Algonquin Creation Myth - Algonquin The great Earth Mother had two sons, Glooskap and Malsum. Glooskap was good, wise, and creative; Malsum was evil, selfish, and destructive. When their mother died, Glooskap went to work creating plants, animals, and humans from her body. Malsum, in contrast, made poisonous plants and snakes. As Glooskap continued to create wonderful things, Malsum grew tired of his good brother and plotted to kill him. In jest, Malsum bragged that he was invincible, although there was one thing that could kill him: the roots of the fern plant. He badgered Glooskap for days to find the good brother's vulnerability. Finally, as Glooskap could tell no lies, he confided that he could be killed only by an owl feather. Knowing this, Malsum made a dart from an owl feather and killed Glooskap. The power of good is so strong, however; that Glooskap rose from the dead, ready to avenge himself. Alive again, Glooskap also knew that Malsum would continue to plot against him. Glooskap realized that he had no choice but to destroy Malsum in order that good would survive and his creatures would continue to live. So he went to a stream and attracted his evil brother by loudly saying that a certain flowering reed could also kill him. Glooskap then pulled a fern plant out by the roots and flung it at Malsum, who fell to the ground dead. Malsum's spirit went underground and be-came a wicked wolf-spirit that still occasionally torments humans and animals, but fears the light of day. Come visit us at. "Keeper of Stories". http://www.newkeeperofstories.com/

Anisga ya Tsunsdi - Cherokee "Little Men" Always represented as beneficent wonder-makers of great power. These two sons of Kanati (first man), who are sometimes called "Thunder Boys," live in Usunhi-yi, above the sky vault. They must not be confused with the Yunwi Tsunsdi' or Little People, who are also "thunderers," but who live on the earth and cause the short, sharp claps of thunder. The "Little Men" have reproduced themselves by striking lightening very near a woman, giving birth to a human with the same characteristics as the Little People. There is also the "Great Thunderer," the thunder of the whirlwind, tornado and hurricane, who seems to be identical with Kanati, himself. The favorite honey locust tree, and the tree with thorns of the same species, is the home of the "Thunder-man", indicating to the Cherokee a great hidden connection between the pinnated leaves of the tree and the lightening. Come visit us at. "Keeper of Stories". http://www.newkeeperofstories.com/

Is there anyone in this group who knows birds? A bird flew into our window glass, knocked itself out, and I took its picture. I can't find any bird which looks like this one. It has a red blotch on the back of its neck. Bird wok up and flew away after 30 min or so, so I guess it's ok. I'll be happy to send anyone the pic if they want to try to ID it. Jim Landmesser -- Indian Creek Trading Post 3165 Shiloh Road-SW, Corydon, IN 47112 \/ URL= http://members.aye.net/~ictp E-mail= [email protected] I /\ C Phone: 812-738-1258 Cell/voice mail 812-738-9370 //\\ Am.Indian/Nat.Am Music, Books, Craft Supplies <A HREF="http://members.aye.net/~ictp"> My Website</A> ----- Original Message ----- From: <[email protected]> To: "Native_Village" <[email protected]>; "CHEROKEE" <[email protected]> Sent: Saturday, May 16, 2009 7:51 PM Subject: [Cherokee Circle] Atagahi -The Secret Lake - Cherokee > Atagahi -The Secret Lake - Cherokee > > Somewhere in the high ridges of the Great Smokies there was believed to be a lake called Atagahi, the Secret Lake. Few people had heard of it, and this is a story of a young Cherokee brave and his sister who enjoyed the secret of this beautiful lake nestled in the Great Smokies. > > Utani placed his bright, shiny, new knife on the ground next to his new moccasins and admired the gleaming of the blade in the sun. He was a young Cherokee brave, rather tall for his age but very powerfully built and with sharp penetrating black eyes. He was too busy admiring the glint of the metal in the sun to notice the approach of Netani, his sister, until the shadow of her body crossed the knife blade and shut off the sun. > > "Get out of the way of the sun," cried Utani. "You are blocking the rays from shining on my knife.,, Netani made no effort to move and so Utani repeated his request. > > Netani could not understand Utani's demand that she move, but he was her big brother and so she must, obey. As she stepped aside she inquired of Utani why he watched so intently the blade of his knife in the sun. > > Utani, of course, now being a man, did not want to give a childish answer such as, "I am watching the blade shine in the sun." So he quickly gave another answer: "I am receiving a message from the sun." > > "What sort of message?" asked Netani. > > Oh, the sun is telling me where Atagahi is and maybe if I study the blade long enough the sun will tell me just where to find it." > > This Utani thought would satisfy his little sister. But her curiosity was too great, and she asked that Utani take her to the secret lake, Atagahi. > > Now, Utani realized he had gone a little too far in his bragging; but being very stubborn, he refused to tell his sister that he really could not find the secret lake by looking at the knife blade in the sun. Utani made up his mind that he would have to find the secret lake, Atagahi. He rose and placed his knife carefully in his belt and, taking his sister's hand, started toward the ridges of the Great Smokies. For two hours, Utani and Netani climbed higher and higher into the mountains; but as the day wore on, Utani began to feel a bit frightened, for they were a long way from home and had come upon nothing that looked like a lake. Finally Netani stopped a few feet behind Utani and called out. > > "Let us rest here for a while, big brother. I am getting tired. Besides it is late and I am hungry. Let us go back to the village and look tomorrow." > > Of course, Utani secretly thought that was a wonderful idea, for he was tired and hungry too. He agreed to follow his little sister's idea. > > As he grasped his sister's hand to start home, his foot kicked a small stone, which rolled off the side of the trail and down a small embankment of earth and landed at the bottom with a splash. Utani and Netani looked at each other with great surprise and then carefully stepped to the edge of the path. Utani pushed aside the branches that grew along the side of the trail, and they both peered down into the waters of a beautiful blue green lake nestled among the trees and rocks that hid it from human eyes along the trail. They had found it! They had found Atagahi! It was fast growing dark, so the two children decided to return to their village and come back the following day to the secret lake. When they returned to their village the older braves wanted to know where they had been. Netani said, "We looked at Utani's knife blade in the sun, and the sun told us where to find Atagahi." > > The older Cherokee braves all laughed and laughed very loudly. But Netani and Utani did not laugh, for they knew where Atagahi was and they could go there any time they pleased. They never told anyone their secret, but every once in a while if you looked very carefully up the trail into the mountains, you might see two Indian children kicking stones off the side of the trail. > > > > > > Come visit us at. "Keeper of Stories". > http://www.newkeeperofstories.com/ > ======*====== > List archives > http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/index?list=cherokee > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Email me the picture Jim, I don't know if our book will have it.......but I can check Alli :) ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jim - Indian Creek Trading" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, May 18, 2009 9:11 PM Subject: [Cherokee Circle] Identifing a bird > Is there anyone in this group who knows birds? A bird flew into our window > glass, knocked itself out, and I took its picture. I can't find any bird > which looks like this one. It has a red blotch on the back of its neck. > Bird > wok up and flew away after 30 min or so, so I guess it's ok. > I'll be happy to send anyone the pic if they want to try to ID it. > > Jim Landmesser -- Indian Creek Trading Post > 3165 Shiloh Road-SW, Corydon, IN 47112 > \/ URL= http://members.aye.net/~ictp E-mail= [email protected] > I /\ C Phone: 812-738-1258 Cell/voice mail 812-738-9370 > //\\ Am.Indian/Nat.Am Music, Books, Craft Supplies > <A HREF="http://members.aye.net/~ictp"> My Website</A> > >

Adventure with Supernatural Beings - Alabama A man heard shouting and, thinking to himself, "It is some of our people," he called back, but the noise was not made by human beings. Two creatures came to the place where he was and followed him. When he started on they followed him without ceasing. When he tried to go on they started on walking backward. After they had gone for a short distance, he ran, but they pursued him, and when he ran again they caught him. They kept following him. One of the beings that went along with him wiped one of his eyes so that he could not see and stood for some time wailing. The other wiped the other eye, and he stood still for a while completely blind. When he could begin to see he went on again and they followed without stopping. Then he walked on backward and the others started on backward also. They went along backward some distance apart. When he got some distance away he turned about and ran and those two ran after him. When they had nearly caught up with him Children-holding-to-each-other sitting on the top of a tree said to him, "Cut that one off." So he jumped up and brought down the one hanging lowest. When his pursuers reached him they took the creature from him and went on. Then that man could see through four hills and trace the numerous roots in the ground. He went on and got home. After he had lived there for a while the Indians and English (Virginians) fought, and that man fought the whites and beat them. The whites were very desirous to get the land of the Indians but the Indians defeated them. When the white people sat down to eat the Indians scared them. Taking knives, they knocked them down where they sat and killed them. They scalped them all. After that a poor orphan without father or mother lay down and wrapped himself up in the bedclothes and a long Snake came and wrapped itself about him and carried him into the water. When it got there it dropped him without eating him. Then the Snakes said, "The man is good. Carry him back." So the same one that wrapped itself about him brought him back. But before he was taken away they said to him, "This is our water. It shall be yours also." The Snake went on with its tail wrapped about him and when it came out of the water it said, "Are you out?" "No," he answered. It came on again and said, "Are you out?" "No," he answered. It came on again and said, "Are you out?" "Yes." Then the Snake said, "Don't look at me." When he had let him out, the man said, "Yohaiho', it is the tail of a snake-crawfish." "B?" the creature sounded (jumping into the water with a splash), and he was gone. After that the man would dive out of sight into some witching water, seize a turtle and bring it out. He would dive into another witching water out of sight, seize a little alligator and bring it out. By and by he seized a Red Panther (which always lives in the water) and fought with it, endeavoring to carry it out, but he could in no way succeed. And after he had tried for a while he became scared and went out. Submitted by Wolf Walker Come visit us at. "Keeper of Stories". http://www.newkeeperofstories.com/

