Tennessee history, preservation and educational artifacts

Attakullakulla

Attakullakulla was born around 1712 on what is known today as Sevier Island in the French Broad River of Tennessee. His father was a minor chief in the "Overhill Towns" of the Cherokee Nation. The towns were so named because they sat over the rolling hills of the lower Smoky Mountains along the Little Tennessee River. The infant’s given name was Ookoonaka and he spent his earlier years in the Cherokee towns learning the ancient ways of his people. He would become a legend among his people and a voice of reason that would help his people carve out a permanent existence for themselves in a new era of North American history.

He was brought up as the son of a chief and the expectations were high for the young boy, but, as with most Native American tribes, any tribal position Ookoonaka gained would have to be earned on his own.
He studied Cherokee government and trained as a warrior learning tactics and the arts of the bow, spear, knife, and blowgun. The skills came easily to him and his presence of mind during battle was highly regarded among his tribe. In addition, he was taught a trade and, while still young, developed a great ability as a woodworker and house builder – a career that earned him a reputation as one of the best carpenters in the Cherokee Nation.
Ookoonaka grew to be a respected member of the tribe and the name Attakullakulla, which is said to mean "leaning wood" in Cherokee, became the name the young warrior used to identify himself. Not much is known about him in his early years, but, as Britain began opening trade with the Cherokee Nation, the young warrior quickly appeared in the written records of the region as a textbook example of a Cherokee warrior.
With Britain and France constantly at each other’s throats for the rich trade that could be had with the natives, the Cherokee, who had risen to great power in the region, became an instrumental objective of the British colonial government in South Carolina. Some British traders had ventured into the Southern Appalachian backwoods and peacefully lived among the native tribes.
In 1730, Sir Alexander Cuming visited the Tellico Cherokee on an unknown mission. Alexander Cuming was an "adventurer", who had no real connection to the British Crown, and was considered by many in the provisional government as being an unstable source. On April 3, 1730, Cuming visited the Tribal Council House at Nequassie with an interpreter named Eleazar Wiggan. Cuming persuasively asked the Cherokee to pay homage to King George as a way to increase trade and foster good relations between the two peoples.
Cuming was successful in his speech and, as an attempt to flatter the Cherokee village, he "bestowed" the European title of Emperor on Nequassie Chief Moytoy. Cuming knew he had scored a major victory for the government, but he also knew few would believe him unless he could provide proof. To do so, he talked Chief Moytoy into allowing him to take seven members of the tribe to meet with King George in London. He had wanted to take Chief Moytoy himself, but the chief declined due to his wife being ill, but allowed the British gentleman to personally select those he wished to take. Among the seven chosen, was the young warrior Attakullakulla.
Attakullakulla and the men traveled to Charleston and on May 4, 1730 set sail on the man-o-war class ship "Fox" for England. They landed a Dover on June 5 and the young Cherokee was immediately taken with the European city. Throughout the summer, the Cherokee delegation toured and visited the country where they became instant celebrities in the European city.
When they first met King George, it was at an installation ceremony of the Knights of the Garter at Windsor. It seems that part of Sir Cuming’s show was to keep the Cherokee in native dress in the presence of the King. They were described as "being naked, except an apron about their middles and a horse’s tail hung down behind. Their faces, shoulders, etc. were painted and spotted with red, blue, green. The had bows in their hands and painted feathers on their heads."
The account went to say that the King gave them clothing more appropriate to the setting and, in those clothes, a portrait was commissioned by the Duke of Montagu.
The visit to London had an incredible impact on Attakullakulla. While the rest of the Cherokee made no qualms about their appearance, young Attakullakulla was the opposite. He was remembered as being shy and hated the attention heaped upon him by curious onlookers in London. While he understood why they did it, he always preferred to go incognito to public places.
"They are welcome," he stated, "to look upon me as a strange creature. They see but one and in return they give me an opportunity to look upon thousands."
