| Salonitah | |
| Office: | Principal Chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians |
| Term Start: | 1870 |
| Term End: | 1875 |
| Predecessor: | Yonaguska |
| Successor: | Lloyd Welch |
| Birth Date: | 1796 |
| Death Date: | 1880 |
| Nationality: | Cherokee |
Salonitah, or Flying Squirrel, was the third Principal Chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, from 1870 to 1875, and first chief elected under the new Cherokee constitution.[1]
Son of Cherokee leader Junaluska, Salonitah was born in 1796 and later on married Sali (Sally), daughter of Yonaguska, and were the parents of at least five children.[2]
Salonitah first appear in records during the pursuit of Tsali during Cherokee removal in 1838; he was the leader of a group of Cherokees who went out to hunt for Tsali for the U.S. Army.[3] Upon Yonaguska's passing in 1839, Salonitah, who at this point was Chief of Paint Town, laid claim as Chief of the Qualla Cherokee (though not fully recognized by all); while William Holland Thomas, who was chosen by Yonaguska as the next Principal Chief, became a key liaison between the whites and Cherokee.[4] The justification given was that Salonitah was very suspicious of whites who claimed to speak for the Cherokees, especially William Holland Thomas.[5]
In 1868, U.S. Congress officially recognized the Eastern Band Cherokee as a separate entity from their brethren in Oklahoma. On November 26, 1870, a grand council was organized to appoint a chairman, clerks, and delegates for a new council. On December 1, the council convened, approving the new constitution for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and electing Salonitah as Principal Chief and John Jackson as second Chief.[5] [6] [7]
According to the mortality schedule of the 1880 U.S. Census, Salonitah died of typhoid in April, 1880.[8]