It is said that tobacco sits in the eastern door, sweetgrass in the southern door, sage in the western door and cedar in the northern door. All of them can be used to smudge with, though sage, cedar and sweetgrass also have many other uses. The Four Sacred Medicines are used in everyday life and in ceremonies. Three other plants, sage, cedar and sweetgrass, follow tobacco, and together they are referred to as the Four Sacred Medicines. It is the main activator of all the plant spirits. Other Native American tribes tell of enormous dragon-like serpents, including the myth of the Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent mentioned in the ancient lores of Indigenous cultures in Central America, and the Ogopogo, which is a serpent water spirit that is found in the folklore of Canada’s Westbank First Nation.Tobacco is the first plant that the Creator gave to First Nations Peoples. The tribe’s medicine man devised a way to reach the Tlanuwa’s eggs and throw them out to the river, where the Uktena immediately devoured them.Įnraged that their young had been eaten, the mythical birds killed the giant serpent. Among the most famous stories about the Uktena is the battle between this fierce serpent beast and the Tlanuwa, giant mythological birds of prey that possess impenetrable metal feathers.Īs the legend goes, a pair of Tlanuwa had been terrorizing a local village by swooping down and grabbing the villagers’ dogs and children to feed to their young. Several stories tell of this monster of Native American lore. Generations of Cherokee passed on the knowledge of possible Uktena dwellings so members of the tribe could avoid these dangerous spots. Legend has it that the Uktena lives in isolated, dark places like gorges, caves, and lonely passes in the high mountains. In other tales, these horned serpents are born out of envy and anger and represent the darkness of the Underworld. The Uktena was so jealous and angry about his failure that all the people were afraid of him, so they took him away from the tribe and hid him. ![]() He failed, but the Rattlesnake tried next and succeeded. A man was changed into a horned snake and sent to kill the sun. However, as a white man and outsider, the researcher was not allowed to see it.Īccording to the Cherokee legends of this Native American monster, the first Uktena was made long ago, when the sun sent a sickness down to kill the people on earth. The diamond he had obtained was allegedly still in possession of the East Cherokees during Mooney’s visit to the tribe. Those who can retrieve it are considered great protectors. Tatiilange/Deviant Art Uktena are said to possess a blazing diamond on their foreheads called Ulun’suti. Still, it is worth a man’s life to attempt it, for whoever is seen by the Uktena is so dazed by the bright light that he runs toward the snake instead of trying to escape.”Īccording to Mooney’s research, the only warrior ever believed to have successfully retrieved the blazing Uktena diamond and live to tell the tale was Âgăn-uni′tsĭ. “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, blazing crest like a diamond upon its forehead, and scales glittering like sparks of fire…The blazing diamond is called Ulun’suti, ‘transparent,’ and he who can win it may become the greatest wonder worker of the tribe. The nineteenth-century anthropologist James Mooney observed the Cherokee tribe in Western North Carolina and described the Uktena in his 1992 book History, Myths, and Sacred Formulas of the Cherokees, writing: But some depictions are far more unnerving. It is essentially a dragon-like horned serpent with wings. The legend of the Uktena originated among the Cherokee nation of the Southeastern U.S. ![]() Various serpent beasts can be found in Native American folklore among them is the myth of Uktena. Many cultures worldwide tell tales of giant serpents or dragon-like creatures secretly lurking deep in the wild. Deskridge/Deviant Art The Uktena is a giant horned serpent from Cherokee lore.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |