almost certain that most of the myths
of this class are but disjointed fragments of an original complete gen-
esis and migration legend, which is now lost. With nearly every tribe
that has been studied we find such a sacred legend, preserved by the
priests of the tradition, who alone are privileged to recite and explain
it. and dealing with the origin and wanderings of the people from the
beginning of the world to the final settlement of the tribe in its home
territory. Among the best examples of such genesis traditions are
those recorded in the Walam Olum of the Delawares and Matthews'
Navaho Origin Legend. Others may be found in Cusick's History
of the Six Nations, Gatschet's Creek Migration Legend, and the
author's Jicarilla Genesis. 1 The Cheyenne, Arapaho, and other plains
tribes are known to have similargenesis myths.
The former existence of such a national legend among the Cherokee
is confirmed by Haywood, writing in 1823, who states on information
obtained from a principal man in the tribe that they had once a long
oration, then nearly forgotten, which recounted the history of their
wanderings from the time when they had been first placed upon the
earth by some superior power from above. Up to about the middle
of the la-t century this tradition was still recited at the annual Green-
corn dance. 2 Unlike mosl Indians the Cherokee are not conservative,
and even before the Revolution had so far lost their primitive customs
from contact with the whites that Adair, in 1775. calls them a nesl of
apostate hornets who for more than thirty years had been fast degen-
erating. 3 Whatever it may have