Traditions: Ohio Heritage Fellows; 102; Edwin George interview, part 9 of 10

Q:

Edwin: Well I always sit there sometime I think, should I paint this? Then if... if I can think of story, then I’ll paint that, uh-huh... that’s what I do, uh-huh. I g—I dream sometime these uh, all them... some time I’ll dream that uh... if I... I can know one dream, I can get started. It’s a little bit difficult. And uh, sometime I’ll dream about... a dream that’s what I’ll paint. I got one dream I can’t get started. Well, you know, just had to have a dream that’s (inaudible) one of these days I... I was sitting by the river and uh, seven babies flown through there. They were tied up right there, seven of ‘em, four in the front and three in the back. Then somebody was doing that. And uh, soon a lady went by in the back and picked those babies, four and wherever and s—and went in the water and led ‘em through the river. That’s all I need there. I sit there watch, and they come around there and they... and them babies just flew through. I never could figure out what that really meant. I locked the drawer that day. But I got to figure out how I’m gonna tell the story if I can figure that. That’s why some of ‘em I dream I’d be able to tell the story, uh-huh, so there’s lots of my dreams in those pictures.

Q:

Edwin: Ok, this lady (PAUSED) This lady uh, the grinding corn, it’s called uh, Codonmay, the one that sits on the ground and the... and uh, it’s called a stick that’s grinding and uh, have to wet this corn first I put ‘em in there that’s for makes cornbread out of it. Boy, you can smell the cornbread and the co—and we call it bean bread, chestnut bread and uh, anything that’s sweet potato bread, then make a round ball, you can throw it in there, boil it and uh, you have to be... don’t put salt in there when you put a... it’ll bust it all to pieces and uh, and uh, I have to be hot water when you bring the boil and throw it in there to cook bout twenty minutes, and uh, that’s what... I... I did uh, lots uh, I—I just learned it from watching from my mother. And I love to eat one of them round balls and put it in the grease and eat it and I love that. I put salt it on the grease and that’s way I growed up, see. And uh, chestnut bread... boy you can sell bread, chestnut, uh-huh, so I loved that everything, uh-huh.

Q:

Edwin: We call—I call it (inaudible) that I guess they was my ancestors and they be (inaudible). Bird Devil. That’s his name was Bird Devil. Uh-huh, that—that’s what it was uh-huh. Whatever they name you, the old days was just one word. If they call you hummingbird, that’ll be it. If they call you rabbit, that was it. When the baby was born, whatcha gonna name her? Chipmunk, that was uh, it (laughing). So, they wa—

Q:

Edwin: I like—I like that... that’s my ancestor, uh-huh... I made it up, I made that design uh- huh. It took me long time. Some of them I can make my own design looks pretty good and then it fits in there then it stays in there, so...

Q:

Edwin: This is a cardinal. It’s a... it’s good for Oklahoma people used to call it if it comes on the porch that somebody’s coming. But Cherokee use uh, chickadee. If it comes on the po— somebody’s coming. And uh, cardinal it’s got the...the they say that’s good for that’s attract with women. I don’t know. They i—i it’s got some words there that you’re supposed to say.

Q:

Edwin: (inaudible) Kanona

Q:

Edwin: Uh-huh... Kanona, that’s a (phone ringing). The one uh... uh... you grind the corn with uh... about that big, (inaudible) it’s gotta like cone shape dug out, uh-huh, that’s what they call ‘em, uh-huh.

Q:

Edwin: It’s Ka... Ka, K-a ka... you can add something else... Ka, that’s just one word like uh, A, B, C.

Q:

Edwin: (off camera talking) They’re both same words, but not all of ‘em. And um, that woman that’s all they did uh, to get their meal started, they make a cornbread. I don’t know if it’s everyday or not. Mine was mixed uh, like I said flour. (inaudible) everyday, they make cornbread, they make a bread, uh-huh.

Q:

Edwin: In the middle, there were uh... there was a crib... call crib (inaudible) they call small little hands, they keep the stuff in there. But this lady had a corn mill in there, outside, uh-huh. You go in there get it when they’re ready to cook cornbread to make (inaudible). They would loosen cornbread, I mean cornmeal and um, then lady got out there and sit up all night and watch it to who’s stealing the corn. About midnight a dog come around and it went in their corn crib and they was eating that corn meal. So the dog was doing that. Well, they figured out next time we’re going stop him, said well, they didn’t want to hurt ‘em, but they all got the rattles and pans like, some of ‘em rattled everything they can. They come out beat... beat the pan and rattles and everything, that dog took off. He went in the sky, uh-huh. That’s what the...that’s the cornmeal that spreaded out, like you see a little star, it’s a cornmeal uh-huh, dog spread that out. He turned into a...

Q:

Edwin: This one I’m gonna call (inaudible) uh, that’s a corn meal, miracle whip, (inaudible). And uh, that looks like a full name up there (inaudible) corn. And uh, looks like R K (inaudible) it looks like a y curled up in front. (Inaudible) Look like a Y and then that’s a (inaudible). And long words in there in the middle (inaudible), (inaudible) that’s where I ran. So,

Q:

Edwin: (inaudible)... (inaudible) (Speaking Cherokee) what the dog cornmeal, but it’s... it’s most of it’s backwards. In the English that says, corn meal dog scattered ran.

Q:

Edwin: (Speaking in Cherokee) (phone ringing)

Q:

Edwin: (Speaking Cherokee)

Q:

Edwin: The wolf, they were black and white were still back in the mountain and they was looking for something to eat, but somebody came around hunting deer. Then uh, they wait for them to kill the deer. What they do, a guy always go hunting deer in the mountain, he just dresses them up there, just take everything. He leave the stuff there so wolf can eat it. That’s what they did before, it’s just (inaudible). Just dress the deer up there and leave all the stuff in there, the deer ta—the wolf takes over and eat it. That’s what they waited, uh-huh. And the... the man had to stay all night to prepare it for next day till wolf came in and laid on each side to keep ‘em warm, then next day, uh-huh, then they disappeared in the morning, then uh, he shot the deer then uh, he left them some of the stuff. Then deer—wolf came back and eat that. That’s where you—how you feed the wolves. Really, we didn’t... nobody didn’t get killed by the wolf. And we respect them and we honored them wolves uh-huh from the day. And then we honor the birds, we honor everything in the mountain. And we honor the ants and they do some—ants uh, everything’s doing something for us.