TRADITIONAL CHEROKEE RITUAL AND BELIEF
Respect for women isn’t the only thing the Cherokee and the House of Night’s vampyre society have in common. Cherokee spiritual beliefs contain a similar idea of the sacred. They respect nature, revere the earth and its animals, and honor their elders and ancestors. These basic tenets are reflected in Zoey, but they came from Sylvia Redbird and the teachings of her people—teachings that, while they have their origins in an ancient beliefs system, have evolved and are integrated into day-to-day life of many Cherokee today. For instance, certain numbers still play a fundamental role in Cherokee ceremonies, like the numbers four and seven, which repeatedly occur in myths, stories, and rituals. Four represents the four basic directions of east, west, north, and south. The number seven refers to the seven Cherokee clans.
The Seven Clans of the Cherokee
The names of the seven clans of the Cherokee people represent the spiritual forces that shape and guide humanity on its journey through life, in preparation for entry into the spirit world.
Anigilohi (the Long Hair Clan): the human people
Anisahoni (the Blue Holly Clan): purification in preparation for ceremonies
Aniwaya (the Wolf Clan): the doorway to the world of spirits and the development of a higher social consciousness
Anigatogewi (the Wild Potato Clan): earth or physical matter
Anikawi (the Deer Clan): the spirit of life or procreation
Anitsiskwa (the Bird or Red-tailed Hawk Clan): the development of the human intellect
Aniwodi (the Paint Clan): the four directions, the structure of society, and the evolution of social organization
The number seven is also associated with purity and sacredness, a challenging state to attain. In the animal kingdom, both the owl and cougar are believed to have reached such a state, and one Cherokee creation story explains that this is because they were the only two animals able to stay awake during the seven days of the Creation. (That’s why they are nocturnal animals today, according to legend. Perhaps the same is true of vampyres.) The pine, cedar, spruce, holly, and laurel had achieved this rank of sacredness because they, too, stayed awake—which is why they all play an important role in Cherokee ceremonies and medicines even today. Cedar is the most sacred of all. The wood from the tree is considered very revered, and in ancient times, it was used to carry the honored dead (Sylvia recommends cedar needles be burned while Stark travels to the Otherworld). Rivers, or “Long Man,” are also sacred, and water is used for purification by the Cherokee, as Zoey mentions learning from her grandmother in Marked.
Sylvia taught Zoey many things about her sacred Cherokee culture and spiritual values that turn out to be very useful to Zoey when her life changes. At the end of Marked, Zoey relies on her knowledge of Cherokee rituals as well as the protection of Nyx to fortify her before she confronts Aphrodite. Specifically, she uses a variation on a purification ritual to summon positive energy. As Zoey says, traditional Cherokee purification rituals are usually performed with running water nearby. But when running water isn’t available on school grounds for her to conduct her ritual (or at least not anywhere private), she decides to use a smudging stick instead and holds her ceremony under a massive oak tree where she had found her cat Nala. (Oaks are also revered by the Cherokee.) To magnify her prayer, Zoey conducts her ceremony before dawn, along with her grandmother who performs the ritual simultaneously at her lavender farm.
The simultaneous rituals at dawn and the words of the prayer are fiction, a product of the authors’ creativity, but there is a traditional Cherokee practice that Zoey’s predawn purification ritual closely reflects, called “going to water.” This ritual, which is still practiced by some Cherokee today, is performed at sunrise, and involves facing east and immersing oneself in water seven times to cleanse both body and spirit.
The smudging ritual, too, is an authentic part of Cherokee beliefs. In smudging, the Cherokee do use different types of herbs or plants, including sage, cedar, and sweetgrass. Sage is believed to drive out evil spirits, negative thoughts, and feelings, and keep Gan’n (negative entities) away from the people, places, and things protected by the ceremony. (In a traditional sweat lodge, the floor of the lodge is strewn with sage so the Cherokee can rub it on their bodies during the sweat to protect themselves.) And the way Zoey uses sage reflects a traditional method of smudging, in which the herbs are burned in a bundled “wand” and the smoke is directed with a hand or feather over the person, place, or thing to be protected. However, the white sage and lavender Zoey uses is not a traditional combination for smudging. Instead, it reflects her own preference for lavender, perhaps because it reminds her of her grandmother.