There was almost an incident that caused problems when the Cherokee’s spokesman Okayuda began negotiating a trade relation between the two nations. On Sept. 9, a piece of paper was brought to them called "Articles of Friendship and Commerce". Twenty days later the names of the seven Cherokee were placed on the agreement. When they were finally alone with their interpreter Wiggan, the seven demanded to know exactly what the treaty said. Wiggan told them it affirmed the "Great King’s right to the country of Carolina", the Cherokee immediately went into formal council and, at first, wanted to invalidate the treaty, kill their interpreter and Okayuda as a sign they did not agree and had no authority to speak on such matters. They finally decided to leave the matter to the elders at home and return to America.
When the party left London on Oct. 2, Attakullakulla, who proved to be a quick study and had learned and enjoyed much in the foreign city, was tearful at the thought of leaving. The last person he saw was an old fisher woman on the dock. The Cherokee warrior grasped her hand and repeated in his best English "I tank you, I tank you, I tank you all."
When the young warrior returned, he rejoined his people in the Overhill villages and all but disappeared from public record. When the French sent emissaries into the villages to work out a trade arrangement, Attakullakulla reappeared to persuade his people not to listen or trade with them. The Cherokee warrior had started rising in influence and power among his people, which also made him a target of the French.
Around 1740, he was captured by the Ottawas, who were allies of the French, and taken to Canada where he was held for eight years. Because of his celebrity status in Europe and connection to the British Crown, he was treated with the utmost dignity by the French officials who took possession of him. It changed his mind somewhat about the French and, when he was returned to his village, British authorities were immediately suspicious of him. Attakullakulla, who was now being called "Little Carpenter" by the white traders, was still regarded highly among the Cherokee and rose to become the right-hand man of his uncle "Old Hop" in the Cherokee capitol of Chota.
When "Emperor" Moytoy died, the British by-passed the Cherokee Capitol and bestowed the title on Chief Ammonscossity in Tellico. The obvious jab directed at Attakullakulla and "Old Hop" led to immediate political problems. In addition, South Carolina traders were caught gouging prices on trade goods and that was enough for Attakullakulla to attempt to break the trade monopoly held by Britain on the Cherokee.
Attakullakulla showed how gifted he had become at diplomacy and brought in warriors from other tribes to fight the British, which led to a trade embargo being placed on the Cherokee Nation. The actions created a division in the Cherokee Nation and pro-British villages decided to side with England, which included a demand from then-colonial Governor Glen to deliver the Indian known as "Little Carpenter" to the government. It never happened as Attakullakulla had already left for Virginia to attempt a trade agreement with the French. The British Colonial government immediately began flexing its political muscle in Virginia and caused Attakullakulla to fail in getting a trade agreement. With no other option, the Chief decided to turn his efforts back towards the British.
The actions of Attakullakulla, however, did lead the South Carolina Governor to relent and listen to the Cherokee grievances. The influence of the Cherokee Chief also impressed Governor Glen, who reversed his earlier demand and "asked" Attakullakulla to travel to Charleston and explain his actions.
During the winter of 1752, Attakullakulla decided to go to the coastal city to "refute" the lies being spoken against him, but first decided to prove his loyalty to the British. Although he was old for his day, Attakullakulla was still one of the best warriors in the nation and regarded as a tough fighter. He led a war party against the French and killed eight of them and took two prisoners. The Cherokee native was a proud man and would not consider going to the governor’s office begging for anything, especially forgiveness. It was a tactic that worked and would be successfully used many times in the coming years by the Cherokee Chief.
The Chief immediately dispatched a message to the Governor telling him of his victory, who relayed it to the council on the same day in 1753 when the Cherokee Chief arrived with six of his associates. All was forgiven and the Chief returned to his Overhill Village with new political confidence.
During the next two years, Attakullakulla continued to seek better trade relations for his people and worked raising and supporting his family. As tensions between the French and English started rising and war between the two becoming inevitable, a new set of problems became apparent to the Cherokee chief. The lack of a centralized political structure in the Cherokee Nation led to numerous divisions among the tribe and many were unsure about what side they should support.
