CUTSAWAH OR REDBIRD WOMAN

Cutsawah or Redbird Woman

In the land of lightning (yuntikwalaski) lived a woman who was the most beautiful woman in

the world. She was known as Cutsawah. Everywhere her beauty was known and shone as a bright

light for the world. One day a rattler and a copperhead snake, being envious, decided to

steal this beauty from the world. They laid in wait along a trail, one on each side, and

when Cutsawah came along they bit her.

Realizing that her life was at an end she cried out to the Creator "save me so all the

beauty of the world doesn't end". The Creator hearing her plea took pity on her and changed

her into a Red Bird lest all the beauty of the world wouldn't end.

The Redbird (Cutsawah), especially the Cardinal, is a reminder that beauty is and will

always exist in the world and never be destroyed.

Racoon would not stop teasing Fox. Fox became tired of Coon's teasing and chased him. Coon

ran up a tree and out on a limb that grew over a creek. When Fox caught up he saw Coon's

reflection in the water. "He's in there!," Fox thought. "I will get him." He jumped off the

bank into the creek. And all he got was wet and cold. He climbed back up the slick creek

bank and lay down in the sun to get dry and warm. Coon came down out of the tree. With his

little human-like paws, he covered Fox's eyes with wet clay. Soon the clay hardened into

bricks. When Fox awoke, he could not get the clay off his eyes. He began to cry. An ugly

little bird that lived in the bushes along the creek bank heard the crying and went to see

what the matter was. When Fox told the little bird what Coon had done to him, Bird told him,

"Do not cry, Fox I will help you." The little bird pecked and pecked until the clay was all

off of Fox's eyes. "Wado, wado (thank you, thank you) little bird. I can see!" Fox said.

"You have been kind to me. Now I will do something for you. Follow me." Fox walked through

the great green forest with Bird flying beside him. At last they came to a large rock with

red stripes on it. Bird had never seen the odd rock. "Rub your ugly feathers on this rock

and something wonderful will happen, " Fox told Bird. Bird ruffled his feathers on the rock.

Soon the little bird was no longer ugly. He was a beautiful red bird. Ancient Cherokee

parents might have told their children, "See that beautiful red bird. He is so pretty

because his ancestor did a good deed. If you do good deeds you will be beautiful."

Marian Dunn

How the Red Bird Got His Color

Cherokee Words:

wolf wa ya

raccoon gv li

bird tsi qua

brown u wo di ge

red gi ga ge

red bird to tsu wa

Gv li loved to tease wa ya. One day gv li teased wa ya so much that wa

ya became very angry. Wa ya began to chase gv li through the woods. Gv

li, being the clever animal that he is, kept ahead of wa ya.

Gv li came to a river. Instead of jumping in the river, he quickly

climbed a tall tree and peered over a branch to see what wa ya would do

next.

When wa ya came to the river, he saw the reflection of gv li in the

water. Thinking that it was gv li, wa ya jumped in and tried to catch

him. Wa ya continued to search for gv li for such a long time that he

became so tired he nearly drowned. Finally, tired and exhausted, wa ya

climbed up the river bank and fell fast asleep.

After a while, gv li quietly climbed down the tree and slipped over to

the sleeping wa ya. While wa ya slept, gv li began to plaster the eyes

of wa ya with mud. Then when he had finished, gv li ran off through the

woods laughing to himself thinking of the clever trick he had played.

After a while, wa ya woke up. He began to whine, "Oh, someone please

help me. I can't see. I can't open my eyes." But no

one came to help him.

Finally tsi qua u wo di ge heard the cries of wa ya. He flew over to wa

ya and landed on his shoulder. He said, "What's the matter Brother Wolf?

Can I help you?" Wa ya cried, "I can't open my eyes. Oh, please help me

to see again." Tsi qua u wo di ge said, "I'm just a little brown bird

but I will help you if I can." Wa ya said, " Tsi qua u wo di ge, if you

can help me to see again, I will take you to a magic rock that oozes red

paint. We will paint your feathers gi ga ge."

Tsi qua u wo di ge began pecking away at the dried mud on the eyes of wa

ya. Soon wa ya could open his eyes again. True

to his promise wa ya said, "Thank you, my brother; now jump up onto my

shoulder." Away they ran through the woods to the rock that oozed red

paint.

When they came to the rock, wa ya reached up and plucked a twig from a

tree branch. He chewed the end of the twig until it was soft and pliable

like the end of a paint brush. Then he dipped the end of the twig into

the red paint and began to paint the feathers of tsi qua, gi ga ge.

When all of his feathers were gi ga ge, tsi qua flew off to show all of

his family and friends how beautiful he was. That is why, from that day

to this, you can see to tsu wa flying around the woods in Cherokee

country.

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