hi bet you are wondering about the flood , I was looking at my sent items and saw some stories only went to some of the groups so I went back and corrected the error, will watch it in the furture, blue panther

From: Blue Panther Sent: Monday, July 07, 2014 4:54 PM To: CherokeeChat ; Dan Perry Subject: Humming Bird Lore – Apache Humming Bird Lore – Apache An Apache legend tells of Wind Dancer, a young warrior, who was born deaf, but could sing magical, wordless songs that brought healing and good weather. He married Bright Rain, a beautiful, young woman whom he rescued when she was being attacked by a wolf. Wind Dancer was killed during another errand of mercy. A bitter, death-bring winter ensued, but it suddenly and mysteriously ended after Bright Rain started taking solitary walks. Tribal elders learned Wind Dancer had come back to her in the form of a hummingbird. He wore the same ceremonial costume and war paint he had worn as a man. In fields of spring flowers he would approach her and whisper his magical secrets in her ear. This brought her peace and joy.

From: Blue Panther Sent: Wednesday, July 09, 2014 4:26 PM To: CherokeeChat ; Dan Perry Subject: Humming Bird Lore - Navajo Humming Bird Lore - Navajo In a Navajo legend a hummer was sent up to see what is above the blue sky. It turns out to be absolutely nothing.

From: Blue Panther Sent: Wednesday, July 09, 2014 4:30 PM To: CherokeeChat ; Dan Perry Subject: Humming Bird Lore – Pima Humming Bird Lore – Pima In a Pima legend a hummingbird acted like Noah's dove, bringing back a flower as proof the great flood was subsiding.

From: Blue Panther Sent: Friday, July 11, 2014 6:01 PM To: CherokeeChat ; Dan Perry Subject: Hummingbird Has Food – Cochiti Hummingbird Has Food – Cochiti Long ago the people began to disbelieve in our Mother. They followed their own ways. They said, "It is not our Mother who sends the rain." She was angry that they no longer knew her and for four years she sent no rain for the people. Our Mother took in the clouds and put them away. In all the four years the people saw no cloud. They began to wonder where our Mother had gone. They tried to find out, but they could not discover her. Our Mother had told Hummingbird, "Child, never tell where I have gone. For four years there will be no rain, not even a cloud. Whenever you are thirsty for honey go to Shipap and there you shall suck from the flowers." Many times the people asked her where our Mother had gone, but every time she said she did not know. All the people were anxious to find where our Mother had gone, and many died from thirst. They tried with prayers and sacred songs to bring our Mother back, but they had no answer. All the people were weak and there was nothing left to cat, but the Hummingbird was still strong and fat. Finally the people gave up all hope of finding our Mother. So at last the people learned that it was our Mother who brought them rain and gave them food, and that they had lost her because they had doubted. Footnotes: 5:9 Informant 1. Notes, pp. 205-206. Tales of the Cochiti Indians, by Ruth Benedict, Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin No. 98, [1932] and is now in the public domain.

From: Blue Panther Sent: Sunday, July 20, 2014 7:43 AM To: CherokeeChat ; Dan Perry Subject: Hymn of the High Priest of Xipe Totec – Aztec Hymn of the High Priest of Xipe Totec – Aztec Taken from the following books, edited and translated by Dr. Daniel G. Brinton: “Rig Veda Americanus,” Philadelphia, 1890 and “Ancient Nahuatl Poetry,” Philadelphia, 1887. The nightly drinking, why should I oppose it? Go forth and array yourselves in the golden garments, clothe yourselves in the glittering vestments. My god descended upon the water, into the beautiful glistening surface; he was as a lovely water cypress, as a beauteous green serpent; now I have left behind me my suffering. I go forth, I go forth about to destroy, I, Yoatzin; my soul is in the cerulean water; I am seen in the golden water; I shall appear unto mortals; I shall strengthen them for the words of war! My god appears as a mortal; 0 Yoatzin, thou art seen upon the mountains; I shall appear unto mortals; I shall strengthen them for the words of war.

From: Blue Panther Sent: Saturday, July 12, 2014 9:20 AM To: CherokeeChat ; Dan Perry Subject: Hunter and the Dakwa – Cherokee Hunter and the Dakwa – Cherokee In the old days there was a great fish called the Dakwa which lived in the Tennessee River near the mouth of Toco Creek. This fish was so large that it could easily swallow a man. One day several hunters were travelling in a canoe along the Tennessee when the Dakwa suddenly rose up under the canoe and threw them all into the air. As the men came down, the fish swallowed one with a single snap of its jaws, and dived with him to the bottom of the river. This man was one of the bravest hunters in the tribe, and as soon as he discovered where he was he began thinking of some way to overcome the Dakwa and escape from its stomach. Except for a few scratches and bruises, the hunter had not been hurt, but it was so hot and airless inside the big fish that he feared he would soon smother. As he groped around in the darkness, his hands found some musselshells which the Dakwa had swallowed. These shells had very sharp edges. Using one of them as a knife, the hunter began cutting away at the fish's stomach. Soon the Dakwa grew uneasy at the scraping inside his stomach and came up to the surface of the river for air. The man kept on cutting with the shell until the fish was in such pain that it swam wildly back and forth across the river, thrashing the water into foam with its tail. At last the hunter cut through the Dakwa's side. Water flowed in, almost drowning the man, but the big fish was so weary by this time that it came to a stop. The hunter looked out of the hole and saw that the Dakwa was now resting in shallow water near the riverbank. Reaching up, the man pulled himself through the hole in the fish, moving very carefully so as not to disturb the Dakwa. He then waded ashore and returned to his village, where his friends were mourning his death because they were sure he had been eaten by the great fish. Now they named him a hero and held a celebration in his honour. Although the brave hunter escaped with his life, the juices in the stomach of the Dakwa had scalded all the hair from his head, and he was bald forever after.

