Moytoy of Tellico
| Moytoy of Tellico, "Emperor of the Cherokee" | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1687 Tellico |
| Died | 1760 |
| Residence | Great Tellico |
| Nationality | Cherokee |
| Title | First Beloved Man of the Cherokee |
| Successor | Amouskositte |
Moytoy of Tellico (d. 1741[1]) was a Cherokee leader from Great Tellico (present-day Tellico Plains, Tennessee). Sir Alexander Cumming, a Scots-Anglo trade envoy from the Province of South Carolina, gave him the title "Emperor of the Cherokee". The Cherokee title for its primary leaders was "First Beloved Man". Moytoy's name in Cherokee was Amo-adawehi, or "rainmaker."[2]
In 1730 Cumming, a Scottish adventurer with ties to the colonial government of South Carolina, arranged for Moytoy to be crowned emperor over all of the Cherokee towns in a ceremony intended to appeal to Cumming's colonial sponsors. The Cherokee never recognized Moytoy's authority. He was crowned in Nikwasi with a headdress which Cumming called the "Crown of Tannassy."
Cumming arranged to take Moytoy and a group of Cherokee to England to meet King George II. Moytoy declined to go, saying that his wife was ill. Attakullakulla (Little Carpenter) volunteered to go in his place. The Cherokee laid the "Crown" at King George's feet, along with four scalps.
Some European sources {{<--which?-->}} refer to Moytoy's wife as a woman named Go-sa-du-isga, the "Queen of the Cherokee." On his death, some British entrepreneurs attempted to recognize his 13-year old son Amouskositte as Emperor. The Cherokee did not follow this type of system; elders who had established their spiritual powers within their maternal clan had the most authority. By 1753 Kanagatucko (Old Hop) of Chota in the Overhill Towns had emerged as the dominant leader in the area.[3]
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
| Preceded by Wrosetasatow |
First Beloved Man 1730–1741 |
Succeeded by Amouskositte |
[edit] Sources
- Brown, John P. Old Frontiers. (Kingsport: Southern Publishers, 1938).
- Haywood, W.H. The Civil and Political History of the State of Tennessee from its Earliest Settlement up to the Year 1796. (Nashville: Methodist Episcopal Publishing House, 1891).
- Litton, Gaston L. "The Principal Chiefs of the Cherokee Nation", Chronicles of Oklahoma 15:3 (September 1937) 253-270 (retrieved August 18, 2006).
- Mooney, James. Myths of the Cherokee and Sacred Formulas of the Cherokee. (Nashville: Charles and Randy Elder-Booksellers, 1982).
- Ramsey, James Gettys McGregor. The Annals of Tennessee to the End of the Eighteenth Century. (Chattanooga: Judge David Campbell, 1926).
