Encounter Atlas
Yunwi Tsunsdi means 'Little People' in Cherokee. In Cherokee tradition they are well-shaped, handsome people who stand about knee-high, with long hair reaching almost to the ground. They live in rock caves on the mountainsides, love music and drumming, and are often heard but seldom seen. They are distinct from the Nunnehi, the 'people who live anywhere', who look like full-sized Cherokee.
The Little People are generally helpful, especially to lost children and travellers, but they do not like to be disturbed, and people who follow them can come back confused. Cherokee tradition holds that if you find something in the woods, such as a knife, you should say 'Little People, I want to take this' first, because it may belong to them.
The ethnologist James Mooney recorded many of these traditions among the Eastern Band of Cherokee in western North Carolina and published them in Myths of the Cherokee in 1900. The Little People remain part of living Cherokee culture and storytelling, and many families still speak of them with respect.
What witnesses report
- Drumming or singing in the hills with no source
- Small figures at the edge of sight
- A lost child who says little people helped them
- Objects left in the woods
Famous cases
- 1900James Mooney publishes Myths of the Cherokee
Cherokee, North Carolina
Seen the Yunwi Tsunsdi?
Tell us what happened. Every report is read by a person before it goes on the map, and you can stay anonymous.
