Nanyehi - Nancy Ward

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.

 

For more information, see http://tickets.hardrockcasinotulsa.com/eventperformances.asp?evt=200

I welcome all comments and questions.

 

Thank you for reading my first blog article! 

 

 

Source: History of the Cherokee Indians by Emmet Starr, pages 32, 33, 468-471