obtained from Cornelius Boudinot, a prominent mixed-blood of Tahlequah,
and differs from the standard Cherokee myth, according to which
the redbird is the transformed daughter of the Sun (see number 5,
"The Daughter of the Sun").
Red paint--Much sacredness attaches, in the Indian mind, to
red paint, the color being symbolic of war, strength, success,
and spirit protection. The word paint, in any Indian language,
is generally understood to mean red paint, unless it is otherwise
distinctly noted. The Indian red paint is usually a soft hematite ore,
found in veins of hard-rock formation, from which it must be dug with
much labor and patience. In the western tribes everyone coming thus
to procure paint makes a prayer beside the rock and hangs a small
sacrifice upon a convenient bush or stick before beginning operations.