Myths of the Cherokee: Illustrated Edition

by James Mooney

The myths given in this book are part of a large body of material collected among the Cherokee, chiefly in successive field seasons from 1887 to 1890, inclusive, and comprising more or less extensive notes, together with original Cherokee manuscripts, relating to the history, archeology, geographic nomenclature, personal names, botany, medicine, arts, home life, religion, songs, ceremonies, and language of the tribe.
Contents:
Historical Sketch of the Cherokee
Stories and Story-tellers
The Myths
Cosmogonic Myths
Quadruped Myths
Bird Myths
Snake, Fish, and Insect Myths
Wonder Stories
Historical Traditions
Miscellaneous Myths and Legends

Genres: History, Mythology, Nonfiction, Native American, Religion, Anthropology, Native American History

709 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1900

About the author

James Mooney (James^Mooney) was an American ethnographer who lived for several years among the Cherokee. He did major studies of Southeastern Indians, as well as those on the Great Plains. His most notable works were his ethnographic studies of the Ghost Dance after Sitting Bull's death in 1890, a widespread 19th-century religious movement among various Native American culture groups, and the Cherokee: The Sacred Formulas of the Cherokees (1891), and Myths of the Cherokee (1900), all published by the US Bureau of American Ethnology. Artifacts from Mooney are in the collections of the Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution and the Department of Anthropology, Field Museum of Natural History. Papers and photographs from Mooney are in the collections of the National Anthropological Archives, Department of Anthropology, Smithsonian Institution

Reviews

[Rebecca Pitman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reads a little awkwardly, but if you’re interested in the culture of native Americans you’ll enjoy it.

[Nia · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are several records of stories similar to the flood, Jonah and the whale, etc that are interestingly similar to biblical accounts, making me wonder if the Spaniards didn't get some missionary influence in before our recorded records. First contact was around 1540 by de Soto, but since they were around for nearly 50 years before that, I wonder if stories filtered in from Florida and the West prior to recorded contact? I love the story of how Nunyunuwi was killed by the mere site of 7 naked menstuating women -no Spanish influence there!! Well, the number 7 seems to me possibly a European influence, as it competes with the # 4 for importance, but 4 makes far more sense to me as an older and more primal number.

May 4th, 2011, which was
Meow Date: Thursday, May 2nd, 12011 H.E.

[Michelle Boyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would like to say that, after all this time, there were more texts as in-depth as Mooney's: but these other texts are just not out there. It is a go to source for those interested in Cherokee studies, but of often overlooked because researchers (or some of them) suggest that Mooney only offers a white perspective. I would say read everything (and I mean even texts authored by Cherokee individuals) with a careful eye; but Mooney is packed with information that you cannot find elsewhere.

[America Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

A classic, but take the material with a grain of salt. Mooney's translations from the Cherokee language have been widely questioned.

[Daiana Damacus · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was extremely excited to read this book, but very soon that excitement wasn't just a faraway dream, but a complete illusion.

The Topic
This is called 'Myths of the Cherokee' and that genuinely fooled me. I thought it is simply a collection of legends which was what I was after. Unfortunately, this also contains a brief history of the Cherokee (what makes it unfortunate is that it's told from a white perspective) and a lot of biased opinions of the author (and other white people).

I hope there are better books out there involving Cherokee myths because this cannot be the best way they are portrayed in literary form.

The Information
The myths, I didn't have a problem with. Granted, this was my only source for them, so I have absolutely no idea how accurate they are, but James Mooney does mention he got them from a mixture of sources, some of which were Cherokee natives whom he employed for them. He also points out a few that he thinks were invented by the whites. All of this makes the myths seem pretty valid to me.

The historical bits though... My God, I almost abandoned the book because of the history chapters. In the end, I skipped the last one because I couldn't take the neutral stance at best and biased take at worst.

The conflicts between the white invaders and the natives are where Mooney takes an almost nonaligned attitude. I say almost because it's obvious he tries really hard not to say the Europeans/Americans had the right to commit the atrocities they committed. At one point, he talks about an attack the Cherokee did as retaliation for the constant breach of their treaties and says something along the lines of 'both sides were villainous.' So he can't not say the whites were in the wrong, but he can't bring himself to say the natives had the right to defend their territory in the same way white Europeans have been doing for millennia when attacked. I just can't...

He also uses derogatory language quite often, expressing surprise in one chapter at the fact the Cherokee myths are as good as the European ones. Why wouldn't they be?

The worst though is this one paragraph in which he says the whites 'succeeded to the inheritance' of the Cherokee over some land or another. Excuse me? Are we living in the same world? Because succession and inheritance imply peaceful, voluntary actions, not genocide, theft, and displacement.

I am keeping in mind that this book was originally released in 1888 and that editing it would erase history, but it should at least come with a warning along the lines of 'Beware, this book is old and therefore, rather racist.'

The Writing Style
...is dry as a desert. Maybe I should have expected that, but I have read other myth books before and they raised my standards pretty high.

There's no storytelling here. James Mooney is just recording the myths as pieces of information.

Final Thoughts
The two stars I gave this book are both to the credit of the Cherokee. Their myths are beautiful, their customs and superstitions are charming. I hope to find a better book about them some day. If I were to rate this on a scale from 1 to 10, I would give it a 3. Long story short: only read this if you want a very dry, often racist take on the Cherokee myths.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

What I read was actually the History, Myths, and Sacred Formulas of the Cherokee, so it should count for like three books. Some of it was IN Cherokee with translation, so that was pretty cool. Not written by any actual Cherokee though. A worthy addition to the reference shelf.

[Calico · Rating 3 out of 5]

Undoubtedly a great compendium of myths, but in terms of reading from cover to cover, it's often confusingly laid out. Myths are often interspersed with the author's opinion and real life events without much discernable pattern.

[Jerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the history of the Cherokee the best in this book, it gave a good history.

[John schlue · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an interesting look at some of the earliest documentation of the Cherokee Tribe and their way of life. The first 200 pages is a pretty straightforward historical look at the tribe ending around the start of the 20th century. The next 300 pages are really quite interesting, this is where you find such stories as 'How the Terrapin beat the Rabbit', 'Why the Possum's tail is bare', 'The Katydid's warning', 'The man who married Thunder's sister' etc...... The book winds down with more historically oriented stories of legend and what not. A great book to have around.

[Katheryn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Though probably top of his field during his time, this book is a white man's perspective of the truth of the Cherokee history. Take what you read with a view of skepticism, do not interpret it literally. This book also needs a major edit review.

[Todd · Rating 4 out of 5]

lots of good information in this book dating back to the days when the Cherokee were still living in the old ways.

[Glas · Rating 5 out of 5]

A reprint of Mooney's classic collection.

[Hunter Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

A true 'go-to' book for researchers.

[Aaron]

I have just started this book. Really can't comment to much but when finished will let you know.