Many Native American tribes have traditions of unusual individuals living in hidden subterranean locations. The identity of these underground dwellers remains unknown. According to local stories, these individuals shun contact with the outside world and are only seen on rare occasions.
The Nanih Waiya Cave Mound has a fascinating old mythology among Mississippi’s Choctaw Indians.
The Indians maintain that their predecessors came from a manmade subterranean planet, which they consider to be their ancestral homeland, a long time ago. During this period, the Choctaw Indians were besieged by a race of red- and blond-haired, white-skinned giants.”
Nanih Waiya is revered by the Choctaw Indians, who believe the large mound connects to a huge subterranean realm with various caves inhabited by various mysterious entities.
The Cherokee have a similar story, in which they “remember a white-skinned race who inhabited on their territory before they came.” The Moon-Eyed people were a peculiar kind of humans.
The Moon-Eyed people were said to be little, with pristine white complexion, blond hair, and blue eyes, according to Cherokee tradition. Because their eyes were so delicate that they couldn’t see during the day, they were given the moniker Moon-Eyed. They did, however, have outstanding night vision. These A̳n̳c̳i̳e̳n̳t̳ inhabitants were forced to dwell in subterranean tunnels because the Sun blinded them.”
According to another Cherokee legend, Pilot Mountain is home to a hidden subterranean c̳i̳v̳i̳l̳i̳z̳a̳t̳i̳o̳n̳. A guy was brought to a strange underground area where he lived and encountered the enigmatic Mountain People, according to legend.
The S̳e̳c̳r̳e̳t̳ Underground World of Pilot Mountain Has Been Found
Tsuwe’näh was a resident of Känuga, a little village on the Pigeon River. He was a lazy who preferred to spend his time in the woods and was an ineffective hunter. He made the decision to visit the mountains one day, and while doing so, he was contacted by a stranger who inquired about his plans.
Tsuwe’näh said that his friends had deserted him because they were tired of him. Because he couldn’t hunt, he’d been expelled from his town. Tsuwe’näh had been informed that unless he brought a deer this time, he would never be permitted to return home.
As a response, the stranger sat down and listened to Tsuwe’näh’s narrative before inviting him to join him.
“Why don’t you come along with me?” “My village isn’t far from here,” the visitor remarked, “and you have relatives there.”
“Tsuwe’näh was ecstatic at the prospect of not having to return to his homeland; hence, he accompanied the stranger to Tsuwatel’da (Pilot knob). They came to a tunnel and one suggested, “Let us go in here,” but the cave ran right through the mountain’s center, and when they got inside, the hunter saw an open nation, replete with a huge village and hundreds of people.
The sight of him brought relief to everyone. They took him to their leader, who welcomed him into his home and sat him by the fire. Tsuwe’näh sat down, but something moved under him, revealing a turtle with its head protruding from its shell when he looked again. The chief told him, “It won’t hurt you; it only wants to see who you are.”
As he sat down gingerly, the turtle pulled in its head once again. They served him food that was similar to what he ate at home, and after he ate, the chief drove him about the village until he had visited all of the houses and chatted with the majority of the residents. The chief personally took him to the cave’s mouth and showed him the trail that went down to the river when he was ready to return to his residence after seeing everything and relaxing for a few days.
He went on to add, “Then he went on to add, ” “You’re going back to the colony, but you’re never going to be happy there again. You are aware of how to reach us at any time.” After the chief had left him, Tsuwe’näh traveled down the mountain and down the river until he reached Känuga.
No one believed him when he told his story and instead laughed at him. After then, he would leave the village regularly and for several days at a time, claiming to have been with the mountain people when he returned.” One of the villagers felt Tsuwe’näh was telling the truth and requested if he may see the Mountain People.
Tsuwe’näh agreed, and the two men left together toward Pilot Mountain. When they got close to the Mountain People’s hidden house, Tsuwe’näh advised his buddy to sit and wait around the campfire. The man followed the instructions and awaited Tsuwe’näh’s return with bated breath. Tsuwe’näh returned after two days and nights, and he brought two girls with him.
As they stood near the fire, Tsuwe’näh’s companion noticed “feet that were small and round, almost like dogs’ paws,” but as soon as they noticed him looking, they sat down so he couldn’t see them. The entire crew left the camp after supper and went up the stream to Tsuwatel’da.
They went farther into the tunnel until they reached the far end, where they could see houses beyond, when the hunter’s legs felt lifeless, and he faltered and fell to the ground. The others assisted him up, but he couldn’t stand until the medicine man smeared some “old tobacco” on his knees and forced him to smell it until he sneezed.
He was able to stand up and join the others inside after that. Because he hadn’t fasted before starting, he couldn’t stand up straight at first.
Tsuwe’näh brought the hunter inside the townhouse and showed him a seat near the fire, but it was encrusted with long thorns of honey locust, and he was scared to sit down. Tsuwe’näh told him there was nothing to be afraid of, so he sat down and realized the thorns were as soft as down feathers. The dance began as the drummer and dancers entered.
One man followed at the end of the line, screaming Kû! Kû! but without dancing. “This man was lost in the mountains and had been shouting for his comrades all through the forests until his voice failed and he could only gasp Kû! Kû!, and then we discovered him and took him in,” they said to the hunter.
Tsuwe’näh and his buddies were never seen again after their underground trip.
After the dance, Tsuwe’näh and his buddy returned to Känuga, and the villagers now believed in the presence of the mysterious Mountain People. Some people were so taken away by the generosity and friendliness of the subterranean dwellers that they asked to be allowed to see them.
Tsuwe’näh that if they fasted for seven days while he prepared everything, he’d come and take them to the secret underground realm. He left, and the others fasted, till he returned after seven days, and they joined him in Tsuwatel’da, and their settlement friends never saw them again.”
Those who went to Pilot Mountain in North Carolina with Tsuwe’näh never returned, and the Cherokee believe their friends and relatives decided to live in this underground realm, which has long been home to a hidden underground society.
