A Legend For You

There is a Cherokee legend that defines how a Cherokee boy is to become a man.

His father must take him deep into the forest at night, blindfold him, and leave him there alone. The boy must sit on a stump the entire night and not remove his blindfold until the rays of the morning sun shine through. He cannot cry out for help.

Once he survives the night, he is a MAN. He cannot tell the other boys of this experience, because each must come into manhood on his own.

The boy is naturally terrified. He hears the wind blow and the many strange noises of the night. Wild beasts must surely be around him . Maybe even a human will do him harm but he must sit stoically, never removing the blindfold. It is the only way he can become a man!

Finally, after a horrific night the sun appears and he removs his blindfold.

It is then that he discovers his father sitting on the stump next to him. He had been at watch the entire night, protecting his son from harm.

~ Cherokee Legend ~