Opossums, awe-Inspiring but often underappreciated, are marsupials with many fascinating attributes and superheroes when it comes to cleaning up around your property. Opossum is a loanword from Powhatan, an Indigenous language from what is now the Virginia area. Additionally, a number of Indigenous tribes had origin stories of the opossum, which speaks to its range throughout what is now the United States and Canada. This Northern Cherokee Nation story explains why the opossum’s tail is bare.