Oxinaa the Cherokee Wench: Diplomacy and Negotiation in the Eighteenth-Century Overhills
MHS Event
Author: Emily Dixon Magness, William & Mary
Comment: Patricia Dawson, Mount Holyoke College
This is a hybrid event. The in-person reception will begin at 4:30 PM.
In 1756, a Cherokee woman named Oxinaa led a party of diplomats and warriors from the Overhills town of Talikwa to Fort Toulouse and New Orleans. Along the way, she treated with Creek, Shawnee, and French polities, securing favorable trade terms and alliances for Talikwa women. At home, Talikwa women assisted Oxinaa, while a contingent of Its’ti women opposed her, working to ensure that Its’ti families and their British allies maintained power in the Overhills. This paper reconstitutes these networks of Cherokee women to demonstrate that Cherokee women’s political priorities were at the center of imperial and Indigenous political decision-making.
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Attendees are also invited to a special archival pop-up showcasing items related to women in spaces of conflict beginning at 4:00 PM. This is an in-person event at the MHS. Learn more here.
Hybrid Event
The in-person reception starts at 4:30 PM and the seminar will begin at 5:00 PM.
Masks are optional for this event.
The virtual seminar begins at 5:00 PM and will be hosted on the video conference platform, Zoom. Registrants will receive a confirmation message with attendance information.
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