When a deer is slain by an Indian hunter, Chief Little
Deer will run to the spot and ask the slain deer's spirit,
"Did you hear the hunter's prayer for permission?"
If the reply is yes, then all is well.
But if the answer is NO, then the Chief Little Deer,
will follow the hunter to his lodge and strike him with
arthritis, making him a helpless cripple unable to hunt
again.
Now all the fishes and snakes decided to hold council
and decided they would scare the Cherokee People, who
tormented them.
They decided to give them dreams of serpents wrapping
around them and eating them. The Cherokee People had these
dreams often and To get relief, the Cherokee People,
pleaded with the fish and snakes to stop, so now they no
longer torment the snakes and fish. And the dreams have
gone away.
Now when the friendly plants heard what the
animals,snakes and fish, were doing to the Cherokee People,
they decided on a plan of their own.
Each tree, shrub, herb, grass, and moss would make a
cure for all of the sickness the animals,snakes and fish,
had wished upon them.
So now when the Cherokee People ask their Shaman about
medicine for their sickness, the Shaman would ask the
spirits of the plants. Who would tell him the right plant
to cure the people.
This was the beginning of plant medicine among the
Cherokee People..And how it's still used today..
In the beginning of the world, there was no
fire. The animal people were often cold. Only the Thunders,
who lived in the world beyond the sky arch, had fire.
At last they sent Lightning down to an island. Lightning
put fire into the bottom of a hollow sycamore tree.
The animal people knew that the fire was there, because
they could see smoke rising from the top of the tree. But
they could not get to it on account of the water. So they
held a council to decide what to do.
Everyone that could fly or could swim was eager to go
after the fire. Raven said, "Let me go. I am large and
strong."
At that time Raven was white. He flew high and far
across the water and reached the top of the sycamore tree.
While he sat there wondering what to do, the heat scorched
all his feathers black. The frightened Raven flew home
without the fire, and his feathers have been black ever
since.
Then the council sent Screech Owl. He flew to the
island. But while he was looking down into the hollow tree,
a blast of hot air came up and nearly burned out his eyes.
He flew home and to this day, Screech Owl's eyes are red.
Then Hooting Owl and Horned Owl were sent to the island
together. But the smoke nearly blinded them, and the ashes
carried up by the wind made white rings about their eyes.
They had to come home, and were never able to get rid of
the white rings.
Then Little Snake swam across to the island, crawled
through the grass to the tree, and entered it through a
small hole at the bottom. But the smoke and the heat were
too much for him, too. He escaped alive, but his body had
been scorched black. And it was so twisted that he doubled
on his track as if always trying to escape from a small
space.
Big Snake, the climber, offered to go for fire, but he
fell into the burning stump and became as black as Little
Snake. He has been the great blacksnake ever since.
At last Water Spider said that she would go. Water
Spider has black downy hair and red stripes on her body.
She could run on top of water and she could dive to the
bottom. She would have no trouble in getting to the island.
"But you are so little, how will you carry enough fire?"
the council asked.
"I'll manage all right," answered Water Spider. "I can
spin a web." so she spun a thread from her body and wove it
into a little bowl and fastened the little bowl on her
back.
Then she crossed over to the island and through the
grass. She put one little coal of fire into her bowl and
brought it across to the people.
Ever since, we have had fire. And the Water Spider
still has her little bowl on her back.
