﻿moonet] 
  THE 
  CHEROKEE 
  GODS. 
  341 
  

  

  Ku 
  D 
  ta. 
  The 
  sun 
  is 
  invoked 
  chiefly 
  by 
  the 
  ball-player, 
  while 
  the 
  

   hunter 
  prays 
  to 
  the 
  (ire; 
  but 
  every 
  important 
  ceremony 
  — 
  whether 
  

   connected 
  with 
  medicine, 
  love, 
  hunting, 
  or 
  the 
  ball 
  play 
  — 
  contains 
  

   a 
  prayer 
  to 
  the 
  " 
  Long- 
  Person,'' 
  the 
  forniulistic 
  name 
  for 
  water, 
  or, 
  

   more 
  strictly 
  speaking, 
  for 
  the 
  river. 
  The 
  wind, 
  the 
  storm, 
  the 
  

   cloud, 
  and 
  the 
  frost 
  are 
  also 
  invoked 
  in 
  different 
  formulas. 
  

  

  But 
  few 
  inanimate 
  gods 
  are 
  included 
  in 
  the 
  category, 
  the 
  principal 
  

   being 
  the 
  Stone, 
  to 
  which 
  the 
  shaman 
  prays 
  while 
  endeavoring 
  to 
  

   find 
  a 
  lost 
  article 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  a 
  swinging 
  pebble 
  siispended 
  by 
  a 
  string; 
  

   the 
  Flint, 
  invoked 
  when 
  the 
  shaman 
  is 
  about 
  to 
  scarify 
  the 
  patient 
  

   with 
  a 
  flint 
  arrow-head 
  before 
  rubbing 
  on 
  the 
  medicine; 
  and 
  the 
  

   Mountain, 
  which 
  is 
  addressed 
  in 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  of 
  the 
  formulas 
  thus 
  

   far 
  translated. 
  Plant 
  gods 
  do 
  not 
  appear 
  prominently, 
  the 
  chief 
  one 
  

   seeming 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  ginseng, 
  addressed 
  in 
  the 
  formulas 
  as 
  the 
  ''Great 
  

   Man" 
  or 
  "Little 
  Man," 
  although 
  its 
  proper 
  Cherokee 
  name 
  signifies 
  

   the 
  "Mountain 
  Climber." 
  

  

  A 
  number 
  of 
  personal 
  deities 
  are 
  also 
  invoked, 
  the 
  principal 
  being 
  

   the 
  Red 
  Man. 
  He 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  greatest 
  of 
  the 
  gods, 
  being 
  repeatedly 
  

   called 
  upon 
  in 
  formulas 
  of 
  all 
  kinds, 
  and 
  is 
  hardly 
  r 
  subordinate 
  to 
  

   the 
  Fire, 
  the 
  Water, 
  or 
  the 
  Sun. 
  His 
  identity 
  is 
  as 
  yet 
  uncertain, 
  

   but 
  he 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  intimately 
  connected 
  with 
  the 
  Thunder 
  family. 
  In 
  

   a 
  curious 
  marginal 
  note 
  in 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  Gahuni 
  formulas 
  (page 
  350), 
  it 
  

   is 
  stated 
  that 
  when 
  the 
  patient 
  is 
  a 
  woman 
  the 
  doctor 
  must 
  pray 
  to 
  

   the 
  Red 
  Man, 
  but 
  when 
  treating 
  a 
  man 
  he 
  must 
  pray 
  to 
  the 
  Red 
  

   Woman, 
  so 
  that 
  this 
  personage 
  seems 
  to 
  have 
  dual 
  sex 
  characteris- 
  

   tics. 
  Another 
  god 
  invoked 
  in 
  the 
  hunting 
  songs 
  is 
  TsuTkalu', 
  or 
  

   •■Slanting 
  Eyes'' 
  (see 
  Cherokee 
  Myths), 
  a 
  giant 
  hunter 
  who 
  lives 
  in 
  

   one 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  mountains 
  of 
  the 
  Blue 
  Ridge 
  and 
  owns 
  all 
  the 
  game. 
  

   Others 
  are 
  the 
  Little 
  Men, 
  probably 
  the 
  two 
  Thunder 
  boys; 
  the 
  

   Little 
  People, 
  the 
  fairies 
  who 
  live 
  in 
  the 
  rock 
  cliffs; 
  and 
  even 
  the 
  

   De'tsata, 
  a 
  diminutive 
  sprite 
  who 
  holds 
  the 
  place 
  of 
  our 
  Puck. 
  One 
  

   unwritten 
  formula, 
  which 
  could 
  not 
  be 
  obtained 
  correctly 
  by 
  dic- 
  

   tation, 
  was 
  addressed 
  to 
  the 
  " 
  Red-Headed 
  Woman, 
  whose 
  hair 
  hangs 
  

   down 
  to 
  the 
  ground." 
  

  

  The 
  personage 
  invoked 
  is 
  always 
  Minted 
  in 
  accordance 
  with 
  the 
  

   theoiw 
  of 
  the 
  formula 
  and 
  the 
  duty 
  to 
  be 
  performed. 
  Thus, 
  when 
  

  

  sickness 
  is 
  caused 
  by 
  a 
  fish, 
  the 
  Fish-hawk, 
  the 
  Heron, 
  or 
  some 
  

   other 
  fish-eating 
  bird 
  is 
  implored 
  to 
  come 
  and 
  seize 
  the 
  intruder 
  and 
  

   destroy 
  it, 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  patient 
  may 
  find 
  relief. 
  When 
  the 
  trouble 
  is 
  

   caused 
  by 
  a 
  worm 
  or 
  an 
  insect, 
  some 
  insectivorous 
  bird 
  is 
  called 
  in 
  

   for 
  the 
  same 
  purpose. 
  When 
  a 
  flock 
  of 
  redbirds 
  is 
  pecking 
  at 
  the 
  

   vitals 
  of 
  the 
  sick 
  man 
  the 
  Sparrow-hawdv 
  is 
  brought 
  down 
  to 
  scatter 
  

   them, 
  and 
  when 
  the 
  rabbit, 
  the 
  great 
  mischief-maker, 
  is 
  the 
  evil 
  

   genius, 
  he 
  is 
  driven 
  out 
  by 
  the 
  Rabbit-hawk. 
  Sometimes 
  after 
  the 
  

   intruder 
  has 
  been 
  thus 
  expelled 
  " 
  a 
  small 
  portion 
  still 
  remains." 
  in 
  

   the 
  words 
  of 
  the 
  formula, 
  and 
  accordingly 
  the 
  Whirlwind 
  is 
  called 
  

  

  