In Zoey’s ritual, she takes her cue from the circle cast at the Dark Daughters’ Full Moon Ritual. The Dark Daughters’ circle has a strong impact on Zoey, stirring the elements of Air, Fire, Water, Earth, and Spirit within her, but the circle is a familiar symbol to Cherokees today, as well. The Stomp Dance and other tribal ceremonies involve moving in a circle pattern. And in Cherokee history, the Native council built its fires by arranging the wood so the flames would burn in a circular pathway. In Zoey’s circle, she and her friends each hold a colored candle to represent the five elements: purple for Spirit, red for Fire, green for Earth, blue for Water, and yellow for Air. The Cherokee also have spiritual associations with certain colors, but in their case the colors are associated with the seven directions they hold as sacred: North (blue), South (white), East (red), West (black), Sun (yellow), Earth (brown), and Self (green).
When Zoey starts smudging, she begins by wafting the herb smoke at the feet and works up the body, front and back. She does this for each of the four members of her circle, beginning with Damien, who is positioned on the east side of the circle, before handing the smudge stick to Stevie Rae, who smudges Zoey, as well. Then, Zoey speaks an adapted version of the Cherokee Purification Prayer that her grandmother taught her (modified to pay homage to the vampyres’ Goddess), again beginning while facing the east and moving through each of the other directions in turn. The smudging ritual is traditionally performed in all four directions, too: East, West, North, and South.
Later in Marked, Aphrodite uses a smudge stick as well—except, as Zoey notes, she doesn’t smudge with sage first to purify and skips right to burning sweetgrass, which attracts spirits both good and bad. Because she doesn’t have a good understanding of herb usage, Aphrodite conducts a ritual that goes very wrong, and as evil spirits invade her ceremony, she has no idea how to stop what happens until Zoey steps in. But the practice of summoning the bad before cleansing it away is actually a traditional Cherokee practice: sweetgrass is used in combination with sage to summon bad spirits or negativity first before they are cleansed away by burning sage.
There are a few other Native American symbols and rituals of note in the series, though they aren’t strictly Cherokee in origin. In Untamed, Sylvia rushes to help Zoey after Raven Mockers invade the House of Night campus and Kalona begins to infiltrate Zoey’s dreams and Aphrodite’s visions. Sylvia brings two items with her: protective pillar candles and dream catchers, described in Untamed as a “leather wrapped circle with lavender-colored string webbed inside, and caught within the center of the web was a smooth turquoise stone, the breathtaking blue of a summer sky. The feathers that hung in three tiers from the sides and the bottom were the pearl gray of a dove.” After Sylvia advises the girls to hang the dream catchers in their windows by their beds, she tells them that dream catchers do more than attract good dreams. She says they guard against bad ones and protect the owner’s sleeping soul from harm. Although protective pillar candles and dream catchers can’t be directly linked to specific Cherokee legends the way they are referenced in the series, their use does accentuate aspects of Native American beliefs. Pillar candles, for instance, have an herbal aroma that many believe creates an aura of protection, and the candles themselves empower spells and rituals by the energy derived from them. And while t
he creation of dream catchers is attributed to the Ojibwe People, many Native American tribes (not including the Cherokee) have references to them.
In Native American culture, dreams hold great power and drift in the night, coming to those asleep. To keep the dreamer safe, tribal elders created dream catchers, a special web inside a circle with dangling ornamentation, usually beads and feathers, that hung near the places where people slept in lodges and teepees, or on baby cradleboards. Similar to what Sylvia tells the girls, when bad dreams traveled through the web, they lost their way and got entangled, only to be destroyed by the first rays of daybreak. Good dreams, though, know the way and always travel through the open center of the web, finding a path to the sleeper.
