Oconostota

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Oconostota, oil painting by Francis Parsons , 1762

Oconostota (* around 1704 / 1715 in the Overhill Towns, Tennessee ; † 1783 / 1784 in Tennessee) (. Closely stalking / Standing Turkey ., Dt Prosecuting / standing turkey) was a war chieftain ( skiagusta ) of Chota and leader of the Cherokee ( Eng.First Beloved Man ) from 1775 to 1781.

Surname

Oconostota's name in Cherokee Aganstata , according to Mooney , the name ended up with marmot sausage (from agana marmot and tsistau "I crush it"). On his gravestone at Chota, for some time the leading village of the Overhill Cherokee , his name appears as Oconastota with two a's. In some scriptures he is called Cunne Shote , possibly a misuse of his name.

Life

Oconastota's origins are only very well known, he was possibly a son of Moytoy of Tellico and was born between 1704 and 1715 in the Overhill Towns in Tennessee. The identity of his first wife is unknown. Their daughter Nionne Ollie (Tamed Pigeon), mother of Dragging Canoe, married Attakullakulla , his cousin. Some sources believe that Nionne Ollie was a Natchez who was adopted by Oconastota's wife, who passed status and inheritance to her daughter in the Cherokee matrilineal society. Oconostota first appears in historical records in 1736. He was a respected and well-known warrior among the Cherokee and was called the Great Warrior of Chota . He may have been influenced by the German Christian Priber , who lived with the Cherokee from around 1735 to 1739.

Initially clearly inclined to the French, Oconostota changed his mind in 1753 after they could not supply him with the necessary commercial goods. Oconastota switched its alliance to the British side and in 1753 led a pro-British Cherokee force against the Choctaw . For the next 12 years the Cherokee fought both with and against the British, but as more and more American settlers took over Cherokee, they sided with the British.

Cherokee War

In 1759, Oconastota and 29 of his followers were taken hostage at Fort Prince George because of misunderstandings about their services against the French . After intervention by Attakullakulla, Oconastota was released but killed a British officer outside the fort. In order to avenge this death, the British executed all prisoners. In revenge for this, the Cherokee took over Fort Loudoun in June 1760 and massacred most of the soldiers stationed there when they were already on their way to Charles Town . Despite the acts of revenge by the British, which destroyed the Lower Cherokee Towns , among other things , Oconastota's reputation grew.

After the death of his cousin Attakullakulla, presumably 1777, Oconostota became the First Beloved Man of the Cherokee as his successor . The period of his leadership was marked by war and struggle, which culminated in 1780 with the destruction of Chota and Tanasi by American revolutionary troops. It is believed that Oconastota died in 1783. According to a description, he was buried with a broadsword in his hands.

Commemoration

Oconostota's grave site at the Chota Memorial in Monroe County, Tennessee .

The remains of Oconastota were found during archaeological digs at Chota, prior to the Tellico Lake flooding . They were identified by reading glasses that Oconastota owned and that were buried with him. His bones were reburied in the Chota area raised by the Tennessee Valley Authority . Today a tombstone marks the spot and the tradition has developed to put a stone on top of the tombstone. This symbolizes the permanence of the memory and its legacy as a stone cannot die.

literature

  • James Mooney: Myths of the Cherokee , 1900. (English)
  • James C. Kelly: Oconostota Journal of Cherokee Studies, Vol. III No. 4, Fall 1978 (English) pp. 221-238.
  • Spencer Tucker, James R. Arnold, Roberta Wiener (Eds.): The The Encyclopedia of North American Indian Wars, 1607-1890 ABC-Clio, 2011 ISBN 978-1-8510-9697-8 (English)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Geni.com: Oconastota, Uku of Chota, First Beloved Man of the Cherokee (English) accessed on July 15, 2020
  2. ^ Karl Klink, James Talman (ed.): The Journal of Major John Norton Champlain Society, 1970. (English) p. 42
  3. ^ Grace Steele Woodward: The Cherokees University of Oklahoma Press, 1963, p. 68
  4. ^ Robert J. Conley: A Cherokee Encyclopedia University of New Mexico Press, 2007 ISBN 978-0-8263-3951-5 p. 166
  5. ↑ James C. Kelly: Oconostota Journal of Cherokee Studies, Vol. III No. 4, Fall 1978 (English) pp. 221-238
  6. ↑ Gerald F. Schroedl: Oconastota Tennesee Encyclopedia (English) accessed on July 15, 2020
  7. ↑ Spencer Tucker, James R. Arnold, Roberta Wiener (Eds.): The The Encyclopedia of North American Indian Wars, 1607-1890 ABC-Clio, 2011 ISBN 978-1-8510-9697-8 (English) p. 577
  8. ↑ Gerald F. Schroedl: Oconastota Tennesee Enzyclopedia (English) accessed on July 15, 2020
  9. ↑ Spencer Tucker, James R. Arnold, Roberta Wiener (Eds.): The The Encyclopedia of North American Indian Wars, 1607-1890 ABC-Clio, 2011 ISBN 978-1-8510-9697-8 (English) p. 578
personal data
SURNAME Oconostota
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Aganstata, Stalking Turkey
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Cherokee chief
DATE OF BIRTH uncertain: between 1704 and 1715
PLACE OF BIRTH Overhill Towns, Tennessee
DATE OF DEATH 1783 or 1784
Place of death Tennessee