Mi.iiNEY) THK SNAKE TRIBE 297 



l)itilii;' the ^ri'disiiakc uloiij:' its body. It liiusl he held hy tlic \io;u\ 

 iiiul tail. ;ui(l all the tooth at once pressed down four tiiiios alonj>- the 

 middle of its ])()dy, ))nt without biting into the tlosli or iiijurinj;- the 

 snake. Some informants say that the operation must he ie])eat(Hl 

 four times upon as many snakes and that a certain food tabu must 

 also ))e observed. The water moccasin, /v//(i"</*w7/, is not specially 

 rejiarded. l)ut a \ery rare wood snake, said to resemble it except that 

 it has 1)1 ue eyes, is considered to have great supernatural powers, 

 in what way is not specified. The repulsive but harndoss .spj-eading 

 adder {Ilcti-Vddon) is called (hdlksta', "vomiter." on account of its 

 habit of .spitting, and sometimes Jc^canddya'hu, a word of uncertain 

 etymology. It was formerly a man. but was transformed into a snake 

 in order to accomplish the destruction of the Daughter of the 8un 

 (see the story). For its failure on this occasion it is generally 

 despised. 



The Wahnenauhi manuscript mentions a legend of a great serpent 

 called on account of its color the "ground snake." To see it was an 

 omen of death to the one who saw it, and if it was seen by several i)er- 

 son.s some great tribal calamity was expected. For traditions and 

 beliefs in regard to the Uktena. the Uksuhi. and other mythic ser- 

 pents, see under those headings. 



50. THE UKTENA AND THE ULONSO'TI 



Long ago- — hiJahi'yn — when the Sun became angry at the people 

 on earth and sent a sickness to destroy them, the Little Men changed 

 a man into a monster snake, which they called Uktena, "The Keen- 

 eyed," and sent him to kill her. He failed to do the work, and the 

 Kattlesnake had to be sent instead, which made the Uktena so jealou.s 

 and angry that the people were afraid of him and had him taken up 

 to (lalufi'lati. to stay with the other dangerous things.' He left others 

 behind him. though, nearly as large and dangerous as himself, and 

 they hide now in deep pools in the river and about lonely pa.sses in 

 the high mountains, the places which the Cherokee <'all '•Where the 

 I'ktena stays." 



Those who know say that the Uktena is a great snake, as large around 

 as a tree trunk, with horns on its head, and a bright. 1)lazing crest like 

 a diamond upon its foroh(>ad. and scales glittering like sj)arks of tire. 

 It lias rings or spots of coloi- along its whole length, and can not be 

 \v(>und(>d except l)y shooting in the seventh spot from the head, because 

 uridci- this spot aie its heart and its life. The Idazing diamond is 

 lulled Uldnsu'ti, "Transparent." and he who can win it may become 

 the greatest wonder worker of the tribe, but it is worth a man's life 

 to attempt it, for whoever is seen by the Uktena is so daz<'d by the 

 bright light that he runs toward the snake instead of trying to escape. 



1 Sec "The Daughter of the Siin." 