Both British and French colonial governments employed the tactic of using Native Americans to fight their battles and enlisting hundreds of warriors. At the same time, Britain also offered money for the scalps of pro-French Indians, which often meant settlers would kill Cherokee returning from British service in Virginia and then sell the scalps to the government. Attakullakulla and other Cherokee Chiefs decided they could not risk the lives of the warriors for the British if this was the result. Since the 1740s, the Cherokee had wanted the British to build a fort in the region to protect the women and children while the warriors were in their service and to offer a way where there could be an enforcement of trade laws. In 1755, Governor Glen secured a treaty with the Cherokee establishing British dominion over the lands of the tribe and promising to build the fort in the Overhill region – provided the Cherokee would side with them in the coming conflict and supply warriors to the British. In 1756, Virginia was in desperate need for warriors and sent two men to negotiate a treaty with the tribe for their service. During the meeting, word reached the council that a group of Cherokee in the British service had been killed and scalped by settlers. The Virginia representatives were immediately imprisoned and sentenced to death.
Ever the politician, Attakullakulla pleaded for the men’s lives and came to an agreement with the Cherokee families for settlement. At the same time, he pressed the issue of the Fort and got Virginia to agree to the terms – finally breaking the South Carolina monopoly on trade.
Virginia made only half-hearted attempts to keep their agreement, but it was enough for Attakullakulla to get Governor Glen to agree to meet him at Fort Prince George to discuss it. During the journey, however, Governor Glen was reassigned to Jamaica and Governor William Lyttelton, who replaced Glen, completed the arrangements and dispatched Captain Demere and a British company of soldiers to build the fort and secure the region. The structure eventually built in the Overhill Villages became known as Fort Loudoun.
Attakullakulla and his men kept their word and fought the French and pro-French Indians. While he was away, British and Cherokee relations started deteriorating. A couple of influential pro-French Creek started stirring up the Cherokee to rid themselves of the British. Attacks on settlements by Cherokee operating on the Creek rumors left many settlers dead and led to British embargoes that crippled the Cherokee. A group of Chiefs traveled to Charleston to discuss the matter with Gov. Lyttelton and try to get the embargoes lifted. Lyttleton, however, seized the Chiefs and held them captive until the Cherokee handed over the warriors responsible for the attacks on British settlers. Among the captured delegates was Chief Oconostota, a Cherokee of high rank and reputation. The men were taken to Fort Prince George and Attakullakulla met with the British officers and convinced them they would have to release Oconostota if they wanted the Cherokee to comply. They released him and, as soon as Oconostota was clear of the Fort, he gathered his men and cunningly drew Lieutenant Coytmore out of the fort where his men instantly shot him.
The British soldiers turned on the other chiefs being held captive and butchered them to the last man. All out war between the Cherokee and British began and Attakullakulla’s gift for negotiations fell on deaf ears. The Cherokee also launched an attack on Fort Loudoun and cut off their supplies. Attakullakulla, however, tried in vain to make peace and bring the war to an end. When Oconostota was planning a night attack on Fort Loudoun, Attakullakulla warned Captain Demere and it was the opportunity Oconostota was waiting for to throw Attakullakulla off of the council and exile him from Chota.
On Aug. 7, 1760, Captain Demere surrendered Fort Loudoun – marking the first time in history that a native tribe had captured a British Fort. Under the terms, the British were promised safe conduct, but, many Cherokee from the lower towns disagreed with the terms. A Cherokee war party led by Onatoy attacked Capt. Demere the next morning killing 23 and capturing the rest. Attakullakulla learned that Lt. Stuart, who had been a great friend of the tribe and an adopted brother of Attakullakulla, was captured by Onatoy and awaiting decision on execution. The Cherokee Chief met Onatoy and traded him everything except his breech cloth as ransom for the British Lieutenant. He got him released and, under a guise of taking him hunting, escaped to Virginia where he gave Stuart his freedom.