Ak Chechek - White Flower - Altai In the place where nine rivers flowed together into one, at the foot of nine mountains you could hear the sound of the powerful branches of a black cedar. A long long time ago a small hut stood under its silken needles, leaning against its strong trunk. In the hut lived an old man, yellowed with age as if he were cured by the smoke. The old man had three granddaughters, each one more beautiful than the other. The old man went out for firewood. He went up the wooded mountainside and saw a larch tree with black branches. "This tree is dried out at the root. I'll hit it just once and it will fall over." The old man took from his belt an ax as sharp as a young moon, he struck the trunk with the blade, and suddenly, who knows from where, out jumped a terrible beast. He grabbed the old man's arm in his teeth. "Oi, oi," cried the old man, "Let me go, let me go. I'll give you whatever you want." "All right," answered the beast in a human voice, "Give me your favorite granddaughter." The old man came home and spoke to his oldest granddaughter. "Won't you marry this beast? I gave my word." The girl looked around and saw the beast. "I would rather throw myself in the water," she said. The old man asked the second girl. "I would rather hang myself." "And you, Ak-Chechek, my white flower, won't you agree?" The youngest granddaughter lifted her head. Her round eyes were full of tears. "What is promised must be carried out. What must be, will be." And the beast took the girl away, along the valleys, over the hills, across the rivers and through the forests. They came to a golden clearing where the larch trees were always green, where the bright spring burbled without ceasing, where the cuckoo sang all year round. At the edge of this clearing, right beside a blue mountain Ak-Chechek saw seven hills transparent as eternal-blue ice. The beast went up to the middle hill, and struck it with his paw - a door opened in the ice hill and a high white palace opened before them. Ak-Chechek went in. On the tables were painted cups with food. On the walls hung two stringed topshurs and silver svilryel-shoors. They rang out by themselves and unseen singers sang songs. They didn't reply to any greeting, they didn't call back. Ak-Chechek began to live in the blue hill in the palace white as ice. There was no one inside, and outside lay the terrible beast, guarding the girl by day and night. When Ak-Chechek was living in her poor hut she had greeted the dawn with a song, and she accompanied the evening twilight with a story. Now she had no one to laugh with, there was no one to speak a word to. Her older sisters both married fine hunters. Then, one time they thought to go and visit little Ak-Chechek. "If she has died, we will weep for her and sing a song. If she is alive we will bring her home." They prepared for the road, cooking fat meat, placing archimaki in their traveling bags. They brewed arak and poured it into big skins. They saddled their horses and set off on their way. The terrible beast heard the clatter of hooves, he saw the two sisters on their spirited horses. The beast struck with his paw and the sparkling ice palace turned into a pitiful hut. On the bare earth were shabby animal hides and beside the fire was a blackened wooden cup. Ak-Chechek came out of the hut and bowed down low before her sisters. "You are our dear Ak-Chechek," cried her sisters, "You shouldn't have listened to our grandfather. Get up onto this horse, wave your whip and even a quick-winged bird will not be able to catch up with you." "I will not break my word," spoke Ak-Chechek. "You were born unlucky, White Flower," sighed her sisters. "Your pride will make you die here in this dirty hut." Thus, lamenting and grieving, the sisters ate the meat they had brought with them, they drank the arak, kissed Ak-Chechek, and got on their horses and rode home. And the terrible beast struck with his paw. The hut disappeared and in its place the palace appeared, more beautiful than before. And then the Khan of that land began to think the time had come for his oldest son to marry. He ordered all the people to come to the wedding feast. Even Ak-Chechek heard about the festivities; even Ak- Chechek was invited to this great toi (festival). She wept. For the first time she moaned. "Now I will not sing, now I will no longer dance at festivals." The terrible beast came up to her and spoke in a human voice. "I have thought long, my quiet Ak-Chechek, what to give you, how to reward you," and he lay at her feet a golden key. "Open the big chest." Ak-Chechek opened the diamond lock with the golden key. The forged cover opened. Like cedar nuts the chest was strewn with silver and gold adornments. She plunged her hands into the chest and they sank into soft clothes as if in white foam. Ak-Chechek spent a long time dressing, selecting things. But even if she had made no choice in dressing, all the same there would have been no one on earth more beautiful than she. Ak-Chechek stepped over the threshold and there at the door stood a velvety black horse. The bridle was decorated with pearl, the silver saddle shone milky white, silk and pearl tassels hung to the ground. In clothing white as the early morning Ak-Chechek rode quickly on her velvety black horse. She crossed the high mountains, she forded the rapid rivers. Behind her, Ak-Chechek heard the pounding of hooves and she heard a deep, resonant voice singing a gentle song. "If I scoop up water in my stirrup, will you take a sip? If I wait at the distance of a day's travel, Will you come?" Ak-Chechek turned around and she saw a young man. He was on a pearl- white steed, he was wearing a coat covered with black silk and on his head a high sable hat. His face was round and rosy like the evening moon, his black brows were of such beauty that it cannot be told. "Dyakshi-ba, how do you live?" the horseman greeted her. "Dyakshi, I live well," answered Ak-Chechek. "Slerde dyakshi-ba, and how are you?" and she could not hear her own words. Her heart felt as if it were pierced with a needle, frost ran along her skin. She could not raise her eyes. She looked down and saw that the young man's feet were in stirrups, big ones made of brass. Like overturned cups, the stirrups were deep, shining like two small suns. Ak-Chechek and the horseman arrived at the great feast at the same time. The women looked at the young man without blinking. They forgot to take the meat out of tepshi-pans, the cups of arak got cold in their hands. The men looked at Ak-Chechek without breathing, their songs broke off, their pipes went out. The grandfather and the two sisters were at the feast. They saw the young man and sighed. "If only our dear Ak-Chechek lived with us, this fine fellow would be her bridegroom," said the oldest sister. "If Ak-Chechek had come to this feast, she would not have returned to the beast," said the second. They did not recognize their own Ak-Chechek in her bright clothes. And Ak- Chechek herself did not dare to approach them. The sun hid behind the mountain. Ak-Chechek got on her velvety-black horse. She pulled the reins to herself, quietly looked around, glancing at the young man, she let her eyes down and whipped the horse. When Ak-Chechek had already gone half of the way back she heard the pounding of hooves, and she heard again the same voice, soft, thick, singing the same song: "If I scoop up the water with my stirrups, If I bring water in my palms, Will you drink it? If I die at the distance of a month, Will you remember?" "Did you have a good time?" Ak-Chechek heard. Her tender face became white as dried wood. She could not speak, she even dropped the reins. The young man was catching up with her. There, he came even with her. Ak- Chechek hurried her horse. She rode on without looking back. She hurried to the blue hill, to the golden door. "Greetings!" said the terrible beast in a human voice. "Did you have a good time at the feast? What kind of people did you see there?" "Whether the holiday was good, I don't know. There were so many people I couldn't count them. At the great Khan's feast I saw only one person and I only thought of him. He rode on a pearl-white steed, he wore a coat of black silk, a high sable hat was on his head. The terrible beast shook himself. His black skin fell off with a ringing sound. The one Ak-Chechek had been thinking about all day was standing before her. "My dear Ak-Chechek, white flower! Seven years I have been a terrible beast. It is you who have made me human. You have taken off the evil sorcery with your faithfulness, you have broken the evil spell." And the topshurs and the shoors rang out, the unseen singers laughed and cried, making a great song. Our Kaichi-singers caught the song and brought it to us with love. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Kira Van Deusen has graciously offered this tale. This is what she says of the story, "It comes from the Altai people, who live in the mountains of the same name in southern Siberia. I translated it from *Skazki narodov sibiri* [Tales of the Peoples of Siberia] Novosibirsk: West-Siberian Book Publishers 1984." She also mentions, "I think 'Ak-Chechek' is like this: 'Ak' with 'a' as in 'father;' 'Chechek' sort of rhymes with 'paycheck,' making the 'a' a bit shorter." http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/~nilas/seasons/whiteflower.html Come visit us at. "Keeper of Stories". http://www.newkeeperofstories.com/

