Myths of the Cherokee by James Mooney
66. U`tlûñ'ta, the Spear-finger (p. 316): This is one of the most
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noted among the Cherokee myths, being equally well known both east
and west. The version here given was obtained from John Ax, with some
corrections and additions from Swimmer, Wafford (west) and others. A
version of it, "The Stone-shields," in which the tomtit is incorrectly
made a jay, is given by Ten Kate, in his "Legends of the Cherokees,"
in the Journal of American Folk-Lore for January, 1889, as obtained
from a mixed-blood informant in Tahlequah. Another version, "The Demon
of Consumption," by Capt. James W. Terrell, formerly a trader among
the East Cherokee, appears in the same journal for April, 1892. Still
another variant, apparently condensed from Terrell's information,
is given by Zeigler and Grosscup, "Heart of the Alleghanies," page 24
(Raleigh and Cleveland, 1883). In Ten Kate's version the stone coat
of mail broke in pieces as soon as the monster was killed, and the
fragments were gathered up and kept as amulets by the people.
There is some confusion between this story of U`tlûñ'ta and that
of Nûñ'yunu'wi (number 67). According to some myth tellers the two
monsters were husband and wife and lived together, and were both
alike dressed in stone, had awl fingers and ate human livers, the
only difference being that the husband waylaid hunters, while his
female partner gave her attention to children.
This story has a close parallel in the Creek myth of the Tuggle
collection, "The Big Rock Man," in which the people finally kill the
stony monster by acting upon the advice of the Rabbit to shoot him
in the ear.
Far away, in British Columbia, the Indians tell how the Coyote
transformed himself to an Elk, covering his body with a hard
shell. "Now this shell was like an armor, for no arrow could pierce
it; but being hardly large enough to cover all his body, there was
a small hole left underneath his throat." He attacks the people,
stabbing them with his antlers and trampling them under foot, while
their arrows glance harmlessly from his body, until "the Meadow-lark,
who was a great telltale, appeared and cried out, 'There is just a
little hole at his throat!'" A hunter directs his arrow to that spot
and the Elk falls dead (Teit, Thompson River Traditions, pp. 33-34).
U`tlûñ'ta--The word means literally "he (or she) has it sharp," i. e.,
has some sharp part or organ. It might be used of a tooth or finger
nail or some other attached portion of the body, but here refers to the
awl-like finger. Ten Kate spells the name Uilata. On Little Tennessee
river, nearly opposite the entrance of Citico creek, in Blount
county, Tennessee, is a place which the Cherokee call U`tlûñtûñ'yi,
"Sharp-finger place," because, they say, U`tlûñ'ta used to frequent
the spot.
Nûñyû'-tlu`gûñ'i--"Tree rock," so called on account of its resemblance
to a standing tree trunk; a notable monument-shape rock on the west
side of Hiwassee river, about four miles above Hayesville, North
Carolina, and nearly on the Georgia line.
Whiteside mountain--This noted mountain, known to the Cherokee as
Sanigilâ'gi, a name for which they have no meaning, is one of the
prominent peaks of the Blue ridge, and is situated southeast from
Franklin and about four miles from Highlands, or the dividing line
between Macon and Jackson counties, North Carolina. It is 4,900 feet
high, being the loftiest elevation on the ridge which forms the
watershed between the tributaries of the Little Tennessee and the
Chattooga branch of Savannah. It takes its name from the perpendicular
cliff on its western exposure, and is also known sometimes as
the Devil's courthouse. The Indians compare the appearance of the
cliff to that of a sheet of ice, and say that the western summit was
formerly crowned by a projecting rock, since destroyed by lightning,
which formed a part of the great bridge which U`tlûñ'ta attempted
to build across the valley. Lanman's description of this mountain,
in 1848, has been quoted in the notes to number 13, "The Great
Yellow-jacket." Following is a notice by a later writer:
"About five miles from Highlands is that huge old cliff, Whitesides,
which forms the advanced guard of all the mountain ranges trending
on the south. It is no higher than the Righi, but, like it, rising
direct from the plain, it overpowers the spectator more than its
loftier brethren. Through all the lowlands of upper Georgia and
Alabama this dazzling white pillar of rock, uplifting the sky,
is an emphatic and significant landmark. The ascent can be made on
horseback, on the rear side of the mountain, to within a quarter of
a mile of the summit. When the top is reached, after a short stretch
of nearly perpendicular climbing, the traveler finds himself on the
edge of a sheer white wall of rock, over which, clinging for life
to a protecting hand, he can look, if he chooses, two thousand feet
down into the dim valley below. A pebble dropped from his hand will
fall straight as into a well. On the vast plain below he can see
the wavelike hills on which the great mountain ranges which have
stretched from Maine along the continent ebb down finally into the
southern plains"--Rebecca H. Davis, Bypaths in the Mountains, in
Harper's Magazine, LXI, p. 544, September, 1880.
Picking strawberries--For more than a hundred years, as readers of
Bartram will remember, the rich bottom lands of the old Cherokee
country have been noted for their abundance of strawberries and other
wild fruits.
My grandchildren--As in most Indian languages, Cherokee kinship
terms are usually specialized, and there is no single term for
grandchild. "My son's child" is ûñgini'si, plural tsûñgini'si;
"my daughter's child" is ûñgili'si, plural tsûñgili'si. The use of
kinship terms as expressive of affection or respect is very common
among Indians.
Taking the appearance--This corresponds closely with the European
folk-belief in fairy changelings.
To burn the leaves--The burning of the fallen leaves in the autumn,
in order to get at the nuts upon the ground below, is still practiced
by the white mountaineers of the southern Alleghenies. The line of
fire slowly creeping up the mountain side upon a dark night is one
of the picturesque sights of that picturesque country.
The song--As rendered by Swimmer, the songs seem to be intended for
an imitation of the mournful notes of some bird, such as the turtle
dove, hidden in the deep forests.
Pitfall--The pitfall trap for large game was known among nearly all
the tribes, but seems not to have been in frequent use.
Chickadee and tomtit--These two little birds closely resemble each
other, the Carolina chickadee (Parus carolinensis) or tsikilili
being somewhat smaller than the tufted titmouse (Parus bicolor)
or utsu`gi, which is also distinguished by a topknot or crest. The
belief that the tsikilili foretells the arrival of an absent friend is
general among the Cherokee, and has even extended to their neighbors,
the white mountaineers. See also number 35, "The Bird Tribes," and
accompanying notes.
Her heart--The conception of a giant or other monster whose heart
or "life" is in some unaccustomed part of the body, or may even be
taken out and laid aside at will, so that it is impossible to kill
the monster by ordinary means, is common in Indian as well as in
European and Asiatic folklore.
In a Navaho myth we are told that the Coyote "did not, like other
beings, keep his vital principle in his chest, where it might easily
be destroyed. He kept it in the tip of his nose and in the end of
his tail, where no one would expect to find it." He meets several
accidents, any one of which would be sufficient to kill an ordinary
creature, but as his nose and tail remain intact he is each time
resurrected. Finally a girl whom he wishes to marry beats him into
small pieces with a club, grinds the pieces to powder, and scatters
the powder to the four winds. "But again she neglected to crush the
point of the nose and the tip of the tail," with the result that the
Coyote again comes to life, when of course they are married and live
happily until the next chapter (Matthews, Navaho Legends, pp. 91-94).
In a tale of the Gaelic highlands the giant's life is in an egg which
he keeps concealed in a distant place, and not until the hero finds
and crushes the egg does the giant die. The monster or hero with
but one vulnerable spot, as was the case with Achilles, is also a
common concept.
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