Week 9 Reading Diary: Myths of the Cherokee

I decided to read through Myths of the Cherokee by James Mooney (1900) for this weeks Native American unit.

The Rattlesnake's Vengeance

This story stood out to me because I couldn't believe that the husband gave up his wife to a tribe of rattlesnakes. In the story, a wife and her kids were playing around the house when a rattlesnake approached the children. Out of instinct, the mother killed the rattlesnake. I would have done the same. Her husband was out and about hunting when a tribe of rattlesnakes approached him. They cried to him that his wife had killed their chief rattlesnake. The hunter apologized, but in order to prove this, the hunter had to give the tribe his wife. And that's exactly what he did! He returned home and asked his wife to fetch water from the well. When she went to retrieve the water, the band of rattlesnakes bit her. The husband stayed with her until she died, but still what in the world! I guess legend says that there is a mutual understanding between the rattlesnakes and humans now. The Cherokee must sing a song before approaching any rattlesnake and the snake won't attack the human.

Rattlesnake. Source.

The Race Between the Crane and the Hummingbird

This story was pretty funny. A crane and a hummingbird race around the world in order to marry a woman that they're both in love with. The hummingbird was a fast fellow and very handsome whereas the crane was a hefty guy that was awkward looking. The woman thought the hummingbird would win with ease, but she didn't realize that the crane could fly all night. The hummingbird sped off at first but became really tired and took a break. The crane flew steadily and ate breakfast before each flight. The ended up winning the race, but the woman refused to marry him! So she stayed single.