The Raven of Chota was a title given to Cherokee

Cherokee

The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...

 war leaders from the town of Chota

Chota (Cherokee town)

Chota is a historic Overhill Cherokee site in Monroe County, Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. For much of its history, Chota was the most important of the Overhill towns, serving as the de facto capital of the Cherokee people from the late 1740s until 1788...

. In time of war, Ravens scouted ahead of war parties to search for the enemy. According to historian Colin Calloway, "Every Cherokee town had 'Ravens,' but the Raven of Chota was the most prominent."

Savanukah

Savanukah

Savanukah was the Raven of Chota in the late 18th century. The nephew of Oconostota, he became First Beloved Man of the Cherokee in the fall of 1781. He was ousted by the elders of the Overhill towns in 1783 in favor of the more pacifist Old Tassel...

 (or "Savanooka"), nephew of Oconostota

Oconostota

Oconostota was the Warrior of Chota and the First Beloved Man of the Cherokee from 1775 to 1781.-Meaning of the name:...

, was the Raven of Chota at the time of the American Revolution

American Revolution

The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...

. In 1775 he was a signer of the Treaty of Sycamore Shoals with Attakullaculla and Oconostota.

Further reading

• Anderson, William L. "Raven of Echota". The American Revolution, 1775–1783: An Encyclopedia 2: 1374–75. Ed. Richard L. Blanco. New York: Garland, 1993. ISBN 0-8240-5623-X.