Ghigau (Cherokee: ᎩᎦᎤ) or Agigaue (Cherokee:ᎠᎩᎦᎤᎡ) is a

Cherokee The Cherokee (; , or ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, they were concentrated in their homelands, in towns along river valleys of what is now southwestern ...

prestigious title meaning "beloved woman" or "war woman".''Cherokee Women''
. First People: The Legends. Retrieved August 5, 2012.. Texas Cherokees. Retrieved August 5, 2012. The title was a recognition of great honor for women who made a significant impact within their community or exhibited great heroism on the battlefield. When a woman was bestowed as a Ghigau she was given great honor and responsibility. The role has changed in Cherokee culture, but the

Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI), (Cherokee language, Cherokee: ᏣᎳᎩᏱ ᏕᏣᏓᏂᎸᎩ, ''Tsalagiyi Detsadanilvgi'') is a List of federally recognized tribes in the contiguous United States, federally recognized Indian Tribe, ...

still have Beloved Women today.

Background

The Ghigau title was given to extraordinary women by the

Cherokee clans The Cherokee clans (Cherokee syllabary:ᏣᎳᎩ ᏓᏂᎳᏍᏓᏢᎢ) are traditional social organizations of Cherokee society. Customs and functions of the Cherokee clans The Cherokee society was historically a matrilineality, matrilineal so ...

, and the title of great honor and responsibility was held for life. The Cherokees believed that the

Great Spirit The Great Spirit is an omnipresent supreme life force, generally conceptualized as a supreme being or god, in the traditional religious beliefs of many, but not all, indigenous cultures in Canada and the United States. Interpretations of it v ...

frequently spoke through the Ghigau. The Ghigau headed the Council of Women and held a voting seat in the Council of Chiefs. She was given the responsibility of prisoners and would decide their fate. There are other similar words. For instance, the word Adageyudi (Cherokee:ᎠᏓᎨᏳᏗ) means "beloved" or "beloved woman". An even greater title would have been Chigau (Cherokee: ᏥᎦᎤ) meaning "greatly beloved woman".

Nancy Ward, Ghigau

Nancy Ward, whose Cherokee name was Nanyehi, was a notable Ghigau who was born in the Cherokee town of Chota. She was thought to be the daughter of a Cherokee woman named Tame Doe, of the Wolf Clan. Tame Doe's brother was Attakullakulla. In 1755, the Cherokee fought against the Muscogee Creeks. During the battle, Nanyehi's first husband, Kingfisher, was killed. She was just 18 at the time, and victoriously led and fought in the battle against the Creeks. Her bravery and leadership resulted in her being bestowed with the title of Ghigau.''Nancy Ward''
The Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture, Tennessee Historical Society. The University of Tennessee Press. Retrieved August 5, 2012.Berry, Christina
''Nancy Ward: Beloved Woman of the Cherokee.''
All Things Cherokee. Retrieved July 6, 2018. Nanyehi became aware of a planned attack against the white colonists during the Revolutionary War by Dragging Canoe, her cousin. She warned the colonists of the upcoming battle, which resulted in her being identified as a patriot for the Society of the Sons of the American Revolution and the

Daughters of the American Revolution The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (often abbreviated as DAR or NSDAR) is a lineage-based membership service organization for women who are directly descended from a patriot of the American Revolutionary War. A non-p ...

. On September 11, 1808, in council Broom's town, the ancient law of blood revenge was abolished by the Cherokee national government. The Cherokee, once ruled by

clan A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, a clan may claim descent from a founding member or apical ancestor who serves as a symbol of the clan's unity. Many societie ...

loyalty, were moving toward a republican form of government. There was no longer a place in Cherokee government for a Ghigau.

Seneca myth

The Seneca myth speaks of two Cherokee Ghigau deciding the fate of a Seneca man in "A warrior cared for by wolves". "Among the Cherokees there were two women who were looked upon as the head women of the tribe. Each woman had two snakes tattooed on her lips--the upper jaws of the snakes were on the woman's upper lip, and opposite each other, the lower jaws on the lower lip in the same way. When the woman opened her mouth, the snakes seemed to open theirs. These women said, "This is the way to torment him; tie him near a fire and burn the soles of his feet till they are blistered, then let the water out of the blisters, put kernels of corn inside the skin, and chase him with clubs till he dies."

Ghigau inspired programs

* The "Ghigau Scholarship" is an annual scholarship program that awards one $500.00 scholarship to a Cherokee student attending a college or university in the United States, Canada, or other Indigenous community. The scholarship is given in honor of the Cherokee Tribe and to celebrate the family of Dr. Lisa Byers and her children, Brady and Halle (all Cherokee tribal members). The scholarship is also a way of supporting the education and capacity-building of the Cherokee student population. * Camp Ghigau is a 28-bed group home located in the mountains of upstate South Carolina serving female adolescents, ages 13–18, referred from the Department of Juvenile Justice and the Department of Social Services of South Carolina.''Community Services Manual.''
South Carolina Department of Justice. pp. 3, 68.

References

External links

Cherokee culture Titles and offices of Native American leaders Cherokee women Native American women in warfare 18th-century Native American women 18th-century American women 18th-century Native American people