Moytoy of Tellico
Moytoy of Tellico, (died 1741)[1] (Amo-adawehi in Cherokee, meaning "rainmaker")[2] was a prominent leader of the Cherokee in the American Southeast. He was given the title of "Emperor of the Cherokee" by Sir Alexander Cumming, a Scots-Anglo trade envoy in what was then the Province of South Carolina, and is regularly referred to as "King" in official English reports, as this was a familiar term of rank to colonists.[3] He was from Great Tellico, an historic Cherokee town in what is now Tennessee.
Moytoy of Tellico, "Emperor of the Cherokee" | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1687 Tellico |
| Died | 1741 |
| Nationality | Cherokee |
| Title | First Beloved Man of the Cherokee |
| Successor | Amouskositte |
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 was crowned in the town of Nikwasi with a headdress referred to as 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 the death of Moytoy, his son, Amouskositte, tried to succeed him as "Emperor". However, by 1753 Conocotocko (Old Hop) of Chota in the Overhill Towns had emerged as the dominant leader in the area.[4]
One of the seven sacred wampum belts still in the possession of the Western Cherokee has the large initials A.M. at one end. The other end has a large square feature that is often seen on wampum belts that are commemorating treaties. There is a very long white "path" connecting the two ends possibly referring to the great distance that separates the two parties. It is possible that this is the belt that is mentioned in and that commemorates the treaty between the British and Amatoya Moytoy (A.M.) in 1730 (Articles of Friendship and Commerce). The Cherokees who are in possession of the belt, however, give a very different interpretation of its meaning.
Notes
- Gearing, Fred (1962). Priests and Warriors: Social Structures for Cherokee Politics in the 18th Century.
- Brown, p. 538
- Grant, Ludovic (2008). "Historical Relation of the Facts". The Journal of Cherokee Studies. XXVI: 64.
- Hoig, Stan (1998). The Cherokees and Their Chiefs: In the Wake of Empire. University of Arkansas Press.
| Preceded by Wrosetasatow |
First Beloved Man 1730–1741 |
Succeeded by Amouskositte |
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).