122. LOCAL LEGENDS OF NORTH CAROLINA
Owing chiefly to the fact that the Cherokee still occupy western
N orth Carolina. the existing local le~ends for thttt section are mol'e
numerous than for all the rest of their ancient territory. For the
more important legends see the stories: Agan-unitsi's Search for
the Uktena, Ataga'hl, Hemp-carrier, Herbert's Spring, Kana'sta, The
Great Leech of Tlanusi'yl, The Great Yellow-jacket, The Nuiine'hI,
The Raid on Tlkwali'tsI, The Removed Townhouses, The Spirit
Defenders of Nlkwasr, The Uw'tsuii'ta, Tsul'k3.lu', Tsuwe'nahI,
The Urtluii'ta.
AKWErTI'yi: A spot on Tuckasegee river, in Jackson county, bet"Teen
Dic.k's c!'eek and the upper end of Cowee tunnel, According to tra-
dition there was a dangerous water monster in the ri1er there. The
meaning of the name is lost. I
ATSI'LA-WA'i: " Fire's relative," a peak, sometimes spoken of as
Rattlesn(t,ke knob, east of Oconaluftee river and about 2 miles north-
east of Cherokee or Yellow Hill, in Swain county, So called from
a tradition that a ball of fire was once seen to fly through fhe air from