Atagahi -The Secret Lake - Cherokee Somewhere in the high ridges of the Great Smokies there was believed to be a lake called Atagahi, the Secret Lake. Few people had heard of it, and this is a story of a young Cherokee brave and his sister who enjoyed the secret of this beautiful lake nestled in the Great Smokies. Utani placed his bright, shiny, new knife on the ground next to his new moccasins and admired the gleaming of the blade in the sun. He was a young Cherokee brave, rather tall for his age but very powerfully built and with sharp penetrating black eyes. He was too busy admiring the glint of the metal in the sun to notice the approach of Netani, his sister, until the shadow of her body crossed the knife blade and shut off the sun. "Get out of the way of the sun," cried Utani. "You are blocking the rays from shining on my knife.,, Netani made no effort to move and so Utani repeated his request. Netani could not understand Utani's demand that she move, but he was her big brother and so she must, obey. As she stepped aside she inquired of Utani why he watched so intently the blade of his knife in the sun. Utani, of course, now being a man, did not want to give a childish answer such as, "I am watching the blade shine in the sun." So he quickly gave another answer: "I am receiving a message from the sun." "What sort of message?" asked Netani. Oh, the sun is telling me where Atagahi is and maybe if I study the blade long enough the sun will tell me just where to find it." This Utani thought would satisfy his little sister. But her curiosity was too great, and she asked that Utani take her to the secret lake, Atagahi. Now, Utani realized he had gone a little too far in his bragging; but being very stubborn, he refused to tell his sister that he really could not find the secret lake by looking at the knife blade in the sun. Utani made up his mind that he would have to find the secret lake, Atagahi. He rose and placed his knife carefully in his belt and, taking his sister's hand, started toward the ridges of the Great Smokies. For two hours, Utani and Netani climbed higher and higher into the mountains; but as the day wore on, Utani began to feel a bit frightened, for they were a long way from home and had come upon nothing that looked like a lake. Finally Netani stopped a few feet behind Utani and called out. "Let us rest here for a while, big brother. I am getting tired. Besides it is late and I am hungry. Let us go back to the village and look tomorrow." Of course, Utani secretly thought that was a wonderful idea, for he was tired and hungry too. He agreed to follow his little sister's idea. As he grasped his sister's hand to start home, his foot kicked a small stone, which rolled off the side of the trail and down a small embankment of earth and landed at the bottom with a splash. Utani and Netani looked at each other with great surprise and then carefully stepped to the edge of the path. Utani pushed aside the branches that grew along the side of the trail, and they both peered down into the waters of a beautiful blue green lake nestled among the trees and rocks that hid it from human eyes along the trail. They had found it! They had found Atagahi! It was fast growing dark, so the two children decided to return to their village and come back the following day to the secret lake. When they returned to their village the older braves wanted to know where they had been. Netani said, "We looked at Utani's knife blade in the sun, and the sun told us where to find Atagahi." The older Cherokee braves all laughed and laughed very loudly. But Netani and Utani did not laugh, for they knew where Atagahi was and they could go there any time they pleased. They never told anyone their secret, but every once in a while if you looked very carefully up the trail into the mountains, you might see two Indian children kicking stones off the side of the trail. Come visit us at. "Keeper of Stories". http://www.newkeeperofstories.com/

this is a touchy topic for this list because some of those folks might be members. Maybe they have something to say to. At any rate - fraud or not is not the right place here, try the fraud list , Sheila can post it. Dan M

Great.........hope they can continue keeping them from taking advantage. Of course the more word that gets out about them, the more people will become aware & then they won't be able to continue Alli :) ----- Original Message ----- From: "Debra" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, May 14, 2009 6:51 PM Subject: Re: [Cherokee Circle] CHEROKEE Digest, Vol 4, Issue 164 > Dear Alli, > > We have contacted the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Cherokee Nation > knows > about them. They helped in stopping them from copyrighting the name > "Southern Cherokee Nation." > > Blessings, > Debbie

Acoma History (both: ak'umu) Acoma or Ácoma , pueblo (1990 pop. 2,590), alt. c.7,000 ft (2,130 m), Valencia co., W central N.Mex.; founded c.1100-1250. This "sky city" atop a steep-sided sandstone mesa, 357 ft (109 m) high and hard of access, is considered to be the oldest continuously inhabited community in the United States. The residents, who speak a Western Keresan language (see Pueblo), are skilled potters. Below the mesa are the cultivated fields and grazing grounds that help support the community. Sheep, cattle, and grain are produced. The pueblo's location has impressed visitors from Fray Marcos de Niza (1539) and Coronado's men (1540) to present-day tourists. Juan de Oñate was allowed entry in 1598, but the natives soon resisted the Spanish; defeated after severe fighting, many were later maimed. The missionary Fray Juan Ramírez arrived in 1629. The Acoma people joined in the Pueblo revolt of 1680, were forced to submit to Diego de Vargas in 1692, joined in the later uprising of 1696, and were subdued again in 1699. They were later Christianized; the pueblo is dominated by the mission church of San Estevan del Rey. Acoma Acoma is, along with the Hopi town of Oraibi, the oldest inhabited settlement in the United States; it was already well established when the Spaniards first saw it in 1540. The ancient pueblo, known as the Sky City, is spectacularly situated like a medieval fortress atop its 600-foot-high rock, halfway between Gallup and Albuquerque in New Mexico. In the midst of the village stands the seventeenth-century Church of San Esteban with its wonderful polychrome altar, one of the great architectural treasures of the Southwest. The Acoma Pueblo conversed in Keresan, a language unique to the Southwest. In the Keres culture of Acoma Pueblo, the cacique bore the title of Inside Chief, signifying his power within the village. Beyond the pueblo walls, power passed to one or more war leaders, or Outside Chiefs, who were responsible for constructing defenses and keeping watch against invaders. They say the earth was formed when the Great Father Uchtsiti, Lord of the Sun, hurled a clot of his own blood into the heavens. In the soil of this new world, he set germinating the souls of two sisters, the Corn Mothers, who were raised to maturity by a spirit called Thought Woman. When the time was ripe, Thought Woman gave the two sisters baskets filled with seeds and showed them the way to the earth's surface. Corn was the first thing they planted. They learned to cultivate and harvest it, to grind and cook it, and to make daily offerings of cornmeal and pollen to their father, Uchtsiti. These lessons the Acomans would practice each day of their lives Drought in the 1100's to the 1200's was caused, as explained by Acoma storytellers, who say that one night the Horned Water Serpent, spirit of rain and fertility, abruptly left his people. No amount of prayer, no charms or dances of the rain priests, would bring him back. Unable to survive without their snake god, the people followed his trail until it reached a river. There they established a new home. The people of Acoma-so the elders recounted-once followed the Salt Mother's (an elderly matriarch who gave herself freely to anyone who sought her) trail far into the wilderness, trekking past dry gulches and sage-purpled hills for days on end. Finally they reached a large salt lake. "This is my home," the Salt Mother declared. After that, all who traveled there read their fortune in the water, and if ailing in body they were made well again. When the column of Spanish troops came into view on a cold winter afternoon-January 21, 1599, by European reckoning-the fighting men of Acoma fanned out from their village to guard the edge of the mesa. As the Spaniards drew closer, the defenders unleashed a barrage of insults, rocks, and arrows from more than 300 feet above. Just seven weeks earlier, a party of Spanish soldiers seeking food had been treated in a friendly manner until their demands turned aggressive and provoked a furious reaction. When it was over, almost all the intruders were dead, including their commander, Juan de Zaldivar, nephew of the military govenror of New Mexico, Juan de Onate Resolved to make an example of Acoma, Onate dispatched 70 of his best men under the command of Vicente de Zaldivar...These were the troops approaching the seemingly impregnable "Sky City" that January afternoon, and with them arrived a harsh new reality. Over the next 3 days the Spaniards fought their way to the top of the mesa, where they rolled out a fearsome new weapon-a cannon that spewed thundrous blasts of small stones, tearing flesh and shattering bones. The battle became a massacre. As many as 800 Acomans soon lay dead in the rubble of their ruined city. Some 500 survivors were herded into dismal captivity: all males over the age of 12 were condemned to 20 years' servitude; those over 25 were also sentenced to have one foot cut off. In time, some of the Acomans managed to escape and made their way home, there to begin the long process of rebuilding. The Sky City has been continuously inhabited since then, and never again has it fallen to an invader. The Acoma 16th century pueblo-settlement still survives west of the Rio Grande in midwest New Mexico. John R. Swanton, The Indian Tribes of North America, Smithsonian Institution Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin 145 (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1952) Come visit us at. "Keeper of Stories". http://www.newkeeperofstories.com/

