender of lands be-
tween Cumberland and Duck rivers 66
— on Christian's expedition 51
— on destruction of Chickamauga towns. . . 55, 79
— on Doherty-McFarland expedition 75
— on expedition from Virginia through
Cherokee country 30
— on French and Spanish encouragement
of Cherokee hostility 62,67
— on Indian war path 206
— on Indian fighting in 1793 76
— on Jack's expedition 50
— on killing of Indians by John Beard 74
— on minor Cherokee-American conflicts
(1776-1795) 48,63,64,65,66,69,70,75,76
— on Nancy Ward 204
— on old Tassel's talk 60
— on origin of Chickamauga band 54
— on Gen. James Robertson
— on Rutherford's expedition 49,205
— on Sevier and Campbell's expedition
1780 58
— on Sevier's expeditions 1 1781-82) 59,60
— on Sevier's last expedition (1792) 75
— on Tellico conference 79
— on The Suck 464
— on threatened burning of Chilhowee 7:)
— on Tory-Indian raid in South Carolina .. 17
— on treaties of DeWitt's corners and Long
I 54
— on treaty of Holston 69
— on treat ol Hoi i m .1 62
— on treaty ot N
RAM8EY,J.G.M.,on treaty of Tellico 1 1798). 81
on westward emigration 15
— on Williamson's expedition ti
— on Yuchi anion:' rti. roki i ....
- on He Soto's expedition
26,191-201
: i i mutilation ol body of
I; vii lesnake, myths and lore conci
9 i 105 306, .1 I, i 16
Hatti.isi.-i.oi an on Natchca amot
kec :;s7
— on Yuchi ami.
Raven, myths concerning
Raven Mocker, myths concerning
Raven place, purchase of 161
Raven, I'm . pursuit ol Shawano in. . F4-S75
i;i lding, myth concerning 351
Rebellion, sei i iivii. war.
Rechehecrian, e« Rick At ian; Synon-
oil',.
Redbird, myths concerning . 254,285,289 190 155
in a i . i . council at 121,122
Red Earth, purchase of 161
Rl d-horse fish, myth concerning
Red Man, myths concerning. 257,300 101,46] h
Red paint, use of, by Indians 455
Redroot in Cherokee lore 263
REDSTICKS, reliellii f 113-114
Repuqe towns, see Peace towns.
Reichel, E. H., on Cherokee mis-ions 84
Reid,Jesse, East Cherokee chief 180
Rt ini uiNATioN. Cherokee doctrine of .. 261-262,
17-'. 171
Reinhardt on Spanish mines 202
Relationships, linguistic, of Cherokee is
Relief, development of Ixxv
Religion, acculturation in x.xiii
— , influence of. on development of arts.. Ixxiv-
Ixxvi
— , influence of, on development of ro-
mance lxxxi-lxxxvi
Removal, Cherokee 130-135
— , Cherokee plans for (1805) 155-156
, East Cherokee plans for 105
-, events leading to 87,98-106, 114-130
— . party feeling aroused by 128-129
— , stockade forts built during 221
Removal fund, East Cherokee i icipa
Hon in
mployment of East Cherokee share in. 174
Removed townhodses, myth of
l:i ports, distribution ol x.x.xii
Reptiles, sei Snakes; Terrapin; i
Revolution, Cherokee remembrance of ... 232
— . effect mi Cherokee "f 01
— , Indian attitude during 16-47
I; 11 I i M I I ISM, Cherokee beliefs ' ■
ing
Richmond, Lieutenant, murder of Chey-
ennes by 209
Rick a hock an. meaning of name
— , .-.. also Synonomy.
Ridgb, Maj. JOHN, altitude of party of. in
Civil war
— . conflict "f party of, with Ross party 147
— , enlistment of vo Crei
12) 89
568
[kth.
Page
Ridge, Ma;. John, killing of 133-135
— , killing of Doublehead by 85
— , letter to Calhoun by 115
— , letter to President Jackson by 127-128
— , opposition to Prophet's doctrine by 88
— . opposition to war spirit by (1812) *9
— , part taken by, in Creek war 96,97
— , treaty negotiated by 121-122, L25
Risk, Henry, on Eskimo myths 441
Rivers, — , on Cherokee-Chickasaw war... 38
Rivers, on Cherokee in 1708 32
— in Cherokee lore 420
Rivalry, part played by, in sports and
games Ixiv, lxvi, Ixviii-lxix
Roads through Cherokee' country 85, 87, '.'7
Robertson, Gen. James, appointment of, as
Cherokee agent 53
— , burning of Cold water by 67
— , emigration under 56
— , expedition against chickamauga under
( 1794 i 78-99
— , killing of brother of 67
— , life of 204-205
— on Cherokee-American conflicts (1785-
1794) 67
— on French and Spanish encouragement
of Cherokee hostility 62, 67
— on Nancy Ward 204
— , repulse of Indians by garrison under... 4S
— , warning of invasion given by 55
Robertson, Mrs. S. ,\ , work of, among
Creeks 218
Robin, Cherokee name for 283
Robinson, Thomas, acknowledgments to... 13
— on dry channel of Chattahoochee 200
ROC HE FORT, , history of Antilles by 202
ROCKWELL, .on Williamson- expedition 50
K", i i . ,-xpedition of 201-202
Rogers.Talahina, marriage of Houston to 223
Romance, nature and development of ... lxxxi-
lxxxvi
Roosevelt, Theodore, on attack on Free-
lands station 63
— on attack on Nashville 63
— on battle of Kings mountain ">7
— on border fighters 57
— on Cherokee-American conflicts (1781) .. 59,60
— Cherokee trans-Mississippi migration ... 100
— on Christian's expedition 51
— on destruction of Chiekamauga towns .. 55
— on French and Spanish encouragement
of Cherokee hostility 62
— on Jack's expedition 50
— on Old Tassel's talk 60
— "ii Gen. James Robertson 205
— on Rutherford's expedition 49,205
— on scalping by whites 209
— on Sevier and Campbell's expedition
(1780) 58
— on Sevier's expedition (1782) 60
— on South Carolina's scalp Inanity 53
— on Tory-Indian raid 48
— on treatiesof De Witt's corners and Long
island 54
— on Williamson's expedition 50
Rose in Cherokee lore 420
Ross, A.LLES, acknowledgments to 13
