For the more important legends localized in Tennessee see the stories
The Hunter in the Dakwa', The Nest of the Tla'nuwa, The Removed
Townhouses, The Haunted Whirlpool, Ûñtsaiyi', and U`tlûñ'ta.
Buffalo Track rock: This rock, of which the Indian name is now lost,
is indefinitely mentioned as located southwest from Cumberland gap,
on the northern border of the state. According to Wafford, it was well
known some eighty years ago to the old Cherokee hunters, who described
it as covered with deep impressions made by buffalo running along the
rock and then butting their heads, as though in mad fury, against a
rock wall, leaving the prints of their heads and horns in the stone.
Chattanooga: This city, upon Tennessee river, near the entrance of
the creek of the same name in Hamilton county, was incorporated in
1848. So far as is known there was no Cherokee settlement at the place,
although some prominent men of the tribe lived in the vicinity. The
name originally belonged to some location upon the creek. The Cherokee
pronounce it Tsatanu'gi, but say that it is not a Cherokee word and
has no meaning in their language. The best informants express the
opinion that it was from the Chickasaw (Choctaw) language, which seems
possible, as the Chickasaw country anciently extended a considerable
distance up the Tennessee, the nearest settlement being within 80 miles
of the present city. The Cherokee sometimes call the city A`tla'nuwa',
"Tla'nuwa (Hawk) hole," that being their old name for a bluff on the
south side of the river at the foot of the present Market street. From
this circumstance probably originated the statement by a magazine
writer that the name Chattanooga signifies "The crow's nest."
Chickamauga: The name of two creeks in Hamilton county, entering
Tennessee river from opposite sides a few miles above Chattanooga. A
creek of the same name is one of the head-streams of Chattahoochee
river, in White county, Georgia. The Cherokee pronounce it Tsikama'gi,
applying the name in Tennessee to the territory about the mouth of
the southern, or principal, stream, where they formerly had a town,
from which they removed in 1782. They state, however, that it is not
a Cherokee word and has no meaning in their language. Filson, in 1793,
erroneously states that it is from the Cherokee language and signifies
"Boiling pot," referring to a dangerous whirlpool in the river near by,
and later writers have improved upon this by translating it to mean
"Whirlpool." The error arises from confounding this place with The
Suck, a whirlpool in Tennessee river 15 miles farther down and known
to the Cherokee as Ûñtiguhi', "Pot in the water" (see number 63,
"Ûñtsaiyi', the Gambler"). On account of the hard fighting in the
neighborhood during the Civil war, the stream was sometimes called,
poetically, "The River of Death," the term being frequently given
as a translation of the Indian word. It has been suggested that the
name is derived from an Algonquian word referring to a fishing or
fish-spearing place, in which case it may have originated with the
Shawano, who formerly occupied middle Tennessee, and some of whom at
a later period resided jointly with the Cherokee in the settlements
along this part of the river. If not Shawano it is probably from the
Creek or Chickasaw.
Concerning "Chickamauga gulch," a canyon on the northern stream of
that name, a newspaper writer gives the following so-called legend,
which it is hardly necessary to say is not genuine:
The Cherokees were a tribe singularly rich in tradition, and of
course so wild, gloomy, and remarkable a spot was not without
its legend. The descendants of the expatriated semi-barbarians
believe to this day that in ages gone a great serpent made its den
in the gulch, and that yearly he demanded of the red men ten of
their most beautiful maidens as a sacrificial offering. Fearful of
extermination, the demand was always complied with by the tribe,
amid weeping and wailing by the women. On the day before the
tribute was due the serpent announced its presence by a demoniacal
hiss, and the next morning the fair ones who had been chosen to
save the tribe were taken to the summit of a cliff and left to
be swallowed by the scaly Moloch.
Chilhowee: A mountain and station on the north side of Little Tennessee
river, in Blount county. The correct Cherokee form is Tsû`lûñwe'i,
applied to the lower part of Abrams creek, which enters the river
from the north just above. The meaning of the word is lost, although
it may possibly have a connection with tsû`lû, "kingfisher." It has
been incorrectly rendered "fire deer," an interpretation founded
on the false assumption that the name is compounded from atsi'la,
"fire," and a`wi', "deer," whence, Chil-howee. For legends localized
in this vicinity, see the stories noted above. Chilhowee occurs also
as the name of a stream in the mountains of southwestern Virginia.
Lenoir: On the north bank of the main Tennessee, at the junction of the
Little Tennessee, in Loudon county. The Cherokee name is Wa'ginsi',
of which the meaning is lost, and was applied originally to an eddy
in the stream, where, it was said, there dwelt a large serpent, to
see which was an omen of evil. On one occasion a man crossing the
river at this point saw the snake in the water and soon afterward
lost one of his children.
Morganton: On a rocky hill on the old Indian trail on the west side of
Little Tennessee river, above and nearly opposite Morganton, in Loudon
county, are, or were a few years ago, four trees blazed in a peculiar
manner, concerning which the Indians had several unsatisfactory
stories, the most common opinion being that the marks were very old
and had been made by Indians to indicate the position of hidden mines.
Nashville: The state capital, in Davidson county. The Cherokee name
is Dagû'nawela'hi, "Mussel-liver place," which would seem to have
originated in some now forgotten legend.
Nickajack: A creek entering Tennessee river from the south about 15
miles below Chattanooga. Near its mouth is a noted cave of the same
name. The Cherokee form is Nikutse'gi, the name of a former settlement
of that tribe at the mouth of the creek; but the word has no meaning
in that language, and is probably of foreign, perhaps Chickasaw,
origin. The derivation from a certain "Nigger Jack," said to have
made the cave his headquarters is purely fanciful.
Savannah: A farm on the north bank of Hiwassee river at a ford of the
same name, about 5 miles above Conasauga creek and Columbus, in Polk
county. Here are extensive remains of an ancient settlement, including
mounds, cemetery, and also, some seventy years ago, a small square
inclosure or "fort" of undressed stone. According to a tradition
given to Wafford, the Cherokee once prepared an ambush here for a
hostile war party which they were expecting to come up the river,
but were themselves defeated by the enemy, who made a detour around
the Black mountain and came in upon their rear.
Tennessee: The Cherokee form is Tanasi', and was applied to
several localities within the old territory of the tribe. The most
important town of this name was on the south bank of Little Tennessee
river, halfway between Citico and Toco creeks, in Monroe county,
Tennessee. Another was on the south side of Hiwassee, just above the
junction of Ocoee, in Polk county, Tennessee. A third district of
the same name was on Tennessee creek, the extreme easterly head of
Tuckasegee river, in Jackson county, North Carolina. The meaning of
the name is lost. It was not the Indian name of the river, and does
not mean "Big spoon," as has been incorrectly asserted.