Myths of the Cherokee by James Mooney
93. The Unseen Helpers (p. 359): The meaning of the Seneca name can
1100 words | Chapter 246
not be given.
Animal Protectors--The leading incident of this tale is closely
paralleled by a Kiowa story, told by the old men as an actual
occurrence of some fifty years ago, concerning a warrior who, having
been desperately wounded in an engagement with Mexican troops in
southern Texas, was abandoned to die by his retreating comrades. At
night, while lying upon the ground awaiting death, and unable to move,
he heard a long howl in the distance, which was repeated nearer and
nearer, until at last he heard the patter of feet in the sand, and
a wolf came up and licked the festering wounds of the warrior with
such soothing effect that he fell asleep. This was repeated several
times until the man was able to sit up, when the wolf left him,
after telling him--not in the vision of a dream, but as a companion
face to face--that he must keep up his courage, and that he would
get back in safety to his tribe. Soon afterward the wounded warrior
was found by a party of Comanche, who restored him to his people. At
the next Sun dance he made public thanksgiving for his rescue (see
the author's Calendar History of the Kiowa Indians, in Seventeenth
Annual Report Bureau of American Ethnology, part 1, 1901). The story
is not impossible. A wolf may easily have licked the wounded man's
sores, as a dog might do, and through the relief thus afforded, if
not by sympathy of companionship, have enabled him to hold out until
rescued by friends. The rest is easy to the imagination of an Indian,
who believes that there is no essential difference between himself
and other animals.
The War Woman--The women described as having power to decide the
fate of captives, mentioned also in the next story (number 94), are
evidently the female dignitaries among the ancient Cherokee known to
early writers as "War Women" or "Pretty Women." Owing to the decay of
Cherokee tradition and custom it is now impossible to gather anything
positive on the subject from Indian informants, but from documentary
references it is apparent that there existed among the Cherokee a
custom analogous to that found among the Iroquois and probably other
Eastern tribes, by which the decision of important questions relating
to peace and war was left to a vote of the women. Among the Iroquois
this privilege was exercised by a council of matrons, the mothers of
the tribes. It may have been the same among the Cherokee, with the
"Pretty Woman" to voice the decision of the council, or the final
rendering may have been according to the will of the "Pretty Woman"
herself. The institution served in a measure to mitigate the evils of
war and had its origin in the clan system. Under this system a captive
enemy was still an enemy until he had been adopted into the tribe,
which could only be done through adoption into a clan and family. As
clan descent was reckoned through the women it rested with them to
decide the question of adoption. If they were favorable all was well,
and the captive became at once a member of a family and clan and of
the tribe at large. Otherwise, as a public enemy, only death remained
to him, unless he was ransomed by friends. The proper Cherokee title
of this female arbiter of life and death is unknown. The clan of
the Ani'-Gilâ'hi, or "Long-hairs," is sometimes spoken of as the
Pretty-woman clan, and the office may have been hereditary in that
clan. The Seneca stories imply that there were two of these female
officers, but from Haywood's account there would seem to have been
but one. An upper tributary of Savannah river in Georgia bears the
name War-woman creek.
Timberlake says in 1765 (Memoirs, p. 70): "These chiefs or headmen
likewise compose the assemblies of the nation, into which the war
women are admitted, many of the Indian women being as famous in war
as powerful in the council."
At the Hopewell treaty conference in 1785 the principal chief of
Echota, after an opening speech, said: "I have no more to say,
but one of our beloved women has, who has borne and raised up
warriors." After delivering a string of wampum to emphasize the
importance of the occasion, "the war woman of Chota then addressed
the commissioners." Having expressed her pleasure at the peace,
she continued: "I have a pipe and a little tobacco to give to the
commissioners to smoke in friendship. I look on you and the red people
as my children. Your having determined on peace is most pleasing to
me, for I have seen much trouble during the late war. I am old, but
I hope yet to bear children, who will grow up and people our nation,
as we are now to be under the protection of Congress and shall have
no more disturbance. The talk I have given is from the young warriors
I have raised in my town, as well as myself. They rejoice that we
have peace, and we hope the chain of friendship will never more be
broken." Two strings of wampum, a pipe, and some tobacco accompanied
her words (American State Papers; Indian Affairs, I, p. 41, 1832).
Haywood says in 1823: "The Cherokees had the law or custom of assigning
to a certain woman the office of declaring what punishment should
be inflicted on great offenders; whether, for instance, burning or
other death, or whether they should be pardoned. This woman they
called the pretty woman. Mrs Ward exercised this office when Mrs
Bean, about the year 1776, was taken from the white settlements on
the upper parts of Holston. Being bound and about to be burned on one
of the mounds, the pretty woman interfered and pronounced her pardon"
(Nat. and Aborig. Hist. Tenn., p. 278). See also historical note 20,
"Peace Towns and Towns of Refuge."
Between two lines of people--This custom, known to colonial writers as
"running the gauntlet," was very common among the eastern tribes,
and was intended not so much to punish the captive as to test
his courage and endurance, with a view to adoption if he proved
worthy. It was practiced only upon warriors, never upon women or
children, and although the blows were severe they were not intended
to be fatal. The prisoner was usually unbound and made to run along
a cleared space in the center of the village toward a certain goal,
and was safe for the time being if he succeeded in reaching it.
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