— on John Koss 224
Ross, John, arrest of 122
— , attempt of Mcintosh to bribe 216
— . attitude of. during the Civil war 143
— , attitude of party of, during Civil war... 148
— . character of 150-151
— , conflict of party of, with Ridge party... 147
— , convening of Tahlequah council by
1843) 485
— , custody of records of Iroquois peace by. 355
— , death of 150
— , death of wife of 132
— ,effortsof, to prevent Removal 121-122,
125,129,130
— .election of, as assistant chief 113
—.election of, as president of national
council 107
—.election of, as principal chief 114
— , letter to Calhoun by 115
— , life Of 224-225
— .memorial resolution on 151
— , memorial to Congress by 121
— on Ani' Kuta'nl 392-393
— on Jackson's reply to Cherokee protests 126
-, part la ken by, in Creek war 97
—.part taken by. in killing of Ridges and
Boudinot 134
— , position of. in 1837 128
— , president of constitutional convention.. 112
— , proclamation by 120
— , proposition for removal by 132
— . protest against removal treaty by 120
— .refusal of President Jackson to com-
municate with 126
— , signer of act of union 135
— , suit against Georgia by 119
— , threa t < >f arrest 135
Ross, W. P., editor of Cherokee Advocate .. Ill
— on death of Sequoya 148
Ross. . on Indian warfare in 1776 52
— on Williamson's expedition 50
Royce, C. C, on adoption of Cherokee con-
stitution 113,135
— on Arkansas Cherokee.... 137,138,140,141,142
— on arrest of Ross 123
— on attack on Buchanans station 73
— on attempted establishment of iron
works in Cherokee country (1807) 86
— on attempted purchase by Tennessee
(1807) 86
— on attempt to annul treaty of 1817 104
— on Blount's proposal (1795) 80
— on building of Unicoi turnpike 87
— on Cherokee attitude regarding land
cession (1830) 119
— on Cherokee census (1835) 125
- on Cherokee desire to go west (1817-19). 104
— on Cherokee emigration, 1817-19 103,104
— on Cherokee invitations to Dela wares,
Shawano, and Oneida 105
— on Cherokee land cessions 34,45,54,60
— on Cherokee 1m-- in Civil war 149
— on Cherokee memorial to Congress , 1834) 121
— on Cherokee memorials to President
Monroe 115
— on Cherokee part in French and Indian
war 39
— on Cherokee part in Civil war 14S
— on Cherokee population 34
KTI1. ANN. 19]
:i:f>i;<»
. i on i ihi i o re-
to Columbia river I2i»
— en Cherokee relations with Creeks ...
— on Cherokee relations with Tuscarora .. 82
— on Cherokee suffering throughCivil war ISO
— on Cherokee territory in 1800 Bl
— on Cherokee war of 1760 61 15
— mi clearing ol Easl Cherokee title to
Quallo reservation 174
— mi Col. R.J. Meigs 215
— on council at New Echota 122
— on Davis's letter t" Secretary of War 127
— on death of Sequoya IIs
val 133
— on delegation to Washington (1835] 122
— on desire for Indian lands....'. s~.
— on destruction of Uhickaxnauga towns . . 79
— on General Dunlap's address 128
— on East Cherokee censuses 167,168
— on East Cherokee participation in Re-
moval fund 1(37
— on Everett's letter to Secretary of Wai .. 128
— <i!i extension of ' leorgia laws 221
— on first railroad in Cherokee country ... 151
— on Georgia acts effecting Cherokee ... 1 Hi. 117
— ..ii Governor Gilmer's declaration 129
— on imprisonment of missionaries 120
— on incorporation of Delawares and
Shawano 151
— on Indian warpath 206,207
— on Jackson's attitude toward Cherokee . 117
— on Jefferson's removal project 101
— on McMinn's estimate of Cherokee em
gration 106
— on massacre of Scott party and Bowl
migration 100
— on opposition toallotmentproject (1820) . 114
— on origin of Chickamauga band 54
— on party feeling over removal plans — 129
— on payment of East Cherokee share in
Removal fund 168
— on Ross's attitude during civil war 149
— oti Ross's lasl efforts against removal ... 130
— on royal proclat 4i".
— on Rutherford's route 205
— on Schermerhorn's proposals for secur-
ing acceptance of Ridge treaty 122
it 130
sua 172
— on T< e 79
— on threat to arrest Ross 135
— on treaties of New Echota 123
— on tn al ol Pc llii . 81,85
— on treaties of Wash
98, 106,148
— on treaty of Augusta Gi
— on treaty of Ch 1834) .... 120
— on tree i yOld Fii Idsi 1807) . 86
— on treaty of Fori Gibson 125
— on treaty of Holstoll 69
— on treaty of Hopewell 62
— on treaty of PI 1794) 77
150
— on troops employed in Removal 129
102
— on Wool s comments on Removal 127
— publication of paper by xxx
ditors 174
Running Water town, building of 54
i '. .
Ri sin s iii i Iherokee lore
Dr Frank, on Jicarilla i
I.'.:. I ...
part taken by, in
l.at tie of Horseshoe bend 94
Rutheri n Gri pi
under
— . life of
i;v I . 195
Sacreo animals among Indians 117
Sacred myths. Indian 229
— . instruction in
— , sa also Co 1 as M isration
TRADITIONS.
-.'ii. NUMBERS, Indian 431
Sacred things, Cherokee
Sacrifice, influence of, on developmenl of
drama Ixxviii
-1 s translation ... gospel of 110
St Louis. Osage-Cherok ouncil at 137
— , treaty of (1825) 99
sh retention of 68
St Clair, i it of 72, 212
— , etl'eet of defeat of 71
SalA'lI, Cherokee story teller 237
— , Lanman's account of i
— , myth told by 47ti
-\ Estevan, Fiesta de, witnessing of ... xiii
san Felipe, establishment of 27
San Kernam i: Barrancas, surrenderof 81
si\ ,i\i into, battle of 223
San Jose de PUEBLO Vn to
VlEJO.
