Meshemethequater (1690 or 1691–1758) also known as Big Hominy, Great Huminy, Misemeathaquatha, Missemediqueety, or Big Hannoana was a

Pekowi Pekowi was the name of one of the five divisions (or bands) of the Shawnee, a Native American people, during the 18th century. The other four divisions were the Chalahgawtha, Mekoche, Kispoko, and Hathawekela. Together these divisions formed the l ...

Shawnee The Shawnee are an Algonquian-speaking indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands. In the 17th century they lived in Pennsylvania, and in the 18th century they were in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, with some bands in Kentucky a ...

chief from western Pennsylvania. Although he was a respected warrior, he is best known for participating in peace conferences that prevented war between English settlers and the Shawnees. In 1745 he joined

Peter Chartier Peter Chartier (16901759) (Anglicized version of Pierre Chartier, sometimes written Chartiere, Chartiers, Shartee or Shortive) was a fur trader of mixed Shawnee and French parentage. Multilingual, he later became a leader and a band chief among ...

and other Shawnees who chose loyalty to

New France New France (french: Nouvelle-France) was the area colonized by France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Great Britain and Spai ...

, but after three years he returned to Pennsylvania and apologized. His date and place of death are unknown.

Early life and family

He was the son of Tamenebuck Cornstalk and a grandson of Straight Tail Meaurroway Opessa (1630-1709). He was a cousin of

(1690-1759), another grandson of Straight Tail Meaurroway Opessa.Greene, Don. ''Shawnee Heritage'' X S-T 1700-1750, 2015. At the time of his birth, Opessa's band of Pekowi Shawnee had just arrived in what is now western Pennsylvania and were camped where the

Ohio River The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illino ...

forks into the

Monongahela River The Monongahela River ( , )—often referred to locally as the Mon ()—is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed August 15, 2011 river on the Allegheny Plateau in North Cen ...

and the

Allegheny River The Allegheny River ( ) is a long headwater stream of the Ohio River in western Pennsylvania and New York (state), New York. The Allegheny River runs from its headwaters just below the middle of Pennsylvania's northern border northwesterly into ...

, the present-day site of

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

. One source states that in 1711 Meshemethequater married an older sister of

Nonhelema Nonhelema Hokolesqua (–1786) was an 18th century Shawnee leader and sister of Cornstalk. She was a participant in Pontiac's War and advocated Shawnee neutrality during the American Revolutionary War. Following the war, and despite her support ...

(1718–1786), but nothing is known of his children.

Career

1739 peace conference

He was a chief by 1738 and came with his father (Tamenebuck), Cacowatchike,

Neucheconeh Neucheconeh (Floruit, fl. 1732–1748), also known as Newcheconner, Nocheknonee, Neucheconner, Neucheconno, Neucheconer, Nowchekano, Nawchikana, Neuchconna, Nuckegunnah, Neuchyconer or Nechikonner was a Pekowi Shawnee chief from western Pennsylvani ...

, and other Shawnee chiefs to a peace treaty conference in Philadelphia with

Thomas Penn Thomas Penn (8 March 1702 – 21 March 1775) was an English landowner and mercer who was the chief proprietor of Pennsylvania from 1746 to 1775. Penn is best known for his involvement in negotiating the Walking Purchase, a contested land cessi ...

, from 27 July to 1 August 1739.Charles Augustus Hanna, ''The Wilderness Trail: Or, The Ventures and Adventures of the Pennsylvania Traders on the Allegheny Path,'' Volume 1, Putnam's sons, 1911
/ref> Colonial authorities were concerned about the migration of Shawnee and Lenape communities from Pennsylvania to the Ohio River valley, where it was feared that they would become allies of

. Population pressure from increasing numbers of European colonists had reduced the availability of game for hunting, creating problems for the Indian populations which subsisted largely on game during the winter months. This westward shift of Shawnee communities led to the migration of many to the Ohio River Valley. Secretary James Logan told the Shawnee,

Since your nation first left their settlement near
Paxtang Paxtang is a borough in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 1,640. The borough is a suburb of Harrisburg and is one of the earliest colonial settlements in South Central Pennsylvania. History ...
, on the west side of the Susquehanna, and retired to so great a distance as the River Ohio, or Allegheny, this Government has ever been desirous of a conference with some of your chiefs. Some of your older men may undoubtedly remember that about forty years ago a considerable number of families of your nation thought it fit to remove from the great river that bears your name,George P. Donehoo, "The Shawnee in Pennsylvania," ''Western Pennsylvania Historical Magazine,'' vol 7, No 3:178-87; January, 1924; Western Pennsylvania Historical Society
/ref> where your principal correspondence was with those of the French nation.

A new treaty was concluded at this council, in which it was declared that the Shawnees had moved from their former home on the Susquehanna to the Allegheny. Although Meshemethequater voiced approval for the treaty, his signature does not appear on the printed page.

1743 peace conference

After a series of violent conflicts between Indians and white settlers, including the Battle of Galudoghson, Meshemethequater,

Sassoonan Sassoonan or Allumapees (c. 1675 - 15 October, 1747) was a Lenni Lenape chief who lived in Pennsylvania in the late 17th and early 18th century. He was known for his negotiations with the Provincial government of Pennsylvania in several land purc ...

and other chiefs from the Six Nations (including

Shikellamy Shikellamy (1680 - December 6, 1748), also spelled Shickellamy and also known as Swatana, was an Oneida chief and overseer for the Iroquois confederacy. In his position as chief and overseer, Shikellamy served as a supervisor for the Six Nations, ...

), the

Tuscaroras The Tuscarora (in Tuscarora ''Skarù:ręˀ'', "hemp gatherers" or "Shirt-Wearing People") are a Native American tribe and First Nations band government of the Iroquoian family, with members today in New York, USA, and Ontario, Canada. They co ...

, and the

Lenape The Lenape (, , or Lenape , del, Lënapeyok) also called the Leni Lenape, Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. Their historical territory includ ...

met with

Conrad Weiser Conrad Weiser (November 2, 1696 – July 13, 1760), born Johann Conrad Weiser, Jr., was a Pennsylvania Dutch (German) pioneer who served as an interpreter and diplomat between the Pennsylvania Colony and Native American nations. Primarily a fa ...

and

Andrew Montour Andrew Montour ( – 1772), also known as Sattelihu, Eghnisara,Hagedorn, 57 and Henry,Montour was also called Henry, possibly due to the similarity of sound with the French ''"Andre".'' was an important mixed Language interpretation, interpr ...

at the village of Shamokin on 4 February 1743, and received

wampum Wampum is a traditional shell bead of the Eastern Woodlands tribes of Native Americans. It includes white shell beads hand-fashioned from the North Atlantic channeled whelk shell and white and purple beads made from the quahog