Yonaguska

Yonaguska (Cherokee: Ᏺꮔꭼꮿꮝꭹ; c. 1760 – April 1839), known in English as Drowning Bear, was a Cherokee chief and reformer who served as head chief of the Cherokee Middle Towns from around 1800 until his death. He is considered the first Principal Chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

Yonaguska is best known for his successful resistance to Indian removal and his temperance movement among the Oconaluftee Cherokee. While other Cherokee were forcibly removed during the Trail of Tears in 1838, Yonaguska secured exemption for his people by invoking their status as North Carolina citizens under the Treaty of 1819. His adopted son, William Holland Thomas, served as the tribe's attorney and purchased land on their behalf, forming the basis of what became the Qualla Boundary.