San Juan valley, collection from xxix
Santa Ana. defeat of, by Houston 223
Santa Elena, settlement of 27
Santee. storehouses ol 433
Sara, set I Iheb lw; Xi ila.
422
s.uxpa. see Waxhaw.
Sawanugi, tribe o ederacy... 498-499
— . >" also K a'i aim '; SH \ w ami.
Sawnook, -<• l< A'I Allf '.
Sawyer, W. m . work ol xxx
Savageri xlix
Savanna, so Shawano.
196
Sculping, British encouragement of 47
— by East Chei ■■■ I
— by whites
— , encouragement of, by South Carolina
Scandinavians, myths of 431
- .'ii rhi irs i;. i F., Mi
on methods of 126-127
— . negotiation of Removal treaty by 12112..
se lbooks in Cherokee languagi .... 112,151
iii 1. on Chi
among Seneca
— on Cherokee-Iroquois wars
— on Chi 1 us 21
— on Cherokee myths 129 111
570*
[ETH.
Page
Schoolcraft, H. R., on Cherokee relations
With Catawba 381
— on Delaware name for Cherokee 378
— on Iroquois 485
— on Iroquois myths 469,501,604
— on Iroquois peace mission 365, 485
— on name KItu'whagI 181
— on name Mississippi 190
— on nameTallulah 417
— on Ojibwa myths 437,470
— on Seneca town 351,486
— on Shawano wars 372,494
— on Wyandot traditions concerning Cher-
okee 19
Schools among Cherokee S4, 104, 139, 152, 155
— among East Cherokee 174-17i'.. 180
School books in Cherokee language 112,151
Scissor-tail in Cherokee myth 285
Scotch blood among Cherokee 83
Scott, Col. H. S„ work of xxvi-xxvii
Scott, S. S., report on East Cherokee affairs
by 170-171
Scott, William, killing of party under ... 76-77,
100-101
— , legend told by 482
Scott, Gen. Winfield, appointment of, to
effect Removal 129
— , compromise with Cherokee refugees by. 157
— , part taken. by, in Removal 130-132
— , proclamation to Cherokee by 129-130
Scratching, Cherokee ceremony 230,476
Screech-owl, Cherokee name for 281, 284
— , myths concerning 241
Sculpture, development of Ixxiv-lxxv
Sei.u, myths concerning 242-249,
323-324,431-433,471
Seminole, attitude of, in Civil war 148
— , myths and lore of 454, 457
— , origin of 99
Senac, Father, burning of 477
Seneca, agreement between Erie and 352
— , Cherokee legends of conflicts with 232
— . clans of 483
— , legends of Cherokee wars with 356-357,
359-370. 489-494
— , peace embassies of 109, 352, 353-356,
365, 367-370, 485-488, 491-194
— , peace towns among 208
— , tract set apart for 142
Seneca town, encounter at 50
— , Schoolcraft's statement concerning... 351-485
Seoqgwageono, myth concerning 369-370
Sequoya, death of 147-148
— , grant of money to 139
. — , life and work of 108-110
— on Iroquois peace embassy 353-355, 485
— , opposition to syllabary of 351
— , part taken by, in reorganization 135,147
— , pension to 148
— , removal of . to the west 138
—.resolution signed by (1839) 135
— .search for lost Cherokee by 501
— , syllabary oi 219-220
—.treaty signed by (1828) 14
— , tree named alter 1 Is
—.visit to western Cherokee by 137-138
Seri, publication of pa per on xxix
—.study of implements of xxi-xxii
Page
Service berries, myths concerning 259
Set-angya, death song of 491-492
— , war medicine of 501
Se'tsi mound, myth concerning 335
Seven in Cherokee myth 431, 433
Sevier, Gov. John, defeat of Ferguson by. . 57
— , defeat of Indian raiders by ( 1781 ) 59
— , expeditions against Cherokee under
(1780-81, 1788. 1793) 57-58, 65, 66, 75, 82
— expedition against Chickamauga towns
under (1782) 60
—.expedition against Hiwassee towns un-
der 117861 63
— , expedition against Overhill towns under
(1781) 58-59
— life of 210-211
— , prevention of burning of Chilhowee by . 73
Shaw, Leonard D., appointment of, as Gov-
ernment ethnologist 70-71
Shawano among Cherokee, number of 157
— , anti-American confederacy headed by. . 72
— , attack on Buchanans station by 73
— , attitude of, during Revolution 55
— blood among Cheokee 234
— , character of 461
— , < Iherokee invitations to 105,136
— , Cherokee relations with 14,15,31-32,38,384
— , hostility of, to Americans 66-67,74
— , incorporation of, with Cherokee 99,151
— in Texas, union of, with Cherokee 143
— , legends concerning 486-487
— , legends of Cherokee wars with 370-378
— , myths of 437
— , probable origin of Cherokee myths
among 235
— , separation of, from Delawares 18-19
— , sketch of 494-196
—, trans-Mississippi migration of 99
Shea, J. G., on De Soto's route 193,198
— on early Spanish settlements 27
— on Rogel's expedition 201-202
— on Spanish mission among Cherokee 29
Sh eep, Cherokee name for 265
— , raising of, by Cherokee 112
Shelby, Colonel, defeat of Ferguson by ... 57
— , expedition against Chickamauga towns
under 55
Shining rock myth concerning 480
Shoe-boots, war medicine of 394
Shumopovi, study of altar at xlvii,
xlviii, xlix, 1-lii
Sia, studies of fraternities and cults of xlvi
Sibbald, John A., special agent to Chero-
kee 175
Sibley, — , on Cherokee in Arkansas in
1805 , 101
— , on Mobilian trade language 187
Sign language, study of xxvii
sii.er, I). W., East Cherokee census by 167
Silver, myth concerning 350-351
Similitude, development of ... Ixxxviii-lxxxix
