Vocabulary
ᏥᏍᏛᎾ - crayfish
ᏣᎾᎢᏎ - they were walking, I was told.
ᎭᎾᎢᏎᎢᏃ - and as they were walking
ᏥᏚᎾᏦᏎᎢ - they met it, I was told
ᎠᏍᎩᎾ - Askina; a legendary monster, devil
ᎯᎢᏣ - this way, over here
ᏗᏍᏕᎾ - you [two] come (command form)
ᏚᏬᏎᎴᎢ - he told them, I was told.
ᎱᏓᏍᏔᏩᏛᏎᎢ - he followed him, I was told
ᎾᎥᏂᎨᏍᏗᏃ - and they got closer [to it]
ᏩᎾᎢᏒᎢ - [away] they walked
ᏗᎪᏛᎢ - the fire
ᎤᏗᎴᎩ- hot
ᏂᎦᎳᏍᏗᏍᎨᎢ - it became, I was told
ᎪᎯ ᎢᏴᏃ - after a while
ᎾᏕᎶᎱᏍᎬᎾ - he didn't notice it
ᏐᎢᏃ - and the other one
ᎣᏂ - last
ᎤᏪᏅᏓ - he went
ᏲᎪ - certainly
ᎭᏕᎶᎰᏍᎨᎢ - he did notice
ᎭᏔᏍᏕᏓᎵᏴᏍᎬᎢ - it was changing, I was told
ᎤᏯᏍᎦᎸᎢ - his shell
ᎩᎳᏉᏃ - and quickly
ᎢᏴ - [at that] time
ᎤᏏᏅᏎᎢ - he walked backwards, I was told
ᎯᎪ - ᎪᎯ ᎢᎦ
ᏥᎾᎾᏛᏁᎰᎢ - as they do it, I was told.
ᏙᏳᏃ - and very
ᎠᎦᏗ - much, a lot
ᎤᏍᎦᏍᏓᏁᎴᎢ - it scared him, I was told.
ᎠᎹᎯᏃ - and the water
ᏭᎷᏣ - he arrived there
ᏭᏓᎾᏫᏛᎮᎢ - he jumped there, I was told.
ᏍᎩᏃ - and at that
ᏓᏳᏓᎴᏅᏓ - beginning
ᎤᏩᏌ - only
ᏣᏁᎰᎢ - they live, I was told.
ᎤᎴᏴᏒ - he was burned
ᏥᏍᎪᎩᎵ - the red crayfish
ᎱᏕᎶᎰᏎᎢ - he noticed it, I was told
ᎭᎪᎲᏍᎬᎢ - he was burning
ᎤᏍᎪᏎᎢ - it dug, I was told.
ᏐᏬᏚ - mud
ᎤᏁᎳᏗᏍᏗᏳ - s/he - to live
ᏥᎦᎾᎩᎶᎢ - s/he lives
ᎱᎴᏴᏒᏃ - and where it was burned
ᎤᏲ - s/he had it
ᏄᎳᏍᏓᏁᎢ - it became, I was told.
