Who is Judaculla?

Who is Judaculla?. . According to Cherokee legend, Judaculla was a slant-eyed giant who lived high up in the Balsam Mountains. He guarded his hunting grounds from Judaculla’s Judgement Seat, today known as Devil’s Courthouse, a site reached from the Blue Ridge Parkway., Once, a party of disrespectful hunters came through his land, Judaculla chased them down the mountain. With a mighty leap, the angry giant lander near Caney Fork on a large boulder. Putting his hand down to steady himself, he left his mark on the rock’s surface. The impression of his hand can still be seen at the lower right of the rock., Judaculla’s marks have also been seen on other boulders throughout Cherokee lands, including near the Mother-town of Kituwah, a sacred and prominent Cherokee religious center. Use the drawing (at left) to locate Judaculla’s handprint and other glyphs., (caption) Above: Drawing of Judaculla by Nancy-Lou Patterson, courtesy of Cherokee Publications. Far left: Schematic sketch of glyphs, Scott Ashcraft. Right: “Handprint” from historic postcard (above left), Hunter Library Special Collections, Western Carolina University