Moytoy of Tellico, (died 1741) was a prominent leader of the

Cherokee The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, t ...

in the American Southeast.

Titles

Moytoy was given the title of "Emperor of the Cherokee" by Sir Alexander Cumming, a Scots-Anglo trade envoy in what was then the

Province of South Carolina Province of South Carolina, originally known as Clarendon Province, was a province of Great Britain that existed in North America from 1712 to 1776. It was one of the five Southern colonies and one of the thirteen American colonies. The monar ...

, and is regularly referred to as "King" in official English reports, as this was a familiar term of rank to colonists. He was from

Great Tellico Great Tellico was a Cherokee town at the site of present-day Tellico Plains, Tennessee, where the Tellico River emerges from the Appalachian Mountains. Great Tellico was one of the largest Cherokee towns in the region, and had a sister town nea ...

, an historic Cherokee town in what is now Tennessee. In 1730 Cumming, a Scottish adventurer with ties to the colonial government of South Carolina, arranged for Moytoy to be crowned emperor over all of the Cherokee towns in a ceremony intended to appeal to Cumming's colonial sponsors. The Cherokee was crowned in the town of

Nikwasi Nikwasi ( chr, ᏁᏆᏏ, translit=Nequasi or Nequasee) comes from the Cherokee word for "star", ''Noquisi'' (No-kwee-shee), and is the site of the Cherokee town which is first found in colonial records in the early 18th century, but is much older ...

with a headdress referred to as the "Crown of Tannassy." Cumming arranged to take Moytoy and a group of Cherokee to England to meet King George II. Moytoy declined to go, saying that his wife was ill. ''

Attakullakulla Attakullakulla (Cherokee language, Cherokee”Tsalagi”, (ᎠᏔᎫᎧᎷ) ''Atagukalu''; also spelled Attacullaculla and often called Little Carpenter by the English) (c. 1715 – c. 1777) was an influential Cherokee leader and the tr ...

'' (Little Carpenter) volunteered to go in his place. The Cherokee laid the "Crown" at King George's feet, along with four scalps.

Family

The name of his wife is unknown, and her name is not used in historical sources. Modern sources have used the name ''Go-sa-du-isga'' for her, but it is unknown if this is correct or what their historical source could be. After the death of Moytoy, his son, ''

Amouskositte Amouskositte, or Amo-sgiasite, Prince of Chota ("Dreadful Water"), of Great Tellico was the son of Moytoy of Tellico and attempted to succeed him as "Emperor of the Cherokee", a title given his father by Alexander Cuming. Few Cherokee recogniz ...

,'' tried to succeed him as "Emperor". However, by 1753 Conocotocko (Old Hop) of Chota in the Overhill Towns had emerged as the dominant leader in the area. Some modern sources have stated that Moytoy of Tellico was the uncle of

Moytoy of Citico Moytoy of Citico was said to be a Cherokee leader or war chief living in Virginia during the time of the Anglo-Cherokee War (1759–1761), but there is little evidence that he existed or that this name is correct. Earliest References The earliest ...

, but there appears to be no historical references for this information.

Etymology

The origin and true meaning of Moytoy's name is unknown. While many modern sources have suggested that it comes from the Tsalagi (Cherokee) word "A-Ma-Do-Ya" and this means "rainmaker," this seems to be a poor translation popularized in unsourced books from the mid-1900s. In the

language, "A-Ma" means "water" and "Do-Ya" means beaver. Many other unsourced translations have also been suggested such as "A-Ma" in Cherokee meaning "water," and the French word "Matai" meaning "to master," but this also appears to be an incorrect French translation. It's also not clear that the Cherokee adopted French words to this degree at the time. The names "Amo-adaw-ehi" or "Amo-adawehi" have also been suggested as a Cherokee name for both chief Moytoys, but the source or translation of these names are also not clear. The word "Amatoya" or any similar names in reference to a chief Moytoy do not appear to have been used in writing prior to the mid-1900s in James P. Brown's books, and none of these books contain a source for this translation. No earlier sources appear to link either Moytoy of Tellico or

to any of these modern translations of his name. Modern sources also claim that "Moytoy" was a Cherokee family name that became a title that was passed down by fathers, but there is no historical evidence of this. It seems this myth was most likely created in the late 1900s to link a few unsourced family trees to a Cherokee chief. Instead the evidence is clear that in

culture everything was passed down through the mother instead, and titles passing from father to son at the time are unlikely.

James Mooney James Mooney (February 10, 1861 – December 22, 1921) was an American ethnographer who lived for several years among the Cherokee. Known as "The Indian Man", he conducted major studies of Southeastern Indians, as well as of tribes on the Gr ...

provides a very different translation for "rain-maker" in his books on the Cherokee that were well researched in the late 1800s while living among the

. The translation he provides is "a'nigani'ski."Mooney, p. 514 As the

language has slightly changed over time, this translation is also more likely to be correct for the time Moytoy of Tellico lived than more modern translations. It's also likely this name was misspelled as it was only written down by English sources. It's not possible to write this name with the

Cherokee Syllabary The Cherokee syllabary is a syllabary invented by Sequoyah in the late 1810s and early 1820s to write the Cherokee language. His creation of the syllabary is particularly noteworthy as he was illiterate until the creation of his syllabary. He f ...

as it uses unusual vowel sounds for the Cherokee language.

Wampum Belts

One of the seven sacred wampum belts still in the possession of the Western Cherokee has the large initials A.M. at one end. The other end has a large square feature that is often seen on wampum belts that are commemorating treaties. There is a very long white "path" connecting the two ends possibly referring to the great distance that separates the two parties. It is possible that this is the belt that is mentioned in and that commemorates the treaty between the British and Amatoya Moytoy (A.M.) in 1730 (Articles of Friendship and Commerce). The Cherokees who are in possession of the belt, however, give a very different interpretation of its meaning. The name "Amatoya Moytoy" also doesn't seem to be used in historical references to this leader before the mid-1900s.

References

Sources

*Haywood, W.H. ''The Civil and Political History of the State of Tennessee from its Earliest Settlement up to the Year 1796''. (Nashville: Methodist Episcopal Publishing House, 1891). *Litton, Gaston L
"The Principal Chiefs of the Cherokee Nation"
''Chronicles of Oklahoma'' 15:3 (September 1937) 253-270 (retrieved August 18, 2006). *Ramsey, James Gettys McGregor. ''The Annals of Tennessee to the End of the Eighteenth Century''. (Chattanooga: Judge David Campbell, 1926). {{DEFAULTSORT:Moytoy of Tellico 1687 births 1741 deaths 18th-century Cherokee people Native American leaders People of pre-statehood Tennessee 18th-century Native Americans Native American people from Tennessee