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Pipe for Smoke

  • Cherokee Language Program Instructor Tom Belt transcribed and translated this passage.
  • Hi'a usdi gada guga gvnvnawa, gadagwala gosvtanv'i. Hi'ahno kohiga gesdi yiduni vsgi iyusdi gvnvnawa. Gesdi yidandisgo hi'a iyusdi digosvtanv gvnvnawanogwu, asehno tsogigayvlige ogatvganv daninohesgv gvnvnawa dantisgv lvhyu tsigesvi, gadagwala gosvtanvi. Vsgiwu igai otsigta kohiga gesv'i. Ahntisgvhno gvnvnawa tsugsvsdi ulsgeda gesv. Tsugsvsdi gosvdisgv gvnvnawa. Gesdihno akisgv yvwi tsugsvsdi gesv ulsgedi yigesei. Nasgihna tsugsvsdi uwasa gesvi nole kawoldesga yvwi usoyasdv tsugsvsdi. Vsgihno uhlanigida nigalsdisgv, vsgi unohiyusv ilvhiyu tsigesv'i. Hi'ahno gvnvnawa tsugsvsdi gosvdohdi andihv ilvhyu tsigesv'i. Hi'ahno uyeldv danosvsgv anigaduwagi ilvhiyu tsanehv'i.
  • This is a small pipe made of clay, almost pottery. Pipes of this sort are not used anymore and are not made anymore. But we have heard stories from our elders, our parents and grandparents, and they once had pipes of this sort. The important part of this pipe was that it made smoke. Smoke was the purpose of the pipe. There was no importance placed on breathing in the smoke, the importance was in the pipe, making the pipe and combining the smoke with breath and breathing it out. This is what the old Kituwah people believed.