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Myths of the Cherokee
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Native American ethnography and religion

Myths of the Cherokee

James Mooney1900
Intermediatecomplete

The definitive and primary source for the sacred myths, legends, and historical traditions of the Cherokee people. James Mooney, working for the Smithsonian, spent years among the Cherokee, collecting their creation stories, animal fables, and deep oral history. The work includes the famous 'Trail of Tears' history from the Cherokee perspective and detailed accounts of their traditional beliefs in the 'Seven Clans', the 'Little People', and the origins of disease and medicine. It remains an essential artifact of North American indigenous culture.

Also known asJames Mooney - Myths of the Cherokee · The Myths of the Cherokee
This edition1900
EditionBureau of American Ethnology (19th Annual Report)
Comparative MythologyFolklore StudiesCreation Mythsfolk magic and healingEuropean folkloreWestern Anthropologicalfolk customsritual documentationAnthropologyNative American MythologyFolklore & SuperstitionShamanism

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Comparative Mythology

Comparative mythology texts on gods, hero cycles, symbolic patterns, classical myth, Indo-European myth, and cross-cultural mythic structures.

Folklore Studies

Folklore studies texts on folk tales, fairy belief, superstition, regional customs, oral tradition, and the collection of vernacular belief.

Anthropology of Religion

Anthropological texts on ritual, animism, totemism, taboo, early religion, culture, and theories of belief formation.

