Sunday, November 12, 2017 at 1 pm United Cherokee AniYunWiYa Nation will be hosting their Fellowship Gathering at 1531 Blount Avenue / Guntersville (across from ACE Hardware). This is a covered dish event so please bring something to share. We are celebrating American Indian Heritage Month and ask that all artisans please bring your crafted items to sale or show. The public is always welcome and in recognition of November being American Indian Heritage month a PSA has gone out to the local newspaper so their may be guests showing up for this event. Since Saturday is Veteran’s Day we will also take the opportunity to say Thank You to all our Veteran’s. To those who have never attended before this is a good opportunity to get to come visit, share and enjoy a day of good Fellowship and Food! We look forward to seeing everybody.
These T-shirts can be purchased in the tribal office located at 1531 Blount Avenue / Guntersville, AL or you can mail in a check made out to UCAN to PO Box 754 with a letter stating which t-shirts you are interested in purchasing. If mailing in your request please add an additional $10.00 with your check to cover the postage. Large orders may require higher postage. Call 256 582-2333 to verify possible increase needed in postage. Thank You!
I was asked to post a reminder about our office hours and my schedule.
The tribal office and Herb Shop are open Tuesday – Friday 10:00 am – 4:30 pm
Located at 1531 Blount Avenue / Guntersville, AL 35976 (across from ACE Hardware)
Phone (256) 582-2333
Principal Chief Judy Dixon’s schedule: Tuesday and Thursday I work in the tribal office. The remainder of the week I work from home. Because my husband works the night shift and must sleep during the day I will not give out my personal number but I am reachable if an emergency comes up. Most either send me a private message on Facebook or email me at dixonzoo@aol.com. There is someone in the office Tuesday – Friday who is able to answer most questions. If something comes up they cannot personally handle or it is an emergency they know how to contact me. We have a wonderful support team in place. It may be hard to believe but we also have a personal life and get called away from time to time. We try not to close the office during our normal hours but there have been occasions when this has been necessary. If for any reason we have to close we leave a note with a date and time when we will be back. We appreciate everyone’s support and patience during those times. Thank You
Tsalagi Creation Story – Cherokee
Many, many moons ago, in the beginning of time, the earth was all water. There was no land. All the four-leggeds, all the animals, all the winged-ones, lived up in the sky on the clouds. They were waiting for the land to dry, but it would not dry. They would send one animal but he would come back unable to find dry land. The animals would regularly check the water below. Finally, after a dog had looked and reported back that it was still wet, they sent the water beetle. The water beetle dove into the water, grabbed a handful of mud at the bottom, brought it up and placed it on top of the water and it started to dry, started to build land. He brought more and more and still they waited for it to dry, still they waited and waited.
Finally, they sent grandfather buzzard, the mighty buzzard, down and the land was almost dry. As the buzzard flew, he’d fly down close to the land and every time he would flap his mighty wings, he would form a mountain and a valley. That’s why the Cherokee land has mountains and valleys in it today. All the animals came down and settled on the earth.
After they did, they realized they had no light. So they called to Grandfather and asked would he give them light, and he did. He brought to them the sun. He put the sun down right by the ground, and it was too hot for the animals. So they pushed and pushed, till finally they got it far enough out that it would not burn all the time; but it was still so hot that the crawfish was baked. That’s why, if you look at him today, he is red from the sun being too close.
Finally, they got the sun far enough out so it would not burn and we would have night. And Grandfather told them, “Now that I have done this for you, I ask that all the four-legged, and all the animals, and all the plants stay awake for seven days and for seven nights.” This is why today, when a warrior goes to cross his manhood, he fasts and sweats for seven days.
All the animals and all the plants fell asleep except for some. The owl stayed awake, and that’s why he has vision to hunt at night now. The plants, the Douglas fir, the cedar, the pine, and a few others stayed awake for seven nights and for seven days. That’s why only these, among all the plants, are allowed to stay green all the year round. The other plants fell asleep and so must sleep part of every year.
Such was the beginning of our lands as told by a Cherokee grandmother to her grandson.
