Junaluska
| Junaluska | |
|---|---|
| Born |
c. 1775 near Franklin, North Carolina |
| Died | October 20, 1868 Robbinsville, North Carolina |
| Resting place | Robbinsville, North Carolina |
| Nationality | Cherokee |
| Other names | Tsunulahunski, Detsinulahungu |
| Known for | |
Junaluska, (Cherokee: Tsunu’lahun’ski) (c.1775 – October 20, 1868), was a leader of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians who reside in and around western North Carolina. He fought alongside Andrew Jackson, and saved his life, at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend, though later in life he regretted having done so.
Junaluska was born around 1775, approximately 15 miles (24 km) south of Franklin, North Carolina near present day Dillard, Georgia. A few days after his birth, he was given his original name when the cradle-board holding him fell over. He was called Gu-Ka-Las-Ki or Gulkalaski in the Cherokee language, ("one who falls from a leaning position"). Later, after an unsuccessful military venture, he was named Tsu-Na-La-Hun-Ski or Tsunulahunski ("one who tries but fails"). Junaluska's own description of the event that gave him the name was "Detsinulahungu" (meaning "I tried, but could not").
Oral tradition has it that Junaluska met with Tecumseh 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.
"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." —Andrew Jackson to Junaluska
In 1813 when the Cherokee raised up 636 men against the Red Stick faction of the Creek Indians in Alabama, Junaluska personally recruited over a hundred 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 retrieving Redstick canoes and ferrying the Cherokee to the rear of the Creeks. He is also credited with saving Andrew Jackson's life during this battle.
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