female dignitary among the Cherokee, described by Haywood under the
title of the "Pretty Woman" as having authority to decide the fate
of prisoners of war. Wafford once knew an old woman whose name was
Da`na-gâ'sta, an abbreviated form for Da`nawa-gâsta'ya, "Sharp war,"
understood to mean "Sharp (i. e., Fierce) warrior." Several cases of
women acting the part of warriors are on record among the Cherokee.