Fwd: [native_american_storytellers]
From: golden3000997
Date: Tue Dec 16, 2003 9:25 pm
Subject: Fwd: [native_american_storytellers] Little People Lore
- Cherokee
I belong to this one, too! Look at this "Forever
Boy" - think of Peter Pan! 'nother childhood obsession.
I just KNEW I could fly.
I was starting a list the other day of the
"magics" - you know the magical gifts found in Fairy
Tales & such:
Flying
Ability to speak with animals
purse that is never empty
Invisibility
Magic Healing/ Resurrection
"seven league boots" - what is that called? sort of
like teleporting
shape shifting
Anyone have some more? I was going to think
about these "magics" in terms of spiritual gifts (gifts
of the Holy Spirit?) acquired through initiation.
Not to get too heavy, though - I just love
Peter Pan! New movie version coming out soon, too.
: ) Christine
From: Blue Panther
Date: Tue Dec 16, 2003 5:53 pm
Subject: [native_american_storytellers] Little People Lore -
Cherokee
To: Native_Village
Little People Lore –
Cherokee
The Little People of the Cherokee
are a race of Spirits who live in rock caves on the mountain
side. They are little fellows and ladies reaching almost to your
knees. They are well shaped and handsome, and their hair so long
it almost touches the ground. They are very helpful, kind-hearted,
and great wonder workers. They love music and spend most of their
time drumming, singing, and dancing. They have a very gentle
nature, but do not like to be disturbed.
Sometimes their drums are
heard in lonely places in the mountains, but it is not safe to
follow it, for they do not like to be disturbed at home, and
they will throw a spell over the stranger so that he is bewildered
and loses his way, and even if he does at last get back to the
settlement he is like one dazed ever after. Sometimes, also,
they come near a house at night and the people inside hear them
talking, but they must not go out, and in the morning they find
the corn gathered or the field cleared as if a whole force of
men had been at work. If anyone should go out to watch, he would
die.
When a hunter finds anything
in the woods, such as a knife or a trinket, he must say, 'Little
People, I would like to take this' because it may belong to them,
and if he does not ask their permission they will throw stones
at him as he goes home.
Some Little People are black,
some are white and some are golden like the Cherokee. Sometimes
they speak in Cherokee, but at other times they speak their own
'Indian' language. Some call them "Brownies".
Little people are here to
teach lessons about living in harmony with nature and with others.
There are three kinds of Little People. The Laurel People, the
Rock People, and the Dogwood People.
The Rock People are the mean
ones who practice "getting even" who steal children
and the like. But they are like this because their space has
been invaded.
The Laurel People play tricks
and are generally mischievous. When you find children laughing
in their sleep - the Laurel People are humorous and enjoy sharing
joy with others.
Then there are the Dogwood
People who are good and take care of people.
The lessons taught by the
Little People are clear. The Rock People teach us that if you
do things to other people out of meanness or intentionally, it
will come back on you. We must always respect other people's
limits and boundaries. The Laurel People teach us that we shouldn't
take the world too seriously, and we must always have joy and
share that joy with others. The lessons of the Dogwood People
are simple - if you do something for someone, do it out of goodness
of your heart. Don't do it to have people obligated to you or
for personal gain.
In Cherokee beliefs, many
stories contain references to beings called the Little People.
These people are supposed to be small mythical characters, and
in different beliefs they serve different purposes.
"There are a lot of stories
and legends about the Little People. You can see the people out
in the forest. They can talk and they look a lot like Indian
people except they're only about two feet high, sometimes they're
smaller. Now the Little People can be very helpful, and they
can also play tricks on us, too. And at one time there was a
boy. This boy never wanted to grow up. In fact, he told everyone
that so much that they called him "Forever Boy" because
he never wanted to be grown. When his friends would sit around
and talk about: 'Oh when I get to be a man, and when I get to
be grown I'm gonna be this and I'm gonna go here and be this,'
he'd just go off and play by himself.
He didn't even want to hear
it, because he never wanted to grow up. Finally his father got
real tired of this, and he said, 'Forever Boy, I will never call
you that again. From now on you're going to learn to be a man,
you're going to take responsibility for yourself, and you're
going to stop playing all day long. You have to learn these things.
Starting tomorrow you're going to go to your uncle's, and he's
going to teach you everything that you are going to need to know.'
Forever Boy was broken hearted at what his father told him, but
he could not stand the thought of growing up. He went out to
the river and he cried. He cried so hard that he didn't see his
animal friends gather around him. And they were trying to tell
him something, and they were trying to make him feel better,
and finally he thought he understood them say, 'Come here tomorrow,
come here early.' Well, he thought they just wanted to say goodbye
to him. And he drug his feet going home. He couldn't even sleep
he was so upset. The next morning he went out early, as he had
promised, to meet his friends. And he was so sad, he could not
bear the thought of telling them goodbye forever. Finally he
began to get the sense that they were trying to tell him something
else, and that is to look behind him.
As he looked behind him, there
they were, all the Little People. And they were smiling at him
and laughing and running to hug him. And they said, 'Forever
Boy you do not have to grow up. You can stay with us forever.
You can come and be one of us and you will never have to grow
up...we will ask the Creator to send a vision to your parents
and let them know that you are safe and you are doing what you
need to do.' Forever Boy thought about it for a long time. But
that is what he decided he needed to do, and he went with the
Little People.
