Reading Notes: Cherokee Part B
The story, "The Rattlesnake's Vengeance" was very interesting.
In the beginning, the mother heard her children scream which triggered her to take action and she killed "the chief" rattlesnake in the process.
The father was climbing in the mountains and came up the colony of rattlesnakes and he and the colony had a conversation. That makes me wonder if the chief rattlesnake was talking to the children and what he was saying. Why did the mother kill the snake automatically if she could have talked to him and told him to leave them alone?
Anyway, the colony of rattlesnakes told the man that he had to give up his wife as sacrifice for paying the debt of murder of one of their own. Surprisingly, he did not fight those terms. He did exactly what the snakes told him to do and he let his wife get bitten by the rattlesnake that was sent to accomplish the task.
Did he dislike his wife? Why did he not try to save her life and negotiate terms?
After the deed was done and the wife was dying, the snake who bit her slithered up to the man. The snake taught the man a short song and said, "Thank you, your debt has been paid. If you see a rattlesnake approaching, sing this song and it will leave you alone. If, for some reason, one of our snakes do bite your people, sing this song over the wounded and they will heal." I wonder why the man did not try to sing the song over his dying wife? Where were the children in all of this? I bet the woman haunts her husband for getting her killed. I am also surprised that the snake seemed to be telling the truth. As soon as the debt was paid, he gave him helpful tips and then slithered on his way, he did not try to hurt anymore people. Snakes are usually the sneaky ones, but these were not.
Bibliography: The Rattlesnake's Vengeance from the Cherokee Unit by James Mooney
In the beginning, the mother heard her children scream which triggered her to take action and she killed "the chief" rattlesnake in the process.
The father was climbing in the mountains and came up the colony of rattlesnakes and he and the colony had a conversation. That makes me wonder if the chief rattlesnake was talking to the children and what he was saying. Why did the mother kill the snake automatically if she could have talked to him and told him to leave them alone?
Anyway, the colony of rattlesnakes told the man that he had to give up his wife as sacrifice for paying the debt of murder of one of their own. Surprisingly, he did not fight those terms. He did exactly what the snakes told him to do and he let his wife get bitten by the rattlesnake that was sent to accomplish the task.
Did he dislike his wife? Why did he not try to save her life and negotiate terms?
After the deed was done and the wife was dying, the snake who bit her slithered up to the man. The snake taught the man a short song and said, "Thank you, your debt has been paid. If you see a rattlesnake approaching, sing this song and it will leave you alone. If, for some reason, one of our snakes do bite your people, sing this song over the wounded and they will heal." I wonder why the man did not try to sing the song over his dying wife? Where were the children in all of this? I bet the woman haunts her husband for getting her killed. I am also surprised that the snake seemed to be telling the truth. As soon as the debt was paid, he gave him helpful tips and then slithered on his way, he did not try to hurt anymore people. Snakes are usually the sneaky ones, but these were not.
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