from Swimmer, the best informant in the eastern band, is but
fragmentary, for the reason that he confounded it with the somewhat
similar story of U`tlûñ'ta (number 66). It was mentioned by Ayâsta
and others (east) and by Wafford (west) as a very old and interesting
story, although none of these could recall the details in connected
form. It is noted as one of the stories heard in the Territory by
Ten Kate (Legends of the Cherokees, in Journal of American Folk-Lore,
January, 1889), who spells the name Nayunu'wi.
Nûñyunu'wi, "Dressed in stone"; adâ'lanûñsti, a staff or cane;
asûñ'tli, asûñ'tlûñi, a foot log or bridge; ada'wehi, a great magician
or supernatural wonder-worker; see the glossary.
A very close parallel is found among the Iroquois, who have traditions
of an invasion by a race of fierce cannibals known as the Stonish
Giants, who, originally like ordinary humans, had wandered off into
the wilderness, where they became addicted to eating raw flesh and
wallowing in the sand until their bodies grew to gigantic size and were
covered with hard scales like stone, which no arrow could penetrate
(see Cusick, in Schoolcraft, Indian Tribes, V, p. 637). One of these,
which preyed particularly upon the Onondaga, was at last taken in
a pitfall and thus killed. Another, in tracking his victims used
"something which looked like a finger, but was really a pointer made
of bone. With this he could find anything he wished." The pointer was
finally snatched from him by a hunter, on which the giant, unable to
find his way without it, begged piteously for its return, promising
to eat no more men and to send the hunter long life and good luck
for himself and all his friends. The hunter thereupon restored it
and the giant kept his promises (Beauchamp, W. M., Iroquois Notes,
in Journal of American Folk-Lore, Boston, July, 1892.) As told by
Mrs Smith ("The Stone Giant's Challenge," Myths of the Iroquois,
in Second Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology, 1883), the
pointer was a human finger. "He placed it upright upon his hand,
and it immediately pointed the way for him to go."
Menstrual woman--Among all our native tribes it is believed that
there is something dangerous or uncanny in the touch or presence of
a menstrual woman. Hence the universal institution of the "menstrual
lodge," to which the woman retires at such periods, eating, working,
and sleeping alone, together with a host of tabus and precautions
bearing upon the same subject. Nearly the same ideas are held in
regard to a pregnant woman.
Sourwood stakes--Cherokee hunters impale meat upon sourwood
(Oxydendrum) stakes for roasting, and the wood is believed, also,
to have power against the spells of witches.
Began to talk--The revealing of "medicine" secrets by a magician when
in his final agony is a common incident in Indian myths.
Whatever he prayed for--Swimmer gives a detailed statement of the
particular petition made by several of those thus painted. Painting
the face and body, especially with red paint, is always among Indians
a more or less sacred performance, usually accompanied with prayers.