and kindred spirits, frequently appearing as diminutive beings in
human form, is so universal among all races as to render citation of
parallels unnecessary. Every Indian tribe has its own spirits of the
woods, the cliffs, and the waters, usually benevolent and kindly when
not disturbed, but often mischievous, and in rare cases malicious and
revengeful. These invisible spirit people are regarded as a sort of
supernatural human beings, entirely distinct from ghosts and from the
animal and plant spirits, as well as from the godlike beings who rule
the sun, the rain, and the thunder. Most of the Nûñne'hi stories here
given were told by Wafford, who believed them all firmly in spite of
his white man's blood and education. The others, excepting that of the
offended spirits (Wahnenauhi MS) and the Fire-carrier (Wafford), were
heard from various persons upon the reservation. For other Nûñne'hi
references see the stories of Tsuwe'nahi, Kana'sta, Yahula, etc.
Nûñne'hi--This word (gûñne'hi in a dialectic form and naye'hi in
the singular) may be rendered "dwellers anywhere" or "those who
live anywhere," but is understood to mean "those who live forever,"
i. e., Immortals. It is spelled Nanehi by Buttrick and Nuhnayie in
the Wahnenauhi manuscript. The singular form, Naye'hi, occurs also
as a personal name, equivalent to Edâ'hi, "One who goes about."
Some invisible townhouse--The ancient Creek town of Okmulgee, where
now is the city of Macon, in Georgia, was destroyed by the Carolina
people about the time of the Yamassee war. Sixty years later Adair
says of the Creeks: "They strenuously aver that when the necessity
forces them to encamp there, they always hear at the dawn of the
morning the usual noise of Indians singing their joyful religious
notes and dancing, as if going down to the river to purify themselves,
and then returning to the old townhouse; with a great deal more to
the same effect. Whenever I have been there, however, all hath been
silent.... But they say this was 'because I am an obdurate infidel
that way'" (Hist. Am. Indians, p. 36).
Nottely town--Properly Na'dû`li, was on Nottely river, a short
distance above Raper creek in Cherokee county, North Carolina. The
old townhouse was upon a large mound on the west side of the river
and about five miles below the Georgia line. The town was practically
deserted before the removal in 1838 (see glossary).
Hemptown--Properly Gatûñlti'yi, "Hemp place," existed until the
Removal, on Hemptown creek, a branch of Toccoa river, a few miles
north of the present Morganton, in Fannin county, Georgia.
Noted circular depression--This may have been a circular earthwork
of about thirty feet diameter, described as existing in 1890
a short distance east of Soquee post-office near the head of
Soquee creek, about ten miles northwest of Clarkesville, Habersham
county, Georgia. There are other circular structures of stone on
elevated positions within a few miles of Clarkesville (see author's
manuscript notes on Cherokee archeology, in Bureau of American
Ethnology archives). The same story about throwing logs and stones
into one of these sacred places, only to have them thrown out again
by invisible hands, is told by Zeigler and Grosscup, in connection
with the Jutaculla old fields (see note under number 81, "Tsul`kalû'").
Bewildered--"Crazy persons were supposed to be possessed with the devil
or afflicted with the Nanehi" (Buttrick, Antiquities, p. 14). According
to Hagar's informant: "The little people cause men to lose their minds
and run away and wander in the forests. They wear very long hair, down
to their heels" (MS Stellar Legends of the Cherokee). In Creek belief,
according to the Tuggle manuscript, "Fairies or little people live
in hollow trees and on rocky cliffs. They often decoy people from
their homes and lose them in the woods. When a man's mind becomes
bewildered--not crazy--this is caused by the little people."
Loaves seemed to shrink--The deceptive and unsatisfactory character
of all fairy belongings when the spell is lifted is well known to
the European peasantry.
Tsawa'si and Tsaga'si--These sprites are frequently named in the
hunting prayers and other sacred formulas.
Scratching--This is a preliminary rite of the ballplay and other
ceremonies, as well as the doctor's method of hypodermic injection. As
performed in connection with the ballplay it is a painful operation,
being inflicted upon the naked skin with a seven-toothed comb
of turkey bone, the scratches being drawn in parallel lines upon
the breast, back, arms and legs, until the sufferer is bleeding
from head to foot. In medical practice, in order that the external
application may take hold more effectually, the scratching is done
with a rattlesnake's tooth, a brier, a flint, or a piece of glass. See
author's Cherokee Ball Play, in American Anthropologist, April, 1890,
and Sacred Formulas of the Cherokees, in Seventh Annual Report Bureau
of Ethnology, 1891. The practice seems to have been general among the
southern tribes, and was sometimes used as a punishment for certain
delinquents. According to Adair the doctor bled patients by scratching
them with the teeth of garfish after the skin had been first well
softened by the application of warm water, while any unauthorized
person who dared to intrude upon the sacred square during ceremonial
performances "would be dry-scratched with snakes' teeth, fixed in the
middle of a split reed or piece of wood, without the privilege of warm
water to supple the stiffened skin" (Hist. Am. Indians, pp. 46, 120).
The Fire-carrier--This is probably the gaseous phenomenon known as
the will-of-the-wisp, which has been a thing of mystery and fear to
others beside Indians.