Contents225 chapters

  1. 01CONTENTS
  2. 02ILLUSTRATIONS
  3. 03MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE
  4. 04I—INTRODUCTION
  5. 05II—HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE CHEROKEE
  6. 06The Traditionary Period
  7. 07The Period of Spanish Exploration—1540–?
  8. 08The Colonial and Revolutionary Period—1654–1784
  9. 09Relations with the United States
  10. 10FROM THE FIRST TREATY TO THE REMOVAL—1785–1838
  11. 11THE REMOVAL—1838–39
  12. 12THE ARKANSAS BAND—1817–1838
  13. 13THE TEXAS BAND—1817–1900
  14. 14THE CHEROKEE NATION IN THE WEST—1840–1900
  15. 15THE EASTERN BAND
  16. 16III—NOTES TO THE HISTORICAL SKETCH
  17. 17IV—STORIES AND STORY TELLERS
  18. 18V—THE MYTHS
  19. 19Cosmogonic Myths
  20. 201. HOW THE WORLD WAS MADE
  21. 212. THE FIRST FIRE
  22. 223. KANA′TĬ AND SELU: THE ORIGIN OF GAME AND CORN
  23. 234. ORIGIN OF DISEASE AND MEDICINE
  24. 245. THE DAUGHTER OF THE SUN
  25. 256. HOW THEY BROUGHT BACK THE TOBACCO
  26. 267. THE JOURNEY TO THE SUNRISE
  27. 278. THE MOON AND THE THUNDERS.
  28. 289. WHAT THE STARS ARE LIKE
  29. 2910. ORIGIN OF THE PLEIADES AND THE PINE
  30. 3011. THE MILKY WAY
  31. 3112. ORIGIN OF STRAWBERRIES
  32. 3213. THE GREAT YELLOW-JACKET: ORIGIN OF FISH AND FROGS
  33. 3314. THE DELUGE
  34. 34Quadruped Myths
  35. 3515. THE FOURFOOTED TRIBES
  36. 3616. THE RABBIT GOES DUCK HUNTING
  37. 3717. HOW THE RABBIT STOLE THE OTTER’S COAT
  38. 3818. WHY THE POSSUM’S TAIL IS BARE
  39. 3919. HOW THE WILDCAT CAUGHT THE GOBBLER
  40. 4020. HOW THE TERRAPIN BEAT THE RABBIT
  41. 4121. THE RABBIT AND THE TAR WOLF
  42. 4222. THE RABBIT AND THE POSSUM AFTER A WIFE
  43. 4323. THE RABBIT DINES THE BEAR
  44. 4424. THE RABBIT ESCAPES FROM THE WOLVES
  45. 4525. FLINT VISITS THE RABBIT
  46. 4626. HOW THE DEER GOT HIS HORNS
  47. 4727. WHY THE DEER’S TEETH ARE BLUNT
  48. 4828. WHAT BECAME OF THE RABBIT
  49. 4929. WHY THE MINK SMELLS
  50. 5030. WHY THE MOLE LIVES UNDERGROUND
  51. 5131. THE TERRAPIN’S ESCAPE FROM THE WOLVES
  52. 5232. ORIGIN OF THE GROUNDHOG DANCE: THE GROUNDHOG’S HEAD
  53. 5333. THE MIGRATION OF THE ANIMALS
  54. 5434. THE WOLF’S REVENGE—THE WOLF AND THE DOG
  55. 55Bird Myths
  56. 5635. THE BIRD TRIBES
  57. 5736. THE BALL GAME OF THE BIRDS AND ANIMALS
  58. 5837. HOW THE TURKEY GOT HIS BEARD
  59. 5938. WHY THE TURKEY GOBBLES
  60. 6039. HOW THE KINGFISHER GOT HIS BILL
  61. 6140. HOW THE PARTRIDGE GOT HIS WHISTLE
  62. 6241. HOW THE REDBIRD GOT HIS COLOR
  63. 6342. THE PHEASANT BEATING CORN; ORIGIN OF THE PHEASANT DANCE
  64. 6443. THE RACE BETWEEN THE CRANE AND THE HUMMINGBIRD
  65. 6544. THE OWL GETS MARRIED
  66. 6645. THE HUHU GETS MARRIED
  67. 6746. WHY THE BUZZARD’S HEAD IS BARE
  68. 6847. THE EAGLE’S REVENGE
  69. 6948. THE HUNTER AND THE BUZZARD
  70. 70Snake, Fish, and Insect Myths
  71. 7149. THE SNAKE TRIBE
  72. 7250. THE UKTENA AND THE ULÛÑSÛ′TĬ
  73. 7351. ÂGĂN-UNI′TSĬ’S SEARCH FOR THE UKTENA
  74. 7452. THE RED MAN AND THE UKTENA
  75. 7553. THE HUNTER AND THE UKSU′HĬ
  76. 7654. THE USTÛ′TLĬ
  77. 7755. THE UWʼTSÛÑ′TA
  78. 7856. THE SNAKE BOY
  79. 7957. THE SNAKE MAN
  80. 8058. THE RATTLESNAKE’S VENGEANCE
  81. 8159. THE SMALLER REPTILES—FISHES AND INSECTS
  82. 8260. WHY THE BULLFROG’S HEAD IS STRIPED
  83. 8361. THE BULLFROG LOVER
