Myths of the Cherokee by James Mooney
98. Ga'na's adventures among the Cherokee (p. 367): This story,
1321 words | Chapter 251
from Curtin's Seneca manuscript, is particularly rich in Indian
allusion. The purificatory rite, the eagle capture, the peace
ceremonial, the ballplay, the foot race, and the battle are all
described in a way that gives us a vivid picture of the old tribal
life. The name of the Seneca hero, Ga'na', signifies, according
to Hewitt, "Arrow" (cf. Cherokee gûni, "arrow"), while the name of
the great eagle, Shada'gea, may, according to the same authority, be
rendered "Cloud-dweller." The Seoqgwageono, living east of the Cherokee
and near the ocean, can not be identified. They could not have been
the Catawba, who were known to the Iroquois as Toderigh-rono, but
they may possibly have been the Congaree, Santee, or Sewee, farther
down in South Carolina. In the Seneca form, as here given, ge (ge`)
is a locative, and ono (oñnoñ) a tribal suffix qualifying the root
of the word, the whole name signifying "people of, or at, Seoqgwa"
(cf. Oyadageono, etc., i. e., Cherokee, p. 186).
Go to water--This rite, as practiced among the Cherokee, has been
already noted in the chapter on stories and story tellers. Ceremonial
purification by water or the sweat bath, accompanied by prayer and
fasting, is almost universal among the tribes as a preliminary to every
important undertaking. With the Cherokee it precedes the ballplay and
the Green-corn dance, and is a part of the ritual for obtaining long
life, for winning the affections of a woman, for recovering from a
wasting sickness, and for calling down prosperity upon the family at
each return of the new moon.
Get the eagle feathers--The Cherokee ritual for procuring eagle
feathers for ceremonial and decorative purposes has been described in
number 35, "The Bird Tribes." The Seneca method, as here described,
is practically that in use among all the Indians of the plains,
although the hunter is not usually satisfied with a single feather
at a capture. Among certain western tribes the eagle was sometimes
strangled before being stripped of its feathers, but it was essential
that the body must not be mangled or any blood be drawn. The Pueblos
were sometimes accustomed to take the young eagles from the nest and
keep them in cages for their feathers. A full tail contains twelve
large feathers of the kind used for war bonnets and on the wands of
the Eagle dance.
Stockade--Stockaded villages were common to the Iroquois and most of
the tribes along the Atlantic coast. They are mentioned also among the
Cherokee in some of the exaggerated narratives of the early Spanish
period, but were entirely unknown within the later colonial period,
and it is very doubtful if the nature of the country would permit
such compact mode of settlement.
Dancers went forward--The method of ceremonial approach here described
was probably more or less general among the eastern tribes. On the
plains the visitors usually dismount in sight of the other camp and
advance on foot in slow procession, chanting the "visiting song,"
while the leader holds out the red stone pipe, which is the symbol
of truce or friendship. For a good description of such a ceremonial,
reproduced from Battey, see the author's Calendar History of the Kiowa
Indians, in the Seventeenth Annual Report of the Bureau of American
Ethnology. In this instance the visiting Pawnee carried a flag in
lieu of a pipe.
The Cherokee ceremonial is thus described by Timberlake as witnessed at
Citico in 1762: 'About 100 yards from the town-house we were received
by a body of between three and four hundred Indians, ten or twelve of
which were entirely naked, except a piece of cloth about their middle,
and painted all over in a hideous manner, six of them with eagles'
tails in their hands, which they shook and flourished as they advanced,
danced in a very uncommon figure, singing in concert with some drums
of their own make, and those of the late unfortunate Capt. Damere;
with several other instruments, uncouth beyond description. Cheulah,
the headman of the town, led the procession, painted blood-red, except
his face, which was half black, holding an old rusty broad-sword in
his right hand, and an eagle's tail in his left. As they approached,
Cheulah, singling himself out from the rest, cut two or three capers,
as a signal to the other eagle-tails, who instantly followed his
example. This violent exercise, accompanied by the band of musick,
and a loud yell from the mob, lasted about a minute, when the headman,
waving his sword over my head, struck it into the ground, about two
inches from my left foot; then directing himself to me, made a short
discourse (which my interpreter told me was only to bid me a hearty
welcome) and presented me with a string of beads. We then proceeded
to the door, where Cheulah, and one of the beloved men, taking me
by each arm, led me in, and seated me in one of the first seats;
it was so dark that nothing was perceptible till a fresh supply
of canes were brought, which being burnt in the middle of the house
answers both purposes of fuel and candle. I then discovered about five
hundred faces; and Cheulah addressing me a second time, made a speech
much to the same effect as the former, congratulating me on my safe
arrival thro' the numerous parties of northern Indians, that generally
haunt the way I came. He then made some professions of friendship,
concluding with giving me another string of beads, as a token of
it. He had scarce finished, when four of those who had exhibited at
the procession made their second appearance, painted in milk-white,
their eagle-tails in one hand, and small gourds with beads in them
in the other, which they rattled in time to the musick. During this
dance the peace-pipe was prepared."--Timberlake, Memoirs, pp. 36-39.
Adair also makes brief mention of the ceremony among the Gulf tribes
(Hist. Am. Indians, p. 260), but his account is too badly warped by
theorizing to have much value.
Adopt a relative--This seems to point to a custom which has escaped
the notice of earlier writers on the eastern tribes, but which is well
known in Africa and other parts of the world, and is closely analogous
to a still existing ceremony among the plains Indians by which two
young men of the same tribe formally agree to become brothers, and
ratify the compact by a public exchange of names and gifts.
White wampum--As is well known, white was universally typical of
peace. The traditional peace-pipe of the Cherokee was of white stone
and the word itself is symbolic of peace and happiness in their oratory
and sacred formulas. Thus the speaker at the Green-corn dance invites
the people to come along the white path and enter the white house of
peace to partake of the new white food.
Held up the belt--As already noted, every paragraph of an ambassador's
speech was accompanied by the delivery of a string or belt of wampum
to give authority to his words, and to accept the belt was to accept
the condition or compact which it typified. On the plains the red
stone pipe took the place of the wampum.
Try a race--Public foot races were common among many tribes, more
particularly in the West among the Pueblos, the Apache, and the
Wichita, either as simple athletic contests or in connection with
religious ceremonials. On the plains the horse race is more in favor
and is always the occasion of almost unlimited betting.
Throwing sumac darts--The throwing of darts and arrows, either at a
mark or simply to see who can throw farthest, is a favorite amusement
among the young men and boys. The arrows used for this purpose are
usually longer and heavier than the ordinary ones, having carved wooden
heads and being artistically painted. They are sometimes tipped with
the end of a buffalo horn.
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