Moytoy of Tellico
Moytoy of Tellico, "Emperor of the Cherokee" | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1687 Tellico |
| Died | 1741 |
| Nationality | Cherokee |
| Title | First Beloved Man of the Cherokee |
| Successor | Amouskositte |
Moytoy of Tellico (d. 1741[1]) was from Great Tellico. Sir Alexander Cumming, a Scots-Anglo trade envoy from the Province of South Carolina, gave him the title "Emperor of the Cherokee", although he is regularly referred to as "King" in official reports.[2] Moytoy's name in Cherokee was Amo-adawehi, or "rainmaker."[3]
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. He was crowned in Nikwasi with a headdress refereed to 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.
According to some authorities, Moytoy's wife was a woman named Go-sa-du-isga,. After his death, his son, Amouskositte attempted to succeed him as "Emperor". However, by 1753 Kanagatucko (Old Hop) of Chota in the Overhill Towns had emerged as the dominant leader in the area.[4]
Notes
- ^ Gearing, Fred (1962). Priests and Warriors: Social Structures for Cherokee Politics in the 18th Century.
- ^ Grant, Ludovic (2008). "Historical Relation of the Facts". The Journal of Cherokee Studies. XXVI: 64.
- ^ Brown, p. 538
- ^ Hoig, Stan (1998). The Cherokees and Their Chiefs: In the Wake of Empire. University of Arkansas Press.
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).