Nalusa Falaya/Na Losa Falaya

The Nalusa Falaya are mysterious creatures from Choctaw myth. They are often thought to resemble a similar figure named Kashehotapalo. They are believed to live in dense wooded areas or swamps far from human settlements. They appear at dusk and call out to hunters in human voices. They’re described as having shriveled faces with small eyes, long pointed ears, and long noses. People who see this creature often faint in horror. The Nalusa Falaya then prick people, most often hunters, with a thorn to bewitch them. Those who are bewitched do evil things without knowing why, and analyzing these actions is the only way to detect bewitchment. They have numerous children, and young Nalusa Falaya can remove their organs to become small, luminous orbs seen at the edge of marshes. 

Citations: 

American Anthropologist. United States, American Anthropological Association, 1910.

Gill, Sam D., and Sullivan, Irene F.. Dictionary of Native American Mythology. United Kingdom, Oxford University Press, 1994.

Mould, Tom, and Vaughn, Rae Nell. Choctaw Tales: Stories from the Firekeepers. N.p., University Press of Mississippi, 2025.

Native American Legends of the Southeast: Tales from the Natchez, Caddo, Biloxi, Chickasaw, and Other Nations. United States, University of Alabama Press, 2011.