In the Beginning

Long ago when all was water,
the animals lived above in Galunlati
but it was very crowded and they
wanted more room. Dayunisi,
the little Water-beetle, offered
to go see what was below the water.
It repeatedly dived to the bottom and
came up with soft mud eventually
forming the island we call earth.
The island was suspended by cords
at each of the cardinal points to the sky vault,
which is solid rock.

Birds were sent down to find a dry
place to live but none could be found.
The Great Buzzard, the father of all
buzzards we see now, flew down close to
the earth while it was still soft.
He became tired and his wings began
to strike the ground. Where they struck
the earth became a valley and where they
rose up again became a mountain and thus
the Cherokee country was created.

The animals came down after the earth
dried but all was dark so they set the
sun in a track to go every day across the
island from east to west.
At first the sun was too close to the
island and too hot. They raised the sun
again and again, seven times, until it
was the right height just under the sky arch.
The highest place, Gulkwagine Digalunlatiyun,
is “the seventh height”.

The animals and plants were told to keep
watch for seven nights but as the days passed
many begin to fall asleep until on the seventh
night only the owl, panther, and a couple of
others were still awake. These were given
the power to see in the dark and prey on
the birds and animals that sleep at night.
Of the plants, only the cedar, the pine,
the spruce, the holly, and the laurel were
awake to the end and were therefore given
the power to be always green and to be the
greatest medicine, but to the others it was said:
“Because you have not endured to the end you
shall lose your hair every winter.”

Men came after animals and plants.
At first there was only a brother and sister
until he struck her with a fish and told her
to multiply. In seven days a child was born
to her and thereafter every seven days another
until there was danger that the world could not
keep up with them. Then it was made that a
woman should have only one child in a year,
and it has been so ever since.