BEAVER COUNTY INDIANS

TECUMSEH: HERO AND DEFENDER AND NOBLE SAVAGE OF THE OHIO COUNTRY 🦃🐢🦅

admin — Sat, 08 Aug 2026 17:28:05 +0000

By the early 1800’s, there were several tribes of indigenous peoples who heroically and collectively injected opposition into to the expansion of the United States in native territories, specifically the Ohio Country. One of the most exclusive leaders on this narrative was a Shawnee by the name of Tecumseh. Born in what is now the state of Ohio on March 9th, 1768, his birth year was indentured into fighting for the entire Ohio Country as a reunification act for all Iroquois as well as Algonquian peoples who had resided and hunted on these lands for hundreds of years before the arrival of white settlers and Europeans. As a result of this, it would seem to be Tecumseh’s destiny to be a great chief and defender of his people and lands. His father, also a chief, held prominence in the Shawnee tribes. Sadly, the most grievous action recorded on his father is that he was killed at the Battle of Point Pleasant; when this tragedy expired, Tecumseh was taught the art of fighting and negotiation by his older brother Cheeseekau, who would also die heroically fighting the Americans in 1792.¹

For simplicity and focus, it is going to be mentioned that Tecumseh makes his debut in the history calendar by aligning himself with another famous chief of the Ohio Region, Blue Jacket. Like his predecessors, Blue Jacket is zealously committed to removing every single white and American influence from indigenous territory. But, he too, falls short of this vital military objective for his people when he is defeated at the Battle of Fallen Timbers, by a cantankerous and artful General by the name of “Mad”Anthony Wayne, who was not only famous by his commands on the battlefield, but by his rigorous discipline of his troops, which was famously demonstrated at Legionville Camp in Baden, Pennsylvania. This camp would be the first of its kind to offer training facilities for new army recruits. But, before all of this, an ordinary infant was born who would grow up and do the extraordinary.

Tecumseh was born on Shawnee territory in what is now the state of Ohio. The most reliable evidence procures a birthdate of March 9th, 1768. His identity with the Shawnee would be of the Panther Clan. it is of interest and purpose to note that Tecumseh’s father, Puckeshinwau, and his mother, Methoataaskee, met and married on Shawnee grounds in present day Alabama as a result of the Beaver Wars, where the Shawnee were driven south and forced to relocate in this region; however, they both returned to the Ohio Country to reunite in their true homeland of their people. By 1763, everything about their land changed. As a result of the British defeated the French in the French and Indian Wars, Great Britain claimed all the Ohio Country as under their ownership. The terms and conditions set down by the British were not welcomed by the Indians who still recognized the Ohio as native lands as they had always been; consequently, Pontiac’s Rebellion was born in the same year; it was after this violent skirmish that Tecumseh was born. As the years matured into the next ones, he learned of his father and brother’s bravery and courage in battles past. Right away, he becomes a zealous proponent of Indian rights and ownership of native lands. But the Treaty of Fort Stanwix created more division and uncertainty for the Shawnee tribe; this treaty compelled the Iroquois to cede land to south of the Ohio to the British; the result of this infuriated the Shawnee because of the hunting grounds these acres once provided. There was one final attempt to pull the lands back into Shawnee hands, but this attack backlashed, creating the Battle of Point Pleasant; after this, the Shawnee were forced to cede the lands of Kentucky to the colonists. Their situation was growing dire daily. If this was not worse enough: enter the American Revolution. Now, the conflict would be growing monstrously with each passing day. Most Indian nations sided with and fought along the British in an effort to drive out the American colonists; they would raid as far south as Kentucky to reclaim it; from 1775 to 1777, the blood spilled in the Ohio Country was unimaginable. Raids and pillages of every kind ensued throughout the region, making it one of the most uninhabitable and dangerous places for colonists to relocate and claim land of their own. By 1780, perhaps the bloodiest Indian campaign in the region occurred at Battle of Piqua where, under the command of General George Rogers Clark, head of the Kentucky Militia, and Chief Black Hoof, of the Shawnee. While Clark and his men surrendered the entire Shawnee village and burned most of their groups to ashes, Chief Black Hoof inflicted sever casualties on the militia. Black Hoof was also assisted in this violent campaign by the Lenape and Miami tribes. However, with nowhere to go, the Shawnee were forced to treat northwest of the Ohio near the Great Miami River, a tributary of the Ohio, but they were forced from this location as well. Things still got worse.

Tecumseh / Shawnee Prophet’s Town Marker with statue. Greenville, Ohio, Darke County.

After the end of the American Revolution, the British ceded all of the “claimed” lands by way of the Treaty of Paris; consequently, the newly formed United States claimed all of the lands of the Ohio Country by right of conquest, despite many Indian tribes living on those lands. By the summer of 1783, the Indians in these regions took action. They organized a speaking treaty, headed by a Mohawk chief, Joseph Brant, supervised and coordinated the discussions. He held the position that all Indians living in the Ohio Country and beyond should unite and hold their grounds by any means possible; no lands, he preached, could be ceded to Americans without the unanimous consent of all tribes. This idea made a virtuous impression on the young fifteen year old Tecumseh. In later years, he would be a staunch advocate of this policy. ²

But the United States had a different idea. They would deal with each tribe’s land assessments individually; the primary objective is getting them to sign different treaties that contained different land geographics and peace treaty terms. In the most candid example, the Shawnee simply had lost everything within a few short years. The zenith example would culminate with the Treaty of Fort Finney where the Shawnee abdicated most Ohio to the Americans. By now, Tecumseh was a young adult and was growing concerned over all of these native land takeovers. He participated on attacks along the Ohio river on flatboats against white settlers and reclaiming lands for the Shawnee all along the rivers coast. In 1791, Tecumseh, along with his brother Tenskwatawa, assembled eight warriors and reentered through the Ohio Country to volunteer in the Northwest Indian War as just a minor leader. It was in in this epic war that he would meet another great chief, Bluejacket. Adhering to Chief Blue Jacket’s request, Tecumseh led a band of warriors to meet the U.S. Army under the command of General “Mad Anthony” Wayne. The attack was on Fort Recovery which was unsuccessful. The final tag team action between the two chiefs took place at the Battle Of Fallen Timbers, where the Shawnee and other tribes suffered a dreadful and humiliating defeat; not only this, but Tecumseh would see his older brother, Sauwaseekau killed in front of him.

When the Treaty of Greenville was concurred upon in August of 1795, Tecumseh was aloof; he even attacked “peace chiefs” who he claimed signed away land they did not own in the first place; he despised this treaty and never acknowledged it in his lifetime. Land, Tecumseh believed, was like air and water, the common possession of all Indigenous peoples. It was not a commodity, but rather a gift that the earth itself provides for all living beings. Communal ownership, primarily among the Indians was the cornerstone of his oratory and teachings; Tecumseh became, perhaps, the greatest Indigenous orator of his time and certainly in the Ohio Country; even white settlers who heard him speak compared him to the great statesman Henry Clay, a man who would influence Abraham Lincoln in later a time.

In a famous speech he gave at Vincennes, Indiana in 1810, he opined the following,

“Since the peace was made, you have kill’d some of the Shawanese, Winebagoes Delawares and Miamies and you have taken our lands from us and I do not see how we can remain at peace with you if you continue to do so. You try to force the red people to do some injury. It is you that is pushing them on to do mischief. You endeavour to make destructions, you wish to prevent the Indians to do as we wish them to unite and let them consider their land as common property of the whole you take tribes aside and advise them not to come into this measure . You want by your distinctions of Indian tribes in allotting to each a particular track of land to make them to war with each other. . . . Since my residence at Tippecanoe we have endeavoured to level all distinctions to destroy village chiefs by whom all mischief is done; it is they who sell our land to the Americans. .Do not believe that I came here to get presents from you if you offer us anything we will not take it. By taking goods from you you will hereafter say that with them you purchased another piece of land from us. ”

In 1808, as a result of being defeated and the Battle of Fallen Timbers, Tecumseh, along with his brother, the Prophet Tenskwatawa, settled in what is now Indiana and began a mystical religious movement. The objective was to assemble the tribes in region and not be influenced by white customs, religious belief, or trade for anything created by settlers. The idea was to keep unity among the Ohio Country tribes and not be misguided by outsiders; it only garnered for a short period. But Tecumseh did not give up. He had other plans.

