Kekewepelethy facts for kids

Kekewepelethy (died around 1808), also known as Captain Johnny, was an important leader of the Shawnee people. He was the main civil chief in the Ohio Country during the Northwest Indian War (1786–1795).

Kekewepelethy first became known during the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783). At first, he and many other Shawnees tried to stay neutral. But around 1780, he joined the fight against the United States. He moved to Wakatomika, a Shawnee town known for strongly defending its lands.

After the Revolutionary War, Kekewepelethy disagreed with U.S. officials. They claimed the Shawnees had lost their Ohio Country lands. He believed Native people should unite to stop the U.S. from taking more land. In 1786, he was pressured to sign the Treaty of Fort Finney. This treaty gave away lands in Ohio, but most Shawnees did not accept it.

After the main Shawnee chief, Moluntha, was killed by an American soldier, Kekewepelethy became the new leader. The Native confederacy, led by war chief Blue Jacket, won early battles against the Americans. However, they lost badly at the Battle of Fallen Timbers in 1794. After this defeat, some Shawnee leaders, including Blue Jacket, decided to make peace. They signed the Treaty of Greenville in 1795. This treaty gave what is now southern and eastern Ohio to the United States.

Kekewepelethy refused to sign the treaty. Instead, he moved to the Detroit area, which was still controlled by the British. He tried to restart the war effort, but it didn't work. He spent his last years out of the public eye and likely died in northern Ohio around 1808.

Early Life and the American Revolution

Places linked to Kekewepelethy's life.

We don't know much about Kekewepelethy's early life. The Shawnee people had lived in the Ohio Country before. But in the 1680s, they were forced out by the Iroquois. By Kekewepelethy's time, Shawnees were starting to return to their traditional homeland in Ohio.

Shawnees belonged to five main groups. Kekewepelethy likely belonged to the Mekoche group. This is because he often spoke for other Mekoche leaders. His Native name meant "Great Hawk" or "Tame Hawk." English speakers often called him "Captain Johnny" or "Captain John." For a long time, people didn't realize that Kekewepelethy and Captain Johnny were the same person.

Kekewepelethy first appears in records at the start of the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783). In the Ohio Country, this war was fought between American settlers and Native groups. The Native groups received help from their British allies in Detroit. In 1776, Kekewepelethy met with U.S. agent George Morgan. The Shawnee leader Cornstalk wanted the Shawnees to stay neutral in the war. Kekewepelethy agreed, even after American soldiers killed Cornstalk in 1777. In 1778, he moved to the neutral Lenape village of Coshocton.

Around 1780, Kekewepelethy joined the Native fight against the United States. He moved to Wakatomika, a Shawnee town on the Mad River. Wakatomika became a strong center of resistance against American expansion. The people of Wakatomika were known for being very determined to defend their lands. Kekewepelethy became an important military leader there.

Fighting for Land: The Northwest Indian War

Native towns at The Glaize in 1792.

The 1783 Treaty of Paris ended the Revolutionary War. This treaty gave the Ohio Country to the United States. It did not mention the Native claims to the land. U.S. officials told Native people their lands were taken by "right of conquest." This meant they believed they won the land in the war.

Kekewepelethy refused to accept that the Shawnees were a conquered people. He supported forming a large group of tribes called the Northwestern Confederacy. This group believed that Native lands belonged to all tribes together. They said no land should be given to the U.S. without all tribes agreeing.

The United States did not recognize this Native Confederacy. Instead, they tried to divide the tribes. Some Native leaders were pressured to sign treaties. These treaties gave away Ohio Country land at Fort Stanwix (1784) and Fort McIntosh (1785). Kekewepelethy spoke out against these treaties in May 1785. He met with American officials at Wakatomika. He told them:

"Our ancestors set the Ohio River as the boundary. But you are coming onto our land, given to us by the Great Spirit. We want you to keep your people on your side of the river. We are happy to trade with your traders, but they must not settle in our country. It is clear to us that you want to take our land. We warn you that all our people on this island are strong and united. We are determined to defend it. So, be strong and keep your people within your borders, or we will make them go back to your side of the Ohio."