Acorns - Miwok The acorn from the black oak, which grows in profusion on the Valley floor, became the Indian's "staff of life," was to him what bread is to the white man. From it they made mush and bread. The preparation of this mush or bread was a tedious process, requiring for its completion some twelve or thirteen implements. In the fall when the acorns were ripe they were flailed from the trees with a long pole, gathered into long cone-shaped burden baskets, and carried on the backs of the squaws to the cache or storehouses. These storehouses were built by sticking into the ground five poles about ten feet long and interlacing them with willow withes into the form of a basket some six feet deep and three feet in diameter. Into this basket the acorns were poured and the whole structure was then covered with a thatching of small pine boughs interlaced with needles pointing downward so as to shed water and to keep out squirrels, mice and birds. The top was then covered with a roof of bark to make it waterproof. When the acorns were wanted a small hole was made in the bottom of the cache through which they were taken as needed. They were then cracked open, the kernels removed and laid out on a platform or a large flat rock to dry in the sun. When dry they were placed in the mortars, which consisted of a number of circular holes, about four or five inches in diameter and the same in depth, worn by constant grinding in the surface of a flat rock. They were then pounded and ground by the squaws into meal or flour. This was done with a rock pestle wielded in the hands with a pounding and grinding motion. This was then placed in a sifting basket and sifted, the coarse portion being put back into the mortars for a second grinding to insure a flour of uniform fineness. When the grinding operation was completed the flour was placed in a basin made in the clean white sand of the river or lake shore. This basin was usually about three feet in diameter and quite shallow. The bottom and sides were lined with ferns or flat cedar boughs. Water was then heated by putting into the water baskets rocks heated in the fire, and this hot water poured very carefully over the flour. The water soaked through and into the sand, washing with it the bitter taste of the acorn. This operation was repeated three or four times until all the discoloration and tannin was leached from the flour, which was then removed, cleansed of adhering particles of sand, and placed in the cooking baskets. These baskets were of willow, were about sixteen inches in diameter and eighteen inches deep. Water was then mixed with the flour until a sort of paste or mush was formed. This mixture was boiled by dropping into it hot stones which were lifted from the fire by means of two sticks used in the manner of tongs. This was continued until the mush was thoroughly cooked. It was then either eaten in that form or made into loaves of bread. This was done by placing the mush in small baskets or moulds the size of the loaf desired. These were taken to the stream and, while still hot, the loaves were rolled from the moulds into the water. This caused the loaf to become hard and so retain its shape. Bread was also made from the mush by cooking it on flat rocks that had been heated in the fire. The Lore and the Lure of the Yosemite: The Indians, Their Customs, Legends and Beliefs, and the Story of Yosemite; by Herbert Earl Wilson; San Francisco; A. M. Robertson [1922] and is now in the public domain. Come visit us at. "Keeper of Stories". http://www.newkeeperofstories.com/