Tecumseh’s brief partnership with Isaac Brock is celebrated in Canadian history. (Meeting of Brock and Tecumseh, Charles William Jefferys, 1915)

THE CREATION OF THE INDIAN CONFEDERATION

With zealous energy and unlimited determination, Tecumseh engaged himself and others on forming a confederation exclusively for tribes in the Ohio Country as a means to resist white authority. From deep in the Ozarks and all the way into New York, and even from Iowa into Florida, he accrued a massive support system that in his mind would be sufficient to extinguish the rapidity of white settler advancement into the region. This action would become known as Tecumseh’s Confederacy. At its height, it boasted several thousand warriors all throughout the Ohio and Great Lakes regions. However, this too, was short lived. In November of 1811, a U.S. Army force led by a young Governor, William Henry Harrison, engaged these warriors in a battle known as the Battle of Tippecanoe, where they were defeated by U.S. soldiers. As a result of this engagement, Tecumseh sought revenge on white settlers; he assembled his Indian Confederation and even the British to declare war and attack all pioneers in the region, especially on lost Indian territories. This grand undertaking took upon itself as part of the War of 1812; but it was also the beginning of the end for Tecumseh. However, a hero was in the looming.TECUMSEH’S WAR With the War of 1812 in full action, Tecumseh convinced himself that with his thousands of warriors and the assistance from the British army, he could attack whites on a scale never seen before in the country. The war lasted for two more years, and Tecumseh’s warriors were forced to march with the British far north into Canada and continue fighting the U.S. Army; by now, in 1813, the U.S. Navy had secured Lake Erie, thereby preventing Indians and British and Canada from attempting to fight in the conflict. Tecumseh had not imagined the size and scale that this conflict would grow into. He also thoroughly mischaracterized the size of the U.S. Military at the time, at least from an Indigenous point of view.

THE BATTLE OF MORAVIANTOWN (THAMES): THE END OF TECUMSEH

In the genesis of this engagement, there was already in place a flaw. A poor military British commander by the name of Major General Henry Procter, and Tecumseh bequeathed all of his faith and loyalty to him. After the naval triumph of the United States at the Battle of Lake Erie in September of 1813, General Procter found his situation precarious. Even with Tecumseh and his men at his side, he was far outnumbered by the arrival of 3,500 American troops who pursued him in his retreat across the Ontario peninsula; however, Tecumseh was still confident of a victory; it is debated by historians he did not know the actual number of Americans pursuing him and Procter. Without consulting his senior officers, Procter abandoned the Detroit frontier against the request of Tecumseh and completely withdrew. Tecumseh was quite aware that a retreat by Procter would end his reign of the Indian Confederation that he so patriotically composed. In a last plea to General Procter, Tecumseh opined the following words, “Our fleet has gone out, we know they have fought; we have heard the great guns but know nothing of what has happened to our Father with one Arm [Barclay]. Our ships have gone one way, and we are much astonished to see our Father [Procter] tying up everything and preparing to run the other, without letting his red children know what his intentions are…. We must compare our Father’s conduct to a fat animal that carries its tail upon its back; but when affrighted, it drops it between its legs and runs off.” Disillusioned with Procter not making a stand, more than half of Tecumseh’s warriors retreated and went home. In the meantime, Gover Harrison seized all of Procter’s provisions that were in flatboats along the Thames. One final attempt by Tecumseh would be made. With only 500 warriors to aide him, Tecumseh assembled the warriors in a defensive to prepare for an attack from the infantry led by Harrison who arranged his forces in such a way that while his right flank faced what was left of the British, his left flank faced the Tecumseh’s warriors; instead of the more conventional bayonet charge, Harrison was persuaded by his Lieutenant Colonel James Johnston, to attack the British lines twofold; the first by charging directly; the second attack would be by passing through a swampy area, in the hopes of being unseen by Tecumseh. It worked. The charge by American forces instantly overwhelmed the British. In the hopes of ending the attack the British attempted to fire canons in the direction of the oncoming charge, but with the speed and ferocity of the Americans, it proved ineffective. The one canon that they did try to fire failed causing no further delay by American troops overtaking their position. Meanwhile, in the swamps, hand to hand fighting was fierce and bloody. Indians were using tomahawks and Americans using bayonets. It is somewhere in this macabre that Tecumseh was killed. In the aftermath when his body was recovered, it was said he was scalped and skinned; many of the American soldiers taking pieces of his hair and skin as souvenirs. The final resting place of this great chief is unknown. There is a famous legend about a man named Richard Mentor Johnston having killed the chief in another battle in 1816; this claim would eventually seal the Vice President candidacy for Johnston in 1836 to Martin Van Buren. President Van Buren and Vice President Johnston continued the Indian Removal Act of 1830 instituted by President Andrew Jackson. This removal act was also in full effect in the Ohio Valley and pre- Beaver, Mercer, Allegheny, and Lawrence Counties; all tribes east of the Mississippi River were forced to relocate to the west; the tribes included were Shawnee, Seneca, Wyandot, Delaware and Ottawa tribes, the original inhabitants of the Ohio Valley.

Tecumseh by Hamilton MacCarthy (c. 1896), Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Canada.

LEGACY

Tecumseh was an extraordinary visionary. Where and when treaties were being created and imposed, he saw them as a temporary halt on the abdication of Native lands by tribes themselves. His distrust in the Americans and their attempted policies for improving the lives of his people became short lived and outdated as fast as they were signed. Tecumseh’s vision was all centered on his people and their lands. But his vision turned into a dream never to be real, despite his heroic actions in battle, and his astute and remarkable rhetoric and anointed negotiation skills. He would be the last chief to attempt to amalgamate the Ohio Country people into one indigenous nation. But his influence and character remain today. Oratory, debate, arbitration, were all supreme fundamentals of a Shawnee leader. Tecumseh had procured all these merits to perfection in his lifetime and introduced them to his enemies while they were pillaging and raping the lands sacred to native survival. His enemies even conveyed respect and admiration for him. The future president William Henry Harrison had this to say of him, “one of those uncommon geniuses which spring up occasionally to produce revolutions and overturn the established order of things”. Harrison also noted that his “implicit obedience and respect” General Isaac Brock of the British army said this, “He who attracted most of my attention was a Shawnee chief, Tecumset, brother to the Prophet, who for the last two years has carried on, contrary to our remonstrances, an active warfare against the United States. A more sagacious or a more gallant warrior does not I believe exist. He was the admiration of everyone who conversed with him.”

