Myths of the Cherokee (Annotated)

Book excerpt: Differentiated book- It has a historical context with research of the time-James Mooney (February 10, 1861 - December 22, 1921) was an American ethnographer who lived for several years among the Cherokee. He made important studies of the Southeast Indians, as well as those of the Great Plains. His most notable works were his ethnographic studies of Ghost Dance after the death of Sitting Bull in 1890, a widespread religious movement of the nineteenth century among various groups of Native American culture, and the Cherokee: The sacred formulas of the Cherokees (1891 ) and Myths of the Cherokee (1900), all published by the USA. Office of American Ethnology. Mooney's artifacts are found in the collections of the Department of Anthropology, the National Museum of Natural History, the Smithsonian Institution and the Department of Anthropology, the Field Museum of Natural History. Mooney documents and photographs are in the collections of the National Archives of Anthropology, Department of Anthropology, Smithsonian Institution.James Mooney was born on February 10, 1861 in Richmond, Indiana, the son of Irish Catholic immigrants. His formal education was limited to the city's public schools. He became a self-taught expert in American tribes for his own studies and careful observation during long residences with different groups.