Joseph Campbell notes that the history of all cultures reveals a belief in their superiority to all others. As a consequence, their religious beliefs invariably speak of themselves as “the principal people” and their geographic location as the center or “navel” of the world. Delphi, Constantinople and Jerusalem are examples of holy cities that were/are considered the “spiritual heart” of a people. For the Cherokees, who called themselves “Ani-Yun’wiya” (the Principal People), that sacred place was the Nikwasi Mound.

Regardless of nationality, sacred sites have much in common. They are considered places of refuge where the people may gather to celebrate festivals and seek spiritual reassurance. Objects and symbols that embody religious tradition are kept here, and the rituals that reaffirm the people’s significant role in the universe are performed annually. There is always a “sacred fire” - a flame that is never extinguished except to signify rebirth and a new beginning. Such a fire burned at Nikwasi for hundreds, and perhaps more than a thousand years.

Located next to U. S. 441 in downtown Franklin, there is little to denote its former significance. Reduced to less than half of its original size, the site has withstood over a century of erosion, agricultural development and “progress.” The gentle, grassy knoll rests serenely amid a patchwork of commercial development - however, the local government and the Macon County Historical Society have taken steps to assure the future integrity of the site which is now on the National Register of Historic Places.

Despite its diminished state, Nikwasi still retains a quality that continues to attract visitors. Nikwasi is mysterious. Who built it and why? How was it built? What objects, human and otherwise, are buried here, safe from excavation and exploration - archeological or otherwise?

Factual data is fragmented, but supplemented with some provocative theories in conjunction with some ancient Cherokee myths, a tenuous outline emerges - but the mystery deepens. For example, when the first white settlers arrived in this area, the Cherokees told them they did not build Nikwasi or any of the other numerous mounds in this region. However, regardless of this fact, the Cherokees readily incorporated them into their culture, imbuing them with spiritual significance, power and magic.

A Cherokee myth concerning a race of immortal (and invisible) beings called the Nunnehi (meaning “those who live anywhere”) says that the Nunnehi maintained a home beneath Nikwasi. In ancient times, smoke from their underground townhouse could be seen emerging from the top of the mound. (They also fished in the sky and hunted deer on the bottoms of rivers.) Since they were favorably disposed towards the Cherokees, they often gave them advice, socialized with them (they loved to dance) and even came to their rescue in a battle fought near the mound, attacking their enemies with arrows and lances that seemed to emerge from the air, swerving to strike their victims behind trees and rocks.

The myth of the Nunnehi takes on additional significance in view of what is known about mounds in Tennessee and Georgia. According to authorities on Southwestern culture, many of the mounds contained an underground chamber and a sacred fire. A hollow cedar log protected the fire and smoke rose through this “chimney” to the surface of the mound. In addition, townhouses capable of containing several hundred people were constructed on the top of the mounds. Here, the villagers would assemble for annual rituals such as the Green Corn Dance each spring, the “black drink” ceremony, purification rites (performed before battle and ballgames) and declarations of war. In addition, burials within the mound or beneath the floor of the townhouse were customary since the Cherokees and their neighboring tribes believed that the burial of a “notable personage” — either Cherokee leaders or slain enemies - enhanced the power of the site.

Another custom that was prevalent among such tribes as the Creeks, the Etowahs and the Choctaws may be equally relevant to Nikwasi. In annual ceremonies, many tribes brought baskets of dirt to the mound in a form of ritual that symbolically enlarged the mound, suggesting that the power of the mound was constantly increasing. In fact, some historians now believe that the baskets also represented the boundaries of the tribe, or all of the land that could be seen from the top of the mound.

History does record the fact that Nikwasi, the adjoining village and all of the fields of corn adjoining it were destroyed on three occasions between 1750 and 1776. Caught in the struggles between England, France and the American colonies, the Cherokees abandoned Nikwasi. The sacred fire was extinguished and the great mound began to decrease as though withdrawing from a strange and hostile world. There are other myths, of course - strange sightings of smoke rising form the mound and the muffled sound of drumbeats - once during the “Trail of Tears” in 1838 and again during the Civil War when federal forces camped near the mound.

In “Franklin’s Ancient Mound,” an excellent pamphlet by Barbara McRae, the author notes that in 1887 “some boys playing on the riverbank below the Indian Mound made a grisly discovery. Near the mouth of a nearby creek, they found three skeletons that had been uncovered by a recent storm.” Among the personal articles with the remains, they found a remarkable object: a silver gorget inscribed with the name “Danyel Gryne.” Additional research revealed that Gryne had been with Colonel James Montgomery’s 42nd Blackwatch Highlanders on his campaign against the Cherokees in 1760, at which time he had “disappeared.” It seems safe to conclude that Cryn met his end at the hands of the Cherokees and was subsequently interred in Nikwasi - an honor of sorts since he was deemed worthy of such a burial, thereby increasing the site’s power.

Another Nunnehi legend tells how the guardians of the Cherokees once told the Ani-Yun’wiya that they would return to their original townhouse if danger ever threatened it. “Keep faith,” they counseled. “When you need us, we will return.”

Neatly groomed and well-tended, Nikwasi sleeps surrounded by traffic, motels and fast-food franchises. Yet, one wonders what else slumbers within. Could the smoke from a cedar flue be discerned amid morning fog and car exhausts? Would the drums of the Nunnehi be audible above the traffic? Listen!
Barbara McRae’s Franklin’s Ancient Mound, contains a fully-illustrated history of the mound, including Alexander Cuming’s famous visit in 1730. it can be obtained directly form the author at: Teresita Press, 110 Harrison Avenue, Franklin, N. C., 28734.

 

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