Chapter Text
There were, in fact, gemstone mines in Georgia.
As legend goes, there was at one time rubies discovered in the mountains by the indigenous people living in the area. Centuries before the European occupation the Cherokee nation had explored and gathered some for their personal use. While curious and beautiful, the rubies were not practical to them, there wasn’t much use for the dark red stones outside of jewelry or decorations of ceremonial weapons.
Curiously, in 1811, a British businessman by the name of Jack Featherington came to inquire about these mines after some locals had seen a Chief with a talesman adorned with a very large ruby stone. Jack had little interest in the stone the man wore but more interest in the mines themselves. He made it clear he was hoping to find some of his own and build a reputation back home in England.
Had Jack spoken with the Cherokee nation, he would have learned that his “deal” was not one to benefit him at all. The natives were happy to part with the mines as long as they still occupied the land around it. The mines held their own dark legends that had been passed down from generation to generation.
The Cherokee had ancient lands in parts of northern Georgia along with their ancient lands in the Great Smoky Mountains where their creation stories is said to have taken place. Their lives were robust prior to the occupation of the Europeans, the tribes priding themselves with their thriving indigenous lifestyle and culture consisting of bustling towns and abundant gardens of corn, beans, tobacco, sunflowers, and greens.
They were dependent on the lands and forests for their ingredients for natural medicines and fiber for their textiles. They lived well off their land, maintaining a community that thrived and prospered for years.
However, the story of the rubies was known within the people, passed down from generation to generation. There was a disruption in their success’ ten chief’s ago when the red stones were first discovered. A series of events plagued the community; it was the first time misfortune came to their lands. When the gemstones arrived at the settlement it started; crops faltered, disease ran rampant, and the men who had discovered the rubies all become afflicted with a similar type of madness that even the most tried and true medicines could not cure.
The elders of the tribe started a protection ritual; a 10 day ceremony held mostly in isolation. The smaller stones were discarded into the nearby river, however the largest of the rubies was kept as it secured the bad omens into a talisman that was to be worn by the chief for safe keeping. Since that time, no further misfortune befell the people, and prosperity came again.
The tribe took it upon themselves to guard the mines from their people; there was no more exploring or collecting of the stone until the Europeans’ heard of the talisman and the rumor of a great fortune on their lands.
It’s probably true that even if Jack Featherington had paid attention to these stories, he would have dismissed the tales and went ahead with the acquisition of the mines anyway. It was obvious he had little interest in the history of the lands the rubies occupied. Instead he was only interested in what he could gain and the power he could hold rather than heeding the warnings from the natives who lived there.
The talisman had been passed down from one chief to another, the ruby in it held a dark past, but as long as it was worn in a specific way and the rituals to keep the bad omens at bay continued, it would not cause any harm to the man holding it or his community.
This proved true until the American war of 1812 started, and the America’s were once again at war with the United Kingdom.
In January of 1814, in western Georgia, the troops from the Creek and Cherokee indigenous nations joined forces with the militia to fight the British Naval ships along the Chattahoochee River. The American War of 1812 was in its last few months, a peace treaty ready to be negotiated by congress after Britian had successfully crippled the American economy by imposing a blockade on American goods and trade routes.
The Cherokee and Creek nations had joined the Georgia militia to ensure the fortification of one of the last trade routes in the river. Trying to move goods from the south to the north despite the resistance from the Red Sticks faction (a resistance group organized by the Spanish and British whose name was given due to the fact they marched with red spears) that had allied with the British and Spanish trade empires to help stop the spread of American settlers out west.
However, that all changed in December of 1814, as the final British officers were retreating from the battle at the Chattahoochee river. The Cherokee Chief was among the defenders, fighting alongside the militia. He was wearing the ruby talesmen when he was captured by a fleeing Red Stick. As the mines were no longer a threat to his people, and the ruby had brought one last misfortune to himself, he saw an opportunity. He pleaded for his life in exchange for the very rare and valuable stone, which the British General agreed to.
Since the Red Sticks had lost this battle, and the ships and goods along with the free trade in the area, the General accepted the talesmen with the idea such a gemstone could bring fortune to the British and a gift to the King.
The Navel general, upon taking this stone, decided it could soften the defeat of the south and offer this gemstone to the royal guard as proof of new fortune in the America’s. So this ruby was sent to King George’s royal jeweler, who cleaned and shaped the stone into a magnificent brooch. A symbol of the riches lost from the America’s by the successful ending of the war in mid 1815.
While England stood the victor in this war, the Cherokee felt satisfaction knowing their ruby had been once and for all removed from their community. The tribe had thought by passing the ruby to an enemy, it would bring prosperity back to its people. And for some time it did. The Cherokee returned to their land, the conflict ceased, and peace spread about their territory.
Meanwhile, news of the King’s madness spread throughout the Americas. Once this tale reached the ears of the Cherokee nation, they knew the cause was not of a disease, but of a cursed talisman taken from their lands and given to the King.