King Hagler was the first Native American to be inducted into the South Carolina Hall of Fame and this video offers a tribute to him by members of his Catawba community. They give voice to the eloquence of his words, talking about peace with the settlers in 1754 and how the Catawba potters honor King Hagler’s memory by working his image into their pottery.
But who was King Hagler? He was known as Haiglar, Nopkehe, Arataswa and Oroloswa, but was dubbed "King Hagler" by Gov. James Glen in the early 1750s and was recognized by the royal governors of South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and New York as the head of the Catawba Nation. King Hagler was noted for his diplomacy and bravery and during the French and Indian War, the Catawba nation, sent a company of soldiers to fight alongside Col. George Washington in 1756-1757. A smaller group of Catawba fought alongside of Gen. John Forbes in Virginia in 1758.
King Hagler brokered the Treaty of Pine Tree Hill in July 1760, providing a 15-square-mile reservation on the border of North Carolina and South Carolina for the Catawba. He was able to strike a delicate balance between maintaining the cultural identity of the Catawba nation and the increasing desires of the settlers. On Aug. 30, 1763, Hagler was returning from visiting the Waxhaws and was ambushed and killed by seven Shawnees.
SIDE NOTES
- Celebrate the Catawba heritage and culture at Yap Ye Iswa “Day of the Catawba” festival! It is free and open to the public on 11/18/23, from 11:00am to 5:00pm at the Catawba Cultural Center, 1536 Tom Steven Road, Rock Hill, SC 29730. Festival Information - York County Events.
- Charlotte’s Trail of History adds statues of a settler and a chief. Read how early Carolinas settler Thomas “Kanawha” Spratt and Catawba Indian Chief King Haigler, formed a bond that crossed cultural barriers and pointed the way to understanding between Anglicans and Native Americans. Read more Charlotte Observer News:
- King Hangler’s Murder Marker - Historical Marker Number 29-7 was erected by the Waxhaw Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution in 1965. “On the Catawba Path near here King Hagler, Chief of the Catawba Nation (1750-1763), was slain on August 30, 1763, by a raiding band of northern Indian braves as he journeyed from the Waxhaws Settlement on Cane Creek to a Catawba town on Twelve Mile Creek.”
- McKissick Museum in Columbia, SC, houses a Catawba collection, with pottery honoring King Hagler.
- Charlotte Museum of History – Learn more about King Hagler and how the Catawba actively protected the colonists from the Cherokee as relations became tense in the 1750s.
- University of South Carolina highlights exhibition honoring Catawba Nation’s Artistry and Culture. USC Lancaster researchers contribute Catawba pottery and other items to Columbia Museum of Art Exhibition.
