Myths of the Cherokee

About this book

James Mooney brings Cherokee oral traditions into conversation with the people's history, drawing on knowledge shared by elders and religious figures in Nantahala and Oconaluftee. The material includes creation accounts and stories about fire, medicine, stars, animals and supernatural beings. These traditions appear alongside historical developments such as contact with the Spanish, colonial conflict, forced removal and the creation of the Cherokee writing system. The book connects storytelling with cultural memory and identity, considering how a people preserves its knowledge through periods of profound disruption.