Yonaguska facts for kids

Yonaguska (1759–1839) was an important leader of the Cherokee people in North Carolina. His name meant Drowning Bear in English. He helped his people during a very difficult time in history.

During the Indian Removal period in the late 1830s, Yonaguska was the only chief who stayed in the mountains. He worked to rebuild the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Many others joined him after escaping or avoiding the United States soldiers. Yonaguska had adopted William Holland Thomas as his son. Thomas was a young European-American who worked at a trading post and learned the Cherokee language. Yonaguska taught him about Cherokee ways. Later, Thomas became a lawyer and helped the tribe talk with the government. Thomas bought land and created a special area for the tribe. This land is now called the Qualla Boundary in North Carolina. It is the home of the federally recognized Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

Yonaguska was known as a reformer and a wise leader. He understood the dangers of alcohol and how much settlers wanted Cherokee lands.

Early Life and Visions

Yonaguska was born around 1759 in what is now North Carolina. The Cherokee follow a matrilineal system. This means children are part of their mother's family group, or clan. Yonaguska gained his status through his mother's clan.

When he was 12, Yonaguska had a vision. He saw that European Americans would threaten the Cherokee way of life. But people did not listen to him then. At age 17, he saw a lot of destruction. General Griffith Rutherford and his North Carolina soldiers burned 36 Cherokee towns in 1776. This happened during a military action. The Cherokee had been allies with the British. The colonials wanted to stop them from helping the British in the coming revolution.

Yonaguska was described as a tall and strong man. He and his wife adopted William Holland Thomas. Thomas was a young European-American who worked at a trading post in Qualla Town. He learned the Cherokee language and many Cherokee customs.

A Leader for His People

In 1819, when he was 60 years old, Yonaguska became very sick. He had another vision. After he got better, he shared his message with his people. He said that the Cherokee must never drink whiskey again. He believed whiskey must be stopped.

He asked Will Thomas to write a promise for everyone to sign. It said: "The undersigned Cherokees, belonging to the town of Qualla agree to abandon the use of spirituous liquors." Yonaguska signed it first. Then the council (chiefs of the clans) and town residents signed too. From that day until Yonaguska's death in 1839, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians did not use alcohol. If someone broke the promise, Yonaguska made sure they were punished.

Protecting Their Homeland

During the early 1800s, government agents tried to convince Yonaguska to move his people. They wanted them to go to lands west of the Mississippi River. But he strongly refused. He said the Cherokee were safer in their mountains. He believed they belonged in their homeland, where their ancestors had lived for a long time.

Other chiefs made the Treaty of 1819. Through this treaty, they sold Cherokee lands along the Tuckasegee River. Yonaguska was given 640 acres (about 2.6 square kilometers) of land. This land was in a bend of the river between Ela and Bryson City. It included the ancient Mississippian culture site of Kituwa, which was sacred to the Cherokee.

As the government pushed harder for Native Americans to move, Yonaguska turned down every offer. He had seen European-American settlers move west through North Carolina. He did not believe they would ever be satisfied. He did not want to leave his homeland only to face more pressure to move later. He thought the United States government's promises were "too often broken; they are like the reeds in yonder river—they are all lies."

A missionary named Samuel Goodenough worked with Elias Boudinot. They translated and printed the Gospel of St Matthew in Cherokee. Yonaguska wanted to hear it read to him before it was shared. He reportedly said:

Well, it seems a good book - strange that the white people are no better, after having had it so long.

Yonaguska then allowed the scriptures to be shared with his people.

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians

Treaties in 1817 and 1819 reduced the land of the Cherokee Nation in North Carolina. They gave up land to European-American settlers. In 1824, Yonaguska gathered the remaining Cherokee who were outside the new boundaries.

They settled together at Soco Creek. His adopted son, Will Thomas, bought these lands for them. The Cherokee were not allowed to buy land outside their nation. But Thomas was considered "white" under the law. He could legally buy land and let the Cherokee live on it. The land he bought for the Cherokee became the start of the Qualla Boundary. This is now the territory of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, a federally recognized tribe.

Death

Just before he died in April 1839, Yonaguska was carried into the town house at Soco. There, he gave a final speech to his people. The old chief told them that Thomas should be their leader. He also warned them never to leave their own country. He then wrapped his blanket around himself, lay down, and passed away quietly.

Yonaguska was buried next to Soco Creek. A pile of stones marks his burial spot.