Collection: Moon Eyed People

The Moon-Eyed People are a legendary race from Cherokee oral traditions.

The Moon-Eyed People are described as a race of small, pale-skinned, bearded people with large, sensitive blue or light-colored eyes who could not tolerate bright sunlight and thus lived nocturnally. Dwelling in caves, underground, or fortified mountain sites during the day, they emerge at night to hunt and fish. 

 Cherokee stories portray the Moon-Eyed People as predating their own arrival in the region (Blue Ridge, Smokies, and surrounding mountains in what is now NC, TN, GA, and parts of VA). 

Some accounts describe them as peaceful and industrious; while others note conflict with incoming tribes.

Conflict and Expulsion: Legends state the Cherokee (or allied tribes) drove them out in battles, sometimes exploiting their daylight weakness (e.g., attacking under a full moon or bright conditions). One site associated with this is Fort Mountain in Georgia, where a zigzag stone wall (885 feet long) is attributed to them.1dd821