Kispoko facts for kids
The Kispoko (also spelled Kiscopocoke or Kispokotha) is the name of one of the five main groups, or divisions, of the Shawnee people. The Shawnee are a Native American tribe. During the 1700s, the Kispoko were the smallest of these five divisions.
They lived with the Creek people in the southern parts of what is now the United States as early as 1650. They had been forced to leave their homeland in the Ohio area by the Iroquois Confederacy during a time known as the Beaver Wars. The Kispoko returned to Ohio around 1759.
The other four Shawnee divisions were the Chalahgawtha, Mekoche, Pekowi, and Hathawekela. These divisions worked together to form the larger Shawnee tribe. Each division often had different roles within the tribe. For example, the Kispoko division traditionally provided the tribe's war chiefs. These chiefs inherited their leadership roles through their father's family line.
Historians believe that most of the Kispoko moved west of the Mississippi River in the early 1800s. This was during a time called the Indian Removal. However, some Kispoko people stayed in the Midwest. Today, some groups in Ohio and Indiana identify as Kispoko Shawnee descendants. Neither of these groups is officially recognized by the state or federal governments.
Kispoko in Ohio History
One important Shawnee village was called Peckuwe. It was located near what is now Springfield, Ohio. This village was home to both the Peckuwe and Kispoko divisions in the late 1700s.
During the Battle of Piqua on August 8, 1780, American settlers fought against the Shawnee. The settlers won, and the village of Peckuwe was destroyed. Today, a group called the Piqua Sept of Ohio Shawnee Tribe has placed a special cedar pole to remember this history. It is located in the George Rogers Clark Historical Park.
Another Shawnee settlement in Ohio was known as "Kispoko Town." This town was on the east side of the [Scioto] river. It was across from the Pickaway Plains, between what are now Circleville and Chillicothe. The Chalahgawtha division of the Shawnee lived in Kispoko Town. Famous leaders like Chief Cornstalk and his sister, Grenadier Squaw, lived there. Grenadier Squaw was known for being very tall, about six and a half feet!
Modern Kispoko Groups
In 2013, a group called the Kispoko Sept of Ohio Shawnee (Hog Creek Reservation) was listed as living in Cridersville, Ohio. However, records from 1880 show that many Shawnee, including those from the Hog Creek area, moved to eastern Kansas in 1832. They received money for their lands at that time. A list from 1832 names the people from the Hog Creek Band who moved to Kansas.
Another group, the Upper Kispoko Band of the Shawnee Nation, was listed in Kokomo, Indiana in 2013. This group is an unrecognized tribe. This means they are not officially recognized by the U.S. government.