sin, myths concerning origin of 218-249
Sinti, Kiowa myths of 134, 149
Siouan tribes, study of xxix
Sioux, legends concerning 386
— , myths of 140,450
— , use of language of, as trade language. . . 188
SlSSIPAHAW, Spanish contract with 28
C^Tm^j
:.7 1
Page
Six Nai ions seen
Ski i.!., pleasures oi 1 \ i
Skunk in Cherokee myth 65-261
sky ri on i . mj ill- concerning 86
Skyyauli myths concerning 440
Si ives among Chi 33,112, 125, 148, 150
— , Indian, contact of, with negroes -. . 238
I > hi rokee ii 61
— among East Cherokee iti-i?j
— in Chickamauga hand
Smi] \ \ in Cherokee lore 125
Smith Irchilla, flight of 134
Smith, Buckingham, on burning of peaf
near Charleston it l
— "ii Davies' History 202
— cm De Soto's route 195
— translation ol Elvas narrative by 193
Smith. Mrs Erminnie, studj ol troquoi
myths by xlvii
— mi Iroquois myths 136, 189,443,448, 169, it:;
Smith Harry, on Natchez among Chero-
kee 187
— on traditional predecessors of Cherokee. 23
Smith. John, on name Rickahockan 188-184
smith. Gen. Kirby, attempt to enlist Chero-
kee by 16&-169
Smith. X. J., acknowledgments to 13
— . Cherokee story-teller 23T
— , clerk of East Cherokee council 173
— , East Cherokee chief 175
— . life of its
— . myths told by 162, 17 1
— on East Cherokee in Civil war 170-1T1
— on East Cherokee schools 170
— . work of. among East Cherokee 177
Smith, Sibeald, acknowledgments to 13
Smith. . leader of pioneer advance 45
Smith. . on surrender of Cavitts station. T5
Smithsonian Institution, acknowledg-
ments to 12
Smyth, Maj. J. a., acknowledgments to... 13
Snail, myths concerning 449
Snakes, myths and lure concerning 241,251,
252 253,280,294-306,313,346,
ill. 133, 136 137, 156, 165, 181
Snake Boy. myth oi 304-305
Snake dance, study of xiv
SNAKE Man, myth of 304
Snowflake, excavation of ruins near .. xiii-xiv
s. K iology, subject-matter of xii
— . work in xxii-xxv
- ■ :■ - nd of (08 109
tviLLE, collection from xxi
- ceavation of ruins near xiv
301 as I ei 400, 135, I'.-. 172 IT:;
— among Indians It.: :
Sophioi.ogy, subject-matter of xii
— , work in xxvii x.win
by in development
of games lxviii-lxix
i M IGIC.
Sourwood, ini herokee myth and lore .
South, myth of daughter of 322
Sot in C irolin i, cession oi lasl Cherokee
lands in 97
—, Cherokee relations with i
Page
5 ..,.■-, expedition ti
1776 19 Ji
first settlement in
legends of Ill 112
, production of gold in 221
Spai i discussion of Iv-lvli
SPAiN.claim to land south o
river by
ntion of posts In south b; I «> 68
— . surrender ol southern posts by - 1
Ii* .n> « lib ■ 1795) si
Spaniards, Cheroke lingtoward 282
i in ol Indian hostility bj
64,67-1
in southern United stales
— . legends concerning 408
— . period of exploration by
— , relations,,!'. « ith [ndi ms 98,99 I II
Spanish needle in Cherokee lore 126
Sparrow, Cherokee name for 281
Spear-finger, set U'tlufi'ta.
Spensi r, allegorj in poetry of xc
Spider, myths and lore concerning. . 241 242 809
— . sa aim Water-spider.
Spinning among Cherokee 82,101, 105,21 1
— among East Cherokee 176
Spirit folk, Cherokee 175 177
Slums discussion of Ixiii-lxviii
Sprague, Senator, speech by, on '
laws affecting Cherokee 118
Spray, H. w., acknowledgments to 13
— . East Cherokee teacher and agent L76 180
Spreading-adder, myths and lore concern-
ing 252,263,297, 136, 138
Spring place, establishment of mission at. 107
Springstone on Nancy Ward 204
Squash, myth concerning 1T1
SijriER, E. (.., on Cherokee myths ... 436, 140, 142
— on Cherokee New-fire ceremony 502-503
— on the heavens in mythology 431
Squirrel, myths concerning. 251,262-263,286 287
Stand Watie, burning of Ross's house b;
—.myths told by 129, 144
— on Iroqiioi- peace embassy
— on Iroquois wars
— . part taken by. in Civil war 148, 149
— . threat against Ross by 134
Stanley..!. M.. on Iroquois peace embassj 185 i-s
Stapler, Miss , marriage of John Ross to 224
stac. feathers, legend of 399 100
Starr, James, fiight.of 134
Starr, Tom. legend concerning 286
Stars, myths and lore concerning 257,
■ i
Si ml rights, bearing ol Removal struggle
on .
- destruction of 49
Stedman 'hi English attempts to enlist In
dian aid during the Revolution 17
Stein, Robert, work ol xviii
Steiner, Rev. all iham i hi o
ary -I
xx-xxi
Stephen, A. M., work ol xii
-i i.Liiis Col.—, expedition again
kee under ..' 16
-i ia bns on d t of 4 Ireek and i
In ' Ii orgia 1 1781 1 60
572:;
Page
Stevens op Pic-ken's expedition (1782) 60
— on Priber'swork 37
— on treaties of De Witt'scorners and Long
island 54
— i hi treaty of Augusta ( 1763) -15
— on treaty of Hopewell 62
Stevenson, JIrs M.C., model of Zuni altar
by xlviii
— , study of fraternities and cults by xlvii
— , work of xxvii-xxviii
Stevenson, , on petroglyphs at Track
Bock gap 419
Stika'yI, see Stecoee.
Stock, Cherokee losses of, in Civil war 149
Stockaded villages among Indians 493
Stock raising by Cherokee 82
Stokes, Agent, on killing of Ridges and
Boudinot 134
Stone, W. L., on Sir William Johnson 203
SIMM. MAN, see Xf NYlNU'Wi.