In closing, here are some excerpts from Tecumseh’s speeches during his lifetime. “Live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart.Trouble no one about their religion.Respect others in their view, and demand that they respect yours.Love your life, perfect your life, beautify all things in your life.Seek to make your life long and its purpose in the service of your people.Prepare a noble death song for the day when you go over the great divide.Always give a word or a sign of salute when meeting or passing a friend, even a stranger, when in a lonely place.Show respect to all people and grovel to none.When you arise in the morning give thanks for the food and for the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies only in yourself.Abuse no one and no thing, for abuse turns the wise ones to fools and robs the spirit of its vision.When it comes your time to die, be not like those whose hearts are filled with the fear of death, so that when their time comes, they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way.Sing your death song and die like a hero going home.”—Chief Tecumseh (c.1800)

Since the peace was made, you have kill’d some of the Shawanese, Winebagoes Delawares and Miamies and you have taken our lands from us and I do not see how we can remain at peace with you if you continue to do so. You try to force the red people to do some injury. It is you that is pushing them on to do mischief. You endeavor to make destructions, you wish to prevent the Indians to do as we wish them to unite and let them consider their land as common property of the whole you take tribes aside and advise them not to come into this measure . You want by your distinctions of Indian tribes in allotting to each a particular track of land to make them to war with each other. . . . Since my residence at Tippecanoe we have endeavored to level all distinctions to destroy village chiefs by whom all mischief is done; it is they who sell our land to the Americans. I was glad to hear your speech you said if we could show that the land was sold by persons that had no right to sell you would restore it. . . . These tribes set up a claim but the tribes with me will not agree to their claim, if the land is not restored to us you will soon see when we return to our homes how it will be settled. Do not believe that I came here to get presents from you if you offer us anything we will not take it. By taking goods from you you will hereafter say that with them you purchased another piece of land from us. . . .

Speech at Vincennes (1810)

The white people have no right to take the land from the Indians, because they had it first; it is theirs. They may sell, but all must join. Any sale not made by all is not valid. The late sale is bad. It was made by a part only. Part do not know how to sell. All red men have equal rights to the unoccupied land. The right of occupancy is as good in one place as in another. There can not be two occupations in the same place. The first excludes all others. It is not so in hunting or traveling; for there the same ground will serve many, as they may follow each other all day; but the camp is stationary, and that is occupancy. It belongs to the first who sits down on his blanket or skins which he has thrown upon the ground; and till he leaves it no other has a right.

Tecumseh Calls for Pan-Indian Resistance, 1810.

The Dying Tecumseh, sculpture by Ferdinand Pettrich; marble, 1856; description: “Grand Chief of the Western Indians. Fell in the Battle of the Thomes 1813”; Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Renwick Gallery.

Chief Tecumseh Historical Marker presented by the Ontario Heritage Foundation & Kent Military Re-enactment Society.

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From Thomas Jefferson to Indian Nations, 10 January 1809 ✍🏻

admin — Wed, 18 Mar 2026 16:02:30 +0000

MORE LIES&PROMISES AND FALSE COMPLIMENTARY CONVIVIALTY

From Thomas Jefferson to Indian Nations, 10 January 1809

Jan. 10. 1809.

“My Children Chiefs of the Wiandots, Ottawas, Chippeways, Poutewatamies & Shawanese.

This is the first time I have had the pleasure of seeing the distinguished men of our neighbors the Wiandots, Ottawas & Chippeways at the Seat of our Government. I welcome you to it as well as the Poutewatamies & Shawanese and thank the great Spirit for having conducted you hither in safety & health. I take you and your people by the hand and salute you as my Children; I consider all my red children as forming one family with the whites, born in the same land with them, and bound to live like brethren, in peace, friendship, & good neighborhood. in former times, my Children, we were not our own Masters but were governed by the English. Then we were often at war with our red neighbors. ill blood was raised, & kept up, between us, and in the war, in which we threw off the English Government, many of the red people, mistaking their brothers & real friends, took side with the English against us: & it was not, till many years after we made peace with the English, that the treaty of Grenville closed our last wars with our Indian Neighbors. from that time, My Children, we have looked on you as a part of ourselves and have cherished your prosperity as our own. We saw that three things were wasting away your numbers to nothing. that the intemperate use of ardent Spirits produced poverty, troubles & murders among you. Your wars with one another were lessening your numbers: & attachment to the hunter life, after game had nearly left you, produced famine sickness & deaths among you in the Scarce Season of every year. It has been our endeavor therefore, like your true fathers and brothers to withhold strong liquors from you, to keep you at peace with one another, & to encourage, & aid you in the culture of the earth, & raising domestic Animals, to take place of the wild ones. this we have done, my Children, because we are your friends, & wish you well. if we feared you, if we were your enemies, we should have furnished you plentifully with whisky, let the men destroy one another in perpetual wars, & the women & children waste away for want of food and remain insensible that they could raise it out of the Earth.

We have been told, my Children, that some of you have been doubting whether we or the English were your truest friends. what do the English do for you? they furnish you with plenty of whiskey, to keep you in idleness, drunkenness, & poverty; and they are now exciting you to join them in war against us, if war should take place between them and us. But we tell you to stay at home in quiet, to take no part in quarrels which do not concern you. the English are now at war with all the world but us, and it is not yet known whether they will not force us also into it. they are Strong on the water, but weak on the land. We live on the land, & we fear them not. we are able to fight our own battles; therefore, we do not ask you to Spill your blood in our quarrels: much less do we wish to be forced to Spill it with our own hands. you have travelled through our Country from the Lakes to the tide waters. You have seen our numbers in that direction: and were you to pass along the Sea Shore, you would find them much greater. you know the English numbers, their Scattered forts and String of people, along the borders of the Lakes & the St. Lawrence how long do you think it will take us to sweep them out of the Country?—&, when they are swept away, what is to become of those who join them in their war against us? My Children, if you love the land in which you were born, if you wish to inhabit the earth which covers the bones of your fathers, take no part in the war between the English & us, if we should have war. never will we do an unjust Act towards you. On the contrary we wish to befriend you in every possible way. but the tribe which shall begin an unprovoked war against us will extirpate from the Earth, or drive to such a distance, as that they shall never again be able to strike us. I tell you these things My Children, not to make you afraid. I know you are brave men & therefore cannot fear. but you are also wise men, & prudent men. I say it therefore, that, in your wisdom & prudence, you may look forward. that you may go to the graves of your fathers and say ‘fathers shall we abandon you?’ that you may look in the faces of your wives & children & ask ‘shall we expose these our own flesh & blood to perish from want in a distant country and have our race & name extinguished from the face of the Earth’?. think of these things my Children, as wise men, & as men loving their fathers, their wives & children & the name & memory of their Nation. I repeat that we will never make an unjust act towards you. On the contrary we wish you to live in peace, to increase in numbers, to learn to labor, as we do, and furnish food for your increasing numbers, when the game shall have left you. we wish to see you possessed property, & protecting it by regular laws. in time you will be as we are; you will become one people with us; your blood will mix with ours; & will spread, with ours, over this great Island. hold fast then, my Children, the Chain of friendship, which binds us together; & join us in keeping it forever bright & unbroken. —

I invited you to come here, my Children, that you might hear, with your own ears, the words of your father; that you might see, with your own eyes, the sincere dispositions of the U.S. towards you. in your journey to this place you have seen great numbers of your white brothers; you have been received by them as brothers, have been treated kindly & hospitably, & you have seen & can tell your people that their hearts are now sincerely with you. This is the first time I have ever addressed your Chiefs, in person, at the Seat of Government. It will also be the last. sensible that I am become too old to watch over the extensive concerns of the Seventeen States & their territories, I requested my fellow Citizens to permit me to retire to live with my family and to choose another President for themselves, and father for you. they have done so; and in a short time, I shall retire & resign into his hands the care of your and our Concerns. be assured, my Children; that he will have the same friendly dispositions towards you which I have had, & that you will find in him a true and affectionate father. Indeed, this is now the disposition of all our people towards you. They look upon you as brethren, born in the same land, & having the same interests. Tell your people therefore, to entertain no uneasiness on account of this change; for there will be no change as to them. deliver to them my Adieux, and my prayers to the Great Spirit for their happiness. tell them that, during my administration, I have held their hand fast in mine; & that I will put it into the hand of their New father, who will hold it as I have done.—”

Th: Jefferson

Black Hoof (1731-1831) the Shawnee chief called Ca-ta-he-cassa, fought for 40 years to hold lands north of the Ohio River. But he reconciled to peaceful association with the Euro-Americans after he signed the Treaty of Greene Ville. Black Hoof, who at the time of his death was rumored to be 100 years old, died near Wapakoneta, Ohio. (Photo is courtesy of touringohio.com)

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TREATY OF EASTON (1758): THE PROMISE TO UNPROMISE

admin — Mon, 19 Jan 2026 20:13:14 +0000

The week was chaotic, but at its end a mutual concurrence was forged, the official date being October 26th, 1758. In its Genesis, the result was alluded to be spectacular; 13 Chiefs from who represented the Iroquois, Lenape, and Shawnee established a written negotiation for possession and repossession of lands throughout the Ohio Valley. The head of this proceeding was Conrad Weiser, who served as supreme interpreter between the Indians and White Settlers; another man by the name of Charles Thomson served as a secretary and “advisor” to Chief Teedyuscung ³, a King of the Delaware nation.

