A Cherokee Story

[Spirithawk]

Hey y'all, hope everyone is doing well. I know some of you enjoy my stories and it's been a while so thought I'd post one. As my health deteriates sharing them is more important to me than ever. It always warms my heart when someone says a grandparent or parent told them such a story and thanks for the memories. Can't express how much that means to me. Anyways, here ya go folks. This has always been one of my favorites. Funny, I can't remember where I left the tv remote half the time but I still remember what I was told as a boy.

An Aniyuhnwiya Story - The Legend Of The Cedar Tree



This is what I was told as a boy...In the begining, when the Aniyuhnwiya ( Ah-nee-yuhn-wee-yah meaning the Principal People aka Cherokee) people were new upon the earth, they thought that life would be much better if there was never any night so they decided to ask the Creator to make it day all of the time so there would no longer be any darkness. They thought that would give them more time to hunt, work the gardens and do the many things needing done but which there never seemed enough time to do.

The Creator heard their voices and made the night cease to be and so it became day all of the time. At first this greatly pleased the People but before long, the forest was thick with heavy dense growth. It became dificult to walk and to even find a path. The people had to work very hard to keep weeds pulled from among the corn and other plants they grew for food. It got extremely hot and stayed that way day after day. The people found it very hard to sleep, grew short tempered , and began to fight among themselves which was very foreign to their true nature.

Not many days passed before the people realised their folly, so once again they beseeched the Creator to hear them. They admitted their mistake but now they asked that it be night all of the time. The Creator hesitated at this new request, but thought that maybe the people were right, though all things he had created in two's. Night and day, life and death, good and evil, times of plenty and times of famine. But the Creator loved the people so much that he granted their prayers.

The day ceased to be and darkness fell across the world. Soon the crops began to die and without the sun it became very cold. The people now had to spend all their time gathering wood for fires to warm themselves. They could no longer see to hunt and with no crops nor meat they grew weak, cold, hungry, and many died.

Those that remained still living, beseeched the Creator once more for his help. They cried " We have made a terrible mistake" "Help us, you were wise and made the night and day as it should have been in the begining. We ask that you forgive our foolishness and make it so again, as it was before. "

Once more the Creater heard their prayers. The day again became devided between light and darkness. The weather once more became pleasant and the crops began to grow again. Game became plentiful and the people could see again to hunt. Because they were no longer cold and had plenty to eat , sickness no longer plaqued them. The people once more treated each other with kindness and respect. It was once more good to be alive and the people gave the Creator their thanks, for their life and for the food they had to eat.

The Creator was pleased and accepted their thanks. He was pleased to see them happy once again. The Creator was sad though for all of those that had suffered and died during the times of the long days and long nights. After much thought he decided to place their spirits in a newly created tree. This tree was named a-tsi-na- tlu- gv ( ah-see-nah loo-guh ) Cedar Tree.

When you smell the fragrance of the cedar tree or gaze upon it in the forest, remember that if you are Aniyuhnwiya (Cherokee) , you are looking upon your ancestors. We Cherokee place a small piece of Cedar above out doorways for good luck. We also place a small piece in our medicine bags......So says Spirthawk ^i^

If you enjoyed this story please pass it on to others so that they might as well. In doing so the stories are kept alive. So are the traditions and history of the Cherokee people.

[Slowhanddd]

Another interesting story.Thanks for sharing,Slow

[Shu]

Thanks Elder! A good story. I wondered about the cedar tree, I had heard it was a sacred thing.

[Sourdough]

My Grandma Hunter, (Cherokee) always placed a Ceder sprig over the door, saying it was good luck.  She never told stories, or anything else about her heritage.

[Winter Hawk]

Thank you.  We need to pass on the old stories for the next generation, although I fear they lack interest in them.

-WH-

[powderman]

SPIRITHAWK. Thank you so much for yet another great story. It's important that these stories do not die. You might consider having them recorded as you tell them and having them put on paper at a later date. Don't know if you ever heard of the foxfire series of books. They were the brainchild of a school teacher using his students to go into the hills and recording stories of the old timers to preserve the history of the mountain folk. POWDERMAN. 

[Brett]

Great story and well told Spirithawk.   I love folklore, fables, mythology, and the like especially when they have a moral to them. 

Sourdough needs to write a book about his hunting adventures and you need to write a book of Cherokee folklore.  I'ld be in that book club.     

[Blackhawker]

Spirithawk,
Thank you for passing that story on to us.  Stories like these need to stay alive and continue on.
I hope your health strengthens and remains strong.

[BBF]

My ancestors( way back) venerated the Oak

[Spirithawk]

First, I'm glad you all enjoyed the story. I'll post another sometime soon.
 
Sourdough, there was probaly a reason for her being tight lipped. She could remember a time when being Indian wasn't very popular. When it was against the law for any Indian to own land or reside outside of a reservation. When Indian children were forced into Government schools.  Sometimes talking about the old ways can free one's spirit, but sometimes it can bring up memories to terrible to bear. Can't blame her for not talking too much, few did, my grandparents and father included. I learned what I have by asking questions of the right people but questions that would have never had answers had I not asked. Hope that makes some sense to you bro.

[BBF]

Up here, it was the Catholic Church that played roughshot with the Govt. blessing when dealing with the Natives.

[Sourdough]

Spirithawk:  Yes, I found out later about her family.  They had been living as white, outside the Cherokee Nation.  They were able to pass as white.  Plus they had something few of the other Cherokees had, Blue Eyes.  They escaped the forced march to Oklahoma.  They owned no land, and were protected by the close friends that knew they were Cherokee.  She and her brothers and sisters were the last of her line.  They all married whites.  There was never anything put down in writing about them being Cherokee, to prevent being found out.  So that line was lost in the early 1800s never to resurface.

She did say at one time that she had grown up and lived in fear almost her entire life fo being found out and forced to move to Oklahoma.  Two of her sisters moved to Pheonix AZ.  They tried to talk her into moving there, where they felt they were not suspect of not being white.  My Grandma refused to leave Tennessee.

In the later part of her life, she talked to me and one of my cousins.  She told us things she had never told other family members.  Things she claimed even my father did not know.  By then she realized no one cared anymore wheather she was a Cherokee or not.  It was very interesting to talk to her.  When I was small she would whisper in my ear that my blue eyes were the Cherokee in me.  At the time I did not understand what she meant.  With the exception of my Dad and his brother,then  me and the one cousin all her decendents took my Grandfathers brown eyes.

[Hooker]

Great story Spirithawk Thank you.


Pat

[Spirithawk]

Great story Spirithawk Thank you.


Pat

You are quite welcome.
 
Sourdough, the Blue eyes doesn't surprise me at all. The Cherokee are one of what was labled the Five Civilized tribes which are the Cherokee, Creek, Choctaw, Seminole and Chickasaw. Thus they intermingled with Europeans more so than Western tribes. In fact, one of the Cherokee Chiefs was of Scot decent. So don't let the Blue eyes bother ya one bit. Anyone doubts your Cherokee blood, their ignorance and don't change one bit who you are. Heck Bro, I've Cherokee ancestors listed on the Rolls, but unless I apply and get registered, I'm not oficialy concidered Cherokee by the tribe nor government. Wouldn't matter if I were full blood. My grandparents saw the irony in that and said as I do, we don't need the Government nor a piece of paper to tell us who we are.