In 1786, Kekewepelethy was among the Shawnees who met with American officials at Fort Finney. The Americans demanded that the Shawnees also sign a treaty. This treaty would give up lands north of the Ohio River. Kekewepelethy refused, saying the Ohio River was the only acceptable border. He showed them a black wampum belt, meaning he would go to war rather than give in. American official George Rogers Clark knocked the belt off the table. Under the leadership of Moluntha, the main civil chief, the Shawnees finally gave in. They signed the treaty, but most Shawnees rejected it. Kekewepelethy's strong stand against the Americans was remembered by those who wanted to defend their land.

Hostilities continued between the Shawnees and the Kentuckians. In 1786, Kentucky soldiers attacked Shawnee territory. They burned towns and took captives. The elderly Moluntha was killed by an American soldier. The Shawnees rebuilt their towns further north along the Maumee River. Kekewepelethy soon became Moluntha's successor as the main civil chief.

By 1789, Kekewepelethy had his own town, "Captain Johnny's Town." It was on the Auglaize River, near where it joined the Maumee. This town became the center of a group of Native towns called "The Glaize." In 1792, The Glaize became the main base for the Northwestern Confederacy.

In 1787, the United States created the Northwest Territory north of the Ohio River. The governor, Arthur St. Clair, started new treaty talks. He tried to buy lands from Native people instead of claiming them by conquest. In 1789, St. Clair got some Native groups to sign the Treaty of Fort Harmar. But the Shawnees did not sign it. Kekewepelethy worked to strengthen the Northwestern Confederacy. He brought in Miamis and Lenapes to help the Shawnees resist American occupation.

The Confederacy won big victories in the Northwest Indian War. They defeated the Americans in 1790 (Harmar's defeat) and 1791 (St. Clair's defeat). The Shawnees were led in these battles by Blue Jacket, their main war chief.

As a civil chief, Kekewepelethy did not fight in the battles. Instead, he worked as a diplomat and speaker. He talked with other Native leaders and got help from the British in Detroit. In 1793, Kekewepelethy met with Joseph Brant and other Confederacy leaders. Brant suggested making peace by giving the U.S. land east of the Muskingum River. Kekewepelethy strongly disagreed. He insisted that the Ohio River was the only acceptable border. He and Buckongahelas, a Lenape chief, met with U.S. officials. They told the Americans they would only agree to a border along the Ohio River. Kekewepelethy's firm stance won out, and no agreement was reached. The Shawnees and their allies prepared to continue the war.

After the Confederacy lost the Battle of Fallen Timbers in 1794, some Shawnee leaders decided to make peace. These included Blue Jacket, Black Hoof (Catecahassa), and Red Pole (Musquaconocah). They signed the Treaty of Greenville in 1795. This treaty gave what is now southern and eastern Ohio to the United States. Kekewepelethy refused to sign it. With help from British agent Alexander McKee, he kept most Shawnees from attending the treaty meeting. He tried to gather more warriors to continue the fight, but he was unsuccessful.

Later Years and Legacy

General Anthony Wayne negotiating the 1795 Treaty of Greenville with Natives. Kekewepelethy kept most Shawnees away from the treaty.

After the Treaty of Greenville, Kekewepelethy and his followers moved to Swan Creek in northern Ohio. They stayed close to the British. Since Kekewepelethy was not there, Blue Jacket presented Red Pole, his half-brother, as the new Shawnee civil chief to the Americans. In 1796, Blue Jacket and Red Pole met with President George Washington in Philadelphia.

Meanwhile, when Fort Miami was given to the Americans by the British, Kekewepelethy moved. He went to Bois Blanc Island and then Grosse Ile, which were still under British control. Around 1800, he settled again in northern Ohio along the Maumee River. He sometimes led trips to nearby areas, like a trip in 1807 to Russellville, KY to get salt. He is not mentioned in historical records after an illness in 1808. He likely died around that time.

Kekewepelethy is sometimes mixed up with other Native leaders called "Captain Johnny." This includes a younger Shawnee known as "Big Captain Johnny." This younger leader worked with Captain Logan (Spemica Lawba) as a scout for the Americans in the War of 1812. In his later years, American settlers sometimes called Kekewepelethy "King John." This helped tell him apart from the other Captain Johnny.

Kekewepelethy had at least one son, Othowakasica ("Yellow Feather"). His son signed the Treaty of Greenville (1814) and the Treaty of Fort Meigs (1817). In the 1830s, Othowakasica moved to Kansas with other Shawnees.