Reading Notes: Cherokee Part B

Story source: Myths of the Cherokee by James Mooney (1900).

I feel like I'm learning more about Cherokee culture with every reading. That's not something I really felt with all the other units because, for the most part, I had some prior knowledge. There were a few that I didn't know about going into it, but I don't think I connected with those as much as this one. One unique aspect of these stories is that there are variations in how some of the stories pan out. For example, in The Terrapin's Escape From the Wolves, one version ends in the terrapin escaping, while the other version resulted in him breaking his back on a rock before being healed by a medicine song. This shows a few different facets of the culture and reveals some of the oral tradition that led to the transcription of these tales. One theme in particular from a few of these tales that intrigued me was incorporating the competition of sport into their storytelling. Several stories, including The Race Between the Crane and the Hummingbird and The Ball Game of the Birds And Animals, pit animals against each other and essentially let natural selection do the rest. I think that's a fun aspect of these stories that I could build this week's story around.

In case you weren't sure what a terrapin looks like...

Reading Notes: Cherokee, Part A

Story source: Myths of the Cherokee by James Mooney (1900).

I was looking forward to this week of reading because I wanted to learn more about Cherokee culture, which is a part of my ancestry. One thing that quickly stood out to me was the prevalence of nature as a theme in the stories. While there are some instances where man plays a role, many of the tales revolve around animals, and the author personifies these creatures to make them more relatable to the audience. Some of the stories in this part of the unit reminded me of the creation of the world from the Bible, only a little more intricate. Rather than focusing on broad themes, these stories focused on detailed aspects of the world, such as pine trees or fire. This further emphasizes the theme I've noticed from this unit of glorifying nature as a whole. Many of these stories rely on description rather than dialogue, and that works for tales like these. For example, "The Moon and the Thunders" depicts a scene between the Sun and the Moon, but it's hard enough to imagine these human-like characters without that conversation. I think if I were to focus on an individual aspect of the stories or the unit as a whole, it could work to have a little more interaction between the characters.

The Moon and the Thunder.