Once upon a time, a wolf and a dog met in the forest. The wolf, lean and hungry, envied the dog's well-fed and robust appearance.
The wolf asked the dog, "How is it that you are so well-fed while I struggle to find enough to eat?"
The dog replied, "It's simple! I serve a master. I guard his home and fields, and in return, he feeds me generously. You could live the same life if you wish."
The wolf, intrigued by the dog's suggestion, thought it over. He began to imagine a life without hunger and hardship. As they walked together toward the village, the wolf noticed a patch of fur missing from the dog's neck.
"What's that on your neck?" asked the wolf.
The dog hesitated before replying, "Oh, that's just the spot where my collar rubs. My master keeps me chained when I'm not working."
Horrified, the wolf stopped in his tracks. "Chained? You mean you give up your freedom for food?"
The dog nodded, thinking little of it, but the wolf was aghast.
"Then enjoy your food," the wolf said, turning back toward the woods. "I would rather be free and hungry than fat and enslaved."
Mooney, James. Myths of the Cherokee. In Nineteenth Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology, 1897-98. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1902, pp. 1-576.
The Red Wolf is not only the most endangered wolf in the world, it’s quite possibly the most misunderstood. ᏩᏯ Waya, Saving Our Red Grandfather is a 30 minute documentary, that explores the Red Wolf’s cultural significance to the Cherokee people and why conservationists hope indigenous knowledge will help save it from extinction.
Read more: Cherokee 411 with Cara
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