The turquoise in the center of Sylvia’s dream catcher plays a role in Native American beliefs, as well. In many Native American cultures, turquoise is known as “sky stone” and is considered a sign of well-being, good health, and luck. Unlike in the House of Night series, however, where Sylvia also uses a handful of crushed turquoise to repel a Raven Mocker from Zoey’s window, it has no special ability to ward off evil—though in some Native American cultures, it is believed to have protective qualities. Throughout the series, we see Zoey take the real Cherokee practices her grandmother taught her and adjust them for her needs, adapting them to the circumstances she faces in the series. The Casts do the same thing when they take real-world Cherokee traditions and adapt them to the needs of their story. They possess the same deep respect and appreciation for Cherokee beliefs they have instilled in Zoey.
Cherokee Herb Gathering Practices
The Cherokee people have many gifts they believe come from the Creator, much as the House of Night’s vampyres have gifts and affinities they believe come from Nyx. And one of the most treasured in Cherokee society is the understanding of the gathering, use, and conservation of medicinal herbs. In the traditional practice of herb gathering, the Cherokee ask the plant’s permission to be gathered and sometimes leave a small gift as a token of gratitude, such as a bead or other memento. Such a practice speaks to the respect the Cherokee have for the earth and the Creator.
Cherokee believe plants were put on earth to not only heal or to purify (as in the smudging ritual), but to prevent illness, too. A word of caution, however: plants and herbs can be very valuable as medicines, but they can also be dangerous if used the wrong way. Cherokee herbalists have a great deal of experience and have extensive training, like the lessons Zoey received under the guidance of her grandmother, but novices should seek advice on how fresh-picked herbs and plants can be identified and utilized for healing and as preventive medicines.
AS ZOEY Redbird faces mythical creatures in a classic battle between good and evil in the House of Night series, she brings Cherokee traditions alive for the reader. Zoey’s link to her Native American heritage adds depth and humanity to the story, as the authors bring twists of creativity to some of the most compelling and authentic Cherokee traditions. And while the series may not be reliable as a factual representation of Cherokee culture, the proud history of the Cherokee People still serves as a constant source of inspiration for the authors and makes Zoey Redbird one of the most original heroines in young adult fiction.
JORDAN DANE launched her back-to-back debut suspense novels in 2008 after the three books sold in auction. Ripped from the headlines, Jordan’s gritty plots weave a tapestry of vivid settings, intrigue, and dark humor. Publishers Weekly compared her intense pacing to Lisa Jackson, Lisa Gardner, and Tami Hoag—naming her debut book, No One Heard Her Scream, as one of the Best Books of 2008. And Harlequin Teen is releasing two young adult novels by Dane: In the Arms of Stone Angels (April 2011) and On a Dark Wing (TBA 2012). Jordan and her husband share their Texas residence with two cats and a rescue dog named Taco. For more, visit www.JordanDane.com.
{ Freedom of Choice }
KALONA, A-YA, AND THE RAVEN MOCKERS
Jeri Smith-Ready
IT’S NOT easy being the Chosen One. Just ask Buffy Summers. Ask Harry Potter. And ask Zoey Redbird, the latest in this list of “lucky” candidates picked by fate to save the world from darkness—and oh yeah, find romance, keep their friends, and maybe not flunk every class. In their spare time, of course.
You’d think the act of getting chosen would be the biggest hurdle of all. Once you know you’re The One, every choice should be easy. Simply “do the right thing,” and the rest will follow. After all, you were chosen for a reason, so you must be destined to succeed, right?
Alas, destiny isn’t a straight, well-paved road. Sometimes it’s not even a rocky, overgrown bike path. All the signs point in different directions, and half of them aren’t even in English (they might be in another language—or worse, poetry).
The adults or divine beings—you know, the ones who have let things get so messed up in the first place—hand you a huge assignment: go forth, fight evil, here are some superpowers. Good luck!
