Native American Cherokee, Nanyehi (circa 1738 – 1822 or 1824), known in English as Nancy Ward, was a Ghigau , a prestigious title granted to remarkable women granting them the right to sit on the council.
With the spirits
Nanyehi was born around 1738 in Chota ("city of refuge"), the Cherokee capital located in present-day Tennessee. It was then known as Tsituna-Gus-Ke ("wild rose"). His mother is a member of the Aniwaya clan (“wolf clan”), the most numerous and important among the Cherokees. Most sources make his father an English officer named Francis Ward, others a member of the Delaware nation.
The story goes that, at a young age, the little girl had a vision of spirits helping her find her home after getting lost. She became known by her name Nanyehi, meaning "she who is with the spirits". Around 1751, she married Tsu-la, a member of the Aniaoi clan of hunters, the deer clan. They have two children, a boy named Fivekiller and a girl named Catharine.
Ghigau, “beloved woman”
In 1755, the warring Cherokees and rival Creek people clashed at the Battle of Taliwa. Nanyehi fights alongside her husband, preparing her weapons and ammunition. When Tsu-la is slain, she picks up her rifle and continues the fight, rallying her people with a song of war and leading them to victory.
Following her instrumental participation in the battle, Nanyehi was given the prestigious title of Ghigau [English], meaning "beloved woman" or "warrior woman". The Cherokees believe that the Great Spirit can express itself through the Ghigau and Nanyehi earns her place on the council of chiefs, leads the female council of clan representatives and assumes the role of ambassador for her people. His word gains considerable weight and influence.
Nancy Ward
More and more European settlers settled in Cherokee territory, and the Cherokees entered into an alliance with them, especially against their rival peoples. Native American women marry settlers, and Nanyehi remarries a man named Bryant Ward. They will have a daughter, Betsy, but Bryant, already married, will eventually return to live with his first wife. Nanyehi changes her name to Nancy Ward and learns English. Convinced that Native Americans and settlers who arrived from Europe could live in peace, she took a close interest in the culture of the new arrivals and worked to establish good relations with them.
Soon, clashes broke out. West Virginians kill and rob a group of Cherokees, leading to the massacre of twenty settlers in retaliation and triggering a two-year conflict in which the Cherokees capture British positions. Nancy disapproves of certain attacks against civilians and on several occasions warns the settlers so that they can flee.
Nancy Ward also uses her power to spare captives on death row, notably saving a woman named Lydia Bean. In return, cured of her injuries, Lydia teaches Nancy new weaving techniques that will alter not only Cherokee clothing, but even the division of labor within society. She also teaches him about cattle breeding and the production of dairy products.
The War of Independence
During the American Revolutionary War, the Cherokees take the side of the British against the settlers on their land, while Nancy wishes to support them. Groups of Cherokees attack settlements and forts on their land, and American settlers retaliate by destroying Native American villages and cultures. In 1777, the Cherokees suffered heavy defeats and lost large parts of their land.
At the same time, Nancy seeks to restore peace between her people and the Americans. On several occasions, she warns them of imminent attacks and provides them with heads of cattle to avoid starvation. Despite his efforts, the Cherokee lands are subject to invasions and attacks on the villages, becoming smaller and smaller.
“Let your sons be ours”
The following year, Nancy Ward negotiated a peace treaty between Cherokees and Americans. Subsequently, she worked to forge alliances and promote good relations between the two peoples by participating in treaty negotiations. As the American delegations are surprised to have to deal with a woman, she says to herself, surprised to see no woman among them and answers:
“You know that women are always looked upon as nothing; but we are your mothers; you are our sons. Our cry is all for peace; let it continue. This peace must last forever. Let your women's sons be ours; our sounds be yours. Let your women hear our words. »
(You know that women are always considered nothing; but we are your mothers; you are our sons. Our call is for peace. Let it continue. This peace must continue forever. sons of your wives be ours; our sons be yours. Let your wives hear our words).
Last years
After the war, Nancy Ward repeatedly opposed the sale of Cherokee land to the Americans. She tries to convince her people to avoid her, but her objections are not heeded. Having become too ill to go to the council of the Cherokees in 1817, she could not prevent the sale of land and had to follow her people west.
In her later years, Nancy opened an inn in Tennessee and lived with her son who took care of her. She died in 1822 or 1824, a few years before the Trail of Tears, which saw the deportation of the Cherokee people and other Native American peoples to the west in dramatic conditions.