Is Dakota, my corn snake, giving you nightmares?

This is a synthesis of Cherokee stories told to James Mooney in the late 1800s, primarily by Ayúnini ("Swimmer"), a Cherokee storyteller.

🌽 The Story of Corn and Medicine

In the beginning, the world was all water and darkness. Animals lived above the sky but moved to earth when it was formed from mud brought up by the Water-beetle. The soft earth dried over time, shaped into valleys and mountains by Buzzard's wings. When the land was ready, animals and humans came to live there.

Some animals set the sun in the sky and stayed awake for seven nights, granting owls and other enduring animals the power to hunt at night. Similarly, evergreen trees gained the ability to stay green year-round.

Among the first humans were Kanáti ("The Lucky Hunter") and Selu ("Corn"), who had a son. They also adopted a "Wild Boy" born from game blood. The boys discovered Kanáti’s secret cave of animals and accidentally released all the game, forcing humans to hunt ever since.

When Selu’s secret for creating corn and beans was revealed—she produced them by rubbing her body—she and Kanáti knew they would die. Before her death, Selu instructed the boys to drag her body around a circle in front of their house seven times and then across the soil inside the circle. This act would bring forth a crop of corn. The boys, however, only partially followed her instructions, dragging her body twice and clearing just a few spots. As a result, corn only grows in specific places and requires cultivation. Still, the boys stayed awake all night, and by morning, corn had grown. To this day, it takes months to grow, symbolizing the lost ease of life.

As humans multiplied and harmed animals, the animals retaliated. Deer sent rheumatism to hunters who killed without asking for pardon. The Little Deer visits bloodstains to ensure hunters have prayed. If not, it cripples them with disease. Snakes resolved to plague humans with nightmares, and birds and insects created various illnesses. To balance this, plants offered remedies, introducing medicine to counteract the animals' revenge and help humanity survive.

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