The Origin of the Milky Way and Other Living Stories of the Cherokee (Caravan Book)

144 Pages·2008·3.4 MB·English

by  Barbara Duncan

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The Origin of the Milky Way
& Other Living Stories of the Cherokee

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The Origin I

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I of the Milky Way I
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& Other Living Stories
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of the Cherokee I
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Collected and edited by
barbara r. duncan
With stories told by
davy arch, robert bushyhead,
edna chekelelee, marie junaluska,
kathi littlejohn, & freeman owle
Illustrations by shan goshorn
The University of North Carolina Press
chapel hill
This book was published Library of Congress
with the assistance of the Blythe Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Family Fund of the University The origin of the Milky Way and
of North Carolina Press. other living stories of the Cherokee /
collected and edited by Barbara R.
© 2008 Duncan ; with stories told by Davy
The University of Arch . . . [et al.] ; illustrations by
North Carolina Press Shan Goshorn.
Illustrations © Shan Goshorn p. cm.
All rights reserved Includes bibliographical references.
Designed and typeset in Trump isbn 978-0-8078-3219-6 (cloth : alk.
Mediaeval and itc Obelisk by paper)—isbn 978-0-8078-5930-8
Kim Bryant and Eric M. Brooks (pbk. : alk. paper)
Manufactured in the United 1. Cherokee Indians — Folklore.
States of America 2. Tales — North Carolina.
3. Storytellers — North Carolina.
Cover art: Shan Goshorn I. Duncan, Barbara R. II. Arch, Davy.
(Eastern Band Cherokee), E99.C5O75 2008
www.shangoshorn.com 398.08997´25 — dc22
2008015676
The paper in this book meets
the guidelines for permanence A Caravan book.
and durability of the Committee For more information, visit
on Production Guidelines for www.caravanbooks.org.
Book Longevity of the Council
on Library Resources. cloth 12 11 10 09 08
The University of North Carolina 5 4 3 2 1
Press has been a member of the paper 12 11 10 09 08
Green Press Initiative since 2003. 5 4 3 2 1
University of North Carolina Press books may be purchased at a discount for
educational, business, or sales promotional use. For information, please visit
www.uncpress.unc.edu or write to UNC Press, attention: Sales Department,
116 South Boundary Street, Chapel Hill, NC 27514-3808.
Contents
Introduction 1
Why the Stories Look and Sound the Way They Do 3
How to Pronounce Cherokee Words 3
Learning More about Cherokee People 4
1 Living with People 15
The Origin of Strawberries: First Man and First Woman 17
kathi littlejohn
The Origin of the Blowgun: The Old Man and the Birds 21
davy arch
Medicine and the Wolf Clan 26
freeman owle
The Bird with Big Feet 28
kathi littlejohn
The Origin of Stickball: The Story of the Bat 32
freeman owle
How the Possum Lost His Beautiful Tail 36
freeman owle
2 Living with Animals 40
The Magic Lake 42
freeman owle
The Rattlesnake in the Corn 45
davy arch
Getting Fire 48
kathi littlejohn
3 Living with Plants and the Earth 51
The Trees Are Alive 53
edna chekelelee
Mother Earth’s Spring Dress 54
edna chekelelee
The Earth 55
freeman owle
Corn Woman Spirit 58
freeman owle
A Medicine Story 62
robert bushyhead
4 Living with Spirits 68
Spirit Warriors and the Nikwasi Mound 70
freeman owle
Santeetlah Ghost Story 72
edna chekelelee
The Cherokee Little People — Forever Boy 77
kathi littlejohn
Nunnehi, the Gentle People 80
kathi littlejohn
5 Living with Monsters 83
Spearfinger 85
kathi littlejohn
The Hunter and Thunder 91
robert bushyhead
6 Living with Cherokee Language 96
Cherokee Language 99
edna chekelelee
The Origin of the Milky Way 101
swimmer
Gili Ulisvdanvyi 102
translated by marie junaluska
7 Living with the Past and Future 103
The Trail of Tears 105
freeman owle
Removal 110
davy arch
The Legend of the Corn Beads 113
edna chekelelee
People Singing in the Earth 115
freeman owle
Glossary 121
Map: Cherokee Lands 123
Timeline 124
Further Reading 127
About the Storytellers 129
Acknowledgments 132
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I I I
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The Origin of the Milky Way
& Other Living Stories of the Cherokee