Tennessee Wesleyan College - Nocatula Yearbook (Athens, TN)

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84813 NOCATULA 1926 VOLUME III « PUBLISHED BY THE SENIOR CLASSES of the TENNESSEE WESLEYAN COLLEGE ATHENS, TENNESSEE V7 37 .65 ' g I g MERNER-PFEIFFER LIBRARY TENNESSEE WESLEYAN COLLEGE ATHENS, TN. 37303

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1926 PEARL LESLIE Editor

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It was more than a century ago, when the site of Athens was 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. Nocatula was the beautiful daughter of a great Cherokee Indian chief, Kowena. She was betrothed to one of the bravest young chiefs of her tribe, but Fate came between the Indian lovers, A young English soldier, handsome and lovable, came to the wigwam one day and when he saw the beautiful Nocatula he loved her. Soon Nocatula loved him too. One afternoon, during Indian summer, Nocatula and the English- man were roaming through the woods, when the Indian brave, enraged with jealousy and hatred, sprang from am- bush and hurled his hunting knife into the heart of the English soldier. Nocatula was desperately unhappy when her lover was killed. Frantically she seized the knife from his breast and plunged it into her own. and fell dying at his feet. In keeping with the tribal custom of burying the be- trothed, 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 sym- bolic of the strength and sturdiness of young manhood. From these seeds 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 foliage. 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 some- how when any great crisis comes in the life of the school, a breeze stirs their branches and leaves, and a low, murmuring, ivhish of anxiety and interest is heard. When the crisis is passed, the low anxious whish gives way to a soothing blithe- some stir of approval and continued love, and we are happy. The silent sentinels have seen and applauded. M. Weidner Jun yi