The purpose of the treaty was to eliminate the support of the French by Native American tribes in the Ohio Valley in exchange for some of their lands being returned to them; also in exchange, the British Government promised to recognize Indian tribes to be permitted to hunt on the grounds along the Ohio River valley and refrain from establishing settlements west of the Allegheny Mountains (which belonged to the Iroquois and Algonquian tribes originally). All agreements were mutually granted and respected by each tribe and colonists; the Native tribes even received a payout of one thousand Spanish dollars to procure the whole deal! Did this treaty last? Of course not. The tribes were promised “eternal possession” for lands west of the Appalachians; but a few tears later, in 1763, the British Crown procured the Proclamation Line of 1763, which restricted any settlements in that area that this treaty originally “guaranteed”.

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SHINGAS: HERO/OUTLAW OF THE OHIO COUNTRY 🦃

admin — Sat, 29 Nov 2025 13:17:56 +0000

“WE HAVE GREAT REASON TO BELIEVE YOU INTEND TO DRIVE US AWAY. WHY DO YOU COME TO FIGHT IN THE LAND GOD HAS GIVEN US? WHY DON’T YOU FIGHT IN THE OLD COUNTRY AND ON THE SEA? WHY DO YOU COME TO FIGHT ON OUR LAND?” SHINGAS

Shingas (1740-1763?) was a noted chief of the Turkey Clan of the Delaware; he was also a brother of King (Tamaqua) Beaver (an immensely famous chief as well in our region). Many authorities (chiefs) of the Ohio Valley region proclaimed him a nephew of the infamous Sassoonan, another famous chief of the region. Shingas carved a bloodthirsty reputation in the Allegheny Mountains and the Ohio valley region, and he had reason to.

Shingas did become a king in 1752 (this claim was announced at Logstown by Tanacharison, a well-known chief in the Beaver County and surrounding areas), a time when Beaver County was not in existence, but had accrued a bloody and violent history between White Settlers and various Iroquois and Algonquin tribes. The direct quote from Chief Tannacharison is as follows, “that is our right to give you a King” to represent the Lenape in “all publick Business” between the Lenape, the Six Nations, and the British.” Tanacharison announced to the Virginia commissioners, “we have given our Cousins, the Delawars, a King, who lives there, we desire you will look upon him as a Chief of that Nation.” Shingas was absent from the treaty conference, so Tamaqua (Shingas brother, King Beaver) “stood proxy for his brother and was presented with a lace hat and jacket and suit.” In another preserved journal by the Virginia Commissioners, the following is recorded verbatim, “The Journal of the Virginia Commissioners to this treaty, under date of June 11th, describes his coronation as follows: “Afterwards the Half King [Tanacharison] spoke to the Delawares: ‘Nephews, you received a speech last year from your brother, the Governor of Pennsylvania and from us, desiring you to choose one of the wisest councellors, and present him to us for a King. As you have not done it, we let you know it is our right to give you a King, and we think proper to give you Shingas for your King, whom you must look upon as your head chief, and with whom all public business must be transacted between you and your brethren, the English. On which the Half King put a laced hat on the head of The Beaver, who stood proxy for his brother, Shingas, and presented him with a rich jacket and a suit of English clothes, which had been delivered to the Half King by the Commissioners for that ⁴purpose.”

The trouble and conflict with white settlers escalated with the building of Fort Pitt. (Present day Point State Park in Downtown Pittsburgh.) The struggle to control this area of Beaver and Allegheny County was between Great Britain and France and the Six Nations of the Iroquois (“Haudenosaunee”, Iroquois name pronounced HOH-din-oh-SHOH-nee); at this time, the Delaware Tribes (Delaware were Algonquian Indians) were looked upon as inferior to the Iroquois who claimed to the French and English that they owned the lands. (This would include ALL present-day Allegheny and Beaver and Butler County.) Shingas, however, did not recognize Iroquois authority; consequently, he began his own raids on the white settlements established in the areas, even as far as Virginia. Shingas and a band of loyal followers took part in a dark and bloody campaign throughout all the frontier country of Pennsylvania, carving out a fearless and violent reputation as a warrior and zealous Delaware Indian. Even declining to assist George Washington at Fort Necessity, Shingas continued his terrible campaign through regions of Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, Beaver County, Butler County, and even as far as Crawford County. ⁵ However, there is mention of him by Washington himself in his journal in 1753 when he travelled to the French forts in the region; he discovered Shingas residing in what is now McKees Rocks near present-day Pittsburgh and commented on the following, “About two miles from this [the Forks of the Ohio], on the Southeast side of the River at ‘a place where the Ohio Company intended to erect a fort, lives Shingas, King of the Delawares. We called upon him to invite him to council at the Logs Town. Shingas attended us to the Logs Town, where we arrived between sun setting and dark on the 25th day after I left Williamsburg.” Shingas did participate in the discussions at Logstown and then left for the villages of Venango and Le Beouf.

In 1754, we discover Shingas again in the history of our area. He met with two diplomats by the names of George Croghan and Andrew Montour at Logstown. For this occasion, Shingas was joined by two other famous chiefs by the names of “Delaware George” and “Scarouady”. The primary purpose for Shingas was to present a requisition to the Governor of Virginia to consider building a “strong-house” at the forks of the Ohio River; just before the closing of these proceedings, Shingas rose from his place and spoke the following, “Brother Onas: I am glad to hear all our people here are of one mind. It is true I live on the river side, which is the French road, and I assure you by these strings of wampum [gave them strings of wampum] that I will neither go down or up, but will remove nearer to my brethren, the English, where I can keep our women and children safe from the enemy.” Shingas did not keep this promise; he sided with the French. After Braddock’s defeat, Shingas continued his bloody and ruthless reputation on the Ohio Valley frontier in unfathomable ways. During much of the French and Indian War, he spent his time convincing other tribes of the region such as Kittanning, Logstown and Sawkunk (a now famous Indian village near present-day Bridgewater/Rochester) to indulge in resisting against any white settler arriving in the region.

Unsurprisingly, the white settlers in our region were not able to effectively extinguish Shingas hit and raid tactics that he and his warriors were infamously known for. As his reputation grew, the colonial governments of both Pennsylvania and Virginia offered a substantial reward for his capture or death. His two most famous acts of cruelty are the burning of Fort McCord and the capture and killing of members of the Knox and Martin families. In one incident, some members of the families were sold like cattle to other frontiersman for rum or blankets.

However, it was during the Kittanning Expedition that Shingas mystically vanished from history. This incursion of the French and Indian War left the Delaware’s without an official residence in the area, forcing them to relocate to present day Ohio. According to some unverifiable accounts, Shingas may have contracted smallpox and met his end. Still, some say he was killed by White Settlers while on route to Ohio, as his fearless and bloody reputation had finally caught up with him. In another account, his brother, King Beaver (remember, whom the town of Beaver is referred), may have manipulated his brother into moving out of the area as they did not agree on how White Settlers should be dealt with. There is no evidence in existence at this time of how Shingas met his end. In the last of authentic historical narrative, Shingas is mentioned in taking part in the siege of Fort Pitt in July of 1763; from this incident, he is mentioned no longer.