Storehouse of Indian tribes 433
Stories and story-tellers, Cherokee 230,
232,236-238,428- 130
Strawberry, myths concerning 259, 143, 168
Stringkield. Col. W. W., acknowledgments
to 13
— on East Cherokee in Civil war 169-170
— , taking of party of East Cherokee to Con-
federate reunion by 170
Stuart, Capt. .1<>hn. rapture and release of 44
— , life of 203
— , refuge of defeated Cherokee with 53
— . treaty negotiated by 45
SUCK, The. myths concerning ... 312,3*7,464-465
SUGABTOWN, encounter at 49
SUMA, work among xvi
Sumac, use of darts of , 494
Sun, myths concerning 240, 252-257,
259,295,297,363,409, 121,436-438,440, 111
Sunset land, in y ths concerning 463,465
Supreme Court, decision of, in Worcester
)'. State of Georgia 119,120
Suyeta. Cherokee story-teller 237
— , myths told by 412, 44s, 150, 151, 154
— on character of Babbit 232
Swain on Indian warfare in 1776 52
— i.n Butherford's expedition .'. 49
— on Williamson's expedition 50
Swallowtail flycatcheb in Cherokee
lore 285
Sweat house, see Asi.
Swe \ 1 1 \Nn s. H., East Cherokee census by 172
Swimmer, life of 236 237
— , myths told by 236, 130, 131, 135, 136, 138,
440, 142,443,448,450-452, 154-456,461-463,
166 168-474, 177, 180, 181, Is::. 194, 195, 50]
— on dagul'kO geese 439
— mi mounds and constant fire 501-502
— , songs obtained from 504
Syllabary, Cherokee 219-220
— , cast i iig of characters of Ill
— , effect of, "ii Cherokee development... 110-112
— , introduction of, among western Chero-
kee 138
Syllabary, invention of
— . opposition to introduction of.
108-110
. . 351
Page
Symphony', development of lxxiii-lxxiv
synonymy, tribal, of Cherokee 15-16,
19,182-187,351,378,382
Tabus, Cherokee 162
Tadpole, myth concerning 311
Ta'gwadihI', Cherokee story-teller 237
— . myths told by 430,
442, 443, 456, 466, 469, 476, 171. 501
TAHCHEE.attack on Osage at Fort Gibson by. 141
— , emigrntit.il ,.i. into Texas 141,143
— McKcliney and Hall on 137
Tahlequah, selection of. as Cherokee capi-
tal 135-147
— , treaties at (1861, 1866) 148,150
— , Yuchi living near 3S5
Tahookatookie in Texas, union of, with
Cherokee 143
Takatoka, aid given by, in introduction of
syllabary 138
Talamatan, see Wyandot.
Ta lassie, escape of, from destruction (1780) 58
Tali'wa, battle of 38, 384
Talladega, battle of 91
Tallaseehatchee, battle of 90, 91
Tallige'wi, meaning of name 19,184-185,378
— ,.*<< also Synonymy.
Tallulah falls, myth concerning 346,
417-418,481
Tabahumabj, obtaining of information
concerning xvi
— , work among xvii
Tauletiin, General, attempted invasion of
North Carolina and Virginia by 56-57
Tar wolf, distribution of myth of 283 234
— , myth of 271-272, 45U
Taskigi, Cherokee relations with 388-389
— , tribe Of Creek confederacy 498-199
Tasquhjui, Spanish visit to 29,389
Tassel, murder of 65-66
Taylor, i apt. Richard, part taken by, in
Creek war 97
1'KcHNoI.milc stage, features of xxi-xxii
Technology, subject-matter of xii
— , work in xx-xxii
Tecumtha, life of 215-216
—, meaning of name of 142
— , work of, among Creeks 87-88
TEXT, on Thompson River myths 433,
436,437,4111, 141, 451, 167,470
Telfair, Governor, on Georgians' raid and
Cherokee reprisal d792> 71
TELLICO, conference at (1794) 79
— , conference and treaty at (1798) SO
— , treatiestat (1804, 1805) 84-85
Temple, M. S., survey of Qualla reservation
by .
171
Ten ness li.. attempted purchase of Cherokee
lands by (1807) 86
— , encroachments against Cherokee by 6 4
—.incorporation of, in "Territory of the
United states south of the Ohio River".. 68
—.local legends of 412,415
—.memorial to Congress by 76
— .opposition to allotment project by 114
— production of gold in 220, 221
573
Tenni --n. Removal forts in 22]
—, treaty with Cherokee by
i i inklin, State of.
Tennessee bald, myths concerning
177-479
Tennessee river, truce line at 185
Ten Kate, EL, on Cherokee myths 161
Iivmu i LW ATEE.
Tepehdan tribes, obtaining of information
c. inceming x vii
i rning 270-271,
278-279,280,286 288,28
Terrapin. The, Cherokee chief 63
Tebrei i knowledgments to. 13
— y life of, among Bast Cherokee 168
— cm Catawba among Bast i iherokee 166
— on Cherokee myths 167
— on East < herokee in Civil war 1 To, 171
— on Junaluska 165
— on Col.W. H.Thomas 162
—, roster of Cherokee troops by 169
Teton, myths of 159
Tewa Indians, visit to ruins attributed to . xv
Texas. Houston's part in history of 223
— .migration of Creek tribes to 99
— ,se< ession of, from Mexico in
—, work in x vi. xvii
Texas Cherokee, history of 143-146
—.origin of 138 m
Thomas, Dr Cyrus, memoirs by xlii-
xliii, xliv-xlv
— , work of xxix
Thomas, Col. W. H., acknowledgments to... 13
— , arrangement by, for stay of East Cher-
okee in ilu' cast 156 159
—.connection of. with East Cherokee af-
fairs 162,163,165,166-172
— , difficulty over estates of 173-174
— , legend told by 19]
i 159-192
— . mission of, to tj'tsala and Charley. 131-, 157-158
— on Baptist preachers among East Chero-
kee 165
— on Catawba among East Cherokee 165
— on Cherokee round-up 181
— on Junaluska 165
— tin traditional predecessors of Cherokei
— on Rutherford's route 20f>
— on smallpox among East Cherokee 172
— mi Swimmer's knowledge of Cherokee
myths 236
— . purchase of lands for East Cherokee by. 159
— . retirement of 172
Thomas, Col. ,killinj I an
by men under
Thomas Legion, organize
... si
i son, rapt. , defeat of (
under is
Thompson, — . arrest of U9
Thompson River Indians, myth
136, 137, no. in. 151, In7. iTn
Thought readj - Hef in — 244,
tore of Bowl's family 146
— on Indian expulsion from Texas 145
Thrali Mi ■-.
n.ki'i' 145
sb myths and lore concerning 240,
248, 257, 29 ■. 100 301
162-363. 435, 441-442, 4
TlKWAl 1 in I nil
Tillamook, myths of 140
TlMBERLAKE, III NK-i . nil '
dress 171
— on Cherokee regard for eagles .
