Straddlebug || myBlog 
Subject : A Cherokee Creation Story
Date/Time : 8/14/2012 9:13:08 AM
Many, many moons ago, in the beginning of time, the earth was all water. There was no land. All the four-leggeds, all the animals, all the winged-ones, lived up in the sky on the clouds, they were waiting for the land to dry, but it would not dry.
They would send one animal but he would never come back unable to find dry land. The animals would regularly check the water below.
Finally, after a dog had looked and reported back that it was still wet, they sent the water beetle. The water beetle dove into the water, grabbed a handful of mud at the bottom, brought it up and placed it on top of the water, and it started to dry, started to build land. He brought more and more; and still they waited for it to dry, still they waited and waited.
Finally, they sent grandfather buzzard, the mighty buzzard, down and the land was almost dry. As the buzzard flew, he'd fly down close to the land; and every time he would flap his mighty wings, he would form a mountain and a valley. That's why the Cherokee land has mountains and valleys in it today.
All the animals came down and settled on the earth.
After they did, they realized they had no light. So they called to Grandfather and asked would he give them light, and he did. He brought to them the sun. He the sun down right by the ground, and it was too hot for the
animals.
So they pushed and pushed, till finally they got it far enough out that it would not burn all the time, but it was still so hot that the crawfish was baked. That's why, if you look at him today, he is red from the sun being too close.
Finally, they got the sun far enough out so it would not burn and we would have night.
And Grandfather told them, "Now that I have done this for you, I ask that all the four-legged, and all the animals, and the plants stay awake for seven days and seven nights." This is why today, when a warrior goes to cross his manhood, he fasts and sweats for seven days.
All the animals and all the plants fell asleep except for some.
The owl stayed awake, and that's why he has vision to hunt at night now.
The plants, the Douglas fir, the cedar, the pine, and a few others stayed awake for seven nights and for seven days. That's why only these, among all the plants, are allowed to stay green all the year round. The other plants fell asleep and so must sleep part of every year.
Subject : Hopi Proverb
Date/Time : 8/13/2012 10:21:59 AM
Wisdom comes only when you stop looking for it and start living the life the Creator intended for you.
Subject : A Walpi Legend
Date/Time : 8/13/2012 10:21:40 AM
In the long ago, the Snake, Horn, and Eagle people lived here (in Tusayan) but their corn grew only a span high and when they sang for rain, the Cloud god sent only a thin mist. My people lived then in the distant Pa-lat Kwa-bi in the South.
There was a very bad old man there. When he met any one he would spit in their faces. He did all manner of evil. Baholihonga got angry at this and turned the world upside down. Water spouted up through the kivas and through the fire places in the houses.
The earth was rent in great chasms, and water covered everything except one narrow ridge of mud. Across this the Serpent-god told all the people to travel. As they journeyed across, the feet of the bad slipped and they fell into the dark water.
The good people, after many days, reached dry land.
While the water was rising around the village, the old people got on top of the houses. They thought they could not struggle across with the younger people. But Baholihonga clothed them with the skins of turkeys.
They spread their wings out and floated in the air just above the surface of the water, and in this way they got across.
There were saved of us, the Water people, the Corn people, the Lizard, Horned-toad, and Sand peoples, two families of Rabbit, and the Tobacco people. The turkey tail dragged in the water.
That is why there is white on the turkey's tail now. This is also the reason why old people use turkey-feathers at the religious ceremonies.
Subject : Tuscarora Proverb
Date/Time : 8/10/2012 9:49:12 AM
Man has responsibility, not power.
Subject : Tuscarora - Mosquito Story
Date/Time : 8/10/2012 9:48:48 AM
One time there lived a giant Mosquito. He was bigger than a bear and more terrifying. When he flew through the air, the Sun couldn't be seen and it became dark as night. The zooming of his wings was wilder than a storm. And when he was hungry, he would fly into a camp and carry off an person or two and pick their bones clean.
Again and again the warriors tried to destroy the wild beast but their arrows fell off him like dew drops off a leaf. They did not know what to do.
So the chief and the medicine men in the tribe ordered a big meeting to pray to the creator to help them destroy the monster Mosquito. They burned great fires and they sang, and they danced and they prayed.
Bat and spider heard their loud cry for help and decided to see what they could do. bat came down from the sky, looking for the monster to do battle with him and destroy him. And spider spun a huge web to try and catch him.
The great Mosquito heard this and he knew he could not beat bat, so he decided to run away. He flew and he flew and he flew so fast no one could see him. He was faster than lightning. The only sound was the wild zooming of his wings through the air. But bat was after him just as fast.
The giant monster flew around lakes, over rivers and over mountains toward the East. Bat kept after him, never tiring.
Swiftly and wildly, at the speed of eagles, the monster flew towards the ocean and there bat reached him.
When Sun was going down in a red mist at the end of the sky, the great monster came to the large lakes of the East. He turned to look and saw the bat was coming nearer and as he did this he flew right into spiders huge web.
The battle was short and the monster Mosquito was destroyed. His blood spattered and flew in all directions. And... a strange thing happened. From the blood were born small mosquitoes with sharp stingers.
No sooner were they born than they flew in all directions and they attack all animals without prejudice. These small mosquitoes with the sharp stingers multiplied a thousand fold.
It happened long ago, but to this day we have thousands of mosquitoes with sharp stingers. Bat still hunts them every night, and spider still spins a web to catch them.
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