From: Blue Panther Sent: Saturday, July 12, 2014 9:24 AM To: CherokeeChat ; Dan Perry Subject: Hunter And The Polar Bear – Inuit Hunter And The Polar Bear – Inuit Once there was a poor hunter. He always went out but never got anything. Finally one day he saw a polar bear. As he crawled toward it over the ice, the bear said to him, "Don't shoot me. If you follow me and do what I say, I will make it so you will always be able to get whatever animals you think about." The bear told the man to climb on his back and close his eyes. "Do not open them until I tell you to." Then, the man and the bear went down into the sea a long way. 'Do not open your eyes,' the bear reminded him. Finally, they came back up and the man saw an igloo along the edge of the pack. They went inside and the man saw another bear with a spear in his haunch. The first bear said, "If you can take that spear out of the bear and make him well, you will become a good hunter." The man broke off the shaft, eased the spear point out of the bear's haunch, and the wound began to heal. Then the first bear took off his bearskin "parka" and became a man. After the wound was healed completely, the bear-man put back on his bearskin "parka," told the poor hunter to climb on his back and close his eyes, and together they went back into the sea. When the bear finally stopped he asked the man to open his eyes. Looking around, the man realized he had been returned to the spot from which he began his journey. He thought he had only been gone a day, but on arriving home he found that he had been away a month. From then on, the man was always a good hunter. -taken from Norman A. Chance's The Eskimo of North Alaska.

From: Blue Panther Sent: Monday, July 14, 2014 4:53 AM To: CherokeeChat ; Dan Perry Subject: Hunting Elk – Apache Hunting Elk – Apache After that time I started to hunt on the top of a mountain. There were four tipis of us. Vicientito, Luna, myself, Victor, Juan Jose, so many there were of us. We started away hunting deer. I went in advance with two of the young men and went up to the head of the canyon at Ensenada. We had only one gun. Each boy had a horse. They found a cow and a calf which they killed and brought back to me in the evening. I killed a fawn which I brought home. Early the next morning I started with the camp, stopping about noon. The young men went out hunting there, killing a big antelope buck. When they got back, one of them said, "I killed a big antelope buck." "Hurry up, and get it," I told him. He went out after it with a horse and brought it in. The next day I moved my camp to the top of the mountain. I went to the top of the ridge where I could look back and saw the rest coming way in the distance. I camped by the stream. When they caught up with me my wife gave them meat which they ate, feeling so happy that they shouted as they ate it. The next day we moved the camp to the top of the mountain east of the Chama where the railroad now comes up. We camped on the mountain side. When it was night they sang for deer until midnight. I moved my camp to the top of the next hill. "I am going to camp right here," I told them. The others went off hunting. I went by myself. Luna killed two big bucks; Vicientito killed one; Juan Jose killed one; I killed three. We brought home the seven deer. The next day we moved our camp, although it was raining pretty hard, and stopped on a flat by the river. Early the next day Vicientito said, "Hurry, get things ready." Five of us started out together on foot, going to a round-topped hill at the head of the canyon. There was a lake there from the side of which we started up the mountain. On the other side of the lake from us there was an elk. Looking this way about the lake we saw a number of them. When we ran toward them they scattered. Vicientito said, "Two of you go around the lake this way. One of you sit down there. One of you stay there and wait." It was Luna he told to stay here. He placed me in the canyon. "You stay here, he told me. I sat there. Then he said, "I am going up close to one of the elk." He started toward them and I heard two shots. He killed it. I saw the bunch that had been at the junction of the canyons running over toward me. One of them was standing in a little flat, head toward me. I shot it in the neck. It was a female. It ran this way up the hill, where there was nothing but timber through which it passed. I shot again and all the elk ran back. Without hiding I ran straight toward them. When I was near them, half way up the hill, a big elk ran after me. They stopped right there, and I shot. That one did not move and I shot again at another, the biggest one, firing at his hip. He turned back and ran toward me, one of his hind legs swinging about. Brush about four feet high was standing on both sides. I stood there with him coming right at me. When he jumped I shot him in the shoulder. As I jumped sidewise, he landed right where I had been sitting. As he passed by, the blood was flowing from his shoulder. Then the elk went toward the east where Luna was sitting. It was pretty steep right in front of him. He commenced to shoot and hit four of them. Seven of the elk ran off through the thick brush. We all came together there and commenced to butcher the elk. When we had finished butchering, we built a fire and ate some of the meat. We went home and the next day moved our camp near that place on the edge of the mountain. We brought up all the meat and the bones. Having remained there four days, the others went to hunt along the river but I remained at home. Luna killed seven which they brought to camp. We dried much meat and carried it home with us to Tierra Amarilla. We started away immediately to Cuchilla where they were to hold a feast. For that purpose we all came there. The Pueblo Indians brought fruits there and the Mexicans came with wagons and on horseback. They had a rooster race. After the feast was over we moved camp back again to Tierra Amarilla where we and the Ute remained in separate camps. Jicarilla Apache Texts, by Pliny Earle Goddard; New York: Anthropological Papers of the American Museum of Natural History, Vol. VIII; (1911) and is now in the public domain.

