M(.<iNEY] THK FOURFOOTED TRIBES 205 



peoplo." Tlic oidiiiiirv ( 'licrokcc will nexcr kill (Hie if he run possilijy 

 ii\()id it. hut will let the aiiiiiuil oo by unhiirmod, hclicvinu- that the 

 kindred of a slain wt)lf will surely revenge his death, and that the 

 weapon with which the deed is done will be rendered worthless for 

 further shooting until cleaned and exorcised by a medicine man. Cer- 

 tain persons, however, having knowledge of the proper atonement 

 rites, may kill wolves with impunity, and are hired for this purpose 

 by others who have sutl'ered from raids upon their fish traps oi- their 

 stock. Like the eagle killer (see "The Bird Tribes'"), the professional 

 wolf killer, after killing one of these animals, addresses to it a prayer 

 in which he seeks to turn aside the vengeance of the tribe by laying 

 the burden of blame upon the people of some other settlement. He 

 then unscrews the barrel of his gun and inserts into it seven small sour- 

 wood rods heated over the tire, and allows it to remain thus overnight 

 in the running stream; in the morning the rods are taken out and the 

 barrel is thoroughly dried and cleaned. 



The dog {(jl'lV), although as much a part of Indian life among the 

 Cherokee as in other tribes, liardly apjiears in folklore. One myth 

 makes him responsible for the milky way; another represents him as 

 driving the wolf from the comfortable house tire and taking the place 

 for himself. He tigures also in connection with the deluge. There is 

 no tradition of the introduction of the horse {sa'gwdli, from ascV gicdl Uiu! ^ 

 "a pack or burden") or of the cow {wa' In, from the Spanish, rac<i). 

 The hog is called xU-ird, this being originally the name of the opossum, 

 which somewhat resembles it in expression, and which is now distin- 

 guished as sihrd iifsf'Mi. ''grimdng sikwa." In the same way the 

 sheep, another introduced animal, is called «'7ot/ ;w,arZ(-'«(/," woolly deer"; 

 the goAt, awl' alulnu'ldln. "bearded deer," and the i\n\V\" ifd'gwd'li 

 dic/iTlandJu'ta, "long-eared horse." The cat, also obtained from the 

 whites, is called inesd. an attempt at the P^nglish "pussy." When it 

 purrs l)y the fireside, the children say it is counting in Cherokee, 

 '"ta'ladu', nun'gt, ta'hidii', nun'gi,^' "sixteen, four, sixteen, four." The 

 elephant, which a few of the Cherokee have seen in shows, is called 

 by them I'dtna'ind u!tdnu, "great butterfly," from the supposed resem- 

 blance of its long trunk and Happing ears to the proboscis and wings 

 of that insect. Tlie anatomical peculiarities of the opo.ssum, of both 

 sexes, arc the subject of much curious speculation among the Indians, 

 many of whom believe that its young are produced without any liclp 

 from the male. It occurs in one or two of the minor myths. 



The fox (t»u''Jd) is mentioned in one of the formvdas, but does no 

 appear in the tribal folklore. The black fox is known by a different 

 name (iiui'll). The odor of the skunk {dild') is believed to keep off 

 contagious diseases, and the scent bag is therefore taken out and 

 hung over the doorway, a small hole being pierced in it in order that 

 the contents may oozc^ out upon the timbers. At times, as in the 



