The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1852-07-01
THE CHEROKEE NATION.

circumstances unueE WHICH IL "oo cAS"So W
somewhat as follows: A gentleman who re-
sides in the adjoining county Of Chesterfield,
had spent seven years of his life among the
Cherokees, in Arkansas Returning to his ma
tive State and county, he determined to write
book, which should embody all he had seen
and learned, and wishing, as far as possible to
reinforce his memory before entering on the
task, he opened a correspondence, under the
assumed name of "Cherokee," with the Indian
Agent. That gentleman turned over his letter
to the person who signs himself "Yellow
Bird" in the letter which follows. There
are several others, ola similar character, all
of which were turned over to us by the gentle.
man to whom they are addressed, who does
not knou who "Yellow Bird is, but thinks he
is very intelligent "Half Breed" with whom
he had formerly been acquainted. The letter
itself indicates very considerable degree of
intelligence, as the reader will readily discover.
From the gentleman in question, we learn
that the Indian blood in the Cherokee Nation
is fast wearing out, and he thinks that in
few generations there will be left oft, no more
apparent traces, than are observable now in
the descendants of King Powhatan.
HONEY CREEK, c. NJ, July l8,, 1S4S.
DEAR SIR-Your letter of June 18th has
been received, and am glad to learn from its
perasai, that my own of April 2lst was by no
means intrusive.
And myself unable. however, TO give you
the letter this time, which would like to give
on account of bad fit Of sickness which has
n md frap
which have scarcely recovered. You will,
therefore, trust, hold me excused for the bre-
,ity with which / again write you. With res
pect to the ancient superstltions OF the Che
rokees, conversation with old men, now exist
ing among us. would show that as far back as
Cherokee memory and tradition extends, they
have ever in the first place believed in one
Supreme and Universal Being, whom they de-
nominated, in common with the other Ind an
tribes, the Great Spirit. They believed, also,
in q Dark Spirit, who had his dwelling
somewhere in the uniathomable bosom of
night the first Spirit was good, smiling on
the efforts of their tribe, when pleased with
their conduct. ard blessing them in all their
exertiOns, whether in war or hunting. To him
they offered themselves in annual and periodi-
cal worship, by public games and dances, such
| as the Bear Dance, Green Corn Daace, etc.
| The second Spirit was bad and, as all his la
| bors were directed against the peace and hap
piness of the human race, their constant
prayer to the Great Spirit was not 10 deliver
| them into his hands, but ever to limit and re-
strain his power. Besides these two Superior
| Spirits, numberless interior ones existed
They had authority delegated to them by the
| good and bad Spirits, and consequently there
| was continual contest between two great and
directly antagonistic principles. The Chero-
KEGS had traditions respecting the creation OF
| the world, the killing of Abel by his brother,
the deluge, and other events similar 10 what is
told in the Bible-as, in fact, there will be
found among alt nations, faint traces of the
same old tale. Amongst the CherOkees an
idea, bearing resemblance to that which made
the most beautiful part of Roman and Grecian
mythology, existed, which gave to lonely
mountains, shaded glens, and uninhabtable
places, their not mortal residents, good or evil.
Although it is too late now, as your work is SO
soon going to the press, to gather full informa-
ton on this interesting point, yet, should you
| conclude to publish another work ('purely
Indian'') this subject would Gil many long and
deeply attractive pages. But it would require
time to do it full justice, to consult, by means
of an interpreter, with the old men of the ma
lion, and learn through them the Evolutionary
belief, which they themselves still believe, but
which they regret to see vanishing away from
the minds of the present generation.
With respect 10 coDjuration, there have ex-
listed among the Cherokees copurers, dealers
with the Dark Spirit, or whatever other names
the 50 me set of men might bear, from time
immemorial. A few ofthem yet remain, but
| their power is nothing to compare with that of
| the ancient dealers with the Dark Spirit
Formerly, il was one of the powers claimed by
these men, that they could by means of secret
poisons, administered from any point to the
unhappy individual, faint the blood of an ene-
m tn fhAn IN yh<, "A
employ this onjuration, by paying for it's use
in their favor.) and affict him with a disease
which should feed upon his body day by day,
and permit him to live only to feel with pain
his vital powers grow feebIer every hour until
death could relieve him! There are various
plants, used amongst the present conurers
even, whose properties they pretend are pow
erfui, but the names of which they will moi
tell so that 1t appears, conjuration is an art
handed d0wn from one set of men to another,
and from one generation 10 another. The visi
BILE agencies used have always been roots.
unknown, save to the eonjurers,) mashed up.
and soaked in cold water different kinds of
plants, boiled down in vessels of earth flints,
found ia remote mountains, of peculiar shape,
etc., etc. With one of these Aint stones, su
perior co1jurer twas believed) could wake up
me thunders 10 the sky, and bring storm or
ne could produce a gentle and eniivening
shower. Some OF them can, at the present
gay, perform a strange thing inieed They
csn tdke 1--we rattle-snake in their hands.
place y IN tneir bosoms, tie it like belt around
theiI waists, or hang il around their necks
ana the deadly serpent will do them no harm
not even attempt to bite them! From this fac,
!, IT,, seems nature has provided some plant cana.
O.s g, saDSuns entirely the venoous pro-
| Iui as ne 10, dociie 20 the hand az ,r., ~.
the copjnrers viii not reveal the pan, i.aa nu'
| again. there 10 q weed, sometimes rro.;n. !.
this country, which il laid across he hs.s !. -
the rattlc.snake, will cause him 10 han. !: !,
down, and crawl of, IS though misersh,a
ashamed Of himself. The invisible asens;s.
used IN conjuraiion, are incaniaiions, m;dn;s i,
waichings IN lonely and desert places. person.