TULSA – Nanyehi was born in 1738 in what is now eastern Tennessee, into her mother's clan, the Wolf Clan. In the late 1750s, she married an English trader named Bryan Ward, and took on the name Nancy Ward.
The play "Nanyehi – The Story of Nancy Ward" returned to the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Tulsa, Oct. 11-12. Wes Studi played the role of Attakullakulla, Nanyehi's uncle.
“The story of Nanyehi is one that most Cherokee’s are familiar with, but more people need the opportunity to learn that her message of peace is not just Cherokee history, but U.S. history, and it’s still very relevant today,” Studi said. “I’m enjoying working with this cast and feel energized by their passion and enthusiasm. As a direct descendant of Nanyehi, it is an honor to take part in sharing this story, and I’m looking forward to the shows this weekend.”
The way Nanyehi rose to power in the Cherokee Nation, at age 17, is documented on the website, "Women and the American Story," in an article titled, "Life Story: Nanyehi Nancy Ward (1738–1822)."
At 17, she was married to Tsu-la and the mother of two children. She joined her husband on a campaign against the Creek Nation, where she fought alongside him. When Tsu-la was killed, she took up a rifle and led the warriors to a victory that expanded Cherokee territory in northwest Georgia.
John Guthrie, a local Cherokee artist, depicted this scene in a piece he titled, "Nanyehi, Beloved Woman, Nancy Ward."
"She picked up his rifle and rallied the Cherokee to defeat the Creek Indian forces," Guthrie said.
For her courage displayed in the battle, Nanyehi was named a "Chigau," a Beloved Woman of the Cherokee Nation, states the telling of her story on the website.
She was given a seat next to the war and peace chiefs at the ceremonial fire in Chota, states the website. She led the Women's Council of Clan Representatives, one of two political bodies of the Nation.
In the 1750s, Nanyehi married an English trader named Bryan Ward, and took on the name Nancy Ward, states the website. They had one daughter, and within a few years, Bryan returned to his English wife and family in South Carolina. It was reported on the website that Nancy visited them from time to time and that the relations between the two families were friendly.
The play honors Nanyehi as a war woman, but then as a peacemaker in the American Revolution, states a press release from the Cherokee Nation.
Guthrie said he painted the piece to depict the bravery of a young Cherokee woman in the face of overwhelming forces in battle.
"[It] earned her the respect and title of Beloved Woman," Guthrie said. "She became a great influence within the tribe during the rest of her life."
The Nation was divided over how to respond to the American Revolution, and Nanyehi and her uncle Attakullakulla counseled for peace, and her cousin and her son, Tsiyu Gasini, wanted to take advantage of the situation and drive out the colonists, states the website.
She used her position to counteract her relatives' plan, released three white prisoners, told them of an upcoming raid and to warn the colonists. A full-scale war with the Americans and Cherokees began over the actions of her relatives, and major Cherokee towns were destroyed, but leaving Chota unscathed out of respect for Nanyehi.
In a speech before the 1781 U.S. treaty commissioners, she stated her belief that peace would only come if Native people and white settlers saw themselves as one people, and she believed women on both sides could make that happen, states the website.
"Let your women's sons be ours; our sons be yours," Nanyehi said. "Let your women hear our words."
Studi is a descendent of Nanyehi; she was his seventh great-grandmother, and his lineage was traced and documented by "Finding Your Roots," on PBS in March.
A researcher found an application filed by Studi's great-grandmother in Oklahoma in 1906 that listed his ancestors living in the Cherokee Nation state of Georgia. His great-great-great-grandmother, Nancy Catcher – also known as "Big Nancy" – sought compensation in 1842 for what had been taken from her family by the U.S.
"One steer, 3 years old, two yearlings, one horse, whole amount $187," said Studi, reading from the document.
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