Southern Appalachian Digital Collections

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River Bottoms

  • Cherokee Language Program Instructor Tom Belt transcribed and translated this passage.
  • tsutlakala utseli nvya: unigeyuha anitsalagi, ilvhiyu nigesoi duniduhe ahani anitsalagi dodalv nole dugedaliyvsa nole egwoni amayuladi. Gohi tsigi tsanela iga amayetli disgadugi igvnadena dusoyasde anitsalagi anehvi. tsoisgo iyutliloda dunadala tsutlakala nvya nole gwolai anitsalagi dinehvi. tsutlakalvwi nav ahv hia nvya digoweli. uweti tsalagi gaduhei ahani nole tsunilawisdi adaneli ahani gaduhvi. tsutlakala tsukasvsdi gese inage anehi anadihoi
  • For generations, the Cherokees lived in clusters of independent towns located along river bottoms throughout the Southern Appalachians. Their traditional territory extended into eight modern states. Judaculla Rock is thirty miles from the Qualla Boundary, home to today’s Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. The petroglyph is near Cullowhee, once home to an historic Cherokee town and the site of a council house mound. The rock may have served as a boundary marker for their hunting grounds, which were closely guarded by the legendary giant and master of animals, Judaculla (Tsu-tla-ka-la).