Tsul 'Kalu

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Tsul 'Kalu (the slant-eyed or sloping giant), is a legendary figure of Cherokee mythology that plays the role of "the great lord of the game," and as such is frequently invoked in hunting rites and rituals.[ citation needed ]

Contents

Name etymology

The tale is one of the best known Cherokee legends and was recorded by Europeans as early as 1823, often using the spelling, Tuli cula. The name Tsul 'Kalu means literally "he has them slanting/sloping", is understood to refer to his eyes, although the word eye (akta, plural dikta) is not a part of it. In the plural form, it is also the name of a traditional race of giants in the far west. [1]

In local nomenclature

He is said to dwell in a place called Tsunegun'yi. The words Tsul and Tsune and their variations appear in a number of Cherokee place names throughout the Southeastern United States, especially in western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee.

Tsul`kälû' Tsunegûñ'yï is a 100-acre (40 ha) patch on a slope of the mountain Tanasee Bald [2] in Jackson County, North Carolina, on the ridge upon which the boundary of Haywood, Jackson, and Transylvania Counties converge. [3] It is believed Tsul 'Kalu was responsible for clearing the spot for his residence. The name is sometimes corrupted by Europeans to Jutaculla; consequently the area is also known as the "Jutaculla Old Fields". There is also a large slab of soapstone called "Jutaculla Rock" nearby, which is covered with strange scratches and carvings. These markings are said to have been made by the giant when he would jump from his home on the mountain to the creek below. [4]

Another place associated with Tsul 'Kalu, Tsula'sinun'yi (literally "where the footprint is"), is located on the Tuckasegee River, about a mile above Deep Creek in Swain County, North Carolina. Impressions said to have been the footprints of the giant Tsul`kälû' and a deer was found on a rock that was destroyed during railroad building.

See also

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References

  1. "Melungeon-L Archives". Archiver.rootsweb.com. 2003-12-29. Retrieved 2016-09-20.
  2. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Tanasee Bald
  3. Ellison, George; Mooney, James E. (1992). James Mooney's history, myths, and sacred formulas of the Cherokees: containing the full texts of Myths of the Cherokee (1900) and The sacred formulas of the Cherokees (1891) as published by the Bureau of American Ethnology: with a new biographical introduction, James Mooney and the eastern Cherokees. Asheville, NC: Bright Mountain Books (Historical Images). ISBN   0-914875-19-1. p 479
  4. "Local Legends Of North Carolina". Sacred-texts.com. Retrieved 2016-09-20.