TOMOCHACHI AND TOOANAHOWI

Just over a year after James Edward Oglethorpe (1696-1785) arrived in Georgia, he returned to England accompanied by a small Creek Indian delegation, including chief Tomochachi (c. 1644-1739) and his nephew Tooanahowi (ca. 1719-1743). An earlier treaty made with the Creek Indians necessitated that Oglethorpe seek their permission before establishing a settlement. Oglethorpe met Chief Tomochachi in the village of Yamacraw, near Savannah, during those negotiations.  

Oglethorpe’s motives for returning to England with the Creek delegation were primarily diplomatic. While impressing the American Indians with the splendors of London, the Georgia trustees were also able to witness the friendship that Oglethorpe had established with the Creeks. William Verelst painted a portrait of the chief and his nephew that was engraved in mezzotint. Although the American Indians who accompanied Oglethorpe occasionally dressed in English garments while in London, Verelst chose to paint Tomochachi and Tooanahowi in their native garb. Otherwise, the composition conforms to traditional English baroque portraiture. The objects held by the sitters reflect their interests or background. Tomochachi’s left hand rests on the shoulder of his nephew, while his right hand holds the deerskin cloak that wraps around him. Not only were deerskins an essential article of clothing, but they also formed the basis of the Creek’s trade with Europeans. Tooanahowi holds an eagle, an American Indian symbol of peace, brought by the delegation as a gift to the king.

It is possible that Oglethorpe may have had his likeness taken during the same visit to Verelst. Given the close friendship between Tomochachi and Oglethorpe and the possibility that the two men both sat for portraits during this trip, it is tempting to speculate whether a symbolic relationship exists between Tomochachi’s deerskin and Oglethorpe’s ermine cape.