| Origin of Disease and
Medicine
In the old days the beasts,
birds, fishes, insects and plants could all talk and they and the people
lived together in peace and friendship. But as time went on the people
increased so rapidly that their settlement spread over the whole earth,
and the poor animals found themselves beginning to be cramped for room.
This was bad enough, but to make it worse, Man invented bows, knives, blowguns,
spears, and hooks, and began to slaughter the larger animals, birds, and
fishes for their flesh or their skins, while the smaller creatures, such
as the frogs and worms, were crushed and trodden upon without thought,
out of pure carelessness or contempt. So the animals resolved to consult
upon measures for their common safety.
The Bears were the first to
meet in council in their townhouse under Kuwa-hi mountain, the "Mulberry
Place," and the old White Bear chief presided. After each in turn had complained
of the way in which Man killed their friends, ate their flesh, and used
their skins for his own purposes, it was decided to begin war at once against
him. Some one asked what weapons Man used to destroy them. "Bows and arrows,
of course," cried all the Bears in chorus. "And what are they made of?"
was the next question. "The bow of wood, and the string of our entrails,"
replied one of the Bears. It was then proposed they make a bow and some
arrows and see if they could not use the same weapons against Man himself.
So one Bear got a piece of locust wood and another sacrificed himself for
the good of the rest in order to furnish his entrails for the string. But
when everything was ready and the first Bear stepped up to make the trial,
it was found that in letting the arrow fly after drawing back the bow,
his long claws caught in the string and spoiled the shot. This was annoying,
but someone suggested that they might trim his claws, which was accordingly
done, and on a second trial it was found that the arrow went straight to
the mark. But here the chief, the old White Bear, objected, saying it was
necessary that they should have long claws in order to be able to climb
trees. "One of us has already died to furnish the bow string and if we
now cut off our claws we must all starve together. It is better to trust
to the teeth and claws that nature gave us, for it is plain that man’s
weapons were not intended for us."
No one could think of any
better plan, so the old chief dismissed the council and the Bears dispersed
to the woods and thickets without having concerted any way to prevent the
increase of the human race. Had the result of the council been otherwise,
we should now be at war with the Bears, but as it is, the hunter does not
even ask the Bear’s permission when he kills one.
The Deer next held a council
under their chief, the Little Deer, and after some talk, devised to send
rheumatism to every hunter who should kill one of them unless he took care
to ask their pardon for the offense. They sent notice of their decision
to the nearest settlement of Indians and told them at the same time what
to do when necessity forced them to kill one of the Deer tribe. Now, whenever
the hunter shoots a Deer, the Little Deer, who is swift as the wind and
ca not be wounded, runs quickly up to the spot and, bending over the bloodstains,
asks the spirit of the Deer if it has heard the prayer of the hunter for
pardon. if the reply be "Yes," all is well, and the Little Deer goes on
his way; but if the reply be "No," he follows on the trail of the hunter,
guided by the drops of blood on the ground, until he arrives at his cabin
in the settlement, when the Little Deer enters invisibly and strikes the
hunter with rheumatism, so that he becomes at once a helpless cripple.
no hunter who has regard for his health ever fails to ask pardon of the
Deer for killing it, although some hunters who have not learned the prayer
may try to turn aside the Little Deer from his pursuit by building a fire
behind them in the trail.
Next came the Fishes and Reptile,
who had their own complaints against Man. They held council together and
determined to make their victims dream of snakes twining about them in
slimy folds and blowing foul breath in their faces, or to make them dream
of eating raw or decaying fish, so that they would lose appetite, sicken
and die. This is why people dream about snakes and fish.
Finally the Birds, Insects,
and smaller animals came together for the same purpose, and the Grubworm
was chief of the council. It was decided that each in turn should give
an opinion, and then they would vote on the question as to whether or not
Man was guilty. Seven votes should be enough to condemn him. Once after
another denounce Man’s cruelty and injustice toward the other animals and
voted in favor of death. The Frog spoke first, saying: "We must do something
to check the increase of the race, or people will become so numerous that
we will be crowded from off the earth. See how they have kicked me about
because I’m ugly, as they say, until my back is covered with sores;" and
here he showed the spots on his skin. Next came the Bird--no one remembers
now which one it was - who condemned Man "Because he burns my feet off,"
meaning the way in which hunters barbecue birds by impaling them on a stick
set over the fire, so that their feathers and tender feet are singed off.
Others followed in the same strain. The Ground-squirrel alone ventured
to say a good word for Man, who seldom hurt him because he was so small,
but this made the others so angry that they fell upon the Ground-squirrel
and tore him with their claws, and the stripes are on this back to this
day.
They began then to devise
and name so many new diseases, one after another, that had not their invention
at last failed them, no one of the human race would have been able to survive.
The Grubworm grew constantly more pleased as the name of each disease was
called off, until at last they reached the end of the list, when some one
proposed to make menstruation sometimes fatal to women. On this he rose
up in his place and cried "Wadan! (Thanks!) I’m glad some more of them
will die, for they are getting so think that the tread on me." The thought
fairly made him shake with joy, so that he fell over backward and could
not get on his feet again, but had to wriggle off on his back, as the Grubworm
has done ever since.
When the Plants, who were
friendly to Man, heard what had been done by the animals, they determined
to defeat the latters’ evil designs. Each Tree, Shrub, and Herb, down even
to the Grasses, and Mosses, said: "I shall appear to help Man when he calls
upon me in his need." Thus came medicine; and the plants, every one of
which has its use if we only knew it, furnish the remedy to counteract
the evil wrought by the revengeful animals. Even weeds were made for some
good purpose, which we must find out for ourselves. When the doctor does
not know what medicine to use for a sick man, the spirit of the plant tells
him.
Source: Myths of the Cherokee by James
Mooney
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