The southerncherokeenation.net is a fraudulent organization. I used to be a member of this group until I found out they were collecting money and their self appointed chief was using it for personal gain, while many of the people who were members were doing without food or necessities. They are also charging for each membership card they send out. This group is a scam and should really be investigated by the feds. They are trying to get federal recognition and have sent in fraudulent document to the bureau. A lot of their document have been fabricated and are not real. Their so called chief used to be a graphic designer so he knows how to do this kind of stuff. Hope this helps. Debbie -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of [email protected] Sent: Wednesday, May 13, 2009 9:54 PM To: [email protected] Subject: CHEROKEE Digest, Vol 4, Issue 162 Today's Topics: 1. ?? ([email protected]) 2. Re: ?? (Danm) 3. Re: ?? ([email protected]) 4. Acolapissa History ([email protected]) 5. Achomawi History ([email protected]) 6. Achomawi Myth - Achomawi. ([email protected]) 7. Achomawi Creation myth - Achomawi ([email protected]) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message: 1 Date: Wed, 13 May 2009 09:43:37 -0600 From: <[email protected]> Subject: [Cherokee Circle] ?? To: "Culture" <[email protected]> Message-ID: <[email protected]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Has anyone heard about these? ... official Documents used to explain the story of the Cherokee nation.The Cherokee ... the actual letters to and from Willstown Cherokee Nation in 1808 ... http://arkansascherokees.com/index.html Welcome to the official site of the Southern Cherokee Nation. ... The Southern Cherokee of Kentucky remains the only ... SOUTHERN CHEROKEE NATION OF KENTUCKY ... http://www.southerncherokeenation.net/ The Cherokee Nation citizens lost their right to elect their own chief in 1907 ... The Cherokee nation was composed of a confederacy of red (war) and white ... http://www.crystalinks.com/cherokee2.html This web site containd Cherokee Nation News, services for tribal members... Cherokee Nation Contributes $15K to Christian Community Care Center in Delaware County ... http://old.cherokee.org/ I just came across these sites as I was looking for something else & I haven't checked them out yet, but thought maybe someone here would know. Alli :) ------------------------------ Message: 2 Date: Wed, 13 May 2009 08:58:12 -0700 From: "Danm" <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [Cherokee Circle] ?? To: <[email protected]> Message-ID: <[email protected]> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1"; reply-type=original Yup! Was one on my website some place. Or was on the website I took down. Spose I should put it back in the tag line. Dan M ----- Original Message ----- From: <[email protected]> To: "Culture" <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, May 13, 2009 8:43 AM Subject: [Cherokee Circle] ?? > Has anyone heard about these? > ... official Documents used to explain the story of the Cherokee > nation.The Cherokee ---------------->> ------------------------------ Message: 3 Date: Wed, 13 May 2009 10:51:01 -0600 From: <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [Cherokee Circle] ?? To: <[email protected]> Message-ID: <[email protected]> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1"; reply-type=original Thanks :) ----- Original Message ----- From: "Danm" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, May 13, 2009 9:58 AM Subject: Re: [Cherokee Circle] ?? > Yup! > Was one on my website some place. > Or was on the website I took down. > Spose I should put it back in the tag line. > > Dan M > ----- Original Message ----- > From: <[email protected]> > To: "Culture" <[email protected]> > Sent: Wednesday, May 13, 2009 8:43 AM > Subject: [Cherokee Circle] ?? > > >> Has anyone heard about these? >> ... official Documents used to explain the story of the Cherokee >> nation.The Cherokee > ---------------->> > > ======*====== > List archives > http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/index?list=cherokee > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message > ------------------------------ Message: 4 Date: Wed, 13 May 2009 20:17:12 -0500 From: <[email protected]> Subject: [Cherokee Circle] Acolapissa History To: "Native_Village" <[email protected]>, "CHEROKEE" <[email protected]> Message-ID: <[email protected]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Acolapissa History An indefinite group, of Choctaw lineage, formerly living on Lake Ponchartrain, about the coast lagoons, and on the Mississippi, in Louisiana. Early French writers derived the name from the Choctaw k?klo pisa, 'those who listen and see.' Allen Wright, governor of the Choctaw nation, suggests okla pima, 'those who look out for people'; that is, watchmen, guardians, spies, which probably refers to their position, where they could observe entrance into or departure from the lake and river. The name appears to have been made by early author; to include several tribes, the Bayogoula, Mugniasha, and others. According to Iberville the Acolapissa had 7 towns; but one of their villages was occupied by the Tangiboa, who appear to have been a different tribe. The Acolapissa are said to have suffered severely from an epidemic about 1700, and Iberville says they united with the Mugulasha; if so, they must have been included in those massacred by the Bayogoula, but this is rendered doubtf! ul by the statement of Penicaut (French Hist. Coll. La., n.s.i, 144, 1869) that in 1718 the Colapissa, who inhabited the north shore of Lake Ponchartrain, removed to the Mississippi and settled 13 leagues above New Orleans. Handbook of American Indians (1906) ~ Frederick W. Hodge and is now in the public domain. Come visit us at. "Keeper of Stories". http://www.newkeeperofstories.com/ ------------------------------ Message: 5 Date: Wed, 13 May 2009 20:22:37 -0500 From: <[email protected]> Subject: [Cherokee Circle] Achomawi History To: "Native_Village" <[email protected]>, "CHEROKEE" <[email protected]> Message-ID: <[email protected]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Achomawi History >From adz?ma or ach?ma, "river." . Ko'm-maid?m, Maidu name, meaning "snow people." . Shawash, Yuki name for the Achomawi taken to Round Valley Reservation. Connections.-The Achomawi were originally classed with the Atsugewi as one stock under the name Palaihnihan, the Achomawan stock of Merriam (1926), and this in turn constitutes the eastern branch of the Shastan stock, which in turn 18 now placed under the widely spread Hokan family. Location.-In the drainage area of Pit River from near Montgomery Creek in Shasta County to Goose Lake on the Oregon line, with the exception of the territory watered by Burney, Hat, and Horse or Dixie Valley Creeks. Subdivisions Kroeber (1925) gives the following: . Achomawi, on Fall River. . Astakiwi, in upper Hot Springs Valley. . Atuami, in Big Valley. . Hamawi, on the South Fork of Pit River. . Hantiwi, in lower Hot Springs Valley. . Ilmawi, on the south slide of Pit River opposite Fort Crook. . Madehsi, the lowest on Pit River along the big bend. C. H. Merriam (1926) says that Achomawi is the Madehsi name for the Astakiwi which occupied all of Hot Springs Valley, and he adds the names of two other tribes between the last mentioned and Goose Lake, the Ko-se-al-lak'-te, and, higher up, at the lower end of the lake, the Ha'-we-si'-doc. Population.-Together with the Atsugewi, the Achomawi are estimated by Kroeber (1925) to have numbered 3,000 in 1770; in 1910 there were 985. According to the census of 1930, the entire Shastan stock numbered 844, and in 1937, 418 "Pit River" Indians were enumerated, only a portion of the stock apparently. John R. Swanton, The Indian Tribes of North America, Smithsonian Institution Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin 145 (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1952) Come visit us at. "Keeper of Stories". http://www.newkeeperofstories.com/ ------------------------------ Message: 6 Date: Wed, 13 May 2009 20:21:15 -0500 From: <[email protected]> Subject: [Cherokee Circle] Achomawi Myth - Achomawi. To: "Native_Village" <[email protected]>, "CHEROKEE" <[email protected]> Message-ID: <[email protected]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Achomawi Myth - Achomawi. Sixty little spider children shivered as they slept. Snow had fallen every day for months. All the animals were cold, hungry, and frightened. Food supplies were almost gone. No one knew what to do. Blue jay and Redheaded Woodpecker sang and danced for Silver Gray Fox, who floats above the clouds. Since Silver Gray Fox, the creator, had made the whole world with a song and a dance, Blue jay and Woodpecker hoped to be answered with blue skies. But the snow kept falling. Finally the animals decided to ask Coyote. "Coyote's been around a long time, almost since the beginning. He might know how to reach Silver Gray Fox." They went to the cave where Coyote was sleeping, told him their troubles, and asked for help. "Grrrrowwwlll...go away," grumbled Coyote, "and let me think." Coyote stuck his head into the cold air outside and thought till he caught an idea. He tried singing in little yelps and loud yowls to Silver Gray Fox. Coyote sang and sang, but Silver Gray Fox didn't listen, or didn't want to. After all, it was Coyote's mischief-making when the world was new that had caused Silver Gray Fox to go away beyond the clouds in the first place. Coyote thought he'd better think some more. Suddenly he saw Spider Woman swinging down on a silky thread from the top of the tallest tree in the forest. "Spider Woman's been on Earth a long, long time," Coyote thought. "She's very wise. I'll ask her what to do." Coyote loped over to the tree and lifted his ears to Spider Woman. "Spider Woman, O wise weaver, O clever one," called Coyote in his sweetest voice, "we're all cold and hungry. Everyone's afraid this winter will never end. Silver Gray Fox doesn't see m to notice. Can you help?" Spider Woman swayed her shining black body back and forth, back and forth, thinking and thinking, thinking and thinking. Her eight black eyes sparkled when she spoke, "I know how to reach Silver Gray Fox, Coyote, but I'm not the one for the work. Everyone will have to help. You'll need my two youngest children, too. They're little and light as dandelion fluff, and the fastest spinners in my web." Spider Woman called up to her two littlest ones. Spinnnnnn! Spinnnnnn! They came down fast, each spinning on eight little legs, fine, black twin Spider Boys, full of curiosity and fun. Spider Woman said, "My dear little quick ones, are you ready for a great adventure?" "Yes! Yes!" they cried. "We're ready!" Spider Woman told them her plan, and the Spider Boys set off with Coyote in the snow. They hadn't gone far when they met two White-Footed Mouse Brothers rooting around for seeds to eat. Coyote told them Spider Woman's plan. "Will you help?" he asked. "Yes! Yes! We'll help!" they squeaked, and they all traveled the trail towards Mount Shasta until they met Weasel Man looking hungry and even thinner than usual. Coyote told Weasel Man his plan. "Will you help?" asked Coyote. "Of course," rasped Weasel Man, joining them on the trail. Before long they came across Red Fox Woman swishing her big fluffy tail through the bushes. "Will you help?" she asked "Of course, I'll come," crooned Red Fox Woman. Then Rabbit Woman poked her head out of her hole. "I'll come too," she sneezed, shivering despite her thick fur. Meadowlark wrapped a winter shawl around her wings, and trudged after the others along the trail to the top of Mount Shasta. The snow had stopped, but the sky was still cloudy. On top of Mount Shasta, Coyote barked, "Will our two best archers step forward?" The two White Footed Mouse Brothers proudly lifted their bows. "Everyone listen," barked Coyote. "If any one of us is only half-hearted, Spider Woman's plan will fail. To get through the clouds to Silver Gray Fox, we must each share our powers whole-heartedly, our thoughts, our dreams, our strength, and our songs. Now, you White-Footed Mouse Brothers, I want you to shoot arrows at exactly the same spot in the sky." Turning to the others, Coyote said, "Spider Boys, start spinning spider silk as fast as you can. Weasel Man, White- Footed Mouse Brothers, Red Fox