Friends of the Vann House

10/17/2026

Cherokee Mythology, Halloween Post - "The Water Cannibals" - Read Below ⬇️ 👻

Halloween Post - Cherokee Mythology

The Water Cannibals

"Besides the friendly Nunnehi of the streams and mountains there is a race of cannibal spirits, who stay at the bottom of the deep rivers and live upon human flesh, especially that of little children. They come out just after daybreak and go about unseen from house to house until they find someone still asleep, when they shoot him with their invisible arrows and carry the dead body down under the water to feast upon it.

That no one may know what has happened they leave in place of the body a shade or image of the dead man or little child, that wakes up and talks and goes about just as he did, but there is no life in it, and in seven days it writhers and dies, and the people bury it and think they are burying their friend. It was a long time before the people found out about this, but now they always try to be awake at daylight and wake up their children, telling them, "The hunters are among you."

The Cherokee people believe in little people, spirit-type peoples, and some are associated with the water. In the rivers we have what are called cannibals, and a lot of Cherokee people don't even like to talk about cannibals because it's bad to mention them. These cannibals down in the low, watery areas, in deep holes, sometimes come out in the middle of the night and steal away the souls of people while they're sleeping. In the morning, the person would look perfectly normal, but they wouldn't wake up. So, the old folk would say, "The cannibals took them away."

- Excerpt from James Mooney's (1861-1921): History, Myths, and Sacred Formulas of the Cherokee

Image: Suck Creek in Chattanooga, TN

10/15/2026

Had a great Archaeology Homeschool Day last week on October 8th! Can't wait for the next Homeschool Day in December!

10/09/2026

Our first "spooky season" post for this October is the Cherokee myth of Spearfinger. Don't go into the Eastern Tennesee woods, unless you are brave enough 👻

Read Below

Halloween Post - Cherokee Mythology

Spearfinger

"Spearfinger, or U'tlun'ta, is a monster and witch in Cherokee legend, said to live along the eastern side of Tennessee and western part of North Carolina. U'tlun'ta is Cherokee for "the one with the pointed spear." Her right forefinger resembles a spear or obsidian knife, which she uses to cut her victims. Her mouth is stained with blood from the livers she has eaten. She is also known as Nun'yunu'i, which means "Stone-dress," for her stone like skin. Often, she clutches her right hand tightly, because she is hiding her heart and her only weak spot, which is her right palm.

Besides a spear for a finger, she shapeshifts into family members of her child victims. Once she has made herself a part of her victim's world, she lacks the ability to change her form while still in anyone else's sight. Spearfinger often disguises herself in the form of a harmless old lady.

Sometimes an old woman would approach along the trail where the children were picking strawberries or playing near the village, and would say to them coaxingly, "Come, my grandchildren, come to your granny and let granny dress your hair." When some little girl ran up and laid her head in the old woman's lap to be petted and combed, the old witch would gently run her fingers through the child's hair until she went to sleep, then she would stab the little one through the heart or back of the neck with the long awl finger, which she kept hidden under her robe. Then she would take out the liver and eat it.

There are many tales of her deception, including her trick of turning into her victim, hiding the body, and going into the victim's home to wait until the parents left or the family was asleep to take all their livers. Parents warned children not to go into the forest alone because Spearfinger waited for them and made sure they knew she would appear as "grandmother or [their] favorite aunt."

-- From "James Mooney's (1861-1921): History, Myths, and Sacred Formulas of the Cherokees"

10/01/2026

10/01/2026

Had a great last Saturday here at the ! A huge thank you to the local North Murray 4H & Bagley Middle School for helping to beautify our site! Volunteers tended to our gardens, cleaned and painted signs, scrubbed our outdoor bell, washed the site vehicle, cleaned out our cabin exhibits, and more!

09/26/2026

A beautiful morning for !