Myth 59c

A mother whose grown son had been thus treated when an infant claimed that he could hold anything with his thumb and finger. It is said, however, to render the child quarrelsome and disposed to bite. Of insects there is more to be said. The generic name for all sorts of small insects and worms is tsgâya , and according to the doctors, who had anticipated the microbe theory by several centuries, these tsgâya are to blame for nearly every human ailment not directly traceable to the asgina of the larger animals or to witchcraft. The reason is plain. There are such myriads of them everywhere on the earth and in the air that mankind is constantly destroying them by wholesale, without mercy and almost without knowledge, and this is their method of taking revenge. Beetles are classed together under a name which signifies “insects with shells.” The little water-beetle or mellow-bug ( Dineutes discolor ) is called dâyuni′sĭ , “beaver’s grandmother,” and according to the genesis tradition it brought up the first earth from under the water. A certain green-headed beetle with horns ( Phanæus carnifex ) is spoken of as the dog of the Thunder boys, and the metallic-green luster upon its forehead is said to have been caused by striking at the celebrated mythic gambler, Ûñtsaiyĭ′, “Brass” (see the story). The June-bug ( Allorhina nitida ), another green beetle, is tagû , but is frequently called by the curious name of tu′ya-dĭ′skalawʻsti′skĭ , “one who keeps fire under the beans.” Its larva is the grubworm which presided at the meeting held by the insects to compass the destruction of the human race (see the story, “Origin of Disease and Medicine”). The large horned beetle ( Dynastes tityus ?) is called tsistû′na , “crawfish,” aʻwĭ′ , “deer,” or gălăgi′na , “buck,” on account of its branching horns. The snapping beetle ( Alaus oculatus ?) is called tûlsku′wa , “one that snaps with his head.” When the lâlû or jar-fly ( Cicada auletes ) begins to sing in midsummer they say: “The jar-fly has brought the beans,” his song being taken as the signal that beans are ripe and that green corn is not far behind. When the katydid ( tsĭkĭkĭ′ ) is heard a little later they say, “Katydid has brought the roasting-ear bread.” The cricket ( tăla′tŭ′ ) is often called “the barber” ( ditastaye′skĭ ), on account of its habit of gnawing hair from furs, and when the Cherokee meet a man with his hair clipped unevenly they sometimes ask playfully, “Did the cricket cut your hair?” (see story, “Why the Possum’s Tail is Bare”). Certain persons are said to drink tea made of crickets in order to become good singers. The mole cricket ( Gryllotalpa ), so called because it tunnels in the earth and has hand-like claws fitted for digging, is known to the Cherokee as gûlʻkwâgĭ , a word which literally means “seven,” but is probably an onomatope. It is reputed among them to be alert, hard to catch, and an excellent singer, who “never makes mistakes.” Like the crawfish and the cricket, it plays an important part in preparing people for the duties of life.