Book

Myths of the Cherokee: and sacred formulas of the Cherokees

C. Elder-BooksellerNashville, Tenn. • Published In 1982 • Pages:

By: Mooney, James.

Abstract
This document, first published as two separate monographs, consists of Cherokee folklore, mythology, local legends, historical traditions and sacred formula used in healing rituals. The first third of the text is a history of the Cherokee prior to the arrival of the Spanish explorers in the 16th century, including a detailed account of long-standing hostilities between the Cherokee peoples and various groups such as the Creek Indians. Mooney's historical summary of failed Cherokee attempts to avoid involvement in the wars to determine which Europeans would control the American frontier provides basic information on this era. The author's extensive use of the published record is further supplemented with his personal contacts with both army staff and Cherokee individuals who were alive in the late 1800s and who were the principal agents in deciding the disposition of Cherokee lands. Mooney discusses various Cherokee migrations both before and after the Removal in 1838, documents negotiations between the Eastern and Western divisions of the Cherokee and describes such contributions as Sequoya's invention of the Cherokee alphabet which resulted in rapid and widespread literacy and helped to organize the community prior to the forced migration. Still, the dispute between full- and mixed- blood Cherokee over the negotiation of land rights with the Federal government is elaborated further in other sources in the file (see 20: Anders). The major portion of the text is taken up with Cherokee folklore. The wonder stories as well as the creation and animal myths contain natural and supernatural beings which illustrate Cherokee beliefs about the appearance and powers of animals with whom the Cherokee shared a common habitat. Other stories deal with such human activities as the behavior of warriors, the desirable qualities sought in a mate and the songs sung by mothers to their babies. In the final section, the author describes how he collected original Cherokee manuscripts containing the sacred formula, some of which are included here, both in the Cherokee language and in translation. He provides lists of plants used by Cherokee for medicinal purposes, but then compares them to a published pharmacopeia and judges Cherokee medical knowledge according to racist attitudes of the late 19th century. Also, some of the parallels drawn by the author to explain the formulas are too global. The sacred formulas were recited in conjunction with the application of plant medicines in healing rituals, but they were also used to facilitate hunting, fishing, and childbirth and for love magic, divination and sorcery. Researchers are advised that the notes which appear at the end of the major sections of the book, especially for the historical summary, are quite lengthy. These notes will be found in the categories pertaining to the discussions in the text to which they refer.
Subjects
Literary texts
History
Acculturation and culture contact
Mythology
Priesthood
Glossary
Sickness
External relations
Public welfare
culture
Cherokee
HRAF PubDate
2000
Region
North America
Sub Region
Eastern Woodlands
Document Type
Book
Evaluation
Creator Type
Ethnographer
Document Rating
4: Excellent Secondary Data
5: Excellent Primary Data
Analyst
Delores Walters ; John Beierle ; 1988
Field Date
1997-1890
Coverage Date
1540-1900
Coverage Place
North Carolina, southeastern states, Oklahoma, United States
Notes
By James Mooney
Reprint of the 1900 and 1891 editions respectively, which were published in the 19th and 7th Annual reports, Bureau of American Ethnology.
The detailed elaborations in the section of notes following the myths refer to the numbered stories in the text.
Includes bibliographical references
LCCN
72188151
LCSH
Cherokee Indians