Many tribes across the continent tell of a legendary pair of brothers existing in the earliest period of time. Their adventures establish many of the features of the world and of human life and they are classic culture-heros. For the Cherokee these were the Thunder Twins, sons of Kenati the Hunter and Selu, the Corn Mother.
It is they who loose the animals in Kenati’s cave, forcing men to hunt animals scattered far and wide in the woods. And they establish the farming of corn through the death of their own mother – who is reborn with each corn crop. After many other such adventures the Twins retire to a home in the west where they occasionally create thunder storms in the western sky. The Thunder Twins are also known as the Little Red Men since it is often considered disrespectful to speak directly of such powerful beings.