THE REMOVED TOWNHOUSES

THE REMOVED TOWNHOUSES

Long ago, long before the Cherokee were driven from their homes in 1838, the
people on Valley river and Hiwassee heard voices of invisible spirits in the air
calling and warning them of wars and misfortunes which the future held in store,
and inviting them to come and live with the Nûñnĕ′hĭ, the Immortals, in their
homes under the mountains and under the waters. For days the voices hung in
the air, and the people listened until they heard the spirits say, “If you would live
with us, gather everyone in your townhouses and fast there for seven days, and
no one must raise a shout or a warwhoop in all that time. Do this and we shall
come and you will see us and we shall take you to live with us.”
The people were afraid of the evils that were to come, and they knew that the
Immortals of the mountains and the waters were happy forever, so they
counciled in their townhouses and decided to go with them. Those of
Anisgayâ′yĭ town came all together into their townhouse and prayed and fasted
for six days. On the seventh day there was a sound from the distant mountains,and it came nearer and grew louder until a roar of thunder was all about the
townhouse and they felt the ground shake under them. Now they were
frightened, and despite the warning some of them screamed out. The Nûñnĕ′hĭ,
who had already lifted up the townhouse with its mound to carry it away, were
startled the cry and let a part of it fall to the earth, where now we see the
mound of Sĕ′tsĭ. They steadied themselves again and bore the rest of the
townhouse, with all the people in it, to the top of Tsuda′yeʻlûñ′yĭ (Lone peak),
near the head of Cheowa, where we can still see it, changed long ago to solid
rock, but the people are invisible and immortal.
The people of another town, on Hiwassee, at the place which we call now
Du′stiyaʻlûñ′yĭ, where Shooting creek comes in, also prayed and fasted, and at
the end of seven days the Nûñnĕ′hĭ came and took them away down under the
water. They are there now, and on a warm summer day, when the wind ripples
the surface, those who listen well can hear them talking below. When the
Cherokee drag the river for fish the fish-drag always stops and catches there,
although the water is deep, and the people know it is being held their lost
kinsmen, who do not want to be forgotten.
When the Cherokee were forcibly removed to the West one of the greatest
regrets of those along Hiwassee and Valley rivers was that they were compelled
to leave behind forever their relatives who had gone to the Nûñnĕ′hĭ.
In Tennessee river, near Kingston, 18 miles below Loudon, Tennessee, is a place
which the Cherokee call Gustĭ′, where there once was a settlement long ago, but
one night while the people were gathered in the townhouse for a dance the bank
caved in and carried them all down into the river. Boatmen passing the spot in
their canoes see the round dome of the townhouse—now turned to stone—in the
water below them and sometimes hear the sound of the drum and dance coming
up, and they never fail to throw food into the water in return for being allowed to
cross in safety.

 

Source:
Myths of the Cherokee, James Mooney