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Myths of the Cherokee · 111 of 220

Myth 75b

The Ani′-Tsâ′gûhĭ, the Ani′-Tsâ′gûhĭ, I want to lay them low on the ground, The Ani′-Tsâ′gûhĭ, the Ani′-Tsâ′gûhĭ, I want to lay them low on the ground—Yû! The bear hunter starts out each morning fasting and does not eat until near evening. He sings this song as he leaves camp, and again the next morning, but never twice the same day. * * * Second Bear Song This song also is sung by the bear hunter, in order to attract the bears, while on his way from the camp to the place where he expects to hunt during the day. The melody is simple and plaintive. He-e! Hayuya′haniwă′, hayuya′haniwă′, hayuya′haniwă′, hayuya′haniwă′, Tsistuyi′ nehandu′yanû′, Tsistuyi′ nehandu′yanû′—Yoho-o! He-e! Hayuya′haniwă′, hayuya′haniwă′, hayuya′haniwă′, hayuya′haniwă′, Kuwâhi′ nehandu′yanû′, Kuwâhi′ nehandu′yanû′—Yoho-o! He-e! Hayuya′haniwă′, hayuya′haniwă′, hayuya′haniwă′, hayuya′haniwă′, Uyâhye′ nehandu′yanû′, Uyâhye′ nehandu′yanû′—Yoho-o! He-e! Hayuya′haniwă′, hayuya′haniwă′, hayuya′haniwă′, hayuya′haniwă′, Gâtegwâ′ nehandu′yanû′, Gâtegwâ′ nehandu′yanû′—Yoho-o! (Recited) Ûlĕ-ʻnû′ asĕhĭ′ tadeyâ′statakûhĭ′ gûñ′năge astû′ tsĭkĭ′. He! Hayuya′haniwă′ (four times), In Tsistu′yĭ you were conceived (two times)—Yoho! He! Hayuya′haniwă′ (four times), In Kuwâ′hĭ you were conceived (two times)—Yoho! He! Hayuya′haniwă′ (four times), In Uyâ′hye you were conceived (two times)—Yoho! He! Hayuya′haniwă′ (four times), In Gâte′gwâ you were conceived (two times)—Yoho! And now surely we and the good black things, the best of all, shall see each other.
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Themes
◆Animismcosmology

The doctrine and worldview that natural phenomena, places, and objects possess inherent spirit, soul, or personality — and that the cosmos is populated by countless local, plural, embodied divine agents: kami in mountain and tree, sidhe in cairn and well, landwights in field and stone, nymphs in spring and grove, haltija in forest and lake, lares and penates in household and threshold, Iamblichean daemons in element and place. Distinct from monotheism (single transcendent God), pantheism (one underlying substance), and emanation_hierarchy (cascading single source); animism's signature is the plurality, locality, and embodied-in-landscape character of the divine.

The passage depicts a worldview where bears possess inherent spirit and personality, requiring the hunter to engage with them through specific songs and rituals to establish a relationship.

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◆Fasting And Prayerpraxis

Ascetic disciplines that prepare the body and mind for spiritual receptivity or purification.

The text explicitly describes the bear hunter fasting from morning until evening and singing ritual songs as a preparatory discipline for his hunt.

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◆Sacred Namestheology

Divine names or formulas that carry ontological power, used in prayer, liturgy, or magical practice.

The repetition of specific place-names (Tsis-tuyi, Kuwâhi, etc.) in the song suggests these names hold ritual significance or power in invoking the conception of the bears.

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◆Word Power Incantationpraxis

The doctrine and practice that spoken or sung word carries causal-magical force — that uttering names, formulas, songs, or incantations alters reality directly rather than merely communicating about it. Vainamoinen's runo-songs that move mountains and command iron, Norse galdr, Vedic mantra, Shinto kotodama, the magician's barbarous names in the Greek Magical Papyri, Iamblichean arcane signatures and inexplicable symbols, biblical creation-by-word. Distinct from sacred_names (the ontological power of names themselves) and prayer (address to the divine); word_power_incantation is the magical-causal efficacy of the spoken word as such.

The central theme is the use of specific songs and chants as magical tools to attract bears and alter reality, demonstrating the belief that spoken words carry causal force.

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Related passages · 1 parallel
◆finnic|The Kalevala|Rune XLVIa
“THE HONEY-EATER. Came the tidings to Pohyola, To the village of the Northland, That Wainola had recovered From her troubles and misfortunes, From her sicknesses and sorrows. Louhi, hostess of the Northland, Toothless dame of Sariola, Envy…”
Both passages describe a ritual or song intended to attract or interact with bears. The Cherokee passage details a bear hunter's song to attract bears, while the Finnish passage describes a bear being driven towards a village and a minstrel preparing to confront it. Both involve a deep connection to nature and the use of specific rituals or tools to engage with bears.