Attakullakulla facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Attakullakulla
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The Seven Cherokee, including Attakullakulla, who traveled with Sir Alexander Cuming back to London, England in 1730
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| Born | c. 1715 |
| Died | c. 1777 Tennessee
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| Nationality | Cherokee |
| Title | First Beloved Man |
| Predecessor | Standing Turkey |
| Successor | Oconostota |
Attakullakulla (Cherokee: ᎠᏔᎫᎧᎷ, Atagukalu; also known as Little Carpenter by the English) was an important Cherokee leader. He lived from about 1715 to 1777. He was the tribe's First Beloved Man, a top leader, from 1761 to around 1775. His son was Dragging Canoe, who also became a famous Cherokee leader.
Attakullakulla was known for being wise and graceful, even though he was a small man. He knew some English but was not fluent. Still, he was considered the best Cherokee speaker from the 1760s to the 1770s. He first appeared in history books in 1730. He traveled to England with Alexander Cuming, a British official, and six other Cherokee. He was one of the first Cherokee leaders to sign a treaty with Great Britain.
By the early 1750s, Attakullakulla was a main speaker for the Cherokee Nation. He was very good at diplomacy, which means handling talks between groups. He usually favored the British. He always hoped for peaceful solutions to problems. But he always made sure to protect the best interests of the Cherokee people.
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What's in a Name?
Early in his life, Attakullakulla was called Onkanacleah. His Cherokee name, Atagukalu, means "leaning wood." This name might have come from his physical size. He was described as "a man of remarkably small stature."
His English nickname, "Little Carpenter," also related to his size. It also meant he was very skilled. Just like a carpenter can make wood fit perfectly, Attakullakulla could make all his ideas fit together in his nation's politics. He was also known for being good at building houses.
Attakullakulla's Early Life
Attakullakulla was likely born in what is now East Tennessee, in the early 1700s. His son said that Attakullakulla was born to the Nipissing First Nation people, who lived near Lake Superior in the North.
As a baby, he was captured during a raid where his parents were killed. He was brought south to the Cherokee territory. There, a Cherokee family adopted him, and he was raised as Cherokee. He married Nionne Ollie. She was also an adopted person, from the Natchez people. Their marriage was allowed because they were from different clans. He was from the Wolf Clan, and she was from the Paint Clan.
In 1730, Attakullakulla was part of a group of Cherokee leaders who traveled to England. In 1736, he turned down offers from the French. They had sent people to try and make friends with the Cherokee. A few years later, he was captured by the Odawa people, who were allies of the French. He was held captive in Quebec until 1748. When he returned, he became one of the Cherokee's main diplomats. He also advised the Beloved Man of Chota, which was the main town of the Cherokee's Overhill settlements.
Cherokee Warrior and Peacemaker
In the 1750s, Attakullakulla worked hard to get a steady supply of goods for his people to trade. When the French and Indian War started, Cherokee warriors helped the British fight against the French and their Native American allies.
However, some British settlers from Virginia killed some Cherokee warriors on their way home. Attakullakulla traveled to different British towns to get promises of trade goods as payment for the Cherokee's help. But this was not enough for young Cherokee warriors. They wanted to respond to the killings, as was their custom. So, throughout 1758 and 1759, Cherokee warriors attacked British settlements. Attakullakulla tried to make peace with the British. He even led a Cherokee war party against a French fort.
These efforts did not work. In late 1759, some Cherokee leaders went to Charleston to try and make peace. But the governor, William Henry Lyttelton, took the Cherokee leaders hostage. He said he would hold them until the Cherokee gave up the men who had killed white settlers. Attakullakulla was forced to sign a treaty. It said the Cherokee would hand over suspected "murderers" in exchange for the hostages.
Attakullakulla returned to Fort Prince George in early 1760 to try and free the hostages. But he failed. Then, Oconostota tricked a British officer, Lt. Richard Coytmore, out of the fort. Cherokee warriors hiding in the woods shot and killed Coytmore. In response, the soldiers in the fort killed all the remaining Cherokee hostages.
