An Old Cherokee Wisdom
The Two Wolves Within
An old Cherokee told his grandson'Two wolves rage within us,
One is Evil; it has many names:
Anger, envy, jealousy,
Sorrow, regret, greed,
Arrogance, self-pity, guilt,
Resentment, inferiority, lies,
False-pride, superiority and ego.
The other is Good, it has many hues:
Joy, peace, love, hope,
Serenity, humility, kindness,
Benevolence, empathy, generosity,
Truth, compassion and faith.'
The grandson thought for a minute
And asked: 'Which Wolf wins?'
The Cherokee simply replied:
' The one you feed!'
Author: Zoya Zaidi
Aligarh (UP), India
Copyright©: Zoya Zaidi
I came across this legend and it was so profound, I had to turn it into a poem
Cherokee Indians of Smoky Mountains - The first native peoples arrived in the Tennessee Great Smoky Mountains about A.D. 1000. They were believed to have been a branch of the Iroquois, later to be called Cherokee Indians, who moved south from Iroquoian lands in New England. Consisting of 7 clans, the Cherokee Nation stretched from the Ohio River into South Carolina. The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians lived in the Tn Great Smoky Mountains National Park, believed to be the sacred ancestral home of the Cherokee Nation
Image: Cumnacatogue (also known as Cunne Shote, Stalking Turkey or Standing Turkey) was one of three Cherokee chiefs who travelled to London in 1762 to see King George III. He was the nephew of the Chief "Old Hop" who was also known as Standing Turkey.
http://www.smokymtnmall.com/mall/cindians.html.
Poetry by Zoya Zaidi
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Written on 2007-04-27 at 14:42
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