Shingas bloodthirsty and despicable reputation entertains a higher level of indifference among scholars and local historians; however, his legacy on the Pennsylvania/Ohio frontier is legendary. He is, perhaps, the first ‘outlaw’ in our area; albeit, to his people, he was a man of intense loyalty, courage, and compassion who protected them from the expansion and settlements of White Authority.

On a final note, although Shingas and King Beaver are ‘credited’ as being Kings, it is highly unlikely, because of the Delaware traditions in place at the time, which could not have made them so. To be a TRUE KING, you had to be a ‘member’ of the ‘Turtle Clan’ and not the ‘Turkey Clan’ in order to be a TRUE KING of the DELAWARE. Does this tarnish the brothers’ reputations or their contributions to the development of our area? I think not.

In closing, I think it proper to include of what we have of Shingas reputation as a warrior. It is from Reverend Heckewelder (A missionary of the Moravian Church in Pennsylvania), one of the LEADING authorities on Delaware Indian history and custom. He wrote the following on Shingas:

“Were his war exploits on record, they would form an interesting document, though a shocking one. Conococheague, Big Cove, Sherman’s Valley, and other settlements along the frontier, felt his strong arm sufficiently that he was a bloody warrior, cruel his treatment, relentless his fury. His person was small, but in a point of courage and activity, savage prowess, he was said to have never been exceeded by anyone.”

“SHINGAS THE TERRIBLE”

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Letter by George Washington to the Seneca Chiefs, 29 December 1790 🪓🌽

admin — Sat, 15 Nov 2025 14:02:57 +0000

As long as someone else controls your history the truth shall remain just a mystery.

—Ben Harper

A sad and powerful example of how broken promises and dismantled treaties commenced since the founding of our nation predicated to the extinction of another.

To the Seneca Chiefs

[Philadelphia, 29 December 1790]

I, the President of the United States, by my own mouth, and by a written speech signed with my own hand, and sealed with the seal of the United States, speak to the Seneka Nation, and desire their Attention, and that they would keep this speech in remembrance of the friendship of the United States.

I have received your Speech with satisfaction, as a proof of your confidence in the justice of the United States—and I have attentively examined the several objects which you have laid before me, whether delivered by your Chiefs at Tioga point in the last month to Colonel Pickering, or laid before me in the present month by the Cornplanter and the other Seneka Chiefs now in Philadelphia.

In the first place I observe to you, and I request it may sink in your minds, that it is my desire, and the desire of the United States that all the miseries of the late war should be forgotten and buried forever. That in future, the United States and the six nations should be truly brothers, promoting each other’s prosperity by acts of mutual justice & friendship.

I am not uninformed that the six nations have been led into some difficulties with respect to the sale of their lands since the peace. But I must inform you that these arose before the present government of the United States was established, when the separate States, and individuals under their authority, undertook to treat with the Indian tribes respecting the sale of their lands.

But the case is now entirely altered—the general government only has the power to treat with the Indian nations, and any treaty formed and held without its authority will not be binding.

Here then is the security for the remainder of your lands—No state nor person can purchase your lands, unless at some public treaty held under the Authority of the United States. The general Government will never consent to your being defrauded—But it will protect you in all your just rights.

Hear well, and let it be heard by every person in your nation, that the President of the United States declares, that the general government considers itself bound to protect you in all the lands secured to you by the treaty of Fort Stanwix, the 22d of October 1784, excepting such parts as you may since have fairly sold to persons properly authorized to purchase of you.

You complain of John Livingston and Oliver Phelps have obtained your lands, assisted by Mr Street of Niagara, and they have not complied with their agreement.

It appears, upon enquiry of the Governor of New York, that John Livingston was not legally authorized to treat with you, and that every thing he did with you has been declared null and void, so that you may rest easy on that account.

But it does not appear from any proofs yet in the possession of government, that Oliver Phelps has defrauded you.

If, however you should have any just cause of complaint against him, and can make satisfactory proof thereof, the federal Courts will be open to you for redress, as to all other persons.

But your great object seems to be the security of your remaining lands, and I have therefore upon this point, me[a]nt to be sufficiently strong and clear.

That in future you cannot be defrauded of your lands—That you possess the right to sell, and the right of refusing to sell your lands.

That, therefore, the sale of your lands in future, will depend entirely upon yourselves.

But that when you may find it for your interest to sell any parts of your lands, the United States must be present by their Agent, and will by your security that you shall not be defrauded in the Bargain you may make.

It will, however, be important, before you make any further sales of your land, that you should determine among yourselves, who are the persons among you that shall give sure conveyances thereof as shall be binding upon your nation, and forever preclude all disputes relative to the validity of the sale.

That besides the before mentioned security for your land, you will perceive by the law of Congress, for regulating trade and intercourse with the Indian-tribes, the fatherly care the United States intend to take of the Indians. For the particular meaning of this law, I refer you to the explanations given thereof by Colonel Pickering at Tioga, which with the law, are herewith delivered to you.

You have said in your Speech that the game is going away from you, and that you thought it the design of the great spirit, that you should till the ground. But before you speak upon this subject, you want to know whether the United States meant to leave you any land to till?

You know now that all the lands secured to you by the treaty of Fort Stanwix, expecting such parts as you may since have fairly sold are your’s, and that only your own Acts can convey them away—speak therefore your wishes on the subject of tilling the ground. The United States will be happy to afford you every assistance in the only business which will add to your numbers and happiness.

The murders that have been committed upon some of your people, by the bad white men, I sincerely lament and reprobate—and I earnestly hope that the real murderers will be secured and punished as they deserve. This business has been sufficiently explained to you here by the Governor of Pennsylvania, and by Colonel Pickering on behalf of the United States, at Tioga.

The Senekas may be assured, that the rewards offered for apprehending the murderers, will be continued until they are secured for trial, and that when they shall be apprehended, that they will be tried and punished as if they had killed Whitemen.

Having answered the most material parts of your speech, I shall inform you, that some bad Indians, and the outcast of several tribes who reside at the Miamee Village, have long continued their murders and depredations upon the frontiers laying along the Ohio. That they have not only refused to listen to my voice inviting them to peace, but that upon receiving it, they renewed their incursions and murders with greater violence than ever. I have therefore been obliged to strike those bad people, in order to make them sensible of their madness. I sincerely hope they will harken to reason, and not require to be further chastised. The United States desire to be the friends of the Indians, upon terms of justice & humanity—But they will not suffer the depredations of the bad people to go unpunished.

My desire is that you would caution all the Senekas and six nations to prevent their rash young men from joining the Miamee Indians. For the United States cannot distinguish the tribes to which bad Indians belong, and every tribe must take care of their own people.

The merits of the Cornplanter and his friendship for the United States are well known to me, and shall not be forgotten—And as a mark of the esteem of the United States, I have directed the Secretary of War to make him a present of Two hundred and fifty dollars, either in money or goods, as the Cornplanter shall like best—And he may depend upon the future care and kindness of the United States—And I have also directed the Secretary of War to make suitable presents to their other Chiefs present in Philadelphia—and also that some further tokens of friendship to be forwarded to the other Chiefs now in their nation.

Remember my words, Senekas, continue to be strong in your friendship for the United States, as the only rational

ground of your future happiness—and you may rely upon their kindness and protection.

An Agent shall soon be appointed to reside in some place convenient to the Senekas and six nations—He will represent the United States—apply to him on all occasions.

If any man brings you evil reports of the intentions of the United States, mark that man as your enemy, for he will mean to deceive you, and lead you into trouble. The United States will be true & faithful to their engagements. Given under my hand, and the Seal of the United States at the City of Philadelphia, this twenty ninth day of December, in the year of our Lord One thousand seven hundred & ninety one, and in the fifteenth year of the sovereignty & Independence of the United States.

