Coocoochee facts for kids
Coocoochee was a very important Mohawk leader and a special kind of healer called a medicine woman. She was born around 1740 near Montreal, a big city in Canada today. But she spent most of her life far away in a place called the Ohio Country. Here, she lived among the Shawnee people. Their war chief, Blue Jacket, was a famous leader.
Coocoochee was born into the important Wolf Clan. Later, she married a warrior from the Bear Clan. Among the Shawnee, she was known for her amazing healing skills. She was especially good at making and using plant-based medicines. People also respected her because they believed she could connect with the spiritual world. Besides healing, she was often asked for advice on important matters. This included decisions about battles and how Native American groups should get along with American settlers.
When Coocoochee was a teenager, big wars started between different groups of settlers. These wars, sometimes called inter-colonial wars, spread to the Ohio River. Eventually, the fighting reached Coocoochee's home village near Montreal. Because of these wars, her family had to leave. She and her husband had two young children at the time. They walked about 700 miles to find a new home in central Ohio. This is where they stayed for the rest of her life.
From 1769 to 1777, Coocoochee and her family lived with the Shawnee people in Ohio. They settled on the west side of the Scioto River. Their town was led by Blue Jacket, a powerful Shawnee war chief.
Coocoochee's Family Life
Coocoochee married a Mohawk warrior named Cokundiawsaw. This happened sometime between 1754 and 1763. Before they moved to Ohio, they had four children together. They had one daughter and three sons.
