Nalusa Chito, 'the great black being,' is among the most feared entities of Choctaw belief and is also known by the name Impa Shilup, the soul-eater. He is said to seek out people who surrender to evil thoughts, sorrow, or depression, creeping unseen into the person and consuming the shilup, the inner soul that would otherwise travel to the land of the dead. Because of the dread attached to him, many Choctaw people traditionally avoid speaking his name aloud. He belongs to the same family of shadow beings as the long black being of the woods, and reflects a moral teaching that guarding one's mind against despair is a form of spiritual protection.