| Along time ago
when there was still communication between animals, but no one had fire.
The Indians needed fire to stay warm. Although there was a race of giants
who had fire, they were called The Fire People.
The Indians sent many animals to try to steal the fire from the giants. The bear went first, because he was the strongest, but he failed. All of the animals herd a tiny voice that said, "Let me try," said a little spider. The animals laughed and said that the spider was too small. More of the animals tried to get the fire, but they all failed just like the bear. The little spider was the only one who didn’t try and still wanted too. So the other animals let her have a chance. The spider would run a little ways then stop so she couldn’t be seen. Once she got to the fire she put a ember into a clay pot and ran back, going for a little then stopping so she couldn’t be seen. The giants tried to follow her but they couldn’t tell where she was, until she got to the rivers bank, the giants thought they fire would go out so they didn’t worry and turned back acting like nothing happened. But what happened was the ember baked the clay pot to be waterproof. The spider brought the fire to the Indians, and that is how this is the Sacred Fire of the Cherokees. The Great Spirit saw what the spider did and gave her the ability to live underwater. Also she still carries a little pot on her back, but it is an egg sack. Today the spider is known as the Water Spider.
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