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 ...
towns. In
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 ...
, the name was Kulsetsiyi (Syllabary:ᎫᎳᏎᏥᏱ), meaning "honey-locust place" from "kulsetsi" (
honey-locust
The honey locust (''Gleditsia triacanthos''), also known as the thorny locust or thorny honeylocust, is a deciduous tree in the family Fabaceae, native to central North America where it is mostly found in the moist soil of river valleys. Honey ...
) and "yi" (locative). The word "kulsetsi" came to be used for "
sugar
Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose
Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecul ...
" as well, thus the town name was often rendered "Sugartown" by the
English colonists
The colonial history of the United States covers the period of European colonization of North America from the late 15th century until the unifying of the Thirteen British Colonies and creation of the United States in 1776, during the Re ...
. One Sugartown was located on the
Keowee River
The Keowee River is created by the confluence of the Toxaway River and the Whitewater River in northern Oconee County, South Carolina. The confluence is today submerged beneath the waters of Lake Jocassee, a reservoir created by Lake Jocasse ...
near Fall Creek, close to present-day
Salem, South Carolina
Salem is a U.S. town in Oconee County, South Carolina. The population was 120 at the 2020 United States census.
Geography
Salem is located at (34.888599, -82.974666). The town lies in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains along South Caro ...
. It was just upriver from the principal "Lower Town" of
Keowee
Keowee () was a Cherokee town in the far northwest corner of present-day South Carolina. It was the principal town of what were called the seven Lower Towns, located along the Keowee River (Colonists referred to the lower reaches of the river as ...
. A second Sugartown was located on the
Cullasaja River
The Cullasaja River () , from the North Carolina Collection's website at the
Franklin, North Carolina
Franklin is a town in and the county seat of Macon County, North Carolina, United States. It is situated within the Nantahala National Forest. The population was reported to be 4,175 in the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, an increase from ...
. The Cullasaja River's name is a rendering of "Kulsetsi". This Sugartown was near the principal "Middle Town" of
Nikwasi
Nikwasi () which translates to "Star Place". Nikwasi is the site of the Cherokee town which is first found in colonial records in the early 18th century, but is much older. The town covered about on the floodplain of the Little Tennessee River. ...
. A third Sugartown was located on Sugar Creek, a tributary of the Taccoa River, near the present-day city of
Blue Ridge, Georgia
Blue Ridge is a city in Fannin County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 1,253. The city is the county seat of Fannin County and the largest city in the county.
History
Prior t ...
.
Several other locations also bear this name. Two unincorporated communities are known by this appellation. One
Sugartown
Sugartown was the name of at least three Cherokee towns. In Cherokee, the name was Kulsetsiyi (Syllabary:ᎫᎳᏎᏥᏱ), meaning "honey-locust place" from "kulsetsi" ( honey-locust) and "yi" (locative). The word "kulsetsi" came to be used for ...
is in Chester County, Pennsylvania, and another
Sugartown
Sugartown was the name of at least three Cherokee towns. In Cherokee, the name was Kulsetsiyi (Syllabary:ᎫᎳᏎᏥᏱ), meaning "honey-locust place" from "kulsetsi" ( honey-locust) and "yi" (locative). The word "kulsetsi" came to be used for ...
is located in
Beauregard Parish
Beauregard Parish () is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 36,549. The parish seat and most populous municipality is DeRidder. The parish was formed on January 1, 1913.
Beauregard Paris ...
,
Louisiana
Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...
.
References
*Mooney, James. "Myths of the Cherokee" (1900, reprint 1995). See
James Mooney
James Mooney (February 10, 1861 – December 22, 1921) was an American ethnographer who lived for several years among the Cherokee. Known as "The Indian Man", he conducted major studies of Southeastern Indians, as well as of tribes on the Great ...