From: Blue Panther Sent: Sunday, July 20, 2014 7:42 AM To: CherokeeChat ; Dan Perry Subject: Aumakua - Hawaiian Aumakua - Hawaiian Eons before the missionaries introduced their concept of one God to Hawai'i in 1820, Polynesians had an intricate nature-oriented belief system. A host of deities called 'aumakua could be called upon for protection, comfort and spiritual support. The first 'aumakua were thought to be the offspring of mortals who had mated with the akua (primary gods). Among the most important of the primary gods were Ku, Kane, Lono and Kanaloa, but it was the 'aumakua that commoners could call on in an easy, less ritualistic way. 'Aumakua were often ancestors whose bones had been specially stripped of flesh upon death, wrapped in kapa and ceremonially prepared before the bones were placed in the custody of another descendant. When an individual died, it was thought the spirit of that person jumped from a rocky precipice, a leina or soul's leap, designated on each island, to begin its journey to the ancestral homeland. In a shadowy place called Po, the ancestor spirits lived with the supreme gods and were transfigured into god-spirits, whose mana, or power, was almost as awesome as that of the akua. The spirit of a deceased ancestor first might serve as an 'unihipili, a deity who granted requests for mercy and gave warnings of pending disasters or destruction. The earthly individual who safeguarded the bones of the 'unihipili could summon him for guidance. If the 'unihipili was especially deserving, he became an 'aumakua, an ancestral god honored by his descendants and easily approachable in times of need. Mary Kawena Pukui, a revered scholar of Hawaiian culture, who died in 1986 at age 91, explained: "As gods and relatives in one, they give us strength when we are weak, warning when danger threatens, guidance in our bewilderment, inspiration in our arts. They are equally our judges, hearing our words and watching our actions, reprimanding us for error and punishing us for blatant offense." An 'aumakua could manifest itself in varying forms such as a shark, a sea turtle, a hawk, a lizard, a pueo (owl) or any other animal, plant or mineral. Members of the family were said to recognize their 'aumakua, no matter what form it chose, whether it be an insect on land or a crab in the ocean the following day. The ancestral god might appear in a dream to furnish guidance or spiritual strength in difficult times. When a fisherman or craftsman was especially successful, credit was often given to his 'aumakua for intervening with the principal gods to impart the mana, or power, that enabled an earthly being to develop such skill. Many a canoe paddler has told of being lost or in danger between the islands, only to be guided by his 'aumakua in the form of a dolphin or shark to a safe landing. Pukui explained in her book "Nana I Ke Kumu," that three types of strength were sometimes imparted when an 'aumakua took possession of a human being. Temporary energy, 'uhane kihei pua or "flower mantle energy," would allow a woman sick in bed to get up and do necessary chores, but the moment the 'aumakua would leave, the woman would be weak and sick again. Complete possession by an 'aumakua, called noho, would provide supernatural strength in times of emergency, or in another case, might cause a reversal of one's character. For example, a quiet, retiring person might suddenly be loud and boisterous. The third type of possession was ho'oulu, which could enable a mediocre dancer to achieve a measure of greatness, perhaps during the performance of hula, or in competition during games. In ancient times, families were careful not to eat certain forms of animal life if their 'aumakua was thought to appear in that form, for if they did, they knew the punishment could be as severe as death. Offerings of taro leaves with sincere prayers could abate the anger of an offended 'aumakua. Until today, families still claim certain animals or birds as their personal 'aumakua, and the more powerful 'aumakua, such as the goddess Pele, continue to be honored, though in increasingly modern ways. Long ago, Hawaiians showed their respect to Pele by never eating 'ohelo berries until some had been offered to the goddess at the crater's edge. Today, more often than not, offerings to Pele involve a bottle of gin tossed into Halema'uma'u Crater at the outset of an eruption. Few people question the existence of this capricious goddess, preferring instead to quietly respect her domain in the hopes that she will treat those who live on her mountain slopes with respect in return. People still insist she appears on the roads around VolcanoÑsometimes as an old crone with a little white dog, sometimes as a tempestuous young woman with flowing black hair. In any case, long after the principal gods lost their notoriety once the state religion had been replaced by Christianity, the 'aumakua have continued to be remembered with fondness and reverence by many a Hawaiian family. PasoweeSong