For the next 20 years, Attakullakulla continued to play a major role in Cherokee affairs. When the American Revolution began, he sided with the British, but eventually came over to the side of the colonists. Around the mid-1780s, the aged Cherokee Chief and warrior died. Throughout his life he had served his village and his people and earned an international reputation. His rescue of John Stuart was a story literally told around the world. His life would influence Europe and America for years after his death and lead the British government to officially state that Attakullakulla was "the most ‘noble native’ on America’s southern colonial frontier".

Although Attakullakulla would be later eclipsed by Chief Oconostota in the numerous histories written on the Cherokee, he became a mythical figure among the Cherokee people. No one fought harder than Attakullakulla to see that families were justly compensated for the loss of their sons killed by colonists or while serving for the British. His son Dragging Canoe would continue his father’s ways and support the British, which led to numerous attacks on him by then Col. John Xavier (AKA Sevier). Sevier’s French name alone was enough ammunition for Dragging Canoe to rally support to his cause among warriors.
To finally help end the colonial attacks and make peace with the Cherokee Council, Dragging Canoe broke off from the main body of the tribe and formed the Chickamaugans, who went on to occupy the area around present-day Chattanooga.
Throughout his life, Attakullakulla tried to get the various Governors to allow him to return to England and again meet "the Great King" and see the City of London. In fact, when both he and Oconostota sailed to New York on a diplomatic mission, the Chiefs took time out to see the play Richard III. Attakullakulla seemed to love both cultures tremendously and always talked of his journey as a youth to Britain. He spent a lot of his time at Fort Loudoun, which had been his pet project, and talked a good deal to the British soldiers about their culture and formed many friends.
During the Chief’s time at the fort, he gave a set of beads to a Presbyterian missionary as a gift of friendship. The missionary remained in the region after the British occupation as did his family. Those beads are still with them to this day and, in fact, are kept by a family member in a safety deposit box in Clarksville. After the surrender of the fort, the Cherokee Nation rose to prominence among other Native American tribes in the South and enjoyed a new sense of respect among them. One that led to a new era of relations among them.
Although Attakullakulla’s pro-British sympathies would later lead Cherokee elders to think of him as a British yes-man, the Chief was notorious for angering British colonial governors with his diplomatic methods that often proved successful. There was never a dull moment in his life and no other Native American was so documented in early southern colonial records. According to their personal writings, it almost seemed like a game with the British to figure out what he would do next. The British tried to thwart him and other troublesome leaders by proclaiming Emperors of certain chiefs, but discovered that only they respected the authority of the title.
Cherokee politics in those days was often splintered and each village had a different way of doing things. While certain chiefs like Attakullakulla and Oconostota would rise to the levels that permitted them to speak for the tribe, intrigue and political assassinations were not uncommon occurrences and authority could be stripped on a moment’s notice from someone who had caused the tribe problems. Historians of the day always wrote of the Cherokee as being one of the most adaptable peoples ever encountered by Europeans and also stated that British arrogance of the fact led to the many troubles they encountered with the Cherokee.
No on knows for sure where Attakullakulla died or is buried. It was later noticed that he no longer attended tribal negotiations and, while inquiries were made, no one knew for sure what had happened. It is noted, however, in later histories that his grandson Turtle-at-Home still resided in Tennessee in the early 1800s.
There are some artifacts of his life still on display in London and America, but none in the region that he called home. His influence and impact on American diplomacy happened in the formative years prior to the Revolutionary War, but left behind a legacy that would help determine Native American policy for years to come. While the "unofficial" policy of Britain, France, and succeeding American governments would be that of cultural assimilation, Attakullakulla, the "Little Carpenter", would carve a notch in their foundations that would unknowingly ensure his people’s survival as a nation and forever mark them as one of the principal people of the North American continent.