The post Letter by George Washington to the Seneca Chiefs, 29 December 1790 🪓🌽 appeared first on BEAVER COUNTY INDIANS.

THE CAPTURE&LEGEND OF JOHN CARPENTER 🪓

admin — Sat, 15 Nov 2025 13:02:47 +0000

While there are many tales of capture and killings all along the areas of the Ohio Valley, few are remembered or even recorded. However, the ones that do survive arrange a puzzle of clear vision and the brutality that was once replete in our area. One of these tales is about an early settler by the name of John Carpenter.

Before one can appreciate the tale, it must be paramount to the reader to comprehend the precise term, in this specific area, what is known as Indian Summer; it is to be understood because this is the time of year whence this tale takes place.

During the severely cold winter months, Indian activity in the area was considerably inactive; the snow and bitter cold could not permit much retaliation or attacks of Indians on white settlers. This proved to be the exact on the side of White Settlers as well. Forest travel was strictly to those who possessed impressive knowledge of deer trails and trusted companions of a certain area. As a result, most Indians in the area would rely on fishing and consumption of dry meat and vegetables to get through the winter months. Subsequently, at various periods in the height of winter, a favorably warm spell would break the merciless cold; it was rightfully called the “Indians Summer.” Early in the month of March, a warm spell entered the landscape of the frigid cold; this produced activity and an advantage to any Indian seeking food or supplies for himself or his family. It was at this time that the legendary John Carpenter of the Ohio Valley found himself in serious danger. Sometime during the night in early March, while attending to his horses in his barn, a commotion was outside, and Mr. Carpenter found himself in the unwanted confrontation of Wyandots. Here they took Carpenter prisoner, along with his two horses; they made him cross the Ohio River, along with his horses, nearly drowning in the frozen water as it was rising in depth because of the early warm thaws from the higher temperatures. Travelling towards the Muskingum River, he entered a Moravian town where the Indians had established peaceful villages with their neighbors. By this time, John Carpenter was not a man without reputation and his captors knew this. In an unsuccessful attempt, they tried to convince him to join them in their quest to fight the British; he played along as well as any astute white settler would do. As some horses made their way in any fashion they pleased in the village, Carpenter secured his escape by riding one out of the village and back towards home; however, this is only one story of his magnificent legacy.

Before he became a well-known Indian fighter, John Carpenter was a soldier in the French and Indian War serving under the command of Colonel George Washington in the Virginia Regiment. Washington said of him “that as he could not run fast, the British or Indians would eventually get him”; the Indians would get him, not once, but twice, and they could not kill him; he fought along the entire Ohio Valley region before establishing the numerous settlements that bear his name. After his service in this war, Mr. Carpenter found his service in the military again, this time in the American Revolution. He served as a Quartermaster Sergeant (a non-commissioned officer) for three years being discharged in 1781. However, his first duty in the American Revolution was, once again, under the command of now General George Washington, at Valley Forge; from there, he joined with Washington in pursuit of the British across New Jersey withdrawing from Philadelphia; this movement led him into the Battle of Monmouth where Washington fought the British to a famous standstill. During his time in service during the American Revolution, he resided in western Pennsylvania which was claimed by the state of Virginia; it is believed he owned a farm and cabin in Washington County, Pennsylvania. Mr. Carpenter had ties with Fort McIntosh, Fort Pitt in Pittsburgh as well as maybe even Logstown because of his connections to the Indians of the region. It is noted in marriage licenses of the time that Mr. Carpenter was married to an Iroquois women of considerable reputation and character as a result of a skirmish in a camp he was residing in at the time. In later years, his wife saved his life during a savage Indian attack on their farm where he was shot and was almost killed by a band of Wyandots. He lived out his final years in Ohio passing away in 1806. Over the years, there continued to be lavish and exaggerated rumors on this man, but he still continues to garner the admiration and attention of story tellers and historians to this day.

“Let us picture the man we are here to honor. According to tradition, he was a short-legged, stocky man, who they said, could not run very fast, that the Indians would surely capture him. But he was not the kind of man who ran; he was the kind who stayed to fight. He was an Ohio Pioneer, and those two words are enough to distinguish any man. But there were many more: John Carpenter began his fight for liberty and for the establishment of our Republic soon after he came to Virginia from England in 1750. He was a neighbor of George Washington and he served under him, both in the French and Indian War and in the American Revolution. In the later years of the Revolution he was sent west of the Alleghenies to assist the settlers fighting the Indians and the British. This, no doubt, gave him a liking for the Ohio Country. So in 1781, he brought his family and settled at the mouth of Short Creek, which flows into the Ohio River near the present site of Warrenton, in Jefferson County. There he built a cabin and established a fort, the site is still known as Carpenter’s Fort.” ⁶

(Photo is courtesy of findagrave.com)

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TREATY OF FORT HARMAR (1789): The Reversal of “Fortune” Treaty 📜

admin — Sun, 02 Nov 2025 19:58:59 +0000

The Treaty of Fort Harmar (1789) was a treaty made between the United States and the Haudenosaunee, Ojibwa Odawa, Potawatomi, Sauk, Wyandot, and Lenape, all Indigenous nations with territorial claims within the European land claim acquired in 1783 by the United States from the Kingdom of Great Britain known as the Northwest Territory.

Although the treaty was supposed to address issues with two earlier treaties, the 1784 Treaty of Fort Stanwix and the 1785 Treaty of Fort McIntosh, it largely reiterated the earlier terminology, with minor changes. The treaty failed to address the most important grievances of the Indigenous nations, namely, the unauthorized settlement of White Americans in the Firelands region of the Western Reserve, which extended into the territory set aside for the Indigenous nations.

The treaty failed to stop the violence and pillage in the region caused by the appropriation of White Americans onto territories held by Indigenous nations. Many other Indian nations were infuriated at the treaty because they perceived the treaty to force land relinquishments and foreign hegemony over. The failure of the treaty led to an escalation of the hostilities as the Western Confederacy resisted the United States invasion. The war would continue for six years and see thousands killed, including some of the worst defeats in U.S. Army history, until the United States defeated the Indigenous alliance at the Battle of Fallen Timbers in 1794. This treaty is just another example of the countless other treaties struck with Indian nations and tribes: A LIE.

Articles of a Treaty Made at Fort Harmar, between Arthur St. Clair, Governor of the Territory of the United States North-West of the River Ohio, and Commissioner Plenipotentiary of the United States of America, for removing all Causes of Controversy, regulating Trade, and settling Boundaries, with the India Nations in the Northern Department, of the one Part; and the Sachems and Warriors of the Wiandot, Delaware, Ottawa, Chippewa, Pattawatima and Sac Naions, on the other Part.

ARTICLE I.

WHEREAS the United States in Congress assembled, did, by their Commissioners George Rogers Clark, Richard Butler, and Arthur Lee, Esquires, duly appointed for that purpose, at a treaty holden with the Wiandot, Delaware, Ottawa and Chippewa nations, at Fort M’lntosh, on the twenty-first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and eighty-five, conclude a peace with the Wyandots, Delawares, Ottawas and Chippewas, and take them into their friendship and protection: And whereas at the said treaty it was stipulated that all prisoners that had been made by those nations, or either of them, should be delivered up to the United States. And whereas the said nations have now agreed to and with the aforesaid Arthur St. Clair, to renew and confirm all the engagements they had made with the United States of America. at the before mentioned treaty except so far as are altered by these presents. And there are now in the possession of some individuals of these nations, certain prisoners, who have been taken by others not in peace with the said United States, or in violation of the treaties subsisting between the United States and them; the said nations agree to deliver up all the prisoners now in their hands (by what means soever they may have come into their possession) to the said Governor St. Clair, at Fort Harmar, or in his absence, to the officer commanding there, as soon as conveniently may be; and for the true performance of this agreement, they do now agree to deliver into his hands, two persons of the Wyandot Nation, to be retained in the hands of the United States as hostages, until the said prisoners are restored; after which they shall be sent back to their nation.