From: Blue Panther Sent: Monday, July 28, 2014 8:20 AM To: CherokeeChat ; Dan Perry Subject: Iktome Sleeps With His Wife By Mistake – Lakota Iktome Sleeps With His Wife By Mistake – Lakota Iktome was dissatisfied. He was restless. Looking at his wife, he thought. "This woman has become old. She has become ugly. Her face is wrinkled. Her breasts are sagging. She's all dried up. It's no fun sleeping with a woman like that. I must have a young, pretty girl. I must have a young girl soon." His wife was looking at him. She knew him well, and she knew that look on his face. She said to herself: "That no-good husband of mine! He's thinking of some young, nice-looking winchinchala, not of giving me a little pleasure. I'll fix him!" "Well, I'll go out now," said Iktome. "I have things to do." "I bet," said his wife. Iktome was looking for a young girl to seduce. He saw one he liked, young and handsome, with laughing eyes, a laughing mouth, and clear smooth skin. She wore a fine white doeskin outfit with little bells attached to it, so that she made a pleasing sound when she moved. "This is the one," thought Iktome, "the one I shall sleep with tonight." He went up to the girl and said, "Pretty young winchinchala, is this your tipi you are standing in front of?" The girl just laughed. "I have many pretty things I could give you." The girl just laughed. "Tonight after everybody has gone to sleep, I'll creep into your tipi. You be on the left side of the door." The girl just laughed. "I am a great lover," boasted Iktome. "You have no idea of the pleasures that await you." The girl just laughed. She did not take Iktome seriously, he was so comical. But Ikgome took her laughter for assent. "Well, I'll go now. Tonight I'll make love to you. Don't forget-at the left side of the door." >From her tipi Iktome's wife had watched it all. After Iktome was gone, the wife went up to the girl. "Winchinchala," she said, "has that no-good man asked you to sleep with him tonight?" "Yes," said the girl and laughed. "I knew it. In this tipi here?" "Yes, in this tipi." "Where do you sleep?" "He told me to sleep on the left side, close to the door." "Winchinchala, let's you and me change places with each other. Let's exchange clothes." "What will you give me?" asked the girl. "Why, this nice choker of red and blue beads." "And what else?" "These fine, big hair strings made of rare dentalium shells." "Oh my, these are pretty! All right, let's change places tonight." So the winchinchala put on Iktome's wife's clothes and went into his tipi to sleep, while Iktome's wife took her place. That night after everyone had gone to sleep, Iktome crept into the pretty girl's tipi. At the left side he heard a woman stir, heard a slight tinkling of bells. He crept over there. "Oh pretty girl," he whispered, "It's me your lover Iktome." There was giggling in the dark. "Oh pretty one, how fresh your mouth tastes, not like the mouth of my aged wife." There was more giggling. "Ah how nice it is to fondle a firm young breast, not a sagging one like my wife's" There was more giggling. "Oh pretty young one! How full of fire you are! How ardently you make love, not just lying there like dead, like my old woman does it." There was more giggling. "Oh how pleasingly moist, how wet, how juicy this is! Not dry like my wife's" There was more giggling and squirming. "Ah! Aaaah! Oh! Oooooh!" More giggling and squirming. "Well, this was certainly enjoyable. Oh my! Yes, this was fun. Well, I must go now. Maybe pretty soon we'll do this again." There was a last giggle. "I wonder whether this winchinchala ever opens her mouth except to giggle," thought Iktome. He was panting. He went home very slowly because the woman he had slept with had tired him out. By the time he got to his tipi, his wife and the pretty girl already exchanged places again. They were now where they belonged. Iktome lay down beside his wife and fell asleep. In the morning when he awoke, his wife was already up and about. "Old Woman," he said. "I'm hungry. Give me something good to eat." "I'll give you something," said his wife and hit him hard with her turnip digger. "Stop! Stop! You crazy woman! What are you doing?" "So my mouth isn't fresh!" and she hit him again. "Oh, Oh, Oh Have pity on me!" "So my skin is wrinkled!" She was beating him all over. "Oh! Oh! Oh! Don't do that. It hurts, stop!" "So my breasts are sagging!" The blows were coming thick and fast. "Oh! Oh! You're killing me!" "So I'm not a hot one, you say. I just lie there like dead!" and she hit him a real good one. "Oh, you're killing me!" "So I'm all dried up, I'm not pleasingly moist!" she was hitting Iktome harder than ever. "Have pity! I'll never sleep with anyone but you!" "Liar," she said and kept on whacking him. Iktome managed at last to crawl out of the tupi and get away from her. He was running, afraid his wife would catch up with him. A long way off he stopped, hurting so much all over that he could hardly move. His mind was hurt too.

Iktome Has A Bad Dream - Lakota Once in the middle of the night, Iktome woke up in a cold sweat after a bad dream. His friend Coyote, who was visiting, noticed something wrong. "Friend, what's the matter," he asked. "I had a very bad dream," said Iktome. "What did you dream of?" "I dreamed I saw a very pretty winchinchala about to take a bath in the stream." "It doesn't sound like a very bad dream," said Coyote. "This girl was taking her clothes off. I saw her naked. She had a very fine body." "My friend, decidedly this is not a bad dream." "I dreamed I was hiding behind some bush at quite a distance from her. As I watched her, my penis began to grow. It grew exceedingly long. It was winding toward her like a long snake." "There's nothing wrong with this dream." "My penis was like a long, long rope. It went all the way over to that girl. It went into the water. It touched her." "Kanji, cousin, let me tell you, I wish I had such a dream." "Now, my friend, the tip of my penis entered that girl. She didn't even notice it at first." "Kola, I'm telling you this is a fine dream." Then my penis entered that girl all the way. She seemed to like it." "This is as good a dream as I ever heard of, my friend." "Just at that moment I heard a great noise. I had been so excited in my dream that I hadn't noticed a team of horses pulling a big wagon. It was right on top of me, a wasichu's-a white man's-wagon. It was coming at a dead run, and the white man was whipping his horses. This wagon was very heavy, my friend, it had heavy wheels of iron. It was going between me and that girl..." "Friend, you were right. This is indeed a very bad dream," said Coyote. Told in a bar at Winner, South Dakota, 1969, and recorded by Richard Erdoes. Also From American Indian Myths and Legends, Richard Erdoes and Alfonso Ortiz, editors. Copyright © 1984 by Richard Erdoes and Alfonso Ortiz. Reprinted by permission of Pantheon Books, a division of Random House, Inc.

