- IF YOU LIKE TO VISIT MYSTERIOUS PLACES ON YOUR
JOURNEYS, HEAD WEST TO CULLOWHEE.
THERE YOU WILL FIND THE JUDACULLA ROCK,
A SITE SACRED TO THE CHEROKEE AND A PLACE SHROUDED IN MYTH.
[UPBEAT MUSIC]
- [MAN] IT IS A PART OF THE STORY OF WHO WE ARE.
IT IS A DEFINER OF WHAT IS BEING A CHEROKEE.
- PEOPLE JUST CALL IT THAT INDIAN ROCK.
NOW THERE'S ABOUT 10,000 PEOPLE A YEAR COME HERE.
- IT'S REALLY A MIXTURE OF SCIENCE AND ART.
[FOLK MUSIC]
MY NAME IS SCOTT ASHCRAFT.
I'M A FOREST SERVICE ARCHEOLOGIST
FOR THE PISGAH NATIONAL FOREST
BUT I'M ALSO A CO-DIRECTOR OF THE
NORTH CAROLINA ROCK ART PROJECT.
WHEN IT COMES TO GENERAL PETROGLYPHS
THIS IS A VERY VERY BIG ONE NOT JUST
FOR WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA,
BUT FOR THE EASTERN US.
IT'S THE MOST DENSELY CARVED THAT WE KNOW OF.
IT IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT
PLACES TO THE CHEROKEE PEOPLE.
- IT'S A FORM OF COMMUNICATION IN SOME WAYS,
SO WHAT IS THE STORY, WHAT ARE THEY TRYING TO TELL?
- FIRST OF ALL THERE IS THE NAMESAKE
OF THE ROCK ITSELF, JUDACULLA.
ONE OF THE CHEROKEE'S SPIRIT BEINGS, A GIANT.
THERE'S HIS HANDPRINT THAT HAS A STORY BEHIND IT
AND THEN THE LONG LINE, ONE STORY IS THAT HE
DID IT WITH HIS NAIL AND IT REPRESENTS A BOUNDARY.
WE THINK IT'S ALSO A MAP OF NOT ONLY THIS LOCAL AREA
BUT ALSO A MAP FOR THE SPIRIT WORLD.
[GENTLE GUITAR MUSIC]
- MY NAME IS JERRY PARKER AND MY FAMILY
HAS BEEN LIVING HERE, PROPERTY WHERE
THE JUDACULLA ROCK IS SINCE THE 1850S.
FOR LACK OF A BETTER DESCRIPTION,
WE HAVE BEEN THE CARETAKERS OR STEWARDS OF THIS PROPERTY.
- HOW MANY ACRES-- - THERE'S 133 ACRES.
AND MY FATHER MADE THE REASON THAT HE WANTED
TO PRESERVE THE ROCK, SO HE
TRANSFERRED THE ROCK TO THE COUNTY IN 1959.
THIS IS MY GRANDFATHER IN 1932 OR THREE RIGHT THERE
AND THAT'S HIS CORNFIELD BEHIND HIM.
- OKAY YEAH.
- SO THE ROCK WAS SURROUNDED BY THE CORNFIELD.
- [WOMAN] WHAT'S YOUR GRANDFATHER'S NAME?
- HIS NAME WAS MILAS. - MILAS.
- MY GRANDFATHER'S NAME WAS MILAS.
BUT HERE'S THE COLOR POSTCARD
THAT THIS PICTURE ORIGINALLY COMES FROM.
I'VE TRAVELED MANY PLACES OVER THE WORLD,
BUT I'LL ALWAYS COME BACK HERE
AND SO I LOOK AT THIS AS MY SPIRITUAL LODESTONE
SORT OF JUST BRINGS ME BACK.
- MY NAME IS THOMAS BELL AND MY HOME
IS IN QUALLA BOUNDARY, NORTH CAROLINA.
THIS REGION IS OUR ANCESTRAL HOME.
I AM A CHEROKEE LANGUAGE PROGRAM COORDINATOR
AT WESTERN CAROLINA UNIVERSITY.
CHEROKEE THE WORD IS PRONOUNCED [SPEAKS NATIVE LANGUAGE].
THE ROCK IS 10,000 YEARS OLD.
IT TELLS ME WHO I AM.
IT TELLS ME WHERE I'M FROM.
- [MAN] IT'S POSSIBLE TO PUT THE ENTIRE ROCK INTO MOTION.
- YEAH, YEAH.
- I'M BRETT RIGGS.
I'M THE SEQUOIA DISTINGUISHED PROFESSOR
OF CHEROKEE STUDIES AT WESTERN CAROLINA UNIVERSITY.
THIS IS A SPOT THAT EMBODIES CHEROKEE BELIEF
AND EMBODIES CHEROKEE BELONGING TO THIS PLACE.
- IT'S TRUE, WE ARE FROM HERE.
THIS IS US.
- YOU'VE GOT THE LINE, AND THEN YOU HAVE THE HANDPRINT
UNDER THE LINE.
- JUDACULLA, WHEN HE JUMPS, HE LEAVES ONE WORLD
AND HE COMES INTO ANOTHER WORLD.
TO ME THAT'S WHAT MAKES THIS THING SO SPECIAL.
THIS IS THE LINKAGE THAT COMES RIGHT UP TO THE PRESENT.
- IT GIVES ME A PLACE ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH
THAT I'VE BEEN GRANTED TO SHARE WITH MY RELATIVES.
IT TELLS ME THAT I'M HOME.
- THE JUDACULLA ROCK IS OFF OF A GRAVEL ROAD
2.5 MILES DOWN CANEY FORK ROAD IN CULLOWHEE.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THIS STRANGE ATTRACTION
AT JUDACULLAROCK.COM.