ᏍᎩᏳᏍᏗᏃ - and for that reason
ᏂᏓᏂᏯᎩᎬᎾ - they don't eat it
ᎯᎪᎯ - ᎪᎯ ᎢᎦ
ᎯᎸ - somewhere
ᎤᏍᎪᏒᎢ - where s/he dug
ᏥᎦᏅᎪᎪᎢ - it comes out
ᎤᎾᏓᏅᏬᏙᏗ - it is used as medicine
ᎭᏅᏗᎯᎪᎢ - for them
ᎩᎶ - someone
ᏧᎵᎡᏂ - deaf
ᏱᎩ - it is
ᏥᏍᏛᎾ ᏃᎴ ᏥᏍᎪᎩᎵ
ᎡᏘᏰᏃ ᏥᎨᏎᎢ ᎠᏂᏔᎵ ᏥᏍᏛᎾ ᏣᎾᎢᏎ. ᎭᎾᎢᏎᎢᏃ ᏥᏚᎾᏦᏎᎢ ᎠᏍᎩᎾ. ᎯᎢᏣ ᏗᏍᏕᎾ ᏚᏬᏎᎴᎢ. ᏐᏊᏃ ᏥᏍᏛᎾ ᎱᏓᏍᏔᏩᏛᏎᎢ. ᎾᎥᏂᎨᏍᏗᏃ ᏩᎾᎢᏒᎢ ᏗᎪᏛᎢ ᎤᏗᎴᎩ ᏂᎦᎳᏍᏗᏍᎨᎢ. ᎪᎯ ᎢᏴᏃ ᎾᏕᎶᎱᏍᎬᎾ ᎨᏎ ᎩᎦᎨᎢ ᏂᎦᎳᏍᏗᏍᎨᎢ. ᏐᎢᏃ ᎣᏂ ᎤᏪᏅᏓ ᏥᏍᏛᎾ ᏲᎪ ᎾᏕᎶᎰᏍᎨᎢ ᎭᏔᏍᏕᏓᎵᏴᏍᎬᎢ ᎤᏯᏍᎦᎸᎢ. ᎩᎳᏉᏃ ᎢᏴ ᎤᏏᏅᏎᎢ ᎯᎪ ᏥᎾᎾᏛᏁᎰᎢ ᎢᏳᏍᏗ. ᏙᏳᏃ ᎠᎦᏗ ᎤᏍᎦᏍᏓᏁᎴᎢ. ᎠᎹᎯᏃ ᏭᎷᏣ ᏭᏓᎾᏫᏛᎮᎢ. ᏍᎩᏃ ᎢᏴ ᏓᏳᏓᎴᏅᏓ ᎠᎹᎯ ᎤᏩᏌ ᏣᏁᎰᎢ. ᎩᎦᎨᏃ ᎤᎴᏴᏒ ᏥᏍᎪᎩᎵ ᎱᏕᎶᎰᏎᎢ ᎭᎪᎲᏍᎬᎢ. ᏍᎩᏃ ᎢᏴ ᎤᏍᎪᏎᎢ ᏐᏬᏚ ᎤᏁᎳᏗᏍᏗᏳ. ᏍᎩᏃ ᎢᏴ ᏓᏳᏓᎴᏅᏓ ᏐᏬᏚ ᏥᎦᎾᎩᎶᎢ ᎩᎦᎨᎢ ᏥᏍᎪᎩᎵ. ᎱᎴᏴᏒᏃ ᎤᏲ ᏄᎳᏍᏓᏁᎢ ᎭᏫᏯ.
ᏍᎩᏳᏍᏗᏃ ᎠᏂᏣᎳᎩ ᏂᏓᏂᏯᎩᎬᎾ ᏥᏍᎪᎩᎵ ᎯᎪᎯ. ᎠᏎᏃ ᎯᎸ ᎤᏍᎪᏒᎢ ᏥᎨᏐᎢ ᏥᏍᎪᎩᎵ ᏥᎦᏅᎪᎪᎢ ᎠᎹ ᎤᎾᏓᏅᏬᏙᏗ ᎭᏅᏗᎯᎪᎢ ᎩᎶ ᏧᎵᎡᏂ ᏱᎩ.
The Red Crayfish and the Green Crayfish
Back in the olden days (when animals behaved as humans), two crayfish were walking along, they were approached by a "Skina". "Come this way with me." he told them. Only one crayfish decided to follow. As he kept getting closer and closer to the land of fire the temperature continued to gradually rise. As a result, the crayfish did not notice that his body was turning red from the heat. The other crayfish following some distance behind noticed the change in his friend's shell. Instinctively, he began retreating backwards, in the motion in which crayfish have moved ever since that day. When he reached the water, he was so frightened, that he jumped into the water and from that day forward, Tsi-stv-na (green crayfish) continues to dwell in that habitat.
Tsi-sgo-gi-li (the red crayfish) , when he realized his shell was burning, dug a hole in the soft mud to cool off. Tsi-sgo-gi-li has ever since lived in the mud. Its meat was spoiled by the heat and the Cherokees do not eat it. However, the water emerging from the hole, where Tsi-sgo-gi-li lives, is used for its medicinal properties and is used today for curing an individual who is hard of hearing.