MiiuNEY) YDNAOl'SKA 1(»3 



TIo M-as a prophi>t and i-cfonncr as woll as a chief. Whoii ahoiit 

 sixty years of ajje lie had a severe sickness, terniinatintj in a trance, 

 during which liis j)(H)j)i(> mourned him as dead. At the end of twenty- 

 four hours, howe\(>r. he awolce to consciousness and ainiounc(Ml that lie 

 liad Iieen to the spirit woi'ld. wh(>re he had talked with fricMids who 

 had gone before, and with God, who had sent him hack with a message 

 to the Indians, promising to call him again at a hiter time. From 

 that day until his death his words were listened to as those of one 

 inspired. He had been somewhat addicted to liquor, but now, on the 

 recommendation of Thomas, not only quit drinking himself, but oigaii- 

 ized his tribe into a temperance society. To accomplish this he called 

 his people together in council, and. after clearly pointing out to them 

 the serious effect of intemperance, in an eloquent speech that nioxed 

 some of his audience to tears, he declared that God had jjermifted him 

 to return to earth especially that he might thus warn his people and 

 banish whisky from among them. He then had Thomas write out a 

 pledge, which was signed tirst l)y the chief and then l>y each one of the 

 council, and from that time until after his death whisky was uidvuown 

 among the East GhiM'okee. 



Although frecpient pressure was brought to bear to induce him and 

 his people to remo\-e to tiie \\'est, he tirmly resisted every persuasion, 

 declaring that the Indians were safei- from aggression among their 

 rocks and mountains than they could ever be in a land which the white 

 man could tind profitable, and that the Cherokee coidd l)e lun>py only 

 in the country where nature had planted him. While counseling jjcace 

 and friendship with the white man, he held always to his Indian faith 

 and was extremely suspicious of missionaries. On one occasion, after 

 the tirst Bible translation into the Cherokee language and alpliabet, 

 some one Itrought a copy of ^latthew from New Echota, but Yona- 

 guska would not allow it to be read to his people until it had first been 

 I'ead to himself. After listening to one or two chapters the old chief 

 dryly remarked: ■A\'ell. it seems to be a good book — strange tiiat the 

 white people are not l)etter, after having had it so long." 



He died, aged about eighty, in April, 18311, within a year after the 

 Removal. Shortly Ijefore the end he had himself carried into the 

 townhouse on Soco, of which he had supervised the building, where, 

 extended on a couch, h(> made a last talk to his peoi)le. conunend- 

 ing Thomas to them as their chief and again warning them earnestly 

 against ever leaving their own country. Then wrapping his blanket 

 around him. he (|uietly lay back and died. He was buried beside 

 Soco. about a mile below the old Macedonia mission, with a rude 

 mound of stones to mark the spot. He left two wives and consid- 

 erable ])roperty, including an old n(>gro slave named Cudjo, who was 

 devotedly attached to him. One of his daughters, Kata'lsta, still sur- 