— on Cherokee welcome ceremony
— on "flyingstag"
— on French and English treatm
9 '
— on gatayustl game
— on Indian war path 207
— on opossum hi
— on position of Indian women 190
■ ■■ "i I I oudon 43
— on ITktena and Ulunsu'tl 459, 161
— on war women .iOl
— . visit to Cherokee by
Titmouse, myths concerning. 285-286,318, 154 168
Tiwa, siinly uf language of xxvi
— , work among \\i
Ti.ANisi'vi. myth concerning
Ti-A'suw.v'. myths ami lore concerning ... 284,
286-281
Thai i in Cherokee myth
Tobacco, Cherokee 439
— , myths and lore concerning
344, 124
rocAj !'■ Soto's visit to 29
myth concerning us
I i n i lii:. i I 'In ml..-.'. 79
Tolome, tribe of Choctaw confederacy
TOHOPEKA, Ti.liiil'kl, SO HOBSESHOE BEND.
I in : I meeskee, death of
— , invitation to missionaries by 136
— , reservation for 85
— . treaty signed by 1 1806) 85
Tomassee, encounter at 51-52
" Tom Filler," nature ol 152
Tomtit, so i itmouse... 154
i i, i Sherokee relations with 891
— legend of ">ul
— , settlement of. mi Cherokee stri] 151
— , study of xvi
Too i.M i n. McKenney and Hall on 137
use of Indian disguise by 17,48
TORTOISl , SO I I KKAPIN.
ha i ii. relation of, to vision lxii-Ixiii
Townhouse, heating and lighting of 230
Townhousi da i effeel of snake myths
tne of holding
TOXAWAY, SSI 'I "i
Trade among Cherokee
—.intertribal
I B Ml I INGUAGES, Indian 1-".
mong i Iherokei . Norl h (
regulations concerning 61
ii ace of, nn Indian i ... 213
-. use of bells by
Track Rock gap, myth concerning 453
kee, men
of Tusayan, memoir on xxxix-xl
Transformation myths 304,462-463
574:i
[KTH. ANN. 19
Traps, Indian use of 468
Tree rock, myth concerning 317,467
Trees, Cherokee explanation of characters
of
421
— in Cherokee myths, powers of 231
Trephined skulls, collection of xxix
Tribe, features of xlix.l
Trope, development of xe-xei
Trotter, H. <;.. acknowledgments to 13
Troup, Governor, on Cherokee refusal to
remt ive 115
Trumbull, J. H., on name Tallige'wi 184
TsA'.A'si, Cherokee fairy 334
TsA'LA'ii', meaning and inflection of 15-16,
182-183
— , see also Cherokee; Synonomy.
TsalI, see Charley.
TsanI, Cherokee war chief in 1776 , 381
TsantAwO'. contact with Little People by. 334
TsA'RAf.i'. see Cherokee; Synonomy;
Tsa'i.Ai.i'.
Tsasta'wI, legend concerning 408
Tsawa'bi, Cherokee fairy...- 334
TSESA'Ni, Cherokee story teller 237
— , myth told by 463
TsE'si-SKA'TSi, sec Keid, Jesse.
TsKiL-E'GWA, see Big-witch.
Tsul'kAlu', myths concerning 262,
337-339, 407, 410, 132. 477-480
Tsundige'wi, myth of 325,-:71-172
TsuNi'i.uHUN'sKi, see Junaluska.
TsuskwAnuS'nAwa'tA, see \V afford.
Tsi wk'nAhI, myth of 343-345, 4S0-181
Tuckasegee, destruction of (1781) 59
TugAlC'nA fish, myth concerning 289,455
TUGGLE manuscript on Creek myths 431,
432, 434-136, 447-450, 452, 455, 463, 469, 473, 476
— on Creek songs 504
TtNA'i, legend of 373
TUP1 language, trade language based on . 187
Turkey, myths and lore concerning 269-270,
285,287-288,449,455
TURKEYTOWN, siege and relief of 90
— . treaty ratitied at (1816) 98
Turtle, drum of shell of 503
— , myths and 'ore concerning 306,
343, 346, 430, 452, 475, 481, 482
Turtle dove, Cherokee name for 281
'1 isa v an. memoir on clan localization in. . xli
— , memoir on Flute and Snake ceremoniesof xlv
— ,memoiron migration traditions of. . xxxix-xl
— , study of fraternities, cults, and altars
in xlvii, xlviii-xlix, 1-liii
— , work in xiv
Tuscarora, Cherokee relations with 14,
32,36,38,379
— , enslavement of 233
— , expulsion of, from Xorth Carolina 483
— , habitat and migrations of 17
— , wampum recording admission of, to
. Iroquois league 354
— , war between colonies and 1... 32
— , myths and beliefs of 442, 166,501,505
— , participation in Lewis's expedition by.. 41
— , sketch of 498
Tuskegee, burning of 51
Tusquittee bald, myth concerning 410
Twilight land of Cherokee myth 435,437
Tyrant stage, see Monarchical stage.
Uchee, tribe of Creek confederacy 498-499
— . get also Yuchi.
CGUSSTE'Li fish, myths concerning 307-308
Uksu'h!, myths concerning . 241,301-302,431,462
L'ktkna, myths and lore concerning 253.
297-301,315, :; 16. 396, MB, 410-458, 462
U'la'gu', myth concerning 260
I'l.CNsr'Ti. myths and lore concerning 264
297-300, 350-351, 396, 458-461
T'NATAlJt'A, see NADAKO.
