The Remarkable Friendship Between A White Captive And A Cherokee Leader That Transformed A Nation

Howdy folks and greetings from the Great Plains of North Texas!

Today I wanted to share the inspiring story of two women of kindred spirits who worked together even though their people were at odds most of the time.

Let me introduce you to a Cherokee lady named Nancy Ward. Her Cherokee name was Nanyehi ("One who goes about").

Her fame began when, as a young 17 year old wife, she was with her husband during a battle with the Creek Indians. She was helping him with ammunition for his rifle.

She went berserk on them

When he was killed, she was so infuriated that she picked up the rifle and took his place.

She didn't just take his place though, she rallied the warriors and lead the charge which resulted in victory and for this she gained the title of "Beloved Woman of the Cherokee."

This gave her influence in the tribe from then on, including taking part in the decision making and she was also given the power to pardon condemned prisoners.

Lydia Russell Bean

Lydia was a pioneer wife who had moved with her husband to the wilderness in what is now middle Tennessee.

Her husband had explored and hunted with Daniel Boone in the area and decided to move from Virginia to build a cabin and homestead there.

One day in 1776 her and a 13 year old boy was hiking to the nearby fort, Fort Watauga, when they were captured by Cherokee warriors.

I don't know who the boy was but there were a number of families who had moved to the small settlement so he was probably a neighbor kid.

They have a replica of Fort Watauga on the original location which is now Elizabethton, Tennessee:

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The warriors separated them, no one knows for sure what happened to the boy, but they took Lydia to the village where Nancy Ward lived. It was decided that she would tortured to death by burning her at the stake.

I know this is horrible but from what I understand the treaty that the Cherokee had made with the whites was being broken by the whites so the Indians were angry.

She was bound to the stake and the fires were being lit when Nancy Ward found out what was going on.

She rushed to Lydia, kicking away the flickering stacks of wood and claimed her right to pardon any condemned prisoner. The tribe acquiesced.

She also scolded them, saying basically.."Is this what we've come to? Killing innocent squaws?" Lydia had been injured in the capture and Nancy took her to her home and nursed her back to health.

Statue of Nancy Ward:

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The two women became fast friends. Both were very strong and determined so they got along famously.

Lydia weaved her own material and made her own clothing so she built a weaving loom for Nancy Ward and showed her how to make nice cloth for clothing.

They needed a wardrobe upgrade

Up until that time the Cherokee had used a combination of hides and a rough woven material made from Hemp, and also had to purchase cloth from traders if they wanted softer material.

This was a huge boom to their people because the women now started making all their own clothing with their own fabrics.

I can only find one small drawing of Lydia Bean but they were both said to have strong jaw lines and powerful countenances:

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Nancy Ward also gave Lydia her freedom so Lydia traveled back and forth from her settlement to Nancy's village.

She brought two milk cows from her settlement and showed Nancy how to make butter and cheese which was a huge improvement in their diet.

The Indian women had always tended to any farming but now the men started taking care of that while the women took care of the dairy operation and made clothing. This changed their culture into much closer to the white settlers.

In the midst of chaos, tension and war..these ladies demonstrate how two opposing cultures can work together to help each other's people. Their story continues in the next post.

Thanks for reading folks, God bless you all!
-jonboy
Texas