ORIGIN OF STRAWBERRIES

ORIGIN OF STRAWBERRIES
When the first man was created and a mate was given to him, they lived together
very happily for a time, but then began to quarrel, until at last the woman left her
husband and started off toward Nûñdâgûñ′yĭ, the Sun land, in the east. The man
followed alone and grieving, but the woman kept on steadily ahead and never
looked behind, until Une′ʻlănûñ′hĭ, the great Apportioner (the Sun), took pity on
him and asked him if he was still angry with his wife. He said he was not, and
Une′ʻlănûñ′hĭ then asked him if he would like to have her back again, to which
he eagerly answered yes.
So Une′ʻlănûñ′hĭ caused a patch of the finest ripe huckleberries to spring up
along the path in front of the woman, but she passed without paying any
attention to them. Farther on he put a clump of blackberries, but these also she
refused to notice. Other fruits, one, two, and three, and then some trees coveredwith beautiful red service berries, were placed beside the path to tempt her, but
she still went on until suddenly she saw in front a patch of large ripe
strawberries, the first ever known. She stooped to gather a few to eat, and as she
picked them she chanced to turn her face to the west, and at once the memory of
her husband came back to her and she found herself unable to go on. She sat
down, but the longer she waited the stronger became her desire for her husband,
and at last she gathered a bunch of the finest berries and started back along the
path to give them to him. He met her kindly and they went home together.

 

Source:
Myths of the Cherokee James Mooney