Vocabulary
ᎤᏍᏓᎵ - Inchworm
ᎡᏘᏴᏃ - anceint times
ᏥᎨᏎᎢ - it was a fact
ᎡᏆ - big
ᏥᎪᏱ - worm
ᏤᎮᎢ - that s/he it lived
ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯ - The Principal People, The Cherokee
ᎠᏰᎵ - Nation, center
ᏄᏅᏅᎢ - where they had it
ᏳᎵᏍᏓᏴᎾᏃ - when it ate
ᏴᏫ - person, people
ᏕᎦᏯᎩᏍᎨᎢ - it ate them
ᎠᏓᏆ - wood
ᎢᏳᏍᏗ - like
ᏂᏧᏛᏁᎢ - it was there
ᎦᏣᏃᏍᏓ - straight [like]
ᎤᏅᏓᏒᎢ - mountain
ᎦᏚᎢ - on top
ᎨᏍᏗᏃ - not
ᎬᏑᏯᎩᏍᏗ - they to distinguish it
ᏱᎨᏎᎢ - could
ᎠᏂᏍᎦᏯᏃ - the men
ᏳᏂᏃᎴᎾ - when they went hunting
ᏱᏧᏓᎴᏴᏍᏓᎾ - when it leaned forward
ᎡᎳᏗ - down
ᎢᏣ (ᏗᏜ) - toward
ᏗᎦᎾᎩᏍᎨᎢ - s/he it picked it up
ᎯᎸᏃ - several
ᎢᏯᏂ - of them (animate)
ᎬᏩᏂᏲᎨᏎᎸ - they were lost
ᎩᎳᏃ - until, soon
ᎤᎾᏕᎶᎨᏎᎢ - they noticed it
ᎾᎾᎵᏍᏗᏍᎬᎢ - it was happening
ᎤᏍᏓᎵ - ᏐᏊ
ᎡᏘᏴᏃ ᏥᎨᏎᎢ ᎡᏆ ᏥᎪᏱ ᏤᎮᎢ ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯ ᎠᏰᎵ ᏄᏅᏅᎢ. ᏳᎵᏍᏓᏴᎾᏃ ᏴᏫ ᏕᎦᏯᎩᏍᎨᎢ. ᎠᏓᏆ ᎢᏳᏍᏗ ᏂᏧᏛᏁᎢ ᎦᏣᏃᏍᏓ ᎤᏅᏓᏒᎢ ᎦᏚᎢ. ᎨᏍᏗᏃ ᎬᏑᏯᎩᏍᏗ ᏱᎨᏎᎢ ᎤᏍᏓᎵ. ᎠᏂᏍᎦᏯᏃ ᏳᏂᏃᎴᎾ ᏱᏧᏓᎴᏴᏍᏓᎾ ᎡᎳᏗ ᎢᏣ ᏗᎦᎾᎩᏍᎨᎢ ᎠᎨᏯ. ᎯᎸᏃ ᎢᏯᏂ ᎠᏂᎨᏯ ᎬᏩᏂᏲᎨᏎᎸ ᎩᎳᏃ ᎤᎾᏕᎶᎨᏎᎢ ᎢᏳᏍᏗ ᎾᎾᎵᏍᏗᏍᎬᎢ.
Read by Daniel and Driver Pheasant.
The Inchworm - Part One
A long time ago there was a giant Inchworm ("Usta:hli") that lived in the Cherokee country. The Inchworm subsisted by eating people. Standing as straight as a tree on top of a mountain, the Cherokees [below] could not distinguish the Inchworm from the [other] trees. When the men went hunting [in the forest], the Inchworm would lean forward and grab a woman [from the village]. After losing a number of women to the [hungry] Inchworm, the Cherokees realized what was happening.
From Journal of Cherokee Studies by Mrs. Golinda Hill