Woman, Rabbit Woman, and I will sing and make music. We must sing with all our might or the Spider Boys won't make it." "One!" called Coyote. Everyone got ready. "Two!" The animals drew in deep breaths. The Mouse Brothers pulled back their bowstrings. "Three!" Two arrows shot straight up and stuck at the same spot in the clouds. "Whiff wiff! Wiff wiff!" sang the White Footed Mouse Brothers. "Yiyipyipla!" sang Red Fox Woman. "Wowooooolll!" sang Coyote. Rabbit Woman shook her magic rattle. Weasel Man beat his very old and worn elk-hide drum. The Spider Boys hurled out long lines of spider silk, weaving swiftly with all their legs. The animals sang up a whirlwind of sound to lift the spider silk until it caught on the arrows in the clouds. Then the Spider Twins scurried up the lines of silk and scrambled through the opening. All the while, down below, the animals continued singing, rattling and drumming. The little Spiders sank, breathless, onto the clouds. Silver Gray Fox spied them and called out, "What are you two doing here?" The Spider Boys bent low on their little legs and answered, "O Silver Gray Fox, we bring greetings from our mother, Spider Woman, and all the creatures of the world below. We've come to ask if you'd please let the sun shine again. The whole world is cold. Everyone is hungry. Everyone is afraid spring will not return, ever." They were so sincere and polite that Silver Gray Fox became gentler, and asked, "How did you two get up here?" The Spider Boys said "Listen, can you hear the people singing? Can you hear the drum and rattle?" Silver Gray Fox heard the drum and rattle and the people singing. When the Spider Boys finished telling their story, Silver Gray Fox was pleased. "I'm happy when creatures use their powers together. I'm especially glad to hear Coyote's been helping too. Your mother, Spider Woman, made a good plan. To reward all your hard work, I'll create a sign to show that the skies will clear. And you two may help. "First picture the sun shining bright," called Silver Gray Fox. The Spider Boys thought hard and saw the sun sending out fiery rays in all directions. "Now, where sunrays meet the damp air," sang Silver Gray Fox, Picture a stripe of red, Red as Woodpecker's head, And a stripe nearby of bluest Blue Jay blue. The Spider Boys thought hard, and great stripes appeared of red and blue. Silver Gray Fox chanted, Now in between, Add stripes of orange, yellow and green! The Spider Boys thought hard. Then, dazzling their eyes, a beautiful bright arc of colors curved across the whole sky above the clouds. It was the very first rainbow. Meanwhile, down below, beneath the clouds, the animals and people were so cold, hungry, and tired that they had stopped singing and drumming. Spider Woman missed her two youngest children. Each day she missed them more. She blamed Coyote for the trouble. So did the other animals. Coyote slipped away silent, lonely and sad. Above, on the clouds, the Twins rested. Their legs ached and their minds were tired. Silver Gray Fox said, "You did what I asked and kept it secret. That's very difficult, so I'm giving you a special reward. On wet mornings, when the sun starts to shine, you'll see what I mean." Then the Spider Boys spun down to Earth, and ran back to their mother as fast as they could. Spider Woman cried for joy and wrapped all her legs around her two littlest children. Their fifty-eight sisters and brothers jumped up and down with happiness. All the animals gathered around to hear the Spiders story. When they finished, the Spider Boys cried, "Look up!" Everyone looked up. The clouds had drifted apart. There, bridging sky to earth in a radiant arch, was the very first rainbow. Sun began to warm the earth. Shoots of grass pushed up through the melting snow. Meadowlark blew her silver whistle of spring across the valley, calling streams and rivers awake. Coyote came out of hiding, raced to a distant hilltop, and gave a long, long howl of joy. The animals held a great feast to honor the rainbow, Silver Gray Fox, Spider Woman, the Spider Twins, Coyote, and the hard work everyone had done together. To this day, after the rain, when the sun comes out, dewdrops on spider webs shine with tiny rainbows. This is the spiders' special reward. You can see for yourself. Achomawi And Atsugewi Tales. Achomawi Myths by Roland B. Dixon JAFL Vol. 22, no. 81, pp. 159-77 (1908) and JAFL Vol. 23, no. 85, pp. 283-7 (1909). and is now in the public domain. Come visit us at. "Keeper of Stories". http://www.newkeeperofstories.com/ ------------------------------ Message: 7 Date: Wed, 13 May 2009 20:20:31 -0500 From: <[email protected]> Subject: [Cherokee Circle] Achomawi Creation myth - Achomawi To: "Native_Village" <[email protected]>, "CHEROKEE" <[email protected]> Message-ID: <[email protected]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Achomawi Creation myth - Achomawi In the beginning all was water. In all directions the sky was clear and unobstructed. A cloud formed in the sky, grew lumpy, and turned into Coyote. Then a fog arose, grew lumpy, and became Silver-Fox. They became persons. Then they thought. They thought a canoe, and they said, "Let us stay here, let us make it our home." Then they floated about, for many years they floated; and the canoe became old and mossy, and they grew weary of it. "Do you go and lie down," said Silver-Fox to Coyote, and he did so. While he slept, Silver-Fox combed his hair, and the combings he saved. When there was much of them, he rolled them in his hands, stretched them out, and flattened them between his hands. When he had done this, he laid them upon the water and spread them out, till they covered all the surface of the water. Then he thought, "There should be a tree," and it was there. And he did the same way with shrubs and with rocks, and weighted the film down with stones, so that the film did not wave and rise in ripples as it floated in the wind. And thus he made it, that it was just right, this that was to be the world. And then the canoe floated gently up to the edge, and it was the world. Then he cried to Coyote, "Wake up! We are going to sink!" And Coyote woke, and looked up; and over his head, as he lay, hung cherries and plums; and from the surface of the world he heard crickets chirping. And at once Coyote began to c! at the cherries and the plums, and the crickets also. After a time Coyote said, "Where are we? What place is this that we have come to?" And Silver-Fox replied, "I do not know. We are just here. We floated up to the shore." Still all the time he knew; but he denied that he had made the world. He did not want Coyote to know that the world was his creation. Then Silver-Fox said, "What shall we do? Here is solid ground. I am going ashore, and am going to live here." So they landed, and built a sweat-house and lived in it. They thought about making people; and after a time, they made little sticks of service-berry, and they thrust them all about into the roof of the house on the inside. And by and by all became people of different sorts, birds and animals and fish, all but the deer, and he was as the deer are to-day. And Pine-Marten was the chief of the people; and Eagle was the woman chief, for she was Pine- Marten's sister. And this happened at 'texcag-wa [the word will not translate]. And people went out to hunt from the sweat-house. And they killed deer, and brought them home, and had plenty to eat. Arrows with pine-bark points were what they used then, it is said, for there was no obsidian. And Ground-Squirrel, of all the people, he only knew where obsidian could be found. So he went to steal it. To Medicine Lake he went, for there Obsidian-Old-Man lived, in a big sweat- house. And Ground-Squirrel went in, taking with him roots in a basket of tules. And he gave the old man some to eat; and he liked them so much, that he sent Ground-Squirrel out to get more. But while he was digging them Grizzly-Bear came, and said, "Sit down! Let me sit in your lap. Feed me those roots by handfuls." So Ground-Squirrel sat down, and fed Grizzly-Bear as he had asked, for he was afraid. Then Grizzly-Bear said, "Obsidian-Old-Man's mother cleaned roots for some one," and went away. Ground-Squirrel went back to the sweat- house, but had few roots, for Grizzly-Bear had eaten s! o many. Then he gave them to the old man, and told him what the bear had said about him, and how he had robbed him of the roots. Then Obsidian-Old-Man was angry. "To-morrow we will go," he said, Then they slept. In the morning they ate breakfast early and went off, and the old man said that Ground-Squirrel should go and dig more roots, and that he would wait, and watch for Grizzly-Bear. So Ground-Squirrel went and dug; and when the basket was filled, Grizzly-Bear came, and said, "You have dug all these for me. Sit down!" So Ground-Squirrel sat down, and fed Grizzly-Bear roots by the handful. But Obsidian-Old-Man had come near. And Grizzly-Bear got up to fight, and he struck at the old man; but he turned his side to the blow, and Grizzly-Bear merely cut off a great slice of his own flesh. And he kept on fighting, till he was all cut to pieces, and fell dead. Then Ground-Squirrel and Obsidian-Old-Man went home to the sweat-house, and built a fire, and ate the roots, and were ! happy. Then the old man went to sleep. In the morning Obsidian-Old-Man woke up, and heard Ground-Squirrel groaning. He said, "I am sick. I am bruised because that great fellow sat upon me. Really, I am sick." Then Obsidian-Old-Man was sorry, but Ground-Squirrel was fooling the old man. After a while the old man said, "I will go and get wood. I'll watch him, for perhaps he is fooling me. These people are very clever." Then he went for wood; and he thought as he went, "I had better go back and look." So he went back softly, and peeped in; but Ground-Squirrel lay there quiet, and groaned, and now and then he vomited up green substances. Then Obsidian-Old -Man thought, "He is really sick," and he went off to get more wood; but Ground-Squirrel was really fooling, for he wanted to steal obsidian. When the old man had gotten far away, Ground-Squirrel got up, poured out the finished obsidian points, and pulled out a knife from the wall, did them up in a bundle, and ran off with them. When the old man came back, he carrie! d a heavy load of wood; and as soon as he entered the sweat-house, he missed Ground-Squirrel. So he dropped the wood and ran after him. He almost caught him, when Ground-Squirrel ran into a hole, and, as he went, kicked the earth into the eyes of the old man, who dug fast, trying to catch him. Soon Ground-Squirrel ran out of the other end of the hole; and then the old man gave chase again, but again Ground-Squirrel darted into a hole; and after missing him again, Obsidian-Old-Man gave up, and went home. Ground-Squirrel crossed the river and left his load of arrow-points, and came back to the house and sat down in his seat. He and Cocoon slept together. Then his friend said, "Where have you been?" And Ground-Squirrel replied, "I went to get a knife and to get good arrow-points. We had none." Then the people began to come back with deer. And when they cooked their meat, they put it on the fire in lumps; but Ground-Squirrel and Cocoon cut theirs in thin slices, and so cooked it nicely. And Weasel saw this, and they told him about how the knife had been secured. In the morning Ground-Squirrel went and brought back the bundle of points he had hidden, and handed it down through the smoke-hole to Wolf. Then he poured out the points on the ground, and distributed them to every one, and all day long people worked, tying them onto arrows. So they threw away all the old arrows with bark points; and when they went hunting, they killed many deer. ACHOMAWI AND ATSUGEWI TALES. ACHOMAWI MYTHS by Roland B. Dixon JAFL Vol. 22, no. 81, pp. 159-77 [1908] and JAFL Vol. 23, no. 85, pp. 283-7 [1909]. and is now in the public domain. Come visit us at. "Keeper of Stories". http://www.newkeeperofstories.com/ ------------------------------ To contact the CHEROKEE list administrator, send an email to [email protected] To post a message to the CHEROKEE mailing list, send an email to [email protected] __________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word "unsubscribe" without the quotes in the subject and the body of the email with no additional text. End of CHEROKEE Digest, Vol 4, Issue 162 ****************************************

