The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-12-31
Negro Animal Stories Probably
Cherokee Indian Legends.
BRER RABBIT AND OTHERS
Originally Great Characters
Among the Noble Red Men.

has just returned from the Eastern
Cherokee reservation in Western North
Carolina. Mr.. Mooney began to study
these curious people fifteen years ago. He
has succeeded in securing their entire
aboriginal ritual, embodying 800 prayers,
sacred songs, love charms and formulas
for black art and manufacture OF medi-
cine. He says that no other similar col
lection Of Indian material IS anywhere in
existence. 1t is contained in a number Of
strange books written entirely in the
Cherokee alphabet. invented seventy
years ago by Chief Sequoyah, after whom
the giant trees Of California are named.
These heIroglyphics resemble Russian
more than any other written language.
Some of the volumes. were written sixty
years ago, and contain secrets which the
chiefs and medicine men never impart.
even 70 their children, and which no lay
man among them could read from the
written pages. because in their religious
writings these d1gnitaries of the tribes
employ a language different from that
used in ordinary conversation. Having
learned this sacred dialect, as well as
common Cherokee, Mr.. Mooney is able 70
translate all of these rituals into English.
In this way he has learned their primitive
religious beliefs. explaining the creation
and the occurrence Of events, strangely
similar to many Of the chief happenings
in the Old Testament.
Mr. Mooney BRIEFLY related to me the
story OF the Cherokee Genesis" which
he lately translated from the original
records:
In the beginning. according TO this sac
red belief, the earth was fat. as II is now,
but was entirely covered with water. All
of the animal tribes, as we'll as man.
were then living upon the arch Of the sky,
and were possessed of a common language
in which anyone might speak to another.
They debated as to a future settlement,
and one day a little water-beetle descend
ed to the watery earth, dived beneath the
surface, and brought up earth, which
spread until It became the vast island
which is now the dry land. Seeing this,
the animals sent down a buzZard that he
might investigate. Viewing him from
aloft, they saw that as he swooped up
and down over the wet soil he made the
country very rugged. Displeased at this,
they called him back, but not before he
had formed the Southern Alleghanies, in
which the Cherokee people afterward
lived.
The sky on top of which the animals
were waiting, was an arch OF solid stone
inc &c now
through gateway, which opened and
closed like pair of scissors in the eastern
side OF the sky. After passing over the
earth during the day the sun disappeared
as it still does, through another opening
in the western side Of the sky arch
But the suns journey, in the beginning
was very unsteady. So the animals, after
descending to the earth. sent a medicine
man to make it go straight across the
sky. IN his attempts to regulate the I'M
steady sun the medicine man got 1t so
near that II. scorched all Of those below,
but finally placed it where 1t now is and
where it causes no further trouble. Some
men Travelled to the east 10 explore the
entrance through which the sun sscended
every morning One was caught in 1t as
it closed and was killed, but the others
passed through and made wonderful ex-
pIorations
Man became more and more aggressive,
and began 10 prey upon the other animals
OF the earth. whereupon the latter held
to devise means for his destruc-
ton. They concocted the various human
diseases. and decided that whenever man
killed an animal that the animals tribe
should send a disease ghost after him.
one that would punish him unless he
asked pardon, as the hunter must always
do today before he can hunt with safety.
The plants however, remained friendly
to man, and ever afterward have DEVISED
remedies to counteract the disease ghosts
OF the animals.
At one time the people on the earth
sent a snake to XIII the daughter OF the
Sun. She was taken off 70 the Land OF
Shades, whereupon her mother, the
sun. grieved so much that her food o.
tears threatened a deluge. The people
Of the earth then sent delegation 70
the Land OF Shades for the return Of
the Suns daughter. They found her.
and were allowed to bear her away
safely IN a box. but were cautioned not
to open it until they had returned home
But after a while their passenger began
to beg for air. and as they opened the
box 70 relieve her she took the form Of
a red bird and escaped Had u not
nean f. this dis5oedience there would
have been no death. As It is. those VINO
20 10 the Land Of Shades must there re-
main. never 10 return
Tue Cherokee account of the deluge
tells os a man who. q long time ago, had
3 dog which went daily to the bank o.
the river and howled It's master. the
Noah Of their strange mythology. became /
angry a. the dog ana scolded hifn'
y hereupon the beast spoke
VERY soon szid Re. there VIII -
food. and tie water xii come 50 high /
that every one viii De drowned. But u /
son viii make q rat and get Dpo1 T. +
y hen The rain comes you can De saved I
The man built the raft as directed. (
3r1vtsione8 g. and placed his family +
anon T.. The rain cane ard me waters 4
into q great del1Ee, . HEB 4
frovy1el every creature on earth except I
sis man and bis family EFaea, ati@r +
many fzvs. the water had suos.dei. ard j
Z had become safe 70 leav4 tae Taft- he 4
nan heard dancing and shooting n ta2 .
5.her eide ~ the ridge near ~hera ~ 4
seed. Ascending and boxing oEer. ae
.aw great p1es O. humaa eoas7 al'aE .
Re valley BE-. al vas qaseL an1 hs
zns~ .ha. me Ehosts q sae dead RAD i
-eeu dancing
~ m-5rer 1rds ttat ere r5er- ksez
49,. .-Al- I-.eah E-orr. als.- Aee1-laE