In the old days the beasts, birds, fishes, insects, and plants were all able to speak, they all lived in peace and were friendly with people. As time moved along the people increased their population very fast, their villages and towns covered the entire earth, and the animals and plants and things were being pushed aside for the land. As if this wasn’t bad enough man had invented the bow and arrow, blowguns (the Cherokee were/are excellent hunters with the blowgun. This is also used by the natives of the Amazon rain forest. The Mayan-Cherokee connection.), knives, spears, and fish hooks. With these new tools Man began to slaughter his neighbors, the animals and fish. The larger animals, birds, and fish were slaughtered for their flesh or skins, while the smaller creatures, like frogs and worms, were crushed under Man’s feet without any thought about it, out of carelessness or pure contempt. Thus the animals decided to hold a council to consult with their tribe members on what they should do.
The first animals to meet were the bears, the biggest of the animals, in their townhouse (the Cherokee word for the community meeting house) under Kuwa’hi Mountain, also known as the “Mulberry place,” and the chief that presided was the old White Bear. After each of the bears had spoke of their complaints against the humans for killing their friends and family, that they had eaten the flesh, and had used their skins for their own purposes, the bears decided to commence war against the humans. One of the bears asked what weapons the humans use to destroy them. All the bears answered in chorus, “Bows and arrows, of course.” “And what are they made of?” was the next question that was yelled out. One of the bears answered, “The bow is of wood, and the string of our entrails.” It was then decided to make a bow and some arrows to see if they could not use the same weapons against Man. One bear retrieved a good piece of locust wood and another bear sacrificed himself for the good of the others to furnish a piece of his entrails to make the string. But when everything was ready for the test, a bear stepped up, and it was found that in letting the arrow fly after drawing back the bow, his long claws would catch on the string and ruin the shot. Another bear suggested trimming down his claws, and when he shot the arrow it went straight to the mark. The old White Bear objected, saying, that they needed their long claws to climb trees. “One of us has already died to furnish the bowstring, and if we now cut off our claws we must all starve together. It is better to trust to the teeth and claws that nature gave us, for it is plain that man’s weapons were not intended for us.”
No one could think of a better plan, so the old White Bear dismissed the council and the Bears dispersed throughout the woods and thickets without a plan to slow the expansion of the human race. If the results of the council been any different, we would now be at war with the Bears, but as it is, the hunter does not even ask the Bear’s pardon when he kills one.
The Deer were the next to hold council in their townhouse. Their chief was Little Deer, and after some discussion it was decided to send rheumatism to every hunter who should kill one of them unless he asked their pardon for the offense. They sent notice of their decision to the closest Indian settlement and told them what they had to do if it became necessary for a human to kill a member of the Deer tribe. Now, whenever a hunter shoots a Deer, the Little Deer, who is swift as the wind and cannot be wounded, runs quickly up to the spot and, bending over the blood-stains, asks the spirit of the Deer if it has heard the prayer of the hunter for pardon. If the reply be “Yes,” all is well, and the Little Deer goes on his way; if the answer be “No,” he will follow the trail of the hunter, guided by the blood drops on the ground, until he arrives at the cabin of the hunter, when the Little Deer enters invisibly and strikes the hunter with rheumatism, so that, at once, he becomes a helpless cripple. No hunter who has regards for his health ever fails to ask pardon of the Deer for killing it. Although some hunters who have not yet learned the prayer may try to turn aside Little Deer by building a fire behind himself on the trail.
The next council was the Fishes and Reptiles, who had their own complaints against Man. They combined their councils and decided to make their victims dream of snakes twining about them in slimy folds and blowing their foul breath in their faces, or to make them dream of eating raw or decaying fish, so that they would lose their appetite, grow sick, and die. This is why people dream of snakes and fishes.
The last council was held by the Birds, Insects, and smaller animals, all for the same purpose, and the chief was the Grub worm. It was decided that each in turn should give an opinion, and then they would vote on the question as to whether Man was guilty or not. Seven votes should be enough to condemn him. One after another denounced Man for his cruelty and injustice towards the other animals and voted in favor of his death. The Frog was the first to speak, “We must do something to check the increase of the race, or people will become so numerous that we shall be crowed off the earth. See how they have kicked me about because I’m ugly, as they say, until my back is covered with sores;” and he showed the spots on his skin. Next was the Birds’ turn to condemn Man, “because he burns my feet off,” meaning the way in which the hunter barbeques birds by impaling them on a stick set over the fire, so that their feathers and tender feet are singed off. Others followed in the same strain. The Ground-squirrel was the only one to say a good word for Man, who seldom hurt him because he is so small, this made the others so angry that they fell upon the Ground-squirrel and tore him with their claws, and the stripes are on his back to this day.
They began then to devise and name so many new diseases, one after another, that had not their invention at last failed them, no one of the human race would have survived. The Grub worm grew constantly more pleased as the name of each new disease was called out, until at last they reached the end of the list, when someone proposed to make menstruation sometimes fatal to women. On this the Grub worm rose up in his place and shouted, “Wadan!” (Thanks) I’m glad more of them will die, for they are getting so thick that they tread on me.” The thought made him shudder with joy, so that he fell over backward and could not get back on his feet again, but had to wriggle off on his back, as the Grub worm has done ever since.
When the plants, who were friendly to Man, heard what had been done by the animals, they determined to defeat the animals’ evil designs. Each Tree, Shrub, and Herb, down to even the Grasses and Mosses, agreed to furnish a cure for someone of the diseases named, and each said, “I shall appear to help Man when he calls upon me in his need.” Thus came medicine; and the plants, every one of which has its use if we only knew it, furnish the remedy to counter the evil wrought by the revengeful animals. Even weeds were made for some good purpose, which we must find out for ourselves. When the doctor does not know which plant to use for a sick man the spirit of the plant tells him.
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