CHEROKEE MEDICINE AND DISEASE

The old men tell us of a time when the world was young. They speak of days when men, plants, and animals lived together in peace. But The People began to increase in population, developing better weapons to hunt game with, and soon, in their arrogance, began to trample and destroy the animal tribes.

The time had come for the animal nations to deal with these arrogant upstart people, these late comers to mother earth. So the bear tribe, those beings most like humans, met in council under the auspices of their great white bear chief.

"These humans eat all our flesh," said one.

"These greedy people will kill us all," said another.

"What’s to be done with such arrogant beings?" asked one old female bear.

"We will kill them—that is what we will do!" shouted a majority of the bears.

"But how?" asked the white bear chief.

One courageous bear warrior stepped forth and said he would give his very guts to make a bowstring, another came forth saying he would break off his claws so he could shoot humans with a bow. But after much trial and error, and finally realizing they could not be bears and humans at the same time—for how could they climb trees without claws? And how could they shoot bow and arrow with them? Finally the council broke up with no resolution. And because the bears were first to want to harm humans, the Cherokee do not ask their forgiveness when they hunt and kill the bears.

Another animal tribe was the deer people. Their leader was Awi Usdi, great chief of all the deer tribes. Unlike the quick tempered Yona-Bear folks, the deer people were more patient and thoughtful in their approach to dealing with the ever increasing humans. Awi Usdi declared that any hunter that did not ask for forgiveness for killing one of the deer people would be stricken with Arthritis and other ailments of the bones and joints and muscles. They would suffer terrible, painful swelling, hurting muscles, joints and tendons—in short, humans would be in great pain if they dare kill a deer without asking its pardon afterward. So messengers were sent to the Cherokee people, to warn them to stop their arrogance and ask the forgiveness for every one of the deer people that they kill. And Awi Usdi himself—also known as Little Deer—would fly like the wind to make sure each hunter asked for that forgiveness, and punishment would come on any hunter negligent in this respect. So that is why today, deer hunters quickly tell the deer they are sorry for killing them, even though they must do so to feed their people, and they ask the pardon of the deer. But if a hunter fails in his duty to the deer—the great Awi Usdi will certainly strike him with illness.

The bear and deer people were not the only ones to have trouble with the humans. The fish and reptile beings also had complaints against the arrogant ones. These water swimmers and crawling tribes thought it best to take a different approach in punishing the neglectful Cherokees. They would come in the night, come into the dreams of the Cherokee and haunt them with troubling dreams of rotting fish, bad odors, and slimy creatures to trouble the humans, make them lose their appetites, sicken and die.

Just when it seemed things could get no worse for the Cherokees, the winged tribes, and the tiny crawling peoples took offense at the Cherokee as well. Grubworm was the chief of the council held by these tribes. He preceded over the meeting as one after another the creatures spoke out against the Cherokee.

"Just look at me why don’t you," complained the frog, "Look how beaten up and abused I have become at the hands of humans—is anything more ugly than I?"

One of the bird people spoke next, "Well…look at my feet, how burnt they are from being roasted over an open fire by these Cherokees!"

There was one voice that spoke up for the Cherokee in the council—little ground squirrel ventured a few cautious words. "I can honestly say these humans have ever harmed me…." But he was quickly silenced by the others, and one great taloned bird scratched him, leaving marks which can still be seen today on his poor back.

This council continued until so many diseases were invented against humans that things looked very grim indeed.

The fact is that all would have been lost if not for the plant tribes. Sitting back in silence they watched the animal, flying, swimming and crawling peoples plan the destruction of the Tsalagi-Cherokees. The plants were at first sad for the humans, but quickly began their own council to find a way to help these unfortunate Cherokee people.

In short order the plant tribes decided to do everything in their power to help the Cherokee. Even the most lowly weed was given properties to aid the sick humans. When the Medicine Men could not find a plant for a certain sickness—the plant people would visit his dreams and tell him which plant to seek for help and healing.

So the Cherokee people learned to respect the animal, bird, swimming, crawling, and other creatures, but mostly they loved the plant tribe for coming to their aid and healing their illnesses, and keeping them from being destroyed in their pride and foolishness. And today the Tsalagi-Cherokee are a wiser and better people because of all these creatures made by the Unehlanvhi-Creator.