Debbie, if you have any proof of this, then you (& others) should report it to the Fed's as well as the Cherokee Nation (so they can be made aware of it). There's an office for the Cherokee Nation in Washington, DC (according to their website) maybe that'd be the direction to go. Thanks for the heads up, I knew one of them was fishy but couldn't remember which. Alli :) ----- Original Message ----- From: "Debra" <[email protected]> > The southerncherokeenation.net is a fraudulent organization. I used to be > a > member of this group until I found out they were collecting money and > their > self appointed chief was using it for personal gain, while many of the > people who were members were doing without food or necessities. They are > also charging for each membership card they send out. This group is a > scam > and should really be investigated by the feds. > > They are trying to get federal recognition and have sent in fraudulent > document to the bureau. A lot of their document have been fabricated and > are not real. Their so called chief used to be a graphic designer so he > knows how to do this kind of stuff. > > Hope this helps. > > Debbie

Achomawi Creation myth - Achomawi In the beginning all was water. In all directions the sky was clear and unobstructed. A cloud formed in the sky, grew lumpy, and turned into Coyote. Then a fog arose, grew lumpy, and became Silver-Fox. They became persons. Then they thought. They thought a canoe, and they said, "Let us stay here, let us make it our home." Then they floated about, for many years they floated; and the canoe became old and mossy, and they grew weary of it. "Do you go and lie down," said Silver-Fox to Coyote, and he did so. While he slept, Silver-Fox combed his hair, and the combings he saved. When there was much of them, he rolled them in his hands, stretched them out, and flattened them between his hands. When he had done this, he laid them upon the water and spread them out, till they covered all the surface of the water. Then he thought, "There should be a tree," and it was there. And he did the same way with shrubs and with rocks, and weighted the film down with stones, so that the film did not wave and rise in ripples as it floated in the wind. And thus he made it, that it was just right, this that was to be the world. And then the canoe floated gently up to the edge, and it was the world. Then he cried to Coyote, "Wake up! We are going to sink!" And Coyote woke, and looked up; and over his head, as he lay, hung cherries and plums; and from the surface of the world he heard crickets chirping. And at once Coyote began to cat the cherries and the plums, and the crickets also. After a time Coyote said, "Where are we? What place is this that we have come to?" And Silver-Fox replied, "I do not know. We are just here. We floated up to the shore." Still all the time he knew; but he denied that he had made the world. He did not want Coyote to know that the world was his creation. Then Silver-Fox said, "What shall we do? Here is solid ground. I am going ashore, and am going to live here." So they landed, and built a sweat-house and lived in it. They thought about making people; and after a time, they made little sticks of service-berry, and they thrust them all about into the roof of the house on the inside. And by and by all became people of different sorts, birds and animals and fish, all but the deer, and he was as the deer are to-day. And Pine-Marten was the chief of the people; and Eagle was the woman chief, for she was Pine- Marten's sister. And this happened at 'texcag-wa [the word will not translate]. And people went out to hunt from the sweat-house. And they killed deer, and brought them home, and had plenty to eat. Arrows with pine-bark points were what they used then, it is said, for there was no obsidian. And Ground-Squirrel, of all the people, he only knew where obsidian could be found. So he went to steal it. To Medicine Lake he went, for there Obsidian-Old-Man lived, in a big sweat- house. And Ground-Squirrel went in, taking with him roots in a basket of tules. And he gave the old man some to eat; and he liked them so much, that he sent Ground-Squirrel out to get more. But while he was digging them Grizzly-Bear came, and said, "Sit down! Let me sit in your lap. Feed me those roots by handfuls." So Ground-Squirrel sat down, and fed Grizzly-Bear as he had asked, for he was afraid. Then Grizzly-Bear said, "Obsidian-Old-Man's mother cleaned roots for some one," and went away. Ground-Squirrel went back to the sweat- house, but had few roots, for Grizzly-Bear had eaten so many. Then he gave them to the old man, and told him what the bear had said about him, and how he had robbed him of the roots. Then Obsidian-Old-Man was angry. "To-morrow we will go," he said, Then they slept. In the morning they ate breakfast early and went off, and the old man said that Ground-Squirrel should go and dig more roots, and that he would wait, and watch for Grizzly-Bear. So Ground-Squirrel went and dug; and when the basket was filled, Grizzly-Bear came, and said, "You have dug all these for me. Sit down!" So Ground-Squirrel sat down, and fed Grizzly-Bear roots by the handful. But Obsidian-Old-Man had come near. And Grizzly-Bear got up to fight, and he struck at the old man; but he turned his side to the blow, and Grizzly-Bear merely cut off a great slice of his own flesh. And he kept on fighting, till he was all cut to pieces, and fell dead. Then Ground-Squirrel and Obsidian-Old-Man went home to the sweat-house, and built a fire, and ate the roots, and were happy. Then the old man went to sleep. In the morning Obsidian-Old-Man woke up, and heard Ground-Squirrel groaning. He said, "I am sick. I am bruised because that great fellow sat upon me. Really, I am sick." Then Obsidian-Old-Man was sorry, but Ground-Squirrel was fooling the old man. After a while the old man said, "I will go and get wood. I'll watch him, for perhaps he is fooling me. These people are very clever." Then he went for wood; and he thought as he went, "I had better go back and look." So he went back softly, and peeped in; but Ground-Squirrel lay there quiet, and groaned, and now and then he vomited up green substances. Then Obsidian-Old -Man thought, "He is really sick," and he went off to get more wood; but Ground-Squirrel was really fooling, for he wanted to steal obsidian. When the old man had gotten far away, Ground-Squirrel got up, poured out the finished obsidian points, and pulled out a knife from the wall, did them up in a bundle, and ran off with them. When the old man came back, he carried a heavy load of wood; and as soon as he entered the sweat-house, he missed Ground-Squirrel. So he dropped the wood and ran after him. He almost caught him, when Ground-Squirrel ran into a hole, and, as he went, kicked the earth into the eyes of the old man, who dug fast, trying to catch him. Soon Ground-Squirrel ran out of the other end of the hole; and then the old man gave chase again, but again Ground-Squirrel darted into a hole; and after missing him again, Obsidian-Old-Man gave up, and went home. Ground-Squirrel crossed the river and left his load of arrow-points, and came back to the house and sat down in his seat. He and Cocoon slept together. Then his friend said, "Where have you been?" And Ground-Squirrel replied, "I went to get a knife and to get good arrow-points. We had none." Then the people began to come back with deer. And when they cooked their meat, they put it on the fire in lumps; but Ground-Squirrel and Cocoon cut theirs in thin slices, and so cooked it nicely. And Weasel saw this, and they told him about how the knife had been secured. In the morning Ground-Squirrel went and brought back the bundle of points he had hidden, and handed it down through the smoke-hole to Wolf. Then he poured out the points on the ground, and distributed them to every one, and all day long people worked, tying them onto arrows. So they threw away all the old arrows with bark points; and when they went hunting, they killed many deer. ACHOMAWI AND ATSUGEWI TALES. ACHOMAWI MYTHS by Roland B. Dixon JAFL Vol. 22, no. 81, pp. 159-77 [1908] and JAFL Vol. 23, no. 85, pp. 283-7 [1909]. and is now in the public domain. Come visit us at. "Keeper of Stories". http://www.newkeeperofstories.com/

Acolapissa History An indefinite group, of Choctaw lineage, formerly living on Lake Ponchartrain, about the coast lagoons, and on the Mississippi, in Louisiana. Early French writers derived the name from the Choctaw káklo pisa, 'those who listen and see.' Allen Wright, governor of the Choctaw nation, suggests okla pima, 'those who look out for people'; that is, watchmen, guardians, spies, which probably refers to their position, where they could observe entrance into or departure from the lake and river. The name appears to have been made by early author; to include several tribes, the Bayogoula, Mugniasha, and others. According to Iberville the Acolapissa had 7 towns; but one of their villages was occupied by the Tangiboa, who appear to have been a different tribe. The Acolapissa are said to have suffered severely from an epidemic about 1700, and Iberville says they united with the Mugulasha; if so, they must have been included in those massacred by the Bayogoula, but this is rendered doubtful by the statement of Penicaut (French Hist. Coll. La., n.s.i, 144, 1869) that in 1718 the Colapissa, who inhabited the north shore of Lake Ponchartrain, removed to the Mississippi and settled 13 leagues above New Orleans. Handbook of American Indians (1906) ~ Frederick W. Hodge and is now in the public domain. Come visit us at. "Keeper of Stories". http://www.newkeeperofstories.com/

Achalitch - Salish >From Skabalko at Arlington to Klatsko (Jim Creek) on the Achalitch (South Fork) was the home of the Achalitchamish (people). They hunted and fished over a lot of good country. The last well known man of this tribe was Stiabalth, son of Stadahahlt. At Klatsko at one time lived a woman who became the great, great grandmother of nearly all the people of the Stolouck and Achalitch. A great hunter of Klatsko traveled all the way to Chemacum before he found the right one. He brought her home and she was honored by his tribe. Indian stories and legends of the Stillaguamish and allied tribes, by Nels Bruseth. [Arlington, Wash., c1926] and is now in the public domain. Come visit us at. "Keeper of Stories". http://www.newkeeperofstories.com/

Achaanwaapush - Cree I don't know how the other communities call it but here in Whapmagoostui, we call this legend Achaanwaapush (Cannibal Rabbit). He was a cannibalistic creature. He was a person with the features of a rabbit and he habitually slaughtered people. There was a family of Lynx people camped out on the land. One day, the Lynx adults were getting ready to set off for a beaver hunt. As they left, they said to their young Lynx children, "Achaanwaapush will reach our camp today." The young Lynx were forewarned what would happen. The adult Lynx said, "When Achaanwaapush enters our teepee, he'll want the place warm and he'll want to be scratched and soothed. But make sure that you don't use your claws so Achaanwaapush will become frustrated and will want to be scratched more vigorously. After he tells you to scratch him more forcefully, rip him open along his ribs." The Lynx men left with their wives to hunt for beaver. Only the children were left at the camp. During the day, the old Cannibal Rabbit reached the camp of the Lynx and entered the teepee. As he opened the door flap and saw the young Lynx children sitting around inside the teepee, he said, "Grandchildren, put some wood in the fire and I'll warm up and you'll scratch my back." The Lynx children agreed. They fed the fire and the place was nice and toasty. Achaanwaapush got undressed and told the Lynx children to scratch his back. The children began rubbing Achaanwaapush's back using only their paws. The old Cannibal Rabbit stopped them and asked, "What's going on? How come you're not scratching me? Let me check your claws. I told you to scratch my back. Do it with more force." The Lynx children agreed. The old Cannibal Rabbit laid down again. The young Lynx children put their paws along his spine and stuck out their claws and pulled down along his ribs. They ripped the Cannibal Rabbit's skin and teared him open. The Lynx children killed Achaanwaapush. As they joyfully butchered him, they said, "Our parents will eat the abdomen meat." After hunting beaver, the Lynx adults said, "Let's go home. Achaanwaapush must have reached our children." On their way back, they saw the Cannibal Rabbit's trail leading to their camp. Just seeing his trail frightened them. The Lynx men told their wives to walk far behind. The Lynx men snuck up to their teepee as they got near. One Lynx man jumped in the entrance and the other pounced for the smoke hole of their teepee to attack Achaanwaapush. They believed that the Cannibal Rabbit had slaughtered their children but the startled Lynx children said, "What are you doing? We've killed Achaanwaapush." The Lynx men were glad and said, "It's a good thing you did that." When the wives of the Lynx arrived, the rest of the camp was already rejoicing and happily cooking a feast of the Cannibal Rabbit. This is the legend that I heard. Told by John Petagumskum Whapmagoostui Come visit us at. "Keeper of Stories". http://www.newkeeperofstories.com/

