I



During the winter at the Cherokee Village Agitsta'ti'yi there was starvation and sickness spreading through the village. The Chief Ashwin (meaning Strong Horse) called the warriors and hunters of the village together for a meeting with himself regarding the hunt of food.

“How much food is in the village?” asked the Chief Ashwin

“Chief Ashwin, the people have no food, and almost all of the hunters are sick,” said Asim the hunter. “Our sons and daughters are dying and we are all weak from the lack of food.”

“All I asked was how much food was in the village!” exploded Chief Ashwin.
“Avinash you will lead a group of hunters and warriors out of the village and you will go look for fresh meat. Warriors, you are to protect the hunters from the men with the white skin. The village will pray to our creator The Almighty Unetlanvhi for success in your expedition. You are to leave at the first light.

“Very well Chief Ashwin.” said the Lead Warrior Asija

As they left the Chief’s hut, they heard the wailing and lamenting from the village of another soul having gone into the afterlife. The soul was the chief’s son Avanindra. The Great Chief Ashwin commanded that the hunting party leave immediately after the funeral of Avanindra. During this time, the tribe was planning to put the Great Chief and his family into exile because the chief did not plan at all for the winter and he was not caring for his village. After the seven days of mourning, the chief learned of the plot that had taking place within the village.

“I am the Great Chief Ashwin. My name means Strong Horse. No one can place me or my family in exile!” Thought the chief

After the seven days of mourning, the Priest Avinash cut the right breast out of the bird that was killed with an arrow and put it in the fire. When the meat did not pop towards the sons then the sons were safe. However, the chief knew that was not so because his informer had revealed the plot of exile. Chief Ashwin called the Lead Warrior Asija to his hut, but to the chiefs dismay they had already left.

“What am I going to do? I have an angry village on my hands and all of my warriors have left me,” thought the chief.

He went to the fire of the Priest Atulya to ask what to do, but the priest said to come back when the moon was full, that was two weeks away!













1
“Oh what am I to do? Surely The Great Creator Unetlanvhi has not turned his back on me as well!” Thought the chief who was quacking with fear, his mind was thinking like a herd of a thousand lions! He had to get back and see the priest; maybe the Almighty Unetlanvhi would have mercy on him!

II
A day after the hunters and warriors had left the village, found them in a dire situation. The snows had come early and it was as fierce as a lioness bringing down her prey! The warriors camped in the mountains and finally found food but they could not bring it back because the bark canoes had sunk and the horses had died in the severe cold!

“Asija, what are we going to do? The animals have died and the canoes have sunk! Too make matters worse; we are in the mountains in a severe winter storm. We will be buried alive here until spring, even if we do live through this storm.” Exclaimed one of the hunters by the name of Balaji “We have 150 hunters and 250 warriors; the women and children that are left behind at the village with no one to protect them.”

“Balaji and all hunters and warriors, we are here on an order from the Great Chief Ashwin we have to find some food even if we have to carry it home on our own backs our families lives depend on it! Our friends and family are dying as we are sitting here speaking, we have to succeed with this mission!” Spoke Asija with much enthusiasm and persuasiveness. “Let’s continue with this mission and get back to our village as soon as possible.”

“Very well let us continue and get back to our loved ones as soon as possible.” Answered the warrior Balaaditya; with a soft remembrance of the village in its glory when it still was young.

The next day they tried to go over the mountain to find more food. They had succeeded in finding tracks of Deer, Squirrel, Bobcat, Coyote, and Red Fox over the mountain. There was a white man’s boot print in the snow! All of a sudden, all of the white men were surrounding the Party of Indians with rifles pointed at the Indians! However, the Indians were not hostile and they talked to the surrounding party.

“What you doing out during snow?” Asked the lead warrior Asija in broken English to the white man who seemed to be in charge.

“We left our compound this morning and we are lost. Our village has plenty of food so we are trying to take the food to a nearby compound that is starving.” Explained the Englishman; Frederick Harrington.







“We make trade with you? You give us food and we give you furs and beads,” asked the Warrior Asija hopefully in very poor English.


“Yes, we can do that,” said the Englishman

III
Epilogue

When the Hunting Party got back to the village, they gave the medicine and food to the villagers. When two days had gone past the Hunting Party realized that the chief and his family had been put in exile for three years. The village became well, the youth married, and there was much rejoicing and merriment within the village that year. The village gave thanks to the Almighty Unetlanvhi for the deliverance of the village and the safe return of the hunting party.