Junaluska
Encyclopedia
Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians , is a federally recognized Native American tribe in the United States of America, who are descended from Cherokee who remained in the Eastern United States while others moved, or were forced to relocate, to the west in the 19th century. The history of the...
who reside in and around western North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
.
Junaluska was born around 1775, approximately 15 miles (24.1 km) south of Franklin, North Carolina
Franklin, North Carolina
Franklin is a town in Franklin Township, Macon County, North Carolina, United States, within the Nantahala National Forest. The population was 3,490 as of the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Macon County. Franklin is an official Appalachian Trail friendly destination...
near present day Dillard, Georgia
Dillard, Georgia
Dillard is a city in Rabun County, Georgia, United States. census, the city population was 198.-Geography:Dillard is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, Dillard has a total area of , all of it land...
. A few days after his birth, he was given his first name when the cradle board holding him fell over. He was called in the Cherokee language
Cherokee language
Cherokee is an Iroquoian language spoken by the Cherokee people which uses a unique syllabary writing system. It is the only Southern Iroquoian language that remains spoken. Cherokee is a polysynthetic language.-North American etymology:...
Gu-Ka-Las-Ki (also spelled Gulkalaski), which in English, translates to "One who falls from a leaning position". Later, after an unsuccessful military venture he was named Tsu-Na-La-Hun-Ski (also spelled Tsunulahunski) or, "One who tries but fails." Other spellings of his name included Chunaluska, in the diaries of Col. William Holland Thomas
William Holland Thomas
William Holland Thomas was Principal Chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and an officer in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War....
, Ja-ne-lus-kee in the Siler rolls, and Junoluskee by the North Carolina General Assembly
North Carolina General Assembly
The North Carolina General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of North Carolina. The General Assembly drafts and legislates the state laws of North Carolina, also known as the General Statutes...
. Junaluska's own description of the event that gave him the name was "Detsinulahungu," meaning "I tried, but could not".
Legend has been passed that Junaluska met with Tecumseh
Tecumseh
Tecumseh was a Native American leader of the Shawnee and a large tribal confederacy which opposed the United States during Tecumseh's War and the War of 1812...
in Soco Gap in 1811 although this is not verified. Junaluska however sent word at least to Tecumseh that the Cherokee would not join an Indian confederacy against the whites.
In 1813 when the Cherokee raised up 636 men against the Red Stick Faction of the Creek Indians in Alabama, Junaluska personally recruited over 100 men to fight at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend. The Cherokee unit was incorporated into the combined Creek-Cherokee-Yuchi-Choctaw army under the command of Brig. General William McIntosh, a "Friendly" Creek from Georgia. Junaluska's actions turned the tide when he swam the Tallapoosa River
Tallapoosa River
The Tallapoosa River runs from the southern end of the Appalachian Mountains in Georgia, in the United States, southward and westward into Alabama. It is formed by the confluence of McClendon Creek and Mud Creek in Paulding County, Georgia. Lake Martin at Alexander City, Alabama is a large and...
retrieving Redstick Creek canoes and ferrying the Cherokee to the rear of the Creeks. He is also credited with saving Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...
's life during this battle.
According to the provisions of an 1819 treaty with the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Junaluska applied for 640 acres (2.6 km²) of land at Sugar Creek near Franklin, NC when his land was usurped by white settlers. He moved to the remaining portion of the Cherokee Nation
Cherokee Nation (19th century)
The Cherokee Nation of the 19th century —an historic entity —was a legal, autonomous, tribal government in North America existing from 1794–1906. Often referred to simply as The Nation by its inhabitants, it should not be confused with what is known today as the "modern" Cherokee Nation...
.
Jackson is said to have told Junaluska, "As long as the sun shines and the grass grows, there shall be friendship between us, and the feet of the Cherokee shall be toward the east." But one source says Junaluska later said, "If I had known that Jackson would drive us from our homes, I would have killed him that day at the Horseshoe". Another version of the story says that Jackson met with Junaluska but said, "Sir, your audience is ended. There is nothing I can do for you." And when Junaluska saw his people being moved, he cried and looked toward the sky saying, "Oh my God, if I had known at the battle of the Horse Shoe what I know now, American history would have been differently written".
During the infamous Trail of Tears
Trail of Tears
The Trail of Tears is a name given to the forced relocation and movement of Native American nations from southeastern parts of the United States following the Indian Removal Act of 1830...
in 1838, Junaluska and many other Cherokee people were incarcerated and held in nearby stockades. One, known as Fort Montgomery, was located near present day Robbinsville, NC. From this stockade, Junaluska was forced to march to Indian Territory
Indian Territory
The Indian Territory, also known as the Indian Territories and the Indian Country, was land set aside within the United States for the settlement of American Indians...
in present day Eastern Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
Junaluska was assigned to Jesse Bushyhead
Jesse Bushyhead
The Reverend Jesse Bushyhead was a Cherokee religious and political leader. He was born in southeastern Tennessee. As a young man, he was ordained a Baptist minister. A member of the John Ross faction of the Cherokees, he was dispatched by Ross in 1837 on a mission to the Seminoles...
's detachment.
About seven weeks into the journey, Junaluska deserted and led approximately 50 other Cherokee. He was soon captured and returned to Oklahoma but after only a couple of years, Junaluska made the trip back to North Carolina on foot, and in 1847 after a plea by Col. Thomas, the state legislature rewarded him for his service by making him a citizen and giving him land near present-day Robbinsville.
Junaluska married Ni-suh and had three children—two boys Jim-my and Sic-que-yuh, and one girl Na-lih.
Junaluska died November 20, 1858 and was buried in Robbinsville. His grave was originally marked, in traditional Cherokee style, with a pile of stones, but in 1910 the General Joseph Winston Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution
Daughters of the American Revolution
The Daughters of the American Revolution is a lineage-based membership organization for women who are descended from a person involved in United States' independence....
(Winston-Salem
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Winston-Salem is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina, with a 2010 population of 229,617. Winston-Salem is the county seat and largest city of Forsyth County and the fourth-largest city in the state. Winston-Salem is the second largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region and is home to...
) erected a monument at his gravesite. A museum and memorial stands in his honor at this location.
Junaluska has been memorialized by Lake Junaluska, Junaluska Assembly, Junaluska Creek, Junaluska Gap, Junaluska Ridge, and Mount Junaluska (now known as North Eaglenest Mountain
North Eaglenest Mountain
North Eaglenest Mountain is a mountain located less than 2 miles south of Maggie Valley, North Carolina in Haywood County. It is part of the Plott Balsams, a range of the Appalachian Mountains, and less than a mile north of Eaglenest Mountain. It used to be called Mount Junaluska and is the highest...
).
External links
- Picture & info Georgia Tribe of Eastern Cherokee page