 There is some evidence that Toqua's Mississippian village was the village of "Tali", visited by the Hernando de Soto expedition in 1540.By the time Euro-American explorers arrived in the area in the 18th century, the Overhill Cherokee had established several villages along the Little Tennessee.These villages included Tanasi, the name source for the state of Tennessee, and Chota, the "mother town" of the Overhills.