Yehasuri – Little People Of South Carolina Living In The Woods – Native Americans’ Version Of Leprechauns
Ellen Lloyd - AncientPages.com - Do you believe a race of little people once walked the Earth? Myths and legends of our ancestors tell about such beings that lived in woods, mountains, and hidden places where humans couldn’t find them.
Native Americans have a rich oral tradition that tells of a race of tiny people, commonly known as “little people.” The Shoshone Indians of Wyoming tell about the Nimerigar, who were aggressive little people one should definitely avoid due to their hostile nature.
The Catawba Indians in South Carolina have stories about the spirit world that reflects their own native traditions and Christianity. According to the Catawba Indians, the Yehasuri ("wild little people") live in the woods.
Book illustrations of Native American little people. Left: Little people from Stories Iroquois Tell Their Children by Mabel Powers, 1917. Credit: Public Domain - Right: "How Morning Star Lost Her Fish", from Stories the Iroquois Tell Their Children by Mabel Powers, 1917. Credit: Public Domain
The Yehasuri, often referred to as wild little Indians, are about two feet tall and can sometimes be unfriendly. The Catawba believe those little creatures live in tree stumps and eat mostly frogs and insects.
According to Thomas Blumer, the Yehasuri are leprechaun-like creatures. Leprechauns are mainly found in Irish folklore, but there are ancient accounts of similar beings in other parts of the world.
Frank G. Speck visited the Catawba Indians to learn about their language and was told so much about the Yehasuri and their behavior. A woman named Margaret Wiley Brown told Speck that “many wild people live in the woods; they stay in the ground. They cry like children. They eat corns. Tree roots and fungi that grow around trees, the stink turtle, and tadpoles they eat.
Some days they carry off children. If they shoot you, you will die, you cannot know it.”
Margaret Wiley Brown also said that the little wild Indians had once tied a woman to a tree by her hair. It is believed one can stop the Yehasuri by rubbing tobacco on one's hand and recite an ancient Catawba prayer.
According to other stories, the Yehasuri sometimes plaited manes of horses, but why they did this remains a mystery. Blumer writes that “it seems to be significant that only certain horses were affected in such a manner and that no alternate prankster is even suggested.
There are many tricksters in Native American mythology. Another interesting character is the Pukwudgie, a grey-faced humanoid that lives in the forest.
From the tales collected to date, it is impossible to tell why the wild Indians plaited the horses’ hair. Perhaps it was just done to protest the presence of the horse as they invaded the haunts of the wild Indians. This plaiting gesture, which is apparently on the prank level, might have been done to make the Catawbas more aware of the presence of the wild Indians. Apparently, these small beings could be problematic for a mother with small children; they, however, had no real ability to harm a creature as large as a horse.”
Are the Yehasuri real, or do they only live in stories? It is a difficult question to answer and even the Catawba Indians are uncertain.
Some Catawba Indians still believe in the existence of the Yehasuri, while others state these little creatures cannot possibly be real.
Written by Ellen Lloyd – AncientPages.com
Updated on July 11, 2021
Copyright © AncientPages.com All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or part without the express written permission of AncientPages.com
Expand for referencesFrank G. Speck – Catawba Texts, New York: Columbia University Press, 1934
Blumer, Thomas J. "Wild Indians, and the Devil: The Contemporary Catawba Indian Spirit World." American Indian Quarterly 9, no. 2 (1985): 149-68. doi:10.2307/1184575.
More From Ancient Pages
-
New Study Questions Claims Homo Naledi Was Advanced
Evolution | Nov 13, 2023
-
Amazing Ancient One-Stroke Dragon Art Tradition – Painting Dragons With A Single Brush Stroke
Ancient Traditions And Customs | Apr 29, 2021
-
Pax Assyriaca: Important Time For The Neo Assyrian Empire And Surrounding Regions
Ancient History Facts | Aug 11, 2016
-
Mystery Of The Ancient Okunev Culture: Skeleton Of 4,500-Year-Old Noblewoman With Links To Native Americans Discovered In Siberia
Archaeology | Sep 9, 2016
-
Birds – Mysterious Avian Messengers That Symbolized Bridge Between Humans And Gods In World Beliefs
Featured Stories | Aug 21, 2021
-
Mysterious Dark Watchers – One Of America’s Greatest Ancient Riddles
Featured Stories | Nov 13, 2014
-
Ilmarinen – Divine Blacksmith And Trusted Friend Of Wizard Vainamoinen In Kalevala
Featured Stories | Nov 16, 2018
-
Humans Started Wearing Clothes 100,000 To 500,000 Years Ago
Ancient History Facts | Mar 17, 2018
-
Has The Legendary Viking Stronghold Jomsborg Finally Been Found?
Archaeology | Jun 3, 2023
-
Our Understanding Of Human Prehistory And Societies Is Wrong – Scientists Say
Featured Stories | Nov 3, 2022
-
Stunning Ancient Lod Mosaic With Message Of Approaching Danger To The Ship At Sea
Artifacts | Aug 14, 2023
-
Unique Viking Age Runestone With A Cross And Animal Biting Its Own Tail Discovered By Farmer In Sweden
Archaeology | Sep 20, 2020
-
What Is The Meaning Of Ankh – Ancient Egyptian Symbol
Ancient Symbols | Sep 21, 2023
-
Anundshög Burial Mound: One Of Sweden’s Richest And Largest Sacred Ancient Sites
Featured Stories | Aug 29, 2018
-
Waru Waru – Ancient Andean Irrigation System Brought Back To Life
Ancient History Facts | Apr 28, 2018
-
Amazing Discovery Of Ancient Roman Temple In The Netherlands Hailed As An Extraordinary Archaeological Find
Archaeology | Jun 20, 2022
-
Mystery Of Ancient Language PIE From Which Half Of All Languages Originate
Featured Stories | Apr 3, 2017
-
The Untold Story Of The Inca – Fire In The Sky – Part 1
Civilizations | Jul 2, 2019
-
Frey – Handsome Vanir God Of Fertility And Lord Of The Elves In Norse Beliefs
Featured Stories | Mar 3, 2018
-
Pharaoh Ramses II Comes One Step Closer To The Gods In The Company Of Hathor, Sekhmet and Ptah – Statues Discovered
Archaeology | Aug 10, 2020