Uncle Remus on character of rabbit 233
— on negro myths 448
Underground panthers, myth of 324
Underworld, myths concerning 239,341-347
Une'gadihI', see White-man-killer.
Unicoi turnpike, building of 87
Union Cherokee in civil war 171-172
United States, Cherokee relations with . . 61 , i!s
Unseen helpers, legend of 359
UNTSAIYl', Cherokee myths concerning 308,
310,311-315,463,464
Usiiery, Usi, see Catawba.
I'stanai.i. Cherokee capital 71.80,81
— , destruction of 60, 75
— , medicine dance at 88
Ustu'tli, myths concerning 302-303
Utah, collection from xxix
Utility, relation of, to pleasure lxi
U'tlun'ta, myth of 316-319,466
U'tsAlA, leader of Removal refugees 157
— , Thomas's mission to 157-158, 408
U'wtsCS'ta, myth of 303-304, 462
Valleytown mission, establishment of.. 107-108
Van Buren, Martin, election of, to Presi-
dency 129
Vandera on De Soto's route 193
— on Pardo's expedition 29
Vann, David, aid given to missionary work
by 84
— , death of daughter of 221
Vaugondy on name Cuttawa 182
Venus'8 flytrap in Cherokee lore 427
Verrazano, visit to America by 191
VlNCENNES, Lieutenant, burning of 477
Violet in Cherokee lore 420,505
Viper's bugloss in Cherokee lore 426
Virginia, expedition from, in 1776 49,50-51
— . first conflict of Cherokee with 29-30
— , production of gold in 221
— , treaty with Cherokee. Creeks, and Chick-
asaw by 63
Vision, relation of, to touch lxii-lxiii
Voice, part played by, in development of
music lxxi-lxxii
Volcanoes, records of, in Carolina moun-
tains 471
Wachesa trail, see Unicoi turnpike 87
Wadi'yAhi', death of 179
Wafford, James D.. Cherokee story teller. 237-23S
— , compilation of Cherokee spelling bookby 108
— . myths t"ld by 430,431,
435, 138, Hi'. 141. tis-ivj. 154,455,461,
163, 166 16s. 171.474-476,482,483,501
19]
Waffobd, James l1 , on n-sa-sination of
John Walker 12]
— on battle oi Tali'wa 385
— on ' !hi as with I atawba — 381
— on Cherokee relations with Creeks 89
— .mi discover) of gold in Cherokee coun
try 116
iquoii i"'. bassy 363 3 >•■ 18 i
— ..I. Mexican -nun to Cherokee 143
— on in. lis
— on Natchez among i herokee . 387
— (in Osage-Cherokee troubles 187
— on patent t>> Texas lands 146
— on Removal 131
— on Sequoya's birth date 109
— on Shawano war- 194
— on spinning wheels among Cherokee ... 214
— on war woman 419
— on White-path's rebellion lit
— ..ii Wolf-killer lis
— ..ii Rev. S. A. Worcester 108
Wafford, Colonel, establishment of Wat-
ford's settlement bj 238
Wi 'a sen i i mi.m. sale of 86
Waiinenaihi mam script on Cherokee
myths 284,297, 431, 469, 4T.i. 501
— mi introduction of -pinning wheels *J14
Wai am <ii. I'm, nature and history of... 190,229
— on Cherokee migration 18-19,191
on name Tallige'wi 184-185
Wai. a 'si fr. .... position Of, in council 231
B i lcott, Hon. ('. I>., acknowledgments
to xxxi, xxxiii
Walker, Felix, employment of W. H.
Thomas in store of
Walker, .i.hin, a—a—i nation of
Walker, Maj. John, part taken by, in Creek
L60
war 117
Walker, Dr Thomas, explorations by 38-39
Wai. Kin, — , leader of pioneer advance.. 15
¥1 1LLAWALJ L, myths ..I lis
Wallen, . leader of pioneer advance . . 4".
Walnut in Cherokee lore 422
Wampum, Indian use of 354,488,494
— , Iroquois 354
WAPPING1 i:. a la i ion of. with Delawares. 497
-. late of 197-498
— . separation of, from Delawares 19
Ward, Brian, on battle of Tali'wa 385
Ward, Nancy, life of
— . rescue of Mr-. Bean by 190
— . warning to Americans by 47
War medicine, Cherokee beliefs concern-
ing 393 194
Warpath, Indian
w in Woman's creek, legend concerning . U9
War Women, Cherokee W
W 1SASH, ■■ I ISAGE
Washburn, Rev. Cephas, Cherokee mis-
-ionary 136
— ..ii Howl migration 100-101
— on Cherokee myths B0, 145
— on Cherokee regard for rattlesnakes .. 15& 157
— on Cherokee Bacred ark 603
— on Cherokee witchcraft law 138
— on Cherokee emigration to Texas ill
Osage-Cherokee troubles 137
— on Sequoya's removal 13s
w ishinoton, President Qeorqi
68
raj jiii
NO
W ishinoton, si ' Wasi rl 'na.
w VMHS..T..N, treaties "i
w Isl, Chi i imj ih of
..■I . h.ui, ... escapi in. I surren-
i -
ingof 158
Watauga, cession of settlements al 62
rokee attack on tort at is
Water beetle, myths concerning
UiMt: . I'.Mlal.-, mi Hi ..:
" w 1 1 n: " In Cherokee lore 307, 110
"Water dwellers" in Cherokee myth. i
Water moccasin in Cherokee myth and
lore 297
Water spider, myths concerning 241-242,
130, i a
W 1 1 ii . see Stand Watie.
