Native American Legends
The Removed Townhouses
A Cherokee Legend
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.
The voices invited them to come and live with the Nûñnë'hï,
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 war whoop 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 counseled in their townhouses and decided to go
with them. Those of Anisgayâ'yï 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 Nûñnë'hï, 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 Së`tsï.
They steadied themselves again and bore the rest of the townhouse,
with all the people in it, to the top of Tsuda'ye`lûñ'yï
(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'yï, where Shooting creek
comes in, also prayed and fasted, and at the end of seven days the
Nûñnë'hï 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 Nûñnë'hï.
In Tennessee river, near Kingston, 18 miles below Loudon, Tennessee,
is a place which the Cherokee call Gustï', 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.
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