Nanyehi Nancy Ward was born to the Cherokee town of Chota, what is now Tennessee in 1738. In 1752, she fought against the Creek Nation in a local tribal dispute. For her courage on the battlefield she was awarded a seat alongside the war and peace chiefs. She was the only woman with a vote in their governing political body. After marrying an English trader named Bryan Ward, she settled in South Carolina and raised a family. Like most tribal communities of the time, the Cherokee Nation was divided over the ongoing conflict with the American Revolution. Nanyehi was determined to protect and settle any disputes between settlers and natives. In 1781, she worked to broker a treaty and end the continuous fighting. She was an advocate for peace and courageous leader. Nanyehi believed that peace would only come if Native Americans and English settlers saw themselves as one people.
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