And even today when you are
out in the woods and you see something, and you look and it is
not what you really thought it was, or if you are fishing and
you feel something on the end of your line, and you think it
is the biggest trout ever, and you pull it in, and all it is
a stick that got tangled on your hook, that is what the Little
People are doing. They are playing tricks on you so you will
laugh and keep young in your heart. Because that is the spirit
of Little People, and Forever Boy, to keep us young in our hearts."
From the Archives of Blue
Panther
...................................................................................................................................
From: golden3000997
Date: Wed Dec 17, 2003 9:58 pm
Subject: Fwd: [native_american_storytellers] Little People Who
Wore White - Cherokee
This is for Maurice especially, in response
to his message to me:
The Powers of Form who
moulded the mountains gave us our religions.
From: Blue Panther
Date: Wed Dec 17, 2003 3:11 am
Subject: [native_american_storytellers] Little People Who Wore
White - Cherokee
To: Native_Village
Little People Who Wore White - Cherokee
This is a story past down through the Chiltoskey
family and written down by Goingbacks' wife, Mary Ulmer Chiltoskey.
"The eastern sky brightened,
turning pink with morning. The prayers were completed and everyone
was in greetings. Someone called attention to the beautiful lights
coming toward them in a distance. A gust of wind swept through
the forest preceding the hoot of an owl over the river. They
stood awe struck as the Little-People-Who-Wore-White took form
from the lights. When the Little-People-Who-Wore-White arrived,
sadness surrounded them in such a way that they did not talk.
They kept their heads down in sorrow and stayed to themselves.
Soon the gathering could feel all of nature being affected by
this sadness. The Cherokees did not have much to say to one another.
There was an old Cherokee
man who had been meeting the Little-People-Who-Wore-White longer
than anyone else present. He made his way where they were and
waited to be noticed. One of the Little-People-Who-Wore-White
left the others and took the man into the woods. They were gone
for some time. When they returned, the old man began speaking
to the crowd. He reminded them of a time about 33 years before.
It was the same time the new star came in the east, and a special
child was born across the ocean. He reviewed all the news they
had heard of him, from time to time, while he was growing up.
How this special boy had become a man and had taught a better
way to live. He reminded the gathering of this man's visits,,
through spirit, to tribes of this land.
The old man had returned the
smiles to the Cherokees by talking about this man they had grown
to love but had not seen. The Little-People-Who-Wore-White joined
the old man and spoke, "This man who brought you the knowledge
of the way of peace and harmony among yourselves and all things,
this man whom everyone loves if they are willing to hear him,
has enemies. The enemies refuse to hear his message. They refuse
to see when he works the miracles before their own eyes. These
enemies who love only their positions and pursuit of material
wealth have conspired against him. Today, when the sky darkens
they will have killed him in a strange and horrible way.' The
Cherokees began to sing to this special man of peace as they
watched the skies. They sang until the day became as dark as
night. The nearby creatures of the woods came among them and
shared the sorrow. All of nature grieved. The next day the Little-People-Who-Wore-White
were still among those gathered. When the Cherokees were leaving
to go back to their own villages they were told, "No one,
if not the Great Spirit, could stop this tragic thing that has
happened. Take what new teachings you have learned from Him and
live them in His honor.'
From the Archives of Blue
Panther
...................................................................................................................................
From: golden3000997
Date: Tue Dec 23, 2003 4:32 am
Subject: Fwd: [native_american_storytellers] Native American
Ten Commandments
From: Blue Panther
Date: Tue Dec 23, 2003 2:39 am
Subject: [native_american_storytellers] Native American Ten Commandments
To: "Native_Village" <Native_village@yahoogroups.com>
Native American Ten Commandments
Treat the Earth and all that
dwell thereon with respect.
Remain close to the Great Spirit.
Show great respect for your fellow beings.
Work together for the benefit of all Mankind.
Give assistance and kindness wherever needed.
Do what you know to be right.
Look after the well being of mind and body.
Dedicate a share of your efforts to the greater good.
Be truthful and honest at all times.
Take full responsibility for your actions.
From the Archives of Blue Panther
...................................................................................................................................
From: golden3000997
Date: Wed Dec 24, 2003 5:12 am
Subject: Fwd: [native_american_storytellers] The Elder Speaks
From: Cloud Dancer
Date: Tue Dec 23, 2003 10:11 pm
Subject: [native_american_storytellers] The Elder Speaks
To: native_american_storytellers@yahoogroups.com
The Elder Speaks
She gathered the young
Stared within the flames of the fire
She spoke of life before..ad Life after
She was old,crippled,but her spirit strong
Stories of old, but lessons within, learned.
Honored among her people,
She'd never be forgotten
Even after she was long gone
Her bones would someday blow in the wind
but for now..she had much to say..much to teach.
Do not let poison ride through
your veins
Do not let the firewater,take away who you are
Do not become some bum, living in the streets.
Hold your head up, Show your pride.
Dance with the traditions
long since gone
Dance like you've not dance before,show your Pride.
Show your colors,be proud of the heritage given .
Honor the women, the men , the children, the past .
I speak to you,for I once was young, now I am old.
Learn the legends,for they
are true within words of them, learn from them.
Respect the Earth for she is the giver of all Life..
Respect the Circle...one that never ends.
Respect the herbs we Use.
Do not abuse, Tobacco,Sage,Cedar,Sweetgrass, nor Peyote.
These are sacred, from the earth they came , to the earth they
will someday return.
With each word she spoke,she
hugged the young to her.
They listened with great respect,for not many elders were left.
For they were the teachers of the nations, teachers of the young.
The Elder spoke...from her
heart,soul and Spirit.
By Cloud
June 6th,2003
Copyrighted
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