Attakullakulla
Attakullakulla (Cherokee”Tsalagi”, (ᎠᏔᎫᎧᎷ) Atagukalu and often called Little Carpenter by the English) (c. 1715 – c. 1777) was an influential Cherokee leader and the tribe's First Beloved Man, serving from 1761 to around 1775. His son was Dragging Canoe, the first leader of the Chickamauga faction of the Cherokee tribes.
Attakullakulla | |
|---|---|
The seven Cherokee, including Attakullakulla, who traveled with Sir Alexander Cuming back to London, England in 1730 | |
| Born | Onkanacleah ("leaning wood") c. 1715 Overhill Cherokee settlements, North Carolina, British America |
| Died | c. 1777 North Carolina, U.S. |
| Nationality | Cherokee |
| Other names | Little Carpenter |
| Title | First Beloved Man |
| Predecessor | Standing Turkey |
| Successor | Oconostota |
Attakullakulla was "...a man of remarkably small stature, he was noted for his maturity, wisdom, and graciousness..." Attakullakulla knew some English but was not fluent. He was, however, considered the most gifted Cherokee orator from the 1760s to the 1770s. He first appeared in historic records in 1730, noted as accompanying Alexander Cuming, a British treaty commissioner, and six other Cherokee to England. He was one of the signatories of an early Cherokee treaty with Great Britain.
By the early 1750s, Attakullakulla, renowned for his oratorical skills, had been appointed a principal speaker for the Cherokee tribes. In the 1750s and 1760s Attakullakulla dominated Cherokee diplomacy. Although he usually favored the British, he was a consummate diplomat, always hoping for a peaceful resolution to problems but looking out for the best interests of the Cherokee.