General Notes

Moytoy Pigeon, of Tellico
Supreme Chief of the Cherokee 1730 -- 1760
*********************************
The Eastern Band of Cherokee, by John R Finger, Univ of TN Press, Knoxvill
e:
[Earliy Cherokee society was atomized into clans with individual chiefs]..
.
Sir Alexander Cuming boldly addressed this problem in 1730 by traveli
ng to Cherokee
country and proclaiming a single chief, Moytoy, as the first chief and Ki
ng of his people.
*********************************
Moytoy :
a Cherokee chief recognized by the English as "emperor" in 1730. Both t
he correct form and the meaning of the name are uncertain; the name occu
rs again as Moyatoy in a document of 1793; a boy upon the East Cherokee re
servation a few years ago bore the name of Ma’tayi, for which no meaning c
an be found or given.
*********************************
Old Frontiers, by John P Brown, also details a Moytoy of Settico who was r
ampaiging
through VA after the death of "Emperor" Moytoy of Tellico.
As tribes acquired firearms from Europeans and used them against neighbori
ng tribes, a "weaponry race" began. Tribes accelerated trade to acquire fi
rearms for military purposes. Initially the guns were purchased with fu
rs and skins. The South Carolina Colony, established in 1670, was encourag
ing the tribes to trade their Native American prisoners of war which we
re then sold into slavery. In 1705, there were complaints from North Carol
ina that the South Carolina governor's trade in Native American slaves h
ad so angered the tribes that an Indian war was inevitable.
Several tribes, including the Cherokee, assisted colonists in driving o
ut their mutual enemy, the Tuscarora, in a war that lasted from 1711-171
3. However, with the Tuscarora out of the way, the tribes begin to addre
ss their grievances with the colonists -- primarily the sale of Native Ame
ricans into slavery despite agreements to discontinue this practice.
The result was a war, in 1715, in which the combined tribes in the regi
on threatened to wipe-out the South Carolina Colony. Ultimately, the colon
ists were able to mass their forces and after achieving several victori
es the tribes began to sue for peace. Peace was made with the Cherokee w
ho were given a large quantity of guns and ammunition in exchange for the
ir alliance with the colony.
In 1721, a treaty was signed with South Carolina to systematize trade b
ut the most significant condition was the establishment of a fixed bounda
ry between the Cherokee and the colony which was the first land cession ma
de by the Cherokee to the Europeans. The population of the Cherokee Nati
on was probably 16,000-17,000 including 6,000 warriors. Although allied wi
th the English, the Cherokee began to favor the French who had establish
ed Fort Toulouse near present Montgomery AL. The French showed greater res
pect for the Indians than the British who considered them an inferior rac
e. (It should be noted that the English also considered non-English whit
es as inferior).
To prevent a Cherokee alliance with the French, Sir Alexander Cuming visit
ed the prominent Cherokee towns and convinced the Cherokee to select an "e
mperor", Chief Moytoy of Tellico, to represent the tribe in all dealings w
ith the British. In addition, he escorted seven Cherokees to England who m
et with the King and swore allegiance to the crown.
A treaty was signed obligating the Cherokee to trade only with the Britis
h, return all runaway slaves, and to expel all non-English whites from the
ir territory. In return, the Cherokee received a substantial amount of gun
s, ammunition, and red paint.
Although the seven Cherokee who made the trip were presented the to the ki
ng as "chiefs", only one could be considered a prominent Cherokee -- the o
thers being young men who went for the adventure. The chiefs of the tri
be declined due to their responsibilities for hunting and defense. Howeve
r, one of the young men was Attacullaku