Hummingbird Brings Back Tobacco - Cherokee Long ago, when all people and animals spoke the same tongue, there was only one tobacco plant in all the world. From far and wide, did they come for their tobacco. All was well, until the greedy Dagul'ku geese stole the plant and flew far to the south with it, where they guarded it with all their might. Before long, all of the people and the animals began to have great sufferings because they had no tobacco. One old woman, who had long suffered, had became so thin and weak that it was held by all that she would die soon, and could only be saved by tobacco. Now this old woman was loved by all of the people and the animals and this disturbed them greatly. So it was decided that they should hold a council, which they did, and make a plan on how to return the tobacco than had been taken from them. They decided to seed the animals to retrieve it. One by one, the animals all tried to get the plant, but each time they were seen by the Dagul'ku geese and killed them all before they could reach the plant. From the largest to the smallest, the four footed animals failed. Now, the Mole spoke up and said that he would go. Everyone thought this to be a good idea, as he could tunnel under the ground to the plant and steal it away. So, off he went and as he approached the plant, his track was scene by the Dagul'ku, who waited at the plant for him to come out. When at last, out he did come, he suffered much the same outcome. Much disparity was heard in the council after that. No one could think of any way to get the tobacco plant away from the greedy Dagul'ku. No other animals wanted to go. The Hummingbird had been listening to all of the plans had come up with one of his own. At last told the council that he could retrieve the plant. They look at him as said how could this be, you are so small? How could you get to the plant past the Dagul'ki? He told them that he could do it and that if they wanted they could test him. So out in the middle of the meadow, they showed him a plant that all could see. They said to him, "Go, sit on that plant, but do not let us see you getting there." No sooner than the words had been spoken, did all of the people see the Hummingbird sitting atop the plant in the meadow. And right before there eye did he disappear again and reappear in the council circle. Not one person having seen him go or return. Stunned at the feat, it was decided to give him a chance. Now he wasted no time. Off, he dashed straight to the plant, right under the noses of the Dagul'ki. Right up to the plant without them even suspecting him being there. Quick as a wink, he used his long beak to cut off the top of the plant that had a few leaves and the seeds. Then, off he dashed straight back to the council circle. By this time the old woman was thought to have died, but smoke was blown into her nostrils and with a cry of "Tsa'lu", she opened her eyes and regained her strength. Based on James Moody's works

Iktome and the Legend of Dreamcatcher - Lakota A long time ago, when the world was young, an old Shaman of the Lakota tribe, being on the top of a high mountain, it had a vision. Iktome, a large rascal and Master of wisdom, appeared to him in the form of spider and it spoke to him in crowned language. While it spoke, Iktome the spider took the circle of willow that the old one carried with oneself and who was decorated with feathers, hair of the horse, small pearls, sacrificial offerings and it started to weave a fabric inside the circle. It spoke with old about the cycles about the life, of how one starts to live when one is small, while passing afterwards from the infantile age at the adulthood. Finally one ages and somebody takes care of us as if we were child again, by supplementing the cycle. "But", Iktome says while it continued to weave the cobweb "for each period of the existence there are many forces, some good, other bad. If you listenings the good forces, they will guide you towards the right direction, but if you listenings the bad forces, you go in the bad direction and that could damage you. Thus these forces could help you, or interfere with the harmony of Nature. While Iktome spoke, it continued to weave. When it finishes speaking, it gave the fabric to old and it says "the cobweb is a perfect circle with a hole in the medium, uses it to help your people to join his goals, by employing well the ideas, the dreams and the visions. If you believe in the Great mind, the fabric will retain your good visions, while the bad ones from will go away through the central hole ". The old one told the vision with its people and maintaining many Skin-Reds hang a "trap dreams" with the top of the bed to filter the visions. The maid are captured by the fabric and transmitted to the dreamer, the malicious ones slip into the hole and disappear.

Iktome And The Ignorant Girl - Lakota A pretty winchinchala had never been with a man yet, and Iktome was eager to sleep with her. He dressed himself up like a woman and went looking for the girl. He found her about to cross a stream. "Hou mashke How are you, friend," he said. "Let's wade across together." They lifted their robes and stepped into the water. "You have very hairy legs," said the girl to Iktome. "That's because I am older. When women get older, some are like this." The water got deeper and they lifted their robes higher. "You have a very hairy backside," said the winchinchala to Iktome. "Yes some of us are like that," answered Iktome. The water got still deeper and they lifted their robes up very high. "What's that strange thing dangling between your legs?" asked the girl, who had never seen a naked man. "Ah," complained Iktome, "it's a kind of growth, like a large wart." "It's very large for a wart." "Yes, Oh my! An evil magician wished it on me. It's cumbersome, it's heavy; it hurts; it gets in the way. How I wish to be rid of it!" "My elder sister," said the girl, "I pity you. We could cut this thing off." "No, no, my younger sister. There's only one way to get rid of it, because the evil growth was put there by a sorcerer." "What might that be, the way to get rid of it?" "Ah, mashke, the only thing to do is to stick it in there, between your legs." "Is that so? Well I guess, women should help each other." "Yes, pilamaya, thanks, you are very kind. Let's get out of this water and go over there where the grass is soft." Spider Man made the girl lie down on the grass, got on top of her, and entered her. "Oh my," said the girl, "It sure is big. It hurts a little." "Think how it must hurt me!" said Iktome, breathing hard. "It hurts a little less now," said the girl. Iktome finished and got off the girl. The winchinchala looked and said: "Indeed, it already seems to be smaller." "Yes, but not small enough yet," answered Spider Man. "This is hard work. Let me catch my breath, then we must try again." After a while he got on top of the girl once more. "It really isn't so bad at all," said the ignorant winchinchala, "but it seems to have gotten bigger. It is indeed a powerful magic." Iktome did not answer her. He was busy. He finished. He rolled off. "There's little improvement,' said the girl. "We must be patient," answered Iktome. So after a while they went at it again. "Does it hurt very much, mashke?" the girl asked Iktome. "Oh my, yes, but I am strong and brave," answered Iktome. "I can bear it." "I can bear it too," said the girl. "It really isn't altogether unpleasant," said the girl after they did it a fourth time, "but I must tell you, elder sister, I don't believe you will ever get rid of this strange thing." "I have my doubts too," answered Spider Man. "Well," said the ignorant winchinchala, "one could get used to it." "Yes mashke," answered Iktome, "one must make the best of it, but let's try once more to be sure." Told in Pine Ridge, South Dakota, and recorded by Richard Erdoes.- Also From American Indian Myths and Legends, Richard Erdoes and Alfonso Ortiz, editors. Copyright © 1984 by Richard Erdoes and Alfonso Ortiz.