Ah, hell, as Zoey would say. Now what?
Good question. How can a mere fledgling make the right choices when even immortals can’t get it right?
Look at Kalona—he was Nyx’s pledged Warrior, a bond that demands and rewards the utmost loyalty and devotion. Yet he squandered his Goddess’ loving trust. After his banishment, rather than trying to get back into Nyx’s good graces, he spent centuries piling up one offense after another. The half-human Raven Mockers he sired brought even more misery into the world, misery they can’t entirely blame on their evil heritage. Of all these mythical beings, A-ya alone, a human creation, lacks the ability to make a choice.
Every human and immortal character, every player in the battle for the soul of the world, has the power to choose the path of darkness or light, no matter how far down one path they’ve already walked.
Or flown, as the case may be . . .
“DARK SPIRITS OF THE WORST TYPE”: THE RAVEN MOCKERS
In the House of Night series, we first meet the Raven Mockers at the beginning of Untamed, when Zoey hears a raven’s call as she feels a sudden chill and a flapping in the air around her, along with the sense that someone—or something—is watching. Aphrodite later has a vision of one of these creatures killing Zoey by slicing her throat. Sylvia Redbird, Zoey’s grandmother, describes them as “ravens, with the eyes and limbs of man” and “mischief makers—dark spirits that take pleasure from annoying the living and tormenting those at the cusp of death.”
Grandma Redbird’s description of the Raven Mockers’ activities—if not their appearance—is taken directly from the legends of her people. In Cherokee mythology, the Raven Mockers, or Kâ’lanû Ahkyeli’skĭ (Anglicized as Kalona Ayeliski), are evil spirits of either gender who rob dying people of their lives. Usually they appear to the old and sick, who may report seeing fiery figures flying, arms outstretched and calling like ravens as they descend. They may also see pale, shriveled figures—like very old men and women—huddled at their bedside. This aged appearance is supposed to reflect the many lives they have stolen.
Once the Raven Mockers have arrived, they torment the weak person to hasten his or her death. Then they consume the heart of the deceased. By doing so, they add days or years to their own lives at the expense of their victims (i.e., the extra time that the victim would have lived has been added to the life of the Raven Mocker).
Though usually invisible to everyone but the sick and dying, the Raven Mockers can be seen by medicine men, who are often employed to guard the stricken ones until they have either died in peace or recovered. Any Raven Mocker who dares to appear in the presence of a medicine man is likely to die within seven days.
What a Difference a Week Makes
The seven-day period is a common one in many mythologies and stories.
In Genesis, God is said to have created the world in six days, using the seventh to rest (hence the creation of the Sabbath).
In Cherokee creation mythology, the animals were asked to stay awake for seven nights. All but the owl and the cougar fell asl
eep, so these two animals were gifted with night vision.
Also in Cherokee creation mythology, the first woman gave birth to a new person every seven days until the earth became overpopulated, at which point the birthrate was cut back to once per year.
In Burned, Zoey can only dwell in the Otherworld for seven days before her soul completely dissipates and the earth is in big trouble.
According to James Moody’s History, Myths, and Sacred Formulas of the Cherokees (a great resource on Cherokee myths!), the Raven Mockers are only one type of Cherokee witch, but they are the most terrible. Even other witches fear and hate them, and when a Raven Mocker dies, the witches will take revenge by digging up the body and abusing it. As Zoey’s grandmother is quick to point out, Cherokee witches are evil—nothing like the modern-day, earth-embracing followers of Wicca.
On the Wings of Night
One Cherokee term for witch, tskĭlĭ’, can be Anglicized as Tsi Sgili—the name Neferet loves to call herself. Tskĭlĭ’ is also the word for the bird species known as the great-horned owl. Among Cherokees, owls are thought to be witches in disguise. Another term for witch is sûnnâ’yĭedâ’hĭ, or “night goer,” since they are thought to appear mostly after dark. Hmm, just like vampires . . .
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