Unit: Myths of the Cherokee by James Mooney
Rabbit is a sly and dangerous trickster, as well as Terrapin.
How the World was Made
-think of the earth as a great island floating in a sea of water, and it is suspended at four points by a cord hanging down from "the sky vault," which is made of solid rock.
-the Indians are afraid that the cords will break and the earth will sink into the ocean.
-if this happens, everything will become water again.
-Before earth was formed, Dâyuni'sï, "Beaver's Grandchild," the little Water-beetle, went on an adventure to go see what was below the water.
-When it dove into the water, it brought up some soft mud, which began to grow and spread until it became an island, which is now referred to as the earth.
-The earth was then fastened to the sky with four cords, but no one knows who fastened it.
-In the beginning, the earth was flat, soft, and wet.
-The animals waited until the earth was dry so that they could walk on it. In order to do this, they sent the Great Buzzard to fly over the land to see if it was still soft.
-As the Buzzard entered the Cherokee country, he grew tired, so his wings struck the ground.
-Every place his wings struck the earth, a valley was formed, and where his wings turned up again, there was a mountain.
-The animals saw the mountains and were afraid that the whole earth would become mountains, so they called for the Buzzard to come back.
-This is why the Cherokee country remains full of mountains.
-The animals got the sun and set it on a track to go across the island daily from east to west, just overhead.
-The sun was too hot, and the Red Crawfish's shell was scorched a bright red, thus spoiling his meat so that the Cherokee people do not eat it.
-So, the conjurers raised the sun higher, but it was still too hot. They raised it over and over again until it was just beneath the sky arch ("seven handbreadths" above the earth).
-Since it is at "the seventh height," there are seven days in a week where the sun goes along the sky arch, and returns at night on the upper side to the starting place.
-Streams came down from the mountains, representing the trails to the underworld, and the springs at their heads are the doorways by which we enter it. The underworld has different seasons because the water in the springs is always warmer in winter and cooler in summer than the outer air.
-This story explains how the world began.
-Story Idea: make up a story about the creation of the world, and possibly use Part B of this unit to add new characters.
Rabbit is a sly and dangerous trickster, as well as Terrapin.
How the World was Made
-think of the earth as a great island floating in a sea of water, and it is suspended at four points by a cord hanging down from "the sky vault," which is made of solid rock.
-the Indians are afraid that the cords will break and the earth will sink into the ocean.
-if this happens, everything will become water again.
-Before earth was formed, Dâyuni'sï, "Beaver's Grandchild," the little Water-beetle, went on an adventure to go see what was below the water.
-When it dove into the water, it brought up some soft mud, which began to grow and spread until it became an island, which is now referred to as the earth.
-The earth was then fastened to the sky with four cords, but no one knows who fastened it.
-In the beginning, the earth was flat, soft, and wet.
-The animals waited until the earth was dry so that they could walk on it. In order to do this, they sent the Great Buzzard to fly over the land to see if it was still soft.
-As the Buzzard entered the Cherokee country, he grew tired, so his wings struck the ground.
-Every place his wings struck the earth, a valley was formed, and where his wings turned up again, there was a mountain.
-The animals saw the mountains and were afraid that the whole earth would become mountains, so they called for the Buzzard to come back.
-This is why the Cherokee country remains full of mountains.
Smoky Mountains of the Cherokee Nation
-When the earth was dry, the animals came down, but it was dark.
-The animals got the sun and set it on a track to go across the island daily from east to west, just overhead.
-The sun was too hot, and the Red Crawfish's shell was scorched a bright red, thus spoiling his meat so that the Cherokee people do not eat it.
-So, the conjurers raised the sun higher, but it was still too hot. They raised it over and over again until it was just beneath the sky arch ("seven handbreadths" above the earth).
-Since it is at "the seventh height," there are seven days in a week where the sun goes along the sky arch, and returns at night on the upper side to the starting place.
-Streams came down from the mountains, representing the trails to the underworld, and the springs at their heads are the doorways by which we enter it. The underworld has different seasons because the water in the springs is always warmer in winter and cooler in summer than the outer air.
-This story explains how the world began.
-Story Idea: make up a story about the creation of the world, and possibly use Part B of this unit to add new characters.
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