Ímarasugssuaq, Who Ate His Wives – Inuit IT is said that the great Ímarasugssuaq was wont to eat his wives. He fattened them up, giving them nothing but salmon to eat, and nothing at all to drink. Once when he had just lost his wife in the usual way, he took to wife the sister of many brothers, and her name was Misána. And after having taken her to wife, he began fattening her up as usual. One day her husband was out in his kayak. And she had grown so fat that she  could hardly move, but now she managed with difficulty to tumble down from the bench to the floor, crawled to the entrance, dropped down into the passage way, and began licking the snow which had drifted in. She licked and licked at it, and at last she began to feel herself lighter, and better able to move. And in this way she afterwards went out and licked up snow whenever her husband was out in his kayak, and at last she was once more quite able to move about. One day when her husband was out in his kayak as usual, she took her  breeches and tunic, and stuffed them out until the thing looked like a real human being, and then she said to them: "When my husband comes and tells you to come out, answer him with these  words: I cannot move because I am grown so fat. And when he then comes in and harpoons you, remember then to shriek as if in pain." And after she had said these words, she began digging a hole at the back of  the house, and when it was big enough, she crept in. "Bring up the birds I have caught!"  But the dummy answered:  "I can no longer move, for I am grown so fat."  Now the dummy was sitting behind the lamp. And the husband coming in,  harpooned that dummy wife with his great bird-spear. And the thing shrieked as if with pain and fell down. But when he looked p. 45 closer, there was no blood to be seen, nothing but some stuffed-out clothes. And where was his wife? And now he began to search for her, and as soon as he had gone out, she  crept forth from her hiding-place, and took to flight. And while she was thus making her escape, her husband came after her, and seeing that he came nearer and nearer, at last she said: "Now I remember, my amulet is a piece of wood."  And hardly had she said these words, when she was changed into a piece of  wood, and her husband could not find her. He looked about as hard as ever he could, but could see nothing beyond a piece of wood anywhere. And he stabbed at that once or twice with his knife, but she felt no more than a little stinging pain. Then he went back home to fetch his axe, and then, as soon as he was out of sight, she changed back into a woman again and fled away to her brothers. When she came to their house, she hid herself behind the skin hangings, and  after she had placed herself there, her husband was heard approaching, weeping because he had lost his wife. He stayed there with them, and in the evening, the brothers began singing songs in mockery of him, and turning towards him also, they said: "Men say that Ímarasugssuaq eats his wives."  "Who has said that?"  "Misána has said that."  "I said it, and I ran away because you tried to kill me," said she from  behind the hangings. And then the many brothers fell upon Ímarasugssuaq and held him fast that  his wife might kill him; she took her knife, but each time she tried to strike, the knife only grazed his skin, for her fingers lost their power. And she was still standing there trying in vain to stab him, when they saw  that he was already dead. Here ends this story.  Eskimo Folk-Tales, collected by Knud Rasmussen, translated and edited by W. Worster; London [1921] and is now in the public domain.

