CHEROKEES OF NORTH CAROLINA — GILBERT 549 



is very gullible and is tricked not only by the rabbit but also by the 

 terrapin and the groundhog. The terrapin is tricked by the turkey 

 and the partridge. The tricks and practical jokes between the animals 

 are quite frequently reciprocated and the animal tricked returns with 

 interest the tricks of the trickster. The favorite mode of trickery is 

 for the trickster to lure the unsuspecting butt of the joke into a situa- 

 tion wherein he is made to appear ridiculous and loses something of 

 value. In incidents of this nature the bear loses his tail, the otter his 

 coat, the deer his sharp teeth, and the opossum his furry tail. 



The trickster element is highly suggestive of the joking that goes 

 on between relatives today and the teasing of persons in the grand- 

 parent clan relationship to one's self which leads to the intimate re- 

 lationships of marriage. 



Fundamentally the purpose of the myths is to explain the present 

 in terms of the past as the following story well indicates. 



THE STORY OF THE CREATION OF MAN 



At first there was a Great Spirit or "apportioner" living in this 

 world called by a name which means "He has prepared." This name 

 came about because of the fact that he had already prepared or created 

 the sun, the moon, and the earth. 



One day while walking about on the earth the Great Spirit became 

 lonely and thought to himself, I will make a human being to live 

 with me temporarily. As he walked on his way he came to a place 

 where there was a mass of pale soil caused by a fallen tree with up- 

 turned roots. The soil being thin and sandy and just right for the 

 purpose, he took some of it and molded a human being and breathed 

 the breath of life into him. As the man stood up and walked the Great 

 Spirit saw that he was so hairy from the rootlets of the fallen tree and 

 so pale from the nature of the soil from which he was made that 

 displeasure with his creation took hold of him. 



He decided to try again and walked on to another place where 

 another fallen tree had exposed its roots with a mass of black soil. 

 He then took of this earth and created another man. But he was 

 displeased when he saw the black color of the man, too dark to be 

 of good appearance. So he walked on and came to another fallen 

 tree, which in falling, had exposed a mass of red clay. From this 

 earth the Great Spirit made a third human being whose skin was light 

 red in color and very smooth. And this time the Great Spirit was 

 greatly pleased with his creation. 



He then stood up the three human beings in a row, the white man, 

 the black man, and the red man, and commanded them to stand and 

 be blessed. And as he did so he prepared each of them for his occu- 

 pation in the future. He created a book and a bundle of roots. He 

 offered the book first to the red man who refused it, and then to the 



