A New World is Created for the Animals

From the book TSALAGI BEGINNINGS AND CUSTOMS be Chief Hicks can be bought by sending a check or money order for $7.50 ($5.00 for the book and $2.50 S&H) send to Red Man 505 E. Mckay, Troup,Tx 75789

A NEW WORLD IS CREATED FOR THE ANIMALS  

The Sky Rock became very crowded and some were about to fall off its edge. The animals held a council and they decided to assk Asgaya Galvlati (Man Above) to build a new world for His animal children,for they knew they were His favorites. Asgaya Galvlati (Man Above), or Yohewa (GOD), or Gano Duqualuduski (Life Master), built them a new world.

When the animals looked down upon this new world,they were dismayed,for it was covered with water. The fishes could live in this new world, but there was no firm surface for the animals and birds. Dayunisi (Beavers Grandchild), the little Water Beetle,offered to go and learn if there was land at the bottom of the water. The little Dayunisi (Beavers's Grandchild, dove down to the new world and plunged dep into the dark depths of the water. When he found the botom, he found mud. He rolled the mud into a ball with his hind legs, and the ball continued to grow and grow until land popped out of the water and made the land we live today.

But all the land was soft and wet. This was a good world for Dayunisi and Tsiskagili(Red Crawfish),but not for the other animals. Dayunisi waved and played happily in his new home. All the other water animals joined him.  

The other animalas needed dry land. The animals askes Tsiqua (bird) to find dry land, but the little bird returned so tired he could barley fly back to the Sky Rock. This new world was too large for him to fly around in search of dry land. The animals asked the Suli Equa (Giant Buzzard to fly down to the new world for them in search for dry land. The huge Suli of old times is the ancestor of the much smaller buzzards of today. Suli flew down to the new world and circled until he grew very tired. Every once in a while he would flap his giant wings to stay in the air. He was so close to land that his wing tips would touch the soft earth. Everywhere his wing tips hit the ground they made the beautiful mountains ans valleys of the Tsalagi (Cherokee). That is the reason the Tsalagi(ja-la-gee) people hold the Suli Equa in such high regard to this day.

The fanning of the great wings of suli dried the mud into firm earth. From the earth sprang trees of the forest and flowers and grass of the meadows. These brother plants made a beautiful,green world. For everything given,a price must be paid. Sometimes,it is a blood price. For the first time, hunger was known. Brother animals would eat their brother plants,and the plants would willingly give themselves so thier brothers would no go hungry. When animals died, their bodies returned to Grandmother Earth to enrich the soil to make the plants grow. Other animals would willingly give their bodies as food for others. In this manner,this new world would never become overcrowded as it had upon the Sky Rock. Some animals would eat their dead brothers to help keep the forest clean. The animals and the plants lived in peace and harmony in this new world, free of hunger and want.