Captain Pipe facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Captain Pipe
Hopocan, Konieschquanoheel
Statue of Hopocan (Captain Pipe) in Barberton, Ohio
Lenape, Wolf Clan leader
Preceded by	Custaloga
Personal details
Born	c. 1725? or 1740
Died	c. 1818?
Relations	Uncle, Custaloga
Children	Son, Captain Pipe, and other children

Captain Pipe (born around 1725 or 1740 – died around 1818) was an important leader of the Lenape people. His Lenape name was Hopocan (meaning "tobacco pipe") and also Konieschquanoheel (meaning "Maker of Daylight"). He was a Head Peace Chief and later a War Chief of the Lenape, an Algonquian-speaking tribe. He took over as chief from his uncle, Custaloga, by 1773. Captain Pipe was likely born in what is now Pennsylvania and later moved with his people to eastern Ohio.

Even though Hopocan tried to stay neutral during the American Revolutionary War, he eventually allied with the British. This happened after many of his family and people were killed in attacks by American colonists. After the war, he moved his people further into the Ohio Country. He worked to protect Lenape land by making treaties with the Continental Congress, which was the government of the new United States. However, American settlers kept moving onto Lenape lands.

Around 1812, he moved with his people west into what is now Indiana. Some stories say he died there. By 1821, most of the Lenape were moved to Kansas, which was then called Indian Territory. The United States government put a lot of pressure on Native Americans to move from all areas east of the Mississippi River. This policy was later made official by the Indian Removal Act of 1830.

Biography of Captain Pipe

Early Life and Lenape Traditions

In Lenape culture, people often had different names. Their "real" names were kept private to protect them. They might also get new names or nicknames as they grew up or achieved important things. Konieschquanoheel was Captain Pipe's private name. His public name was Hopocan, which meant "tobacco pipe." Because of this name and his role as a chief, the British called him Captain Pipe. This is the name often found in old historical records.

Captain Pipe was born into the Wolf Clan of his mother. The Lenape have a matrilineal system. This means children get their social status and clan from their mother's family. In this system, a mother's oldest brother was very important in her children's lives. He often served as a mentor for boys, teaching them about tribal life.

We don't know much about Captain Pipe's early years. He was probably born around 1725 near the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania. His uncle, Chief Custaloga, was a hereditary chief, and Captain Pipe later took his place. Captain Pipe likely spent his early years in villages like Custaloga's Town or Cussewago, both in Pennsylvania.

Becoming a Leader

Captain Pipe, known as Hopocan, first appears in historical records in 1759. He was among the warriors at a meeting at Fort Pitt. This meeting was organized by Sir William Johnson, a British agent who worked with Native American tribes. He wanted the Iroquois, Lenape, and Shawnee to ally with Great Britain during the Seven Years' War (also called the French and Indian War in North America). This war was fought between the British and the French from 1754 to 1763.

Captain Pipe's uncle, Custaloga, moved his group from Pennsylvania into what is now Ohio. In 1762, the Lenape allowed a Moravian missionary named Christian Frederick Post to build a cabin in Ohio. Captain Pipe was given the job of marking the land for Post. He attended more meetings at Fort Pitt in 1765 and 1768. These meetings brought together many different tribes, including the Iroquois, Lenape, Shawnee, and Wyandot. After the British won the Seven Years' War, they suggested creating a special area for Native Americans west of the Appalachian Mountains. However, British colonial governments couldn't stop settlers from moving into this area. By 1773, Captain Pipe became the chief of the Lenape Wolf Clan, taking over from his uncle Custaloga.

The American Revolutionary War

During the American Revolution, Captain Pipe tried to stay neutral. He didn't want to fight against the American rebels. But in 1778, an American general named Edward Hand attacked neutral Lenape villages. Hand killed Captain Pipe's mother, brother, and some of his children. After this tragedy, Captain Pipe's neutrality ended.

In 1778, Captain Pipe and other Lenape leaders signed the first treaty between the Continental Congress (the American government) and Native American peoples. Later that year, an American commander asked the Lenape for permission to march through their land to attack Fort Detroit, which was held by the British. Captain Pipe and other chiefs agreed. They asked the Americans to build a fort to protect the Lenape from the British and from American settlers. So, Fort Laurens was built in eastern Ohio. However, the American commander then demanded that Lenape warriors help them capture Fort Detroit.

Captain Pipe and many Lenape bands began to feel that the Americans couldn't protect them. They started to seek an alliance with the British. In 1778, Pipe and his followers who supported fighting moved away from the Tuscarawas area to the Walhonding River.

In 1781, an American colonel named Daniel Brodhead attacked and destroyed this village. This attack completely ended Captain Pipe's neutrality. Captain Pipe became a strong leader of the Lenape who supported the British. He moved his people to "Pipe's Town" near the Sandusky River in Ohio. Captain Pipe spent the rest of the war fighting against American expansion into the Ohio Country.

In 1782, Pipe helped defeat the Crawford Expedition, led by William Crawford. The Lenape warriors sought revenge for the Gnadenhutten massacre, where nearly 100 Lenape people had been killed. After capturing Crawford, the warriors killed him. American witnesses reported that Crawford was subjected to a ritual before his death.

After the Revolution

Captain Pipe continued to resist white settlers moving into the Ohio Country. This area was now called the Northwest Territory by the United States.

In 1788, when settlers arrived at what is now Marietta, Ohio, they found Captain Pipe and about seventy warriors in the area. A general named Josiah Harmar described him as a "manly old fellow, and much more of a gentleman than the generality of the frontier people." By this time, he was often called "Old Pipe." He was believed to be around forty-eight years old. He also lived in other villages in Ohio, where the Lenape held many ceremonies.

In 1791, Captain Pipe took part in the battle that led to St. Clair's defeat, a major loss for the American forces. He was also likely present at the Battle of Fallen Timbers.

Historians believe that between 1793 and 1795, Hopocan had his main camp at Jerometown, Ohio. In his later years, he lived with his people along various rivers in Ohio. Early white settlers in the area of what is now Jeromesville found Lenape people living there. Stories from settlers and the Lenape say that Old Captain Pipe lived there until 1812.

By the 1810s, Captain Pipe realized that his people had little chance against the growing number of Americans. He began to negotiate treaties with the United States government. However, settlers often broke these agreements and moved onto land set aside for the Lenape. In the spring of 1812, Old Captain Pipe and his people moved west again. Some reports say they lived near what is now Orestes in Indiana. The Treaty of St. Mary's in 1818 gave the tribes three years before they had to move from Indiana to Kansas. They moved peacefully in 1821. Chief Pipe is said to have died around 1818 near Orestes and is supposedly buried there. Other reports claim he moved to Canada and died there.

Captain Pipe had a son, who was also known as Captain Pipe. This son signed many treaties and moved with the Lenape people to Kansas.