Origin of Disease and Medicine

In the old days, animals, plants, and people lived together in peace and friendship and talked with each other. As time went on, people began to multiply rapidly, and the animals were crowded into forests and deserts.

This was bad, but to make it worse, Man invented bows, knives, spears, and hooks and began to destroy animals wholesale for their skins and furs, not just for needed food. Animals became angry at such treatment by their former friends and decided to meet and consult with each other about measures for their common safety.

The Bears were the first to meet in council, presided over by Old White Bear, their Chief. After several Bears had spoken against mankind for their bloodthirsty ways, war was unanimously agreed upon. But what kinds of weapons should the Bears use?

Chief Old White Bear suggested that Man's weapon, the bow and arrow, should be turned against him. All of the council agreed. While the Bears worked and made bows and arrows, they wondered what to do about bowstrings. One of the Bears sacrificed himself to provide the strings, while the others searched for good arrow-wood.

When the first bow was completed and tried, the Bear's claws could not release the strings to shoot the arrow. One Bear offered to cut his claws, but Chief Old White Bear would not allow him to do that, because without claws he could not climb trees for food and safety. He might starve. "It is clear," Old White Bear said, "that Man's weapon's were not meant for us."

Since no one could think of any better plan, the Bears dispersed to the woods and thickets. Had their council been otherwise, we would be at war with Bears now, but as it is, the hunter does not even ask the Bear's pardon when he kills one.

The Deer tribe called together its council led by Chief Little Deer. They decided that any hunters who killed a Deer without asking pardon in a suitable manner should be afflicted with painful rheumatism in their joints.

After this decision, Chief Little Deer sent a messenger to their nearest neighbours, the Cherokee Indians. "From now on, your hunters must first offer a prayer to the Deer before killing him," said the messenger. "You must ask his pardon, stating you are forced only by the hunger needs of your tribe to kill the deer. Otherwise, a terrible disease will come to the hunter."

When a Deer is slain by a hunter, Chief Little Deer will run to the spot and ask the slain Deer's spirit, "Did you hear the hunter's prayer for pardon?" If the reply is yes, then all is well and Chief Little Deer returns to his cave. But if the answer is no, then the Chief tracks the hunter to his lodge and strikes him with the terrible disease of rheumatism, making him a helpless cripple unable to hunt again.

Next the Fishes and Reptiles held a council and decided they would haunt those who tormented them by sending them hideous dreams of serpents twining around them and eating them alive. These Snake and Fish dreams occurred often among the Cherokees. To get relief, the Cherokees pleaded with their Shaman to banish their frightening dreams if they no longer tormented the Snakes and Fish.

When the Plants, who were friendly to Man, heard what the animals had decided, they determined to defeat their evil designs. Each Tree, Shrub, and Herb, even the Grasses and Mosses, agreed to furnish a cure for some one of their diseases. Each one said, "I shall appear to help Man when he calls upon me in his need."

Thus medicine came into being, and Plants, every one of which has its use if we only know it, furnish the remedy to counteract the evil wrought by the vengeful animals. Even weeds were made for some good purpose, which we must find out for ourselves.

Thereafter, Cherokee Indians visited their Shaman about their ailments, and if the medicine man was in doubt, he communed with the spirits of the Plants. They always suggested a proper remedy for mankind's diseases.

This was the beginning of plant medicine from nature among the Cherokee Indian nation a long, long time ago.

Related Resources

Official site of the Cherokee Nation, Tahlequah, Oklahoma has tribal information, history, culture.

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians is made up of descendants of the Cherokees who managed to evade federal troops and did not join the main body of the Cherokee Nation on the Trail of Tears.

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