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 Nûñne'hi, 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'yi 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 Nûñne'hi,
who had already lifted up the townhouse with its mound to carry
it away, were startled by the cry and let a part of it fall to the
earth, where now we see the mound of Se'tsi. They steadied themselves
again and bore the rest of the townhouse, with all the people in it,
to the top of Tsuda'ye`lûñ'yi (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'stiya`lûñ'yi, where Shooting creek comes in, also prayed and
fasted, and at the end of seven days the Nûñne'hi 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 by 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 Nûñne'hi.
In Tennessee river, near Kingston, 18 miles below Loudon, Tennessee,
is a place which the Cherokee call Gusti', 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.