The first article in Honoring Our Cherokee Ancestors will be about
the Beloved Woman of the Cherokee, the Ghigau – Nanyehi. She is better known as
Nancy Ward.
Nanyehi was born around 1738 at Chota, Cherokee Nation East,
which is located in present day Monroe County , Tenn.
She is thought to be the daughter of Tame Doe, but no verifiable written record
has been found to confirm it. She was of the wolf clan.
She was married first to Tsu-la “Kingfisher, who died in
battle with the Muskogee Creeks in 1755 in what is today Canton , Ga. They had two
children, Catherine “Kati” and Fivekiller. She married Bryan Ward, an Irish
trader, and bore a daughter, Elizabeth “Betsy.”
When Nanyehi was just 17 years old, she went into battle by
her husband’s side. According to “History of the Cherokee Indians” by Emmet
Starr, the tale is recounted that she lay behind a log chewing bullets for
Tsu-la, which made them more deadly. When Tsu-la was killed, Nanyehi picked up
his rifle and continued the fight, helping to win a victory over the Creeks. It
was due to this brave act that she was bestowed the honor of Ghigau, Beloved
Woman. She held this honor her entire life, even into her old age. When she
couldn’t attend council meetings in person, she would send her walking stick.
During the Revolutionary War era, some Cherokee sided with
the British, including Dragging Canoe, Nanyehi’s cousin, Abraham and Raven. According
to Starr in “History of the Cherokee Indians,” these men were war chiefs of the
Cherokee in the Chickamauga area
and had about 700 warriors. They planned simultaneous attacks on white
settlements; Dragging Canoe was to attack Fort
Holston , Abraham was to attack Fort
Watauga and Raven was to attack
Carter’s Valley. The attacks were to happen July 21, 1776 , but Nanyehi heard of the plans and sent
messengers to warn the settlers of the danger. Dragging Canoe’s attack was met
with a small contingent from the Holston settlement, who
killed 13 Cherokee warriors before Dragging Canoe retreated. Abraham was only
successful in kidnapping Mrs. Lydia Bean, the mother of the first white child
born in Tennessee , and a young
boy from Fort Watauga .
The boy was burned at the stake, but before Mrs. Bean could also be burned,
Nanyehi arrived and cut the bonds that held her to the stake and demanded her
release. As Ghigau, she held the authority to pardon prisoners. She took Mrs.
Bean home with her, where she stayed until Nanyehi’s brother Longfellow could
take her back to her family safely.
In her later years, Nancy
operated an inn at Womankiller Ford on the Ocoee
River in Benton ,
Tenn. She died in 1822 and is buried under
a cedar tree beside her brother Longfellow and her son Fivekiller.
Nancy Ward has thousands of descendants who proudly honor
her name. In 1994, an organization was founded for descendants, the Association
of the Descendants of Nancy Ward. The group meets twice a year, with one
meeting held in March at different locations and one during Cherokee National
Holiday in Tahlequah in late August. David Keith Hampton serves as president.
He is the author of many books which help decipher Emmet Starr’s genealogical
work, along with updates and corrections. His book “Descendants of Nancy Ward”
is a definitive resource in genealogy research for descendants.
To experience the life of Nanyehi, attend one of the three performances of the musical written by Becky Hobbs and Nick Sweet Aug. 21, 22 and 23 in Tulsa.