Important Dates in Cherokee History 1540 - The Spanish explorer, Hernando De Soto and his party are the first whites seen by the Cherokees. 1629 - The first traders from the English settlements began trading among the Cherokees. 1721 - The Cherokee Treaty with the Governor of the Carolinas is thought to be the first consession of land. 1785 - Treaty of Hopewell is the first treaty between the U.S. and the Cherokees. 1791 - Treaty of Holston signed. Includes a call for the U.S. to advance civilization of the Cherokees by giving them farm tools and technical advice. 1802 - Jefferson signs Goergia Compact. 1817 - Treaty makes exchange for land in Arkansas. Old settlers begin voluntary migration and establish a government there. In 1828, they are forced to move into Indian territory. 1821 - Sequoyah's Cherokee Syllabary completed, quickly leads to almost total literacy among the Cherokees. 1822 - Cherokee's Supreme Court established. 1824 - First written law of Western Cherokees. 1825 - New Echota, GA authorized as Cherokee capital. 1827 - Modern Cherokee Nation begins with Cherokee Constitution established by a convention; John Ross elected chief. 1828 - Cherokee Phoenix published in English and Cherokee; Andrew Jackson elected President. Gold discovered in Georgia. 1828-1830 - Georgia Legislature abolishes tribal government and expands authority over Cherokee country. 1832 - US Supreme Court decision Worcester vs Georgia establishes tribal sovereignty, protects Cherokees from Georgia laws. Jackson won't enforce decision and Georgia holds lottery for Cherokee lands. 1835 - Treaty Party signs Treaty of New Echota, giving up title to all Cherokee lands in southeast in exchange for land in Indian Territory (now Oklahoma.). 1838-1839 - Trails of Tears. US Government's forced removal of 17,000 Cherokees, in defiance of Supreme Court decision. More than 4,000 die from exposure and disease along the way. 1839 - Assassination of Treaty Party leaders, Major Ridge, John Ridge, and Elias Boudinot for breaking pact not to sign Treaty of New Echota. Factionalism continues until 1846. New constitution ratified at convention uniting Cherokees arriving from the east with those in the west. 1844 Cherokee Supreme Court building opens; Cherokee Advocate becomes the first newspaper in Indian territory. 1851 - Cherokee male and female seminaries open. Female seminary is the first secondary school for girls west of the Mississippi. 1859 - Original Keetoowah Society organized to maintain traditions and fight slavery. 1860 - Tension mounts between Union Cherokees and Confederate Cherokees. Civil War begins. 1861 - Treaty signed at Park Hill between Cherokee Nation and the Confederate government. Cherokee Nation torn by border warfare throughout the Civil War. 1865-1866 - Cherokee must negotiate peace with the US Government. New treaty limits tribal land rights, eliminates possibility of Cherokee State and is prelude to Dawes Commission. John Ross dies. 1887 - General Allotment Act passed; requires individual ownership of lands once held in common by Indian tribes. 1889 - Unassigned lands in Indian Territory opened by white settlers known as "boomers." 1890 - Oklahoma Territory organized out of western half of Indian Territory. 1893 - Cherokee Outlet opened for white settlers.Dawes Commission arrives. 1898 - Curtis Act passed abolishing tribal courts. 1903 - W.C. Rogers becomes last elected chief for 69 years. 1905 - Land allotment begins after official roll taken of Cherokees. 1907 - Oklahoma statehood combines Indian and Oklahoma Territories and dissolves tribal government. 1917 - William C. Rogers, the last Cherokee Chief, dies. 1934 - Indian Reorganization Act established a landbase for tribes and legal structure for self government. 1948 - Chief J.B.Milam calls Cherokee Convention; beginning of model tribal government of the Cherokee Nation. 1949 - W.W. Bill Keeler appointed chief by President Harry Truman. 1957 - First Cherokee National Holiday. 1961 - Cherokees awarded 15 million dollars by the US Claims Commission for Cherokee Outlet Lands. 1963 - Cherokee National Historical Society founded. CNHS opens Ancient Village, 1967; Trail of Tears Drama, 1969, and museum, 1975. 1967 - Cherokee Foundation formed to purchase land on which the tribal complex now sits. 1970 - U.S. Supreme Court ruling confirms Cherokee Nation ownership of bed and banks of 96 mile segment of Arkansas Riverbed. 1971 - W.W.Keeler becomes first elected principal chief since statehood. 1975 - Ross O. Swimmer elected to first of three terms as principal chief. First Cherokee Tribal Council elected Congress passes Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act. 1976 - Cherokee voters ratify new Constitution outlining tribal government. 1979 - Tribal offices moved into modern new complex South of Tahlequah. 1984 - First joint council meeting in 146 years between Eastern Band of Cherokees and Cherokee Nation held at Red Clay, TN. Council meetings now held bi-annually. 1987 - Wilma Mankiller makes history and draws international attention to tribe as first woman elected chief; Cherokee voters pass constitution amendment to elect council by districts in 1991. 1988 - Cherokee Nation joins Eastern Band in Cherokee, NC to commemorate beginning of The Trail of Tears. 1989 - The Cherokee Nation observes 150th anniversary of arrival in Indian Territory. "A New Beginning". 1990 - Chief Mankiller signs the historic self-governance agreement, making the Cherokee Nation one of six tribes to participate in the self-determination project. The project, which ran for three years beginning Oct.1 1990, authorized the tribe to assume tribal responsiblity for BIA funds which were formerly being spent on the tribe's behalf at the agency, area and central office levels. 1991 - In the July tribal election the first council to be elected by districts since statehood and Wilma Mankiller won second elected term as principal chief with a landslide 82% of the votes cast. 1995 - Joe Byrd and Garland Eagle elected principal chief and deputy chief which marks the first time in nearly 200 years that full blood bilingual leaders occupy the top positions of the Cherokee Nation.

