Tennessee Wesleyan College - Nocatula Yearbook (Athens, TN)

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NOCATULA fage jo

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Foreword ' ' V SJ ■l ' 4 It was more than a century ago when the site of Athens was covered with trees, dense underbrush, and wild flowers, when Nature was the supreme ruler of our campus and Natural law her golden scepter, that Nocatula Kowena lived. But even then human passion fluttered from the hearts of the Red-men who made the wood their home, just as the leaves around them fluttered to the earth, and just as our hearts now are alive with envy, jealousy, hate and love — the eternal passions of the human heart. Nocatula was the beautiful daughter of a great Cherokee Indian chief, Kowena. At the time of our story she was betrothed to one of the bravest young chiefs of her tribe. A young English soldier, handsome and lovable happened into the wigwam one day and when he saw the beautiful Nocatula he determined to have her for his wife. The soldier persuaded Nocatula to break the engagement with the Indian brave, and Nocatula did as he wished, for she loved him. The young Indian soon knew that he was not first in Nocatula ' s heart and he was bitterly disappointed. His disappointment found expression in jealousy and hatred and he killed the English soldier. Nocatula and the Englishman were roaming through the woods one day during Indian summer, when the Indian brave sprang from his shelter behind a tree and hurled his hunting knife into the heart of the English lover. Nocatula was desperately unhappy and was frantic when her lover was killed. She seized the knife from his breast and plunged it into her own and fell dying across his feet. Their hearts were joined with the silken cord of love and it was severed by the accursed knife of jealousy. In keeping with the tribal custom of burying the betrothed, Nocatula and her lover were buried where they were found lying. .A branch of hackberry with ripe berries on it was placed in the hand of Nocatula, symbolizing her womanly qualities of grace and beauty; in the hands of her lover was put a twig of black oak with ripe acorns on it, the oak symbolic of the strength and sturdiness of young manhood. From these seed sprang two beautiful trees. Their roots intermingled, and their branches overlapped and to-day this same oak and hackberry stand, here on our campus, so close together that one would think that they came from the same root if he did not observe the difference in their barks and foilagc. As our dear old college has grown from year to year the legend trees have been silent sentinels — guards by day and by night. They cannot speak in our tongue but somehow, when any great crisis comes in the life of the school, a breeze stirs their branches and leaves and a low murmuring whish of anxiety and interest is heard. When the crisis is passed, the low anxious whish gives way to a soothing blithesome stir of approval and continued love, and we are happy. The silent sentinels have seen and applauded. fage three ; ■i: ' r

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NOCATULA- EDICATION In appreciation of her faith- ful service and sacrifice dull- ing her term as class presi- dent, and with sincere grati- tude and love, we dedicate this volume of the Nocatula to Alma Rose Underwood Vl i - -Jv-- •page five