MnoNKY) NOTES AND I'AKAI.LELS 475 



Thin nearest piiint of approach on Nottely is also known to tlie Cherokee as Tlanusi'y I, 

 "leecli place," and from certi'iii phenomena common to both streams it is a general 

 belief among Indians and whites that they are connected here by asnbterranean water 

 way. The legend and the popnlar belief are thus noted in 1848 by bainnan, who 

 incorre(-tly makes the leech a turtle: 



"The little village of ^lurphy, whence I date this letter, lies at the junction of the 

 ( )wassa and Valley rivers, and in point of location is one of the prettiest places in 

 the world. Its Indian name was Klausuna, or the Large Turtle. It was so called, 

 says a Cherokee legend, on account of its being the sunning place of an immense 

 turtle which lived in its vicinity in ancient times. The turtle was particularly famous 

 for its repelling power, having been known not to be at all injured by a stroke of 

 lightning. Nothing on earth had power to annihilate the creature; but, on account 

 of the many attempts made to take its life, when it was known to be a harmless and 

 inoffensive creature, it became di.sgusted with this world, and burrowed its way into 

 the middle of the earth, where it now lives in peace. 



"In connection with this legend, I may here mention what must be considered a 

 remarkable fact in geology. Running directly across the village of Murphy is a belt 

 of marble, composed of the black, grey, pure white and flesh-colored varieties, which 

 belt also crosses the Owassa river. Just above this marble causeway the Owassa, 

 for a space of perhaps two hundred feet, is said to be over one hundred feet deep, 

 and at one point, in fact, a bottom has never been found. All this is simple truth, 

 but I have heard the opinion expres.sed that there is a subterranean comnumication 

 between this immense hole in Owassa and the river Xotely, which is some two miles 

 distant. The testimony adduced in proof of this theory is, that a certain log was 

 once marked on the Notely, which log was subsequently fountl floating in the [lool 

 of the Deep Hole in the Owassa" (Letters, pp. 63-()4). 



78. The NuSne'hi and other spirit folk (p. 330): The belief in fairies and kin- 

 dred spirits, frequently appearing as diminutive beings in human form, is so imiversal 

 among all rai-es as to render citation of parallels unnecessary. Every Indian tribe 

 has its own spirits of the woods, the cliffs, and tlie waters, usually benevolent and 

 kindly when not disturljed, but often mischievous, and in rare cases malicious antl 

 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 Nufing'hT stories here given were told by Wafford, who believed them 

 all firndy 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 per.sons upon the reservation. For other Nunne'hl references 

 see the stories of Tsuwe'niihl, K;"ina'sta, Yahula, etc. 



Nfirnii'hl — This word (ijunrif'lil in a dialectic form and uai/c'h'i in the singular) may 

 be rendered "dwellers anywhere" or "those who live anywhere," but is under- 

 stood to mean "those who live forever," i. e., Immortals. It is spelled Nanelii by 

 Buttrick and Nuknayuin the Wahnenauhi manuscript. The singular form, Nayf'ht, 

 occurs also as a personal name, equivalent to EdA'lit, "One who goes about." 



Some, invisihle Imrnhutwe — The aucieid. Creek town of Okmulgee, where now is the 

 city of Macon, in Georgia, was destroyed by the Carolina peo])le about the time of 

 the Yamassee war. Sixty years later Adair .«ays of the Creeks: "They strenuously 

 aver that when the necessity forces them to encam|) there, they always hear at the 

 dawn of the morning the usual noise of In<lians singing their joyful religious notes 

 and dancing, as if going down to the river to purify themselves, and then returning 

 to the old townhousc; with a great deal more to the same effect. Whenever I have 

 been there, how'ever, all hath been silent . . . But they .say this was 'because I 

 am an obdurate infidel that way' " (Hist. Am. Indians, p. 3(\). 



Xotlely town — Properly Na'diVlI, was on Nottely river, a short distan<-e above 



