jjares reviewed Cherokee Mythology: Captivating Myths and Legends of a Native American Tribe on + 3307 more book reviews
When this book shared the information that the Cherokee Indians spoke an Iroquoian-related language, it was obvious that the author was correct in saying that the Cherokee originally lived in the northern part of the United States. When they interacted with the Europeans, they had already moved in a more southeastern direction.
I would be interested in learning more about something mentioned on page 3: "In the twentieth century, the conversion of the Oklahoma Territory into the state of Oklahoma in 1907 led to a dismantling of much of the infrastructure the Cherokee had built to govern themselves and educate their children,...." I know that the Cherokee is part of the Five Civilized Tribes (Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Seminole, and Creek Indians), but was unaware they had an organized system of government and education.
The stories highlighted here seemed a bit different than myths of other civilizations. So often, myths give the reason why something is the way it is. Certainly, some of these stories do that. However, some stories are just tales shared over the generations, without a particular 'moral to the story' or an explanation of why an animal acts a certain way. And that is fine; I was just interested that these stories were unique to the Cherokee.
The Cherokee seemed to be particularly disdainful of pride and jealousy. Their stories show the unfortunate results of prideful and jealous people and creatures. I really appreciate Captivating History gathering these stories for readers' edification.
I would be interested in learning more about something mentioned on page 3: "In the twentieth century, the conversion of the Oklahoma Territory into the state of Oklahoma in 1907 led to a dismantling of much of the infrastructure the Cherokee had built to govern themselves and educate their children,...." I know that the Cherokee is part of the Five Civilized Tribes (Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Seminole, and Creek Indians), but was unaware they had an organized system of government and education.
The stories highlighted here seemed a bit different than myths of other civilizations. So often, myths give the reason why something is the way it is. Certainly, some of these stories do that. However, some stories are just tales shared over the generations, without a particular 'moral to the story' or an explanation of why an animal acts a certain way. And that is fine; I was just interested that these stories were unique to the Cherokee.
The Cherokee seemed to be particularly disdainful of pride and jealousy. Their stories show the unfortunate results of prideful and jealous people and creatures. I really appreciate Captivating History gathering these stories for readers' edification.
