American Indian Creation Myths. Teresa Pijoan Phd

it was too heavy for him to hold and he dropped it on the floor of the raft.

      The wet moss grew on its own and the earth was formed. Wisagedjak told the animals to dance around it, then on top of it, then with it as it moved out over the water. This was great magic and put powerful spells on the earth until it became whole again.

      This is why sometimes water seeps up from below and overflows onto the earth. If there are too many people, sometimes the weight of the earth is too heavy and the water comes up here. We have to be careful.

      The animals, plants, birds, human beings all went their separate ways. Kitche Manitou gave them their own language and customs. The different tribes could no longer understand each other and they went their own ways. Wisagedjak had all his magic taken away from him. He became just a trickster that no one believed or trusted.

      Kitche Manitou made Human Beings respect the land, sharing it with all other living beings and taught them to always show respect.

       “Now it is time for me to head out, it is a long drive home. You have your story.”

CHEROKEE

      Cherokee, Cher-eh-kee, First People or Real People lived in the southeastern part of the United States in Florida, Georgia, and East Texas. They were moved by the United States government to the Oklahoma Reserve by President Andrew Jackson in 1835. President Jackson paid the Cherokee $5,000 for eight million acres of their eastern land and for their removal to Oklahoma.

      Cherokee leader John Ross refused to sell his land or move his people. The other leaders did sign this treaty and brought about the long walk or the Trail of Tears. October, 1838, all Cherokee people were sent west, guarded by United States soldiers. Eighteen thousand Cherokee left the southeastern United States, but only fourteen thousand lived to see the Indian Territory of Oklahoma. The people lost much in the move, but they were not defeated. The Cherokee Nation is now a respected government and maintains many of their traditions.