CUNNE SHOTE (CUMNACATOGUE), THE INDIAN CHIEF

Cunne Shote was one of three Cherokees escorted to London in 1762 by the Virginian Lieutenant Henry Timberlake (1730-1765). The trip was made to reaffirm a peace treaty between the British crown and the Cherokee ending a three-year conflict. The depiction of Cunne Shote by Francis Parsons in a combination of English and American Indian clothing and accoutrements suggest a harmonious unity between cultures. On the other hand, Cunne Shote’s firm grip on the scalping knife is a visual reminder of the tenuous relationship between the Cherokees and the English and Europeans living in the South.