MooxEYj ORKJIN OF STRAVV15EKRIES 259 



sky, where we see tliciu now as the Pleiades, which the Cherokee 

 stiil call Ani'tsvitsii (The Hoys). The people g-rieved long; after them, 

 but the mother whose hoy had gone into the ground came every 

 morning and ever}' evening to cry ovei' the spot until the earth was 

 damj) with her tears. At last a little green shoot sprouted up and 

 gi'ew day by day until it became the tall tree that we call now the 

 pine, and the pine is of the same nature as the stars and holds in 

 itself the same bright light. 



II. THE MILKY WAY 



Some people in the south had a corn mill, in whicli they pounded 

 the corn into meal, and several mornings when they came to till it they 

 noticed that some of the meal had l>e(Mi stolen during the night. They 

 examined the ground and found the tracks of a dog, so the next night 

 they watched, and when the dog came from the north and began to eat 

 the meal out of the liowl they sprang out and whipped him. He ran 

 oti' howling to his homi- in the iiortli. with the meal dropping from his 

 mouth as he ran, and leaving Itehind a white trail where now we see the 

 Milky Way. which the Cherokee call to this day Gi li'-utsufi'stanun'yi, 

 "Where the dog ran." 



12. ORIGIN OF STRAWBERRIES 



When the tirst man was created and a mate was given to him. they 

 lived together very happily for a time, but then began to (juarrel. until 

 at last the woman left her husband and started off toward Nufidagun'yi, 

 the Sun land, in the ea.st. The man followed alone and grieving, but 

 the woman kept on steadily ahead and never looked ))ehind, until 

 Une'lanun'hi. the great Apportioner (the Sun), took pity on him and 

 asked him if he was still angry with his wife. He said he was not, and 

 Une' lanun'hi then asked him if he would like to Lave her l)ack again, 

 to which he eagerly answered yes. 



So l^ne'lanun'hi caused a patch of the finest ripe huckleberries to 

 spring up along the path in front of the woman, Init she passed by 

 without paying any attention to them. Farther on h(> jmt a clump of 

 blackberries, l)ut these also she refused to notice. Other fruits, one, 

 two, and three, and then some trees covered with beautiful red service 

 berries, were placed beside the path to tempt her, but she .still went on 

 until suddeidy she .saw in front a patch of large ripe strawberries, the 

 first ever known. She stooped to gather a few to eat, and as she picked 

 them she chanced to turn her face to the west, and at once the memory 

 of her husband came back to her and she found hersl^lf unable to go 

 on. She sat down. i)ut the longer she waited the stronger became her 

 desire for her husband, and at last she gathered a bunch of the finest 

 berries and started back along the path to gi\e them to him. He met 

 her kindlv and thev went home together. 