In an age of shrinking yards and gardens. In an age of shrinking yards and gardens, it is useful to remember that Native American tribes knew how to use land efficiently for food production. One ancient tradition was planting what was known as the "three sisters"-corn, beans and squash. These were sown together on the same bit of land, whether a small garden or a whole field. They complement each other well. Beans add nitrogen to the soil as they grow: Corn demands a lot of nitrogen. The squash shades the ground, retaining moisture and preventing weeds from growing. The beans that were sown were always pole beans, which climb up the corn. Vining squashes too will use corn as support, though they are as likely to simply scamper happily about the base. Modern gardeners with limited space can net delicious sweet corn; a fine crop of snap beans, followed by the nutrient-rich shelly-stage bean slipped from the pods and used fresh or dried for winter stews, and finally, in the fall, a cornucopia of colorful hard-shelled squashes. This ancient practice calls for traditional varieties. Two of the oldest sweet corn varieties are Hickory King and Country Gentleman. The first is a "dent" corn, a category of field corn named for its dented kernels. Dent corns traditionally are used for drying and grinding into corn flour, which Hickory King is known for, but it also has a great reputation as a roasting corn and for grits. Kernels are large on eight-inch ears, and cobs are small. But the stalks of Hickory King are strong and sturdy, making it the top choice as a support for climbing plants of all kinds. Country Gentleman is a white, shoepeg corn: kernels are not lined up like soldiers on the cobs, but meander crookedly around the cob. Not as sweet as modern varieties, Country Gentleman has a true "corny" flavor and, like Hickory King, is one of the finest roasting corns. Both grow to about eight feet in three months. Sown right alongside the corn, the beans must be a variety that tolerates shade. The heirloom Genuine Cornfield was grown just for this purpose. Also known as Scotia or Striped Crease back, Genuine Cornfield is a multipurpose bean with round green pods that are tender when picked young and, later, producing fat beans that were reputedly used by the Cayuga Iroquois, in what is now south-central New York, for corn-bean soup and as a bread bean. Genuine Cornfield won't clamber up to the top of an eight-foot corn stalk, and it has the added attribute of not wrapping a death grip around the stalk, which some heavily climbing pole beans do. It can be trained up sunflowers as readily as corn, especially the wonderful Grey Mammoth sunflower variety, which itself gets as tall as any corn. To control weeds and evaporation in a Three Sisters patch, any one of the many vining winter squashes does well. Pumpkins are excellent; a variety such as Connecticut Field would fit in with the overall theme because this is a pre-1700 Native American cultivar. It produces 15- to 20-pound, bright orange pumpkins that are versatile enough for pies and stews as well as jack-o'-lanterns. Acorn squashes also were grown by Native American tribes that farmed. The Arikara Indians in what is now the Dakotas, used to grow an earlier variation of the 20-century heirloom Table Queen, still widely available today. When it's mature, the skin has a dark-green matte finish with a hard shell like a pumpkin, and the flesh inside is golden yellow. But the fruit of Table Queen also can be eaten at its immature stage when the skin is still soft, like summer squash. All these ancient varieties are available from Southern Exposure Seed Exchange (540-894-9480; (www.southernexposure.com) located close to Charlottesville. The corn matures all at once within a two-week period, but the squash and beans can be picked staggered over many weeks, depending on the desired stage. The trick to getting all three sisters to do well is in spacing. Cornstalks should be growing no less than 12 inches apart; 16 to 18 inches is better. The Cornfield beans don't mind the shade, and the winter squash is happy if it gets about the same amount of sun as does the base of a cornstalk. Also, the squash will likely make every attempt to escape the confines of the Three Sisters patch and march about as far as the gardener will permit. It is as fine and honorable a way of growing highly nutritious fresh food as any devised. Reposted with the permission of A Honored Grandfather

In Come Murray – Jamaica William Forbes, Dry River, Cock-pit country. It was said when you go you see a man going to play dat Nansi story. Get anodder wid a pint a water, den him gwine to turn a drunkard, begin to totter, say, "Tiger, tiger, lie down"-- Zin come Mur-ray. I take drink, lay down, Zin come Mur-ray. Mur-ray, ah, lay down, Zin come Mur-ray. I take drink lay down, Zin come Mur-ray. Oh, poor Mur-ray. Zin come Mur-ray. I take drink, lay down, Zin come Mur-ray. Jamaica Anansi Stories ,Martha Warren Beckwith, New York, Published By The American Folk-Lore Society, G. E. Stechert & Co., Agents. [1924] and is now in the public domain.

Illustration Of The Tabu – Cherokees On a second visit to the reservation the writer once had a practical illustration of the gaktû'nata or tabu, which may be of interest as showing how little sanitary ideas have to do with these precautions. Having received several urgent invitations from Tsiskwa (Bird), an old shaman of considerable repute, who was anxious to talk, but confined to his bed by sickness, it was determined to visit him at his house, several miles distant. On arriving we found another doctor named Sû'nkï (The Mink) in charge of the patient and were told that he had just that morning begun a four days' gaktûnta, which, among other provisions, excluded all visitors. It was of no use to argue that we had come by the express request of Tsiskwa. The laws of the gaktûnta were as immutable as those of the Medes and Persians, and neither doctor nor patient could hope for favorable results from the treatment unless the regulations were enforced to the letter. But although we might not enter the house; there was no reason why we should not talk to the old man, so seats were placed for us outside the door, while Tsiskwa lay stretched out on the bed just inside and The Mink perched himself on the fence a few yards distant to keep an eye on the proceedings. As there was a possibility that a white man might unconsciously affect the operation of the Indian medicine, the writer deemed it advisable to keep out of sight altogether, and accordingly took up a position just around the corner of the house, but within easy hearing distance, while the interpreter sat facing the doorway within a few feet of the sick man inside. Then began an animated conversation, Tsiskwa inquiring, through the interpreter, as to the purpose of the Government in gathering such information, wanting to know how we had succeeded with other shamans and asking various questions in regard to other tribes and their customs. The replies were given in the same manner, an attempt being also made to draw him out as to the extent of his own knowledge. Thus we talked until the old man grew weary, but throughout the whole of this singular interview neither party saw the other, nor was the gaktûnta violated by entering the house. From this example it must be sufficiently evident that the tabu as to visitors is not a hygienic precaution for securing greater quiet to the patient, or to prevent the spread of contagion, but that it is simply a religious observance of the tribe, exactly parallel to many of the regulations among the ancient Jews, as laid down in the book of Leviticus. Sacred Formulas of the Cherokees by James Mooney. 7th Annual report, Bureau of American Ethnology. pp. 302-97 [1891] and is now in the public domain.