  84. 8462. THE KATYDID’S WARNING
  85. 85Wonder Stories
  86. 8663. ÛÑTSAIYĬ′, THE GAMBLER
  87. 8764. THE NEST OF THE TLĂ′NUWĂ
  88. 8865. THE HUNTER AND THE TLĂ′NUWĂ
  89. 8966. UʻTLÛÑ′TĂ, THE SPEAR-FINGER
  90. 9067. NÛÑ′YUNU′WĬ, THE STONE MAN
  91. 9168. THE HUNTER IN THE DĂKWĂ′
  92. 9269. ATAGÂ′HĬ, THE ENCHANTED LAKE
  93. 9370. THE BRIDE FROM THE SOUTH
  94. 9471. THE ICE MAN
  95. 9572. THE HUNTER AND SELU
  96. 9673. THE UNDERGROUND PANTHERS
  97. 9774. THE TSUNDIGE′WĬ
  98. 9875. ORIGIN OF THE BEAR: THE BEAR SONGS
  99. 9976. THE BEAR MAN
  100. 10077. THE GREAT LEECH OF TLANUSI′YĬ
  101. 10178. THE NÛÑNĔ′HĬ AND OTHER SPIRIT FOLK
  102. 10279. THE REMOVED TOWNHOUSES
  103. 10380. THE SPIRIT DEFENDERS OF NĬKWĂSĬ′
  104. 10481. TSULʻKĂLÛ′, THE SLANT-EYED GIANT
  105. 10582. KĂNA′STA, THE LOST SETTLEMENT
  106. 10683. TSUWE′NĂHĬ: A LEGEND OF PILOT KNOB
  107. 10784. THE MAN WHO MARRIED THE THUNDER’S SISTER
  108. 10885. THE HAUNTED WHIRLPOOL
  109. 10986. YAHULA
  110. 11087. THE WATER CANNIBALS
  111. 111Historical Traditions
  112. 11288. FIRST CONTACT WITH WHITES
  113. 11389. THE IROQUOIS WARS
  114. 11490. HIADEONI, THE SENECA
  115. 11591. THE TWO MOHAWKS
  116. 11692. ESCAPE OF THE SENECA BOYS
  117. 11793. THE UNSEEN HELPERS
  118. 11894. HATCINOÑDOÑ’S ESCAPE FROM THE CHEROKEE
  119. 11995. HEMP-CARRIER
  120. 12096. THE SENECA PEACEMAKERS
  121. 12197. ORIGIN OF THE YONTOÑWISAS DANCE
  122. 12298. GAʼNA’S ADVENTURES AMONG THE CHEROKEE
  123. 12399. THE SHAWANO WARS
  124. 124100. THE RAID ON TĬKWĂLI′TSĬ
  125. 125101. THE LAST SHAWANO INVASION
  126. 126102. THE FALSE WARRIORS OF CHILHOWEE
  127. 127103. COWEE TOWN
  128. 128104. THE EASTERN TRIBES
  129. 129105. THE SOUTHERN AND WESTERN TRIBES
  130. 130106. THE GIANTS FROM THE WEST
  131. 131107. THE LOST CHEROKEE
  132. 132108. THE MASSACRE OF THE ANI′-KUTA′NĬ
  133. 133109. THE WAR MEDICINE
  134. 134110. INCIDENTS OF PERSONAL HEROISM
  135. 135111. THE MOUNDS AND THE CONSTANT FIRE: THE OLD SACRED THINGS
  136. 136Miscellaneous Myths and Legends
  137. 137112. THE IGNORANT HOUSEKEEPER
  138. 138113. THE MAN IN THE STUMP
  139. 139114. TWO LAZY HUNTERS
  140. 140115. THE TWO OLD MEN
  141. 141116. THE STAR FEATHERS
  142. 142117. THE MOTHER BEAR’S SONG
  143. 143118. BABY SONG, TO PLEASE THE CHILDREN
  144. 144119. WHEN BABIES ARE BORN: THE WREN AND THE CRICKET
  145. 145120. THE RAVEN MOCKER
  146. 146121. HERBERT’S SPRING
  147. 147122. LOCAL LEGENDS OF NORTH CAROLINA
  148. 148123. LOCAL LEGENDS OF SOUTH CAROLINA
  149. 149124. LOCAL LEGENDS OF TENNESSEE
  150. 150125. LOCAL LEGENDS OF GEORGIA
  151. 151126. PLANT LORE
  152. 152NOTES AND PARALLELS TO MYTHS
  153. 153GLOSSARY OF CHEROKEE WORDS
  154. 154INDEX TO PART 1
  155. 155A
  156. 156B
  157. 157C
  158. 158D
  159. 159E
  160. 160F
  161. 161G
  162. 162H
  163. 163I
  164. 164J
  165. 165K
  166. 166L
  167. 167M
  168. 168N
  169. 169O
  170. 170P
  171. 171Q
  172. 172R
  173. 173S
  174. 174T
  175. 175U
  176. 176V
  177. 177W
  178. 178X
  179. 179Y
  180. 180Z
  181. 181Colophon
  182. 182Availability
  183. 183Encoding
  184. 184Revision History
  185. 185External References
  186. 186Corrections
  187. 187
  188. 188Myths of the Cherokee
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