ARTICLE 2

And whereas at the before mentioned treaty it was agreed between the United States and said nations, that a boundary line should be fixed between the lands of those nations and the territory of the United States; which boundary is as follows, viz.-Beginning at the mouth of Cayahoga river, and running thence up the said river to the portage between that and the Tuscarawa branch of Muskingum, then down the said branch to the forks at the crossing-place above fort Lawrence, thence westerly to the portage on that branch of the Big Miami river which runs into the Ohio, at the mouth of which branch the fort stood which was taken by the French in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and fifty-two, then along the said portage to the Great Miami or Omie river, and down the south-east side of the same to its mouth; thence along the southern shore of Lake Erie to the mouth of Cayahoga, where it began. And the said Wyandot, Delaware, Ottawa and Chippewa Nations, for and in consideration of the peace then granted to them by the said United States, and the presents they then received, as well as of a quantity of goods to the value of six thousand dollars, now delivered to them by the said Arthur St. Clair, the receipt whereof they do hereby acknowledge, do by these presents renew and confirm the said boundary line; to the end that the same may remain as a division line between the lands of the United States of America, and the lands of said nations, forever. And the undersigned Indians do hereby in their own names and the names of their respective nations and tribes, their heirs and descendants, for the consideration above-mentioned, release, quit claim, relinquish and cede to the said United States, all the land east, south and west of the lines above described, so far as the said Indians formerly claimed the same; for them the said United States to have and to hold the same in true and absolute propriety forever.

ARTICLE III.

The United States of America do by these presents relinquish and quit claim to the said nations respectively, all the lands lying between the limits above described, for them the said Indians to live and hunt upon, and otherwise to occupy as they shall see fit: But the said nations or either of them, shall not be at liberty to sell or dispose of the same, or any part thereof, to any sovereign power, except the United States; nor to the subjects or citizens of any other sovereign power, nor to the subjects or citizens of the United States.

ARTICLE IV

It is agreed between the said United States and the said nations, that the individuals of said nations shall be at liberty to hunt within the territory ceded to the United States, without hindrance or molestation, so long as they demean themselves peaceably, and offer no injury or annoyance to any of the subjects or citizens of the said United States.

ARTICLE V

It is agreed that if any Indian or Indians of the nations before mentioned, shall commit a murder or robbery on any of the citizens of the United States, the nation or tribe to which the offender belongs, on complaint being made, shall deliver up the person or persons complained of, at the nearest post of the United States; to the end that he or they may be tried, and if found guilty, punished according to the laws established in the territory of the United States north-west of the river Ohio, for the punishment of such offences, if the same shall have been committed within the said territory; or according to the laws of the State where the offence may have been committed, if the same has happened in any of the United States. In like manner, if any subject or citizen of the United States shall commit murder or robbery on any Indian or Indians of the said nations, upon complaint being made thereof, he or they shall be arrested, tried and punished agreeable to the laws of the state or of the wherein the offence was committed; that nothing may interrupt the peace and harmony now established between the United States and said nations.

And whereas the practice of stealing horses has prevailed very much, to the great disquiet of the citizens of the United States, and if persisted in, cannot fail to involve both the United States of America and the Indians in endless animosity, it is agreed that it shall be put an entire stop to on both sides; nevertheless, should some individuals, in defiance of this agreement, and of the laws provided against such offences, continue to make depredations of that nature, the person convicted thereof shall be punished with the utmost severity the laws of the respective states, or territory of the United States north-west of the Ohio, where the offence may have been committed, will admit of: And all horses so stolen, either by the Indians from the citizens or subjects of the United States, or by the citizens or subjects of the United States from any of the Indian nations, may be reclaimed, into whose possession soever they may have passed, and, upon due proof, shall be restored; any sales in market overt. notwithstanding. And the civil magistrates in the United States respectively, and in the territory of the United States north-west of the Ohio, shall give all necessary aid and protection to Indians claiming such stolen horses.

ARTICLE VI

ARTICLE VII

Trade shall be opened with the said nations, and they do hereby respectively engage to afford protection to the persons and property oft such as may be duly licensed to reside among them I or the purposes of trade, and to their agents, factors and servants; but no person shall be permitted to reside at their towns, or at their hunting camps, as a trader, who is not furnished with a license for that purpose, under the hand and seal of the Governor of the territory of the United States north-west of the Ohio, for the time being, or under the hand and seal of one of his deputies for the management of Indian affairs; to the end that they may not be imposed upon in their traffic. And if any person or persons shall intrude themselves without such licence; they promise to apprehend him or them, and to bring them to the said Governor, or one of his deputies, for the purpose before mentioned, to be dealt with according to law: And that they may be defended against persons who might attempt to forge such licenses, they further engage to give information to the said Governor, or one of his deputies, of the names of all traders residing among them from time to time, and at least once in every year.

ARTICLE VIII

Should any nation of Indians meditate a war against the United States, or either of them, and the same shall come to the knowledge of the before mentioned nations, or either of them, they do hereby engage to give immediate notice thereof to the Governor, or in his absence to the officer commanding the troops of the United States at the nearest post. And should any nation with hostile intentions against the United States, or either of them, attempt to pass through their country, they will endeavor to prevent the same, and in like manner give information of such attempt to the said Governor or commanding officer, as soon as possible, that all causes of mistrust and suspicion may be avoided between them and the United States: In like manner the United States shall give notice to the said Indian nations, of any harm that may be meditated against them, or either of them, that shall come to their knowledge; and do all in their power to hinder and prevent the same, that the friendship between them may be uninterrupted.

ARTICLE IX

If any person or persons, citizens or subjects of the United States, or any other person not being an Indian, shall presume to settle upon the lands confirmed to the said nations, he and they shall be out of the protection of the United States; and the said nations may punish him or them in such manner as they see fit.

ARTICLE X

The United States renew the reservations heretofore made in the before mentioned treaty at Fort M’lntosh, for the establishment of trading posts, in manner and form following; that is to say: Six miles square at the mouth of the Miami or Omie river; six miles square at the portage upon that branch of the Miami which runs into the Ohio; six miles square upon the lake Sandusky where the fort formerly stood; and two miles square upon each side the Lower Rapids on Sandusky river, which posts, and the lands annexed to them, shall be for the use and under the government of the United States.

ARTICLE XI

The post at Detroit, with a district of land beginning at the mouth of the river Rosine, at the west end of lake Erie, and running up the southern bank of said river six miles; thence northerly, and always six miles west of the strait. until it strikes the lake St. Clair, shall be reserved for the use of the United States.

ARTICLE XII

In like manner the post at Michilimackinac, with its dependencies, and twelve miles square about the same, shall be reserved to the sole use of the United States.

ARTICLE XIII

The United States of America do hereby renew and confirm the peace and friendship entered into with the said nations, at the treaty before mentioned, held at Fort M’Intosh; and the said nations again acknowledge themselves, and all their tribes, to be under the protection of the said United States, and no other power whatever.

ARTICLE XIV

The United States of America do also receive into their friendship and protection, the nations of the Pattiwatimas and Sacs; and do hereby establish a league of peace and amity between them respectively; and all the articles of this treaty, so far as they apply to these nations, are to be considered as made and concluded in all, and every part, expressly with them and each of them.

ARTICLE XV

And whereas in describing the boundary before mentioned, the words, if strictly constructed, would carry it from the portage on that branch of the Miami, which runs into the Ohio, over to the river Au Glaize; which was neither the intention of the Indians, nor of the Commissioners; it is hereby declared, that the line shall run from the said portage directly to the first fork of the Miami river, which is to the southward and eastward of the Miami village, thence down the main branch of the Miami river to the said village, and thence down that river to Lake Erie, and along the- margin of the lake to the place of beginning.

