Manataka American Indian Council
Âgän-uni'tsï's Search For The Uktena
A
Cherokee Story
In one of their battles with the Shawano, who are all magicians, the Cherokee
captured a great medicine-man whose name was Âgän-uni'tsï, "The
Ground-hogs' Mother." They had tied him ready for the torture when he
begged for his life and engaged, if spared, to find for them the great wonder
worker, the Ulûñsû'tî. Now, the Ulûñsû'tî is like a blazing star set in
the forehead of the great Uktena serpent, and the medicine-man who could possess
it might do marvelous things, but everyone knew this could not be, because it
was certain death to meet the Uktena. They warned him of all this but he only
answered that his medicine was strong and he was not afraid. So they gave him
his life on that condition and he began the search.
The Uktena used to lie in wait in lonely places to surprise its victims, and
especially haunted the dark passes of the Great Smoky mountains. Knowing this,
the magician went first to a gap in the range on the far northern border of the
Cherokee country. He searched and found there a monster blacksnake, larger than
had ever been known before, but it was not what he was looking for, and he
laughed at it as something too small for notice. Coming southward to the next
gap he found there a great moccasin snake, the largest ever seen, but when the
people wondered he said it was nothing. In the next gap he found a greensnake
and called the people to see "the pretty sälikwâ'yï," but when they
found an immense greensnake coiled up in the path they ran away in fear. Coming
on to U'täwagûn'ta, the Bald mountain, he found there a great diya'hälï
(lizard) basking, but, although it was large and terrible to look at, it was not
what he wanted and he paid no attention to it. Going still south to Walâsi'yï,
the Frog place, he found a great frog squatting in the gap, but when the people
who came to see it were frightened like the others and ran away from the monster
he mocked at them for being afraid of a frog and went on to the next gap. He
went on to Duniskwa`lgûñ'yï, the Gap of the Forked Antler, and to the
enchanted lake of Atagâ'hï, and at each he found monstrous reptiles, but he
said they were nothing. He thought the Uktena might be hiding in the deep water
at Tlanusi'yï, the Leech place, on Hiwassee, where other strange things had
been seen before, and going there he dived far down under the surface. He saw
turtles and water snakes, and two immense sun-perches rushed at him and
retreated again, but that was all. Other places he tried, going always
southward, and at last on Gahû'tï mountain he found the Uktena asleep.
Turning without noise, he ran swiftly down the mountain side as far as he could
go with one long breath, nearly to the bottom of the slope. There he stopped and
piled up a great circle of pine cones, and inside of it he dug a deep trench.
Then he set fire to the cones and came back again up the, mountain.
The Uktena was still asleep, and, putting an arrow to his bow, Âgän-uni'tsï
shot and sent the arrow through its heart, which was under the seventh spot from
the serpent's head. The great snake raised his head, with the diamond in front
flashing fire, and came straight at his enemy, but the magician, turning
quickly, ran at full speed down the mountain, cleared the circle of fire and the
trench at one bound, and lay down on the ground inside.
The Uktena tried to follow, but the arrow was through his heart. and in another
moment he rolled over in his death struggle, spitting poison over all the
mountain side. But the poison drops could not pass the circle of fire, but only
hissed and sputtered in the blaze, and the magician on the inside was untouched
except by one small drop which struck upon his head as he lay close to the
ground; but he did not know it. The blood, too, as poisonous as the froth,
poured from the Uktena's wound and down the slope in a dark stream, but it ran
into the trench and left him 'Unharmed. The dying monster rolled over and over
down the mountain, breaking down large trees in its path until it reached the
bottom. Then Âgän-uni'tsï called every bird in all the woods to come to the
feast, and so many came that when they were done not even the bones were left.
After seven days he went by night to the spot. The body and the bones of the
snake were gone, all eaten by the birds, but he saw a bright light shining in
the darkness, and going over to it he found, resting on a low-hanging branch,
where a raven had dropped it, the diamond from the head of the Uktena. He
wrapped it up carefully and took it with him, and from that time he became the
greatest medicine-man in the whole tribe.
When Âgän-uni'tsï came down again to the settlement the people noticed a
small snake hanging from his head where the single drop of poison from the
Uktena had struck; but so long as he lived he himself never knew that it was
there.
Where the blood of the Uktena had filled the trench a lake formed afterwards,
and the water was black and in this water the women used to dye the cane splits
for their baskets.
Our thanks to Blue Panther, Keeper of Stories blue_panther@mindspring.com