Watts, John, chief of Chickamauga band. 7 2
— . conference a1 Jellico by . 1794) 79
— , expedition against Knoxville under 75
— , friendliness of, in 1794 76
— , letter left at Gillespies station by 66
— , progressive leader s;;
— , rai.l on settlements near Knoxville un-
der
— , wounding of (1792) 73
Waxhaw, heating and lighting of town-
house among 230
— . Spanish contact with 28
Wayne, Gen. Anthony, building of Fori
Recovery by 212
. defeat "i confederated tribes by 21 a
— , effect Of victory of 68,78,79,81
— , message to Ohio Cherokee by 79
WEATHERFORD, William. leader of hostile
Upper 1 'reek- 89
-, li f 217
— . massacre at Fort Slims by Creeks under. 216
— , surrender of
Weaving among Cherokee 101,112,211
— among East Cherokee 176
Webster, Daniel, opposition to removal
project by 129
Webster, Thomas, keeper of Iroquois warn
pums
Win. W. II.. on Indian smelting 201
Weie, Colonel, arrangement bj Ro n 14
Welch, Lloyd R., Fast Cherokee chief 175
— , farewell address of 226-227
Welcomi m: M,e . of ' in"., i >■. 493
Westeh .in la.K i I.. Easl .
against 177
1 1 of 1 16-157
., ARK LN8AS Chero
W HEELER. J. F.. arrest of 11.1
— . printer ..f Cherokee Phcenix ill
WHIPPOOBWILL, Cherokee name for 2-1
Whisky in Indian legend
Whistles among Indians 455
White. Colonel, order issued by 1 1792).
White, '.en i tpen n of at tn; ler . 90,91
White. , on petroglyphs
gap ii '
r,7<;;::
White, , on War Woman's creek 419
— , pseudomyths and traditions given by. 415-416
White, symbolism of 493,494
White animals, Indian veneration for 447
White Bear, myths concerning 250,264,473
White -EYES, Cherokee condolences on
diatli of 50,379
Whitehall, treaty >it 35
White-man-killer, attack on Scott party
by '. 77
White men, influence of, on Cherokee
mythology 235
— . legends of lirsi contact of Cherokee with. 350-
351, 183
White-path, rebellion of 113-114
White river, cession to Cherokee of tract
on 102-103
Whites p , conventional (1791) 68-69
— , expedition against Cherokee from 65
Whiteside MOUNTAIN, myths concerning.. 317,
111. 167
Whitley, Colonel, expedition against
Chickamauga towns under 7s, 79
Wichita, racing among 494
Wiedemann, Alfred, on Egyptian myths. 438
Wild Buy, myths concerning 242-249
Wildcat, myth concerning 269-270, 149
Wild rice gatherers of the upper lakes,
memoir on lii-liy
Will, progressive leader 83
Williams on De Soto's route 193,198
Williamson, Col. Andrew, expedition un-
der 19-51 1
— , presence of Catawba with 381
Will-o'-the-wisp in Cherokee lore 476
Willstown, Cherokee refugeesat 55,209
—, establishment of mission at 105
WiLsiNi', see Spray, H.W.
Wilson on Rutherford's route 205
Wil-TJsdi', see Thomas, w. H.
Win.nek.mio tiki. le mi addressing Delaware's 197
WlNSBIP, 6. P., work of xxx
Winsor, Justin, on Davies' History 202
— "ii I e Luna's expedition 201
— on De Soto's route 191,193,198
— on early Spanish settlements 27
Wisdom, D. M., on acts of Dawes Commis-
sion 154
— . 011 Cherokee population and acreage.. 157
— . on intention of United States toopen In-
dian Territory 154
— . on intruders in Indian Territory 154
—,011 Mexican encouragement of emigra-
tion scheme 156
— . on population of Indian Territory 155
Wise, opposition to removal project by 129
Witchcraft, Cherokee belief in 138, 152
— . Cherokee law against accusations of 138
Wit. ties in Cherokee myth 244,401-403
Wives, Indian custom of exchanging 156
Wolf, myths and lore concerning 245-246,
263, 264-265, 266, 272, 274,278-279, 280, 289
190,362, 134, 145, lis. i.,n. 151, 152, 153, 189
Woli town, purchase of 161
W. im EN among Cherokee warriors . . . 395, 419, 501
Woodchuck, myth concerning 280
WooDWARDon De Soto's route 199
— on chief McGillivray 210
— on Mobilian trade language 187
— on chief Weatherford 217
Wool, General, disarming of Indians by... 129
— on Cherokee opposition to Removal 127
— on preparations for Removal 127
— . protests against New Echota treaty sub
in i 1 ted to 126
Worcester, Rev. S. A.. Cherokee mission
ary 105
— , death of 1 IS
— . imprisonment of 119
— , life of 217-218
— . work in translation, etc., by 108,111,165
World, Cherokee account of the making
of 239-242 , 430-131
— , Cherokee idea of 455
When in Cherokee lore 401,504
Wkosetasktow. "emperor" of Cherokee .. 34
Wyandot, Cherokee relations with 18
— , legends concerning 486
— mode of addressing Delawares 497
— name for Cherokee 183
— traditions concerning Cherokee 19
W v m a N on Creeks 499
XfAi.A. De Soto's visit to 25,28-29,194,196
Yahcla, myth of 347-349, 482-483
Yamassee, massacre of whites by 33
— , migration to Florida of 99
Ya'naoi n'ski, sec Yonaguska.
Yane'i.wa, Cherokee chief 164
Yellow-jacket, myth concerning... 260,443-444
Yei.lowhammer, myth concerning 288-289
Yellow hill, purchase of 161
Von mm ska, adoption of W.H.Thomas by.. 160
— , life of 162-161
Yontonwisas dance, legend concerning.. 365, 192
YowANi. see Heyowani.
Ytata, De Soto's visit to 201
Yiiiii blood among Cherokee 234
— . Cherokee relations with 385-386
— . in Cherokee territory 142-143
— , myths of 421,430
YOSwi TsfSsiii', sen Little People.
YCn'wiyA', meaning of 15,182
— , eee also Synonymy.
\ oswi-i SGA'sE'Ti, see Dangerous-man,
ifUPAHA, De Soto's visit to 193
Zeigler and Grosscup on Cherokee myths. 467,
476, 478-479
— . >n East Cherokee chiefs 175
— on East Cherokee condition (about 1880) . 176
— on .lunaluska 164
— on Jutaculla "Id Fields 179- 180
— on Rumbling bald 471
Zeisberger on name Tallige'wi 19,184
Zn.r. el. Z. A., acknowledgments to 13
on Cherokee round-up 131
ZuSl, study of fraternitiesand cults of xlvii
— , models of altars at xlviii
o
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