As I was growing up, I often heard that I had Native American heritage. My great grandmother, Sealan Ann Parker Frix 1873-1947, was Cherokee. Fascinated, I wanted to learn about all Native Americans in general, and the Cherokee, in particular.
The oral history of some First Nations peoples of North America have a way of distinguishing the very distant past. They say, “Well, this was a very long ago, back when dogs could talk.” I have always loved that.
In the Western U.S., The Kiowa have a story worth repeating. The story begins with 8 children, 7 sisters and their brother, playing. The boy pretends to be a bear and chases the girls, they pretend to be afraid and start running. As the game continues, the boy turns into a real bear and the girls start running for their lives. They pass a tree stump which then speaks to them, “climb on me and I will save you.” The girls scamper on the stump, which then starts rising and when the bear gets there, the girls are out of his reach. He then scores the trunk all around. The girls are born up into the sky and become the seven stars of the Big Dipper. The trunk then turns to stone and is now the almost 1,000 ft monolith known as the Devil’s Tower in Wyoming.
The Cherokee Legend of the two wolves tells the story of a man who is talking to his grandson. He tells him that inside each person there are two wolves that are always fighting each other. One wolf is evil and embodies envy, greed, anger, selfishness, and hate. The other is good and represents love, hope, selflessness, and kindness in his heart.
The boy is quiet for a few moments, then he looks up and asks, “Grandfather, if they’re always fighting, which one will win?” The man looks at his grandson, and says simply, “The one you feed.”
Then there is the legend of the Moon-Eyed people. As the Cherokee migrated into the Southeastern Appalachian Mountains of Alabama, Tennessee, and Georgia, they encountered a small, pale skinned race with large, very light blue eyes. It was said that their eyes were so sensitive, they could not see during daylight hours and even on nights when the full moon was very bright. Apparently, they dug caves and stayed underground until night when they could see very well. That was why they were called Moon-Eyed.
They spoke a Welsh dialect which led some to say they were Welsh explorers who arrived in the 12th century, 300 years before Columbus made it to North America. There were 10 Welsh ships, led by their leader by the name of Madoc, that supposedly were lost at sea, because they were never heard from. Could this have been these people?
Whomever they were, they apparently encountered violence here, because they built stone fortifications in northern Georgia that can still be seen today. These are in the Fort Mountain state park, near Ellijay, Georgia.
Early explorers in the period between 1600 and 1800 mention the stories told them by the Cherokee. The Moon-Eyed race was driven out of the area by the Cherokee and Creek Indians. Some say they fled to the Smoky Mountains where they disappeared underground.
I want my granddaughters, Adelyn age 17, Jubilee 14, and Ellie 1, to know these stories. I want them to know that their great, great, great grandmother brought a wonderful legacy to our family.
This will be one of their favorite stories. They will ask me about these people. Could these Moon Eyed people have been real, or just a legend? It is hard to say. They could be the Welsh, or aliens from a different planet, or an earthly race that has disappeared. But I do not know for certain, because this was a very long time ago, back when dogs could talk.
The oral history of some First Nations peoples of North America have a way of distinguishing the very distant past. They say, “Well, this was a very long ago, back when dogs could talk.” I have always loved that.
In the Western U.S., The Kiowa have a story worth repeating. The story begins with 8 children, 7 sisters and their brother, playing. The boy pretends to be a bear and chases the girls, they pretend to be afraid and start running. As the game continues, the boy turns into a real bear and the girls start running for their lives. They pass a tree stump which then speaks to them, “climb on me and I will save you.” The girls scamper on the stump, which then starts rising and when the bear gets there, the girls are out of his reach. He then scores the trunk all around. The girls are born up into the sky and become the seven stars of the Big Dipper. The trunk then turns to stone and is now the almost 1,000 ft monolith known as the Devil’s Tower in Wyoming.
The Cherokee Legend of the two wolves tells the story of a man who is talking to his grandson. He tells him that inside each person there are two wolves that are always fighting each other. One wolf is evil and embodies envy, greed, anger, selfishness, and hate. The other is good and represents love, hope, selflessness, and kindness in his heart.
The boy is quiet for a few moments, then he looks up and asks, “Grandfather, if they’re always fighting, which one will win?” The man looks at his grandson, and says simply, “The one you feed.”
Then there is the legend of the Moon-Eyed people. As the Cherokee migrated into the Southeastern Appalachian Mountains of Alabama, Tennessee, and Georgia, they encountered a small, pale skinned race with large, very light blue eyes. It was said that their eyes were so sensitive, they could not see during daylight hours and even on nights when the full moon was very bright. Apparently, they dug caves and stayed underground until night when they could see very well. That was why they were called Moon-Eyed.
They spoke a Welsh dialect which led some to say they were Welsh explorers who arrived in the 12th century, 300 years before Columbus made it to North America. There were 10 Welsh ships, led by their leader by the name of Madoc, that supposedly were lost at sea, because they were never heard from. Could this have been these people?
Whomever they were, they apparently encountered violence here, because they built stone fortifications in northern Georgia that can still be seen today. These are in the Fort Mountain state park, near Ellijay, Georgia.
Early explorers in the period between 1600 and 1800 mention the stories told them by the Cherokee. The Moon-Eyed race was driven out of the area by the Cherokee and Creek Indians. Some say they fled to the Smoky Mountains where they disappeared underground.
I want my granddaughters, Adelyn age 17, Jubilee 14, and Ellie 1, to know these stories. I want them to know that their great, great, great grandmother brought a wonderful legacy to our family.
This will be one of their favorite stories. They will ask me about these people. Could these Moon Eyed people have been real, or just a legend? It is hard to say. They could be the Welsh, or aliens from a different planet, or an earthly race that has disappeared. But I do not know for certain, because this was a very long time ago, back when dogs could talk.
Lonnie McKelvey
is a freelance writer living in Fort Payne, Alabama.
He is a regular contributor to Grandparents Day Magazine.
