The Nest of the Tla’nuwä

On the north bank of the Little Tennessee River, nestled in a bend below the mouth of Citico Creek in Blount County, Tennessee, stands a towering cliff that looms over the water. Halfway up its face lies a cave with two openings. The rock juts outward above the cave, rendering it invisible from above, and seemingly unreachable from either direction. White streaks run down the rock from the cave to the river below. The Cherokee call this Tla’nuwä, “the place of the Tlä’nuwä,” named after the legendary great hawk. In ancient times, soon after creation, a pair of Tla’nuwä made their nest in this cave. These birds were immense, larger than any known today, and both powerful and fierce. They frequently soared up and down the river, venturing into settlements to snatch dogs and even young children playing near homes. Attempts to reach the nest and eliminate the threat were futile, as arrows merely glanced off the birds and were promptly seized in their talons.

Desperate, the people sought the wisdom of a skilled medicine man, who vowed to aid them. Fears arose that his failure might provoke the Tla’nuwä’s wrath, but he assured them otherwise. Crafting a long rope from linn bark, complete with loops for his feet, he arranged to be lowered from the cliff top when the adult birds were away. Despite reaching the level of the cave, the overhanging rock blocked his entry. Undeterred, he swung back and forth until the rope brought him close enough to pull himself into the cave using a hooked stick, which he anchored in some bushes at the entrance. Inside, he discovered four young Tla’nuwä, surrounded by the bones of various animals brought by the hawks. He cast the young ones from the nest into the deep waters below, where a great Uktena serpent resided and swiftly dealt with them. Just as he began his ascent back to safety, the two adult Tla’nuwä returned.

Finding their nest empty, the Tla’nuwä were enraged, circling the air in search of their offspring. Spotting the serpent’s head emerging from the water, one hawk swooped down, grasping the snake in its talons and soaring high into the sky. Its partner attacked the snake, tearing it piece by piece until nothing remained. The pieces fell from such a height that they punched holes in the rock, still visible today at the site known as “Where the Tlä’nuwä cut it up,” across from the mouth of Citico Creek. The two Tla’nuwä then spiraled higher and higher until they vanished from sight, never to be seen again.

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