Reading Notes: Cherokee, Part B
The Ball Game of the Birds and Animals
Source: Myths of the Cherokee by James Mooney (1900).
The story go the ball game of the birds and the animals begins when the animals challenged the birds to a great ball game. The leaders of each team made the arrangements and decided on a day in which the ball game would take place. The captain of the animals was the bear, who was very strong. On the way to the ball field the bear was throwing logs and showing his strength, boasting to the other animals and birds. The animal team seemed to have many strengths: the strong bear, the tough terrapin, and the fast deer. The captain of the birds was the eagle. The birds had many strong players as well including the hawk and other large strong birds. However, they were still scared of the animals. When the game was about to begin two mice came up to the eagle and asked if they would join the bird team. The mice claimed they tried to join the animal team, but they were just made fun of and were not accepted by the other animals. The eagle decided to take the mice on their team out of pity. The birds ran into a problem because the mice did not have wings so they decided to make them some. When they put the ground hog skin on one of the mice to make it have wings, it turned into a bat and was able to fly high and low while holding the ball. The other mouse was transformed into a flying squirrel by having its skin stretched by the other birds.
When the game finally began the flying squirrel and the bat on the birds team played a key role in winning the game for the birds. The large animals such as the bear and terrapin never even got to touch the ball even though they boasted so much going into the game.
The Owl Gets Married
Source: Myths of the Cherokee by James Mooney (1900).
A widow warned her daughter that when she is finding a husband she should find a husband that is a good hunter. The daughter promised her mother that she would do this. One day, a man came and asked the mother for the daughters hand in marriage. The mother asked if he was a good hunter and the man assured her that he was. The mother told her daughter that a man had come and courted her. The man came again when all of the matters were arranged and the daughter and him lived together. On the first day of living together, the man went out fishing all day and only came home with three small fish. The next day the man went and fished all day and only came home with two worthless lizards and had the same excuse. The next day he went hunting and only came home with deer scraps that some other hunters had cut up. The daughter started to get suspicious and followed in on one of his hunts one day. What she saw truly surprised her. Her husband transformed into an owl and started flying around. The man returned home and the daughter claimed that he was the owl scaring away all of the fish and animals and the man went into the woods and grieved.
Source: Myths of the Cherokee by James Mooney (1900).
The story go the ball game of the birds and the animals begins when the animals challenged the birds to a great ball game. The leaders of each team made the arrangements and decided on a day in which the ball game would take place. The captain of the animals was the bear, who was very strong. On the way to the ball field the bear was throwing logs and showing his strength, boasting to the other animals and birds. The animal team seemed to have many strengths: the strong bear, the tough terrapin, and the fast deer. The captain of the birds was the eagle. The birds had many strong players as well including the hawk and other large strong birds. However, they were still scared of the animals. When the game was about to begin two mice came up to the eagle and asked if they would join the bird team. The mice claimed they tried to join the animal team, but they were just made fun of and were not accepted by the other animals. The eagle decided to take the mice on their team out of pity. The birds ran into a problem because the mice did not have wings so they decided to make them some. When they put the ground hog skin on one of the mice to make it have wings, it turned into a bat and was able to fly high and low while holding the ball. The other mouse was transformed into a flying squirrel by having its skin stretched by the other birds.
When the game finally began the flying squirrel and the bat on the birds team played a key role in winning the game for the birds. The large animals such as the bear and terrapin never even got to touch the ball even though they boasted so much going into the game.
The Owl Gets Married
Source: Myths of the Cherokee by James Mooney (1900).
A widow warned her daughter that when she is finding a husband she should find a husband that is a good hunter. The daughter promised her mother that she would do this. One day, a man came and asked the mother for the daughters hand in marriage. The mother asked if he was a good hunter and the man assured her that he was. The mother told her daughter that a man had come and courted her. The man came again when all of the matters were arranged and the daughter and him lived together. On the first day of living together, the man went out fishing all day and only came home with three small fish. The next day the man went and fished all day and only came home with two worthless lizards and had the same excuse. The next day he went hunting and only came home with deer scraps that some other hunters had cut up. The daughter started to get suspicious and followed in on one of his hunts one day. What she saw truly surprised her. Her husband transformed into an owl and started flying around. The man returned home and the daughter claimed that he was the owl scaring away all of the fish and animals and the man went into the woods and grieved.
(owl)
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