Done at Fort Harmar, on the Muskingum, this ninth day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and eighty nine.

In witness whereof, the parties have hereunto interchangeably set their hands and seals.

Arthur St. Clair,
Peoutewatamie, his x mark,
Konatikina, his x mark,

Sacs:
Tepakee, his x mark
Kesheylva, his x: mark,

Chippewas:
Mesass, his x mark
Paushquash, his x mark,
Pawasicko, his x mark,

Ottawas:
Wewiskia, his x mark,
Neagey, his x mark,

Pattawatimas:
Windigo, his x mark,
Wapaskea, his x mark,
Nequea, his x mark,

Delawares:
Captain Pipe, his x mark,
Wingenond, his x mark
Pekelan, his x mark,
Teataway, his x mark,

Chippewas:
Nanamakeak, his x mark
Wetenasa, his x mark,
Soskene, his x mark,
Pewanakum, his x mark,

Wyandots:
Teyandatontec, his x mark
Cheyawe, his x mark,
Doueyenteat, his x mark
Tarhe, his x mark,
Terhataw, his x mark,
Datasay, his x mark
Maudoronk, his x mark,
Skahomat, his x mark,

In presence of-

Jos. Harmar, lieutenant-colonel, eommandant, First U. S. Regiment, and brigadier-general by brevet,
Richard Butler,
Jno. Gibson
Will. McCurdey, captain
E. Denny, ensign, First U. S. Regiment,
F. A. Hartshorn. ensign.
Robt. Thompson, ensign, First U. S. Regiment,
Frans. Muse, ensign J. Williams, jr.,
Wm. Wilson,
Joseph Nicholas James Rinkin.

Be it remembered, That the Wyandots have laid claim to the lands that were granted to the Shawanese, at the treaty held at the Miami, and have declared, that as the Shawanese have been so restless, and caused so much trouble, both to them and to the United States, if they will not now be at peace, they will dispossess them, and take the country into their own hands; for that the country is theirs of right, and the Shawanese are only living upon it by their permission. They further lay claim to all the country west of the Miami boundary, from the village to the lake Erie, and declare that it is now under their management and direction.

SEPARATE ARTICLE.

Whereas the Wyandots have represented, that within the reservation from the river Rosine along the Strait, they have two villages from which they cannot with any convenience remove; it is agreed, that they shall remain in possession of the same, and shall not be in any manner disturbed therein.

SEPARATE ARTICLE.

Should a robbery or murder be committed by an Indian or Indians of the said nations upon the citizens or subjects of the United States or any of them, or by the citizens or subjects of the United States or any of them, upon any Indian or Indians of the said nations, the parties accused of the same shall be tried, and, if found guilty, be punished according to the laws of the state, or of the territory of the United States, as the case may be, where the same was committed; and should any horses be stolen, either by the Indians of the said nations from the citizens or subjects of the United States or any of them, or by any of the said citizens and subjects from any of the said Indians, they may be reclaimed, into whose possession soever they may have come; and, upon due proof, shall be restored, any sales in open market notwithstanding. And the parties convicted shall be punished with the utmost severity the laws will admit; and the said nations engage to deliver the parties that may be accused of their nations of either of the before-mentioned crimes, at the nearest post of the United States, if the crime was committed within the territory of the United States, or to the civil authority of the States, if it shall have happened within any of the United States.

ACTUAL PHOTO OF THE TREATY OF HARMAR, 1789. (Photo is courtesy of the National Archives, Washington D.C.)

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THE CINCINNATI TABLET 📜🐢

admin — Sat, 01 Nov 2025 19:32:01 +0000

Measuring approximately 5 inches in length, 3 inches in width, and 0.5 inches thick, the Cincinnati Tablet is made from a very fine-grained sandstone and is undoubtedly the most iconic prehistoric artifact yet found in downtown Cincinnati. It was recovered during the fall of 1841 when a grading team was removing a complex of human-made burial mounds near Fifth and Mound Streets, which today is a large UPS facility just west of Interstate 75. While removing the mound complex in preparation for road construction, workers began to uncover numerous exotic artifacts, including thin copper cut-outs, well made lithic tools, galena ore, mica, shell, bone and copper beads, as well as perforated bear canine pendants, large marine shells, and two polished bone awls or perforators.

The discovery of the Cincinnati Tablet quickly drew an enormous amount of interest and was the first “Adena Tablet” described by science. Within a few weeks of its recovery, the Cincinnati Tablet was exhibited at a meeting of the Western Academy of Natural Sciences. Soon thereafter, it was featured in the December 12th, 1842, edition of the Cincinnati Gazette, and was later described in the American Pioneer of May, 1843. A few years later, the Cincinnati Tablet was even featured in Squier and Davis’ famous 1848 publication The Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley, the very first volume of the Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge. Decades later, interest in the Cincinnati Tablet had not subsided as it was even exhibited in London as part of the 1976 bicentennial tribute to the United States exhibit “Sacred Circles: 2000 Years of North American Indian Art”.

The term “Adena Tablets” refers to a rare type of artifact which has been recovered in contexts that are associated with the Adena culture of the Early Woodland Period (1000-200 B.C.). As many as 13 have been found in Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia. Tablets are engraved in deep bas-relief and are generally made from fine-grained sandstone, although a few Adena Tablets have been found in other materials, including limestone (Wright tablet), shale (Berlin Tablet) and clay (Gaitskill Tablet 1).

Adena tablets can be engraved on one or both sides and are usually carved with highly stylized zoo-morphs (having the shape of an animal) and curvilinear geometric designs. These are often interpreted as raptorial birds and possibly human shaman motifs dressed in animal regalia and masks. More often than not, images are split down the middle of the stylized geometric designs, perhaps placing a heightened importance on bilateral symmetry.

So far the exact use for the mysterious Adena Tablets is unknown. However, a few have been found with red ochre residue (mineral used to manufacture paint and dye) on stylized surfaces. This leads some archaeologists to believe that the tablets could have been used as stamps for body or fabric decoration. It may also be that the tablets were used for other purposes such as imprinting on pottery or as stenciling aides for tattooing. Several tablets—Cincinnati Tablet included—also have deep grooves opposite the side with curvilinear geometric engravings, which some archaeologists interpret as grooves for sharpening bone awls or needles. The sharpened bone implements could then be used in conjunction with the curvilinear designs to tattoo the designs onto the body permanently.

The Cincinnati Tablet, estimated to be about 2,000 years old, was discovered during 19th-century construction in downtown Cincinnati. (Photo is courtesy of the Cincinnati Museum Center.)

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Fort Ancient tools found in Maysville, Kentucky

admin — Sat, 01 Nov 2025 19:23:37 +0000

Many of these primitive tools belonged to various tribes of the Algonquian peoples who primarily inhabited West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. They are most likely descents of the Adena culture that once dominated the entire Eastern Woodland geographics. These are some of the earliest tools found from these Indigenous peoples.

A selection of Fort Ancient culture tools, including awls, discoidals, pipes and projectile points on display in a museum in Maysville, Kentucky . Some of the articles are from the Fox Fields site.

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MESINGW (Missing) 🐢

admin — Sun, 28 Sep 2025 17:12:18 +0000

Mesingw is the Lenape Mask Spirit, a powerful, sacred medicine spirit who maintains the balance of nature, appears to Lenape men in dreams, and is the focus of certain traditional Lenape religious rituals. Some people (especially non-Natives) have begun associating Mesingw with Bigfoot recently, but this is not a traditional view– many Native American tribes do indeed have sasquatch/hairy man legends but the Lenape Mask Spirit is not one of them. Mising is usually depicted as a supernatural face with one half colored red and the other half colored black. Mising is the protector of all animals of the forest but is most strongly associated with deer. Some Lenape people describe Mising as taking humanoid form and riding through the woods on the back of a deer, helping respectful hunters, and punishing those who despoil the forest.

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