Gv-li loved to tease wa-ya.
One day gv-li teased wa-ya so much that wa-ya became very angry. Wa-ya
began to chase gv-li through the woods. Gv-li, being the clever animal
that he is, kept ahead of wa-ya.
Gv-li came to a river. Instead of jumping
in the river, he quickly climbed a tall tree and peered over a branch
to see what wa-ya would do next.
When wa-ya came to the river, he saw the
reflection of gv-li in the water. Thinking that it was gv-li, wa-ya
jumped in and tried to catch him. Wa-ya continued to search for
gv-li for such a long time that he became so tired he nearly drowned.
Finally, tired and exhausted, wa-ya climbed up the river bank and
fell fast asleep. After a while, gv-li quietly climbed down the
tree and slipped over to the sleeping wa-ya. While wa ya slept,
gv-li began to plaster the eyes of wa-ya with mud. Then when he
had finished, gv-li ran off through the woods laughing to himself
thinking of the clever trick he had played.
Later, wa-ya woke up. He began to whine,
"Oh, someone please help me. I can't see. I can't open my eyes."
But no one came to help him.
At
long last, tsi-s-qua u-wo-di-ge heard the cries of wa-ya. He flew
over to wa-ya and landed on his shoulder. He said, "What's
the matter Brother Wolf? Can I help you?" wa-ya cried, "I
can't open my eyes. Oh, please help me to see again."Tsi-s-qua
u-wo-di-ge said, "I'm just a little brown bird but I will help
you if I can." Wa-ya said, " tsi-s-qua u-wo-di-ge , if
you can help me to see again, I will take you to a magic rock that
oozes red paint. We will paint your feathers gi-ga-ge."
Tsi-s-qua u-wo-di-ge began pecking away
at the dried mud on the eyes of wa-ya. Soon wa ya could open his
eyes again. True to his promise wa-ya said, "Thank you, my
brother; now jump up onto my shoulder." Away they ran through
the woods to the rock that oozed red paint.
When
they came to the rock, wa-ya reached up and plucked a twig from
a tree branch. He chewed the end of the twig until it was soft and
pliable like the end of a paint brush. Then he dipped the end of
the twig into the red paint and began to paint the feathers of tsi-s-qua
u-wo-di-ge.
When all of his feathers were gi-ga-ge,
tsi-s-qua flew off to show his family and friends how beautiful
he was. That is why, from that day to this, you can see to-tsu-wa
flying around the woods in Cherokee country.
wolf |
wa-ya |
|
raccoon |
gv-li |
|
bird |
tsi-s-qua |
brown |
u-wo-di-ge |
|
red |
gi-ga-ge |
|
red bird |
to-tsu-wa |
|