The Cherokee then attacked settlements. Many Cherokee blamed Attakullakulla for the deaths of the hostages. He kept trying to make peace. Later in 1760, British and South Carolina troops attacked Cherokee towns. They were forced to retreat. The Cherokee then surrounded Fort Loudoun and forced it to surrender. As the British soldiers left the fort, many were killed by the Cherokee.
Attakullakulla tried again to make peace. It finally happened in 1761, after the British attacked more Cherokee towns. Attakullakulla signed the peace treaty in Charleston on December 18, 1761. On his way home, he was robbed and bothered by angry settlers. For the rest of the 1760s, he tried to stop white settlers from moving into Cherokee lands. He often visited British officials in Charleston and Williamsburg.
Important Diplomatic Work
In the 1750s and 1760s, Attakullakulla was the most important Cherokee diplomat. He was very skilled at handling talks. He always looked for peaceful solutions and protected the Cherokee's interests. After Connecorte died, Attakullakulla, the peace chief, and Oconostota, the war chief, shared power. They led the Cherokee for many years.
In the Treaty of Broad River (1756), Attakullakulla agreed to give some Cherokee land to the English. In return, the English promised to build forts in Cherokee territory. These forts would protect Cherokee women and children while the men fought with the British in the French and Indian War. He kept his promises to the English, but some other Cherokee disagreed with him. He also played the colonies of South Carolina and Virginia against each other. This helped him get fair trading deals for his people.
The Treaty of Peace and Friendship, signed by Governor William Henry Lyttelton and Attakullakulla, said there would be "firm peace and friendship" between the British and the Cherokee.
For a short time in 1760, Attakullakulla was removed from the Cherokee Council. He moved away from the main towns. But in June 1761, a British army led by Colonel James Grant destroyed several Cherokee towns. The Cherokee then asked Attakullakulla to return to the council to make peace with the British. Attakullakulla also helped choose John Stuart as the main British official for Native American affairs in the South.
In 1772, Attakullakulla leased lands to the Watauga Association. This was a group of American settlers who wanted to create their own community in what is now Tennessee. In 1775, he supported the Transylvania Purchase. In this deal, a North Carolina colonel named Richard Henderson bought twenty million acres of land in present-day Kentucky and Middle Tennessee from the Cherokee. In May 1775, Attakullakulla, Oconostota, and other older chiefs gave up control of this large area for £10,000.
Family and Later Life
Connecotre (Old Hop), who was a Cherokee leader in the 1750s, was Attakullakulla's uncle. Attakullakulla's son, Dragging Canoe, later led a resistance against the United States in the 1780s. His niece, Nancy Ward, was a 'beloved woman' who had the power to free war captives.
During the American Revolutionary War, Attakullakulla was among older Cherokee leaders who gave lands to Virginia. This was against the wishes of younger warriors. His son, Dragging Canoe, disagreed with his father during this time.
After the Cherokee attacked the soldiers from Fort Loudoun, Attakullakulla realized that Captain John Stuart, a British official, had survived. To save Stuart, Attakullakulla bought him from the Cherokee who had captured him. Attakullakulla gave his rifle, clothes, and everything he could to buy Stuart's freedom. After this, by Cherokee custom, Stuart was considered his eldest brother. Their friendship helped the British for many years.
Later, Captain Stuart's life was in danger again. Attakullakulla decided to rescue his friend or die trying. He told his fellow Cherokee that he was going hunting and would take his "prisoner" with him to eat deer meat. They traveled through the wilderness for nine days and nights. They finally met a group of British rangers who took them safely to the settlements.
Attakullakulla had a daughter named Rebecca "Nikiti" Carpenter with his first wife, Nionnee Ollie. He also had another daughter named "Weena" with one of the survivors from the Fort Loudoun battle.
Attakullakulla is thought to have died between 1777 and 1780 in what is now Tennessee. Oconostota became the First Beloved Man of Chota after him.
See Also
Images for kids
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The Seven Cherokee, including Attakullakulla, who traveled with Sir Alexander Cuming back to London, England in 1730