Acheria, The Fox - Europe / Basque ONE day a fox was hungry. He did not know what to think. He saw a shepherd pass every day with his flock, and he said to himself that he ought to steal his milk and his cheese, and to have a good feast; but he needed some one to help him in order to effect anything. So he goes off to find a wolf, and he says to him, "Wolf, wolf! we ought to have a feast with such a shepherd's milk and cheese. You, you shall go to where the flocks are feeding, and from a distance you must howl, 'Uhur, uhur, uhur.' The man, after having milked his sheep, drives them into the field, with his dog, very early in the morning, and he stops at home to do his work, and then he makes his cheese; and, when you have begun to howl 'Uhur, uhur,' and the dog to bark, the shepherd will leave everything else, and will go off full speed. During this time I will steal the milk, and we will share it when you come to me." The wolf agreed to have a feast, and set out. He did just what the fox had told him. The dog began to bark when the wolf approached. And when the man heard that he went off, leaving everything, and our fox goes and steals the vessel in which the curdled milk was. What does he do then, before the arrival of the wolf? He gently, gently takes off the cream, thinly, thinly, and he eats all the contents of the jug. After he has eaten all, he fills it up with dirt, and puts back the cream on the top, and he awaits the wolf at the place where he had told him. The fox says to him, since it is he who is to make the division, that as the top is much better than the underneath part, the one who should choose that should have only that, and the other all the rest. "Choose now which you would like." The wolf says to him, "I will not have the top; I prefer what is at the bottom." The fox then takes the top, and gives the poor wolf the vessel full of dirt. [1] When he saw that, the wolf got angry; but the fox said to him, "It is not my fault. Apparently the shepherd makes it like that." And the fox goes off well filled. Another day he was again very hungry, and did not know what to contrive. Every day he saw a boy pass by on the road with his father's dinner. He says to a blackbird, "Blackbird, you don't know what we ought to do? We ought to have a good dinner. A boy will pass by here directly. You will go in front of him, and when the boy goes to catch you, you will go on a little farther, limping, and when you shall have done that a little while the boy will get impatient, and he will put down his basket in order to catch you quicker. I will take the basket, and will go to such a spot, and we will share it, and will make a good dinner." The blackbird says to him, "Yes." When the boy passes, the blackbird goes in front of the boy, limping, limping. When the boy stoops (to catch him), the blackbird escapes a little further on. At last the boy, getting impatient, puts his basket on the ground, in order to go quicker after the blackbird. The fox, who kept watching to get hold of the basket, goes off with it, not to the place agreed upon, but to his hole, and there he stuffs himself, eating the blackbird's share as well as his own. Then he says to himself, "I shall do no good stopping here. The wolf is my enemy, and the blackbird, too. Something will happen to me if I stay here. I must go off to the other side of the water." He goes and stands at the water's edge. A boatman happened to pass, and he said to him: "Ho! man, ho! Will you, then, cross me over this water? I will tell you three truths." The man said to him, "Yes." The fox jumps (into the boat), and he begins to say: "People say that maize bread is as good as wheaten bread. That is a falsehood. Wheaten bread is better. That is one truth." When he was in the middle of the river, he said: "People say, too, 'What a fine night; it is just as clear as the day!' That's a lie. The day is always clearer. That is the second truth." And he told him the third as they were getting near the bank. "Oh! man, man, you have a bad pair of trousers on, and they will get much worse, if you do not pass over people who pay you more than I." "That's very true," said the man; and the fox leapt ashore. Then I was by the side of the river, and I learnt these three truths, and I have never forgotten them since. Footnotes: [1] Cf. Campbell's tale, "The Keg of Butter," Vol. III., 98, where the fox cheats the wolf by giving him, the bottoms of the oats and the tops of the potatoes. See also the references there given. Basque Legends, by Wentworth Webster, [1879] Come visit us at. "Keeper of Stories". http://www.newkeeperofstories.com/

About The Men From The Firth Visiting The People At The Open Sea-Shore - Inuit THERE once lived three brothers at the head of a firth not far from Nook (Goothaab). They were born firth-people, and never thought of approaching the outer sea-coast. But on learning that great flocks of auks were to be met with at Kangek, at the mouth of the firth, they agreed to make a trip thither. When they were ready for their departure, however, the youngest changed his mind and would not be of the party; so the other two went off by themselves. Arrived at Kangek, they first intended to land at the outermost point, not being aware of the heavy surf setting in upon it. When the men of the place saw them in their trouble, they said to each other, "It is plain the firth-people yonder know nothing about surf; now we will have some fun with them." Meantime the visitors had put back, and were looking for a place nearer the habitations, where the landing was easier; but the men called out to them, "We never land anywhere but at the point yonder: it is rather an awkward thing, and cannot be done without letting the surf roll over you; however, that is the way to do it." The two poor fellows retired abashed; and paddling back to the great breakers outside the cape, they almost doubted their words. However, as the men on shore continued encouraging them, the eldest brother first paddled back, and when at the right distance from shore, he suffered himself to be carried right in upon the rocks by a monstrous wave, while he quickly made fast his oar by his kayak-strings. At the moment the wave broke over him, he had loosened his jacket from the kayak, and took a leap, jumping on shore, where he waited the next roller, which brought in his kayak, which he grasped hold of, at the right moment hauling it up. Not a word was uttered by any of the mockers, who stood in great consternation on seeing this daring act, which no one among them would have been able to accomplish. While the poor visitor was drawing up his kayak the other prepared to land in the same way, and he achieved it with even greater agility and swiftness than the brother. After this the men on shore took a sudden fancy to them, and vied with each other in inviting them to their houses. The elder, who had by this time found out their former intention of mocking them, replied, "Poor worthless fellows like us are little fit to come here; but our younger brother would just be the man for you. However, he had no fancy for coming. In summer, when the mighty glaciers are throwing off the icebergs into the firth, and when the spotted seals appear, we always want to get at them, but we dare not venture out on account of the dreadful surf from the glacier. We only stand watching our brother, when he, heedless of the danger, crosses the firth; so you see that we are not at all the right ones to call in here." Still not a word escaped the others. After having put their kayaks and implements ashore, they entered the houses, and were regaled with auks, which they liked very much. However, they preferred the entrails to the flesh itself, thinking them more like the entrails of gulls, which were their usual food. The day after they went with the men auk-catching, and having loaded their kayaks, they again turned homewards. Tales and Traditions of the Eskimo, by Henry Rink; London [1875] and is now in the public domain. [Greenland] Come visit us at. "Keeper of Stories". http://www.newkeeperofstories.com/

About Rope - Wintu You have rope there already, tangled up. You untangle it. You untangle it and tie knots. You tie knots and tie it together. You pull it toward yourself and tie it tight. You pull out more rope and tie it together twice so it won't come untied. You untie it, and if you cannot untie it, you cut the rope. And you bring it toward you, fix it, and tie another knot. You tie it together where it was cut. You tie it together with a know and when you are finished, you wind it around between fingers and elbow and put it down. Then you make a new rope. You make another strong one. You twist the rope on your knee, twisting wild riri for rope. And you make a long rope. It will be a very strong rope that nothing can break. A deer caught in it cannot break it. It will now break. That rope is really strong. And with that rope you can set a trap. With that rope you can trap deer. When a deer is caught in the rope, it hangs itself. You tie down a sugar pine or a fir and set a trap that way. When a deer is driven into it, it is caught in the rope. The tree flips up and hangs the deer. It dies there, choking to death in the rope. The Indians would take the rope home and take good care of it, not letting it get wet. In the summer they did not put it out in the sun. The hung it in the shade. They took care of that rope. And for birds, too, they made a small, thin rope, and made the bird peck it to trap it. This time a long willow branch is fixed so it flips up. The ends are tied with a string and bent down to trap the bird. Acorns are put down, and when the bird pecks at them, it is caught in that little string as if hung. That is how the Indians trapped a long tome ago. They trapped mountain quail, Steller's jays, and towhees. They ate them in the winter. You cannot catch gray squirrels, though, because they quickly cut themselves loose. When a gray squirrel is caught in a rope, it cuts it. Gray squirrels are strong. They hold on to the rope, hanging sideways, pull themselves up with one of their paws, and cut the rope. You cannot catch gray squirrels. That is all. In My Own Words. Stories, songs and memories of Grace Mckibbin, Wintu [1884-1987]. by Alice Shepherd, 1997. Come visit us at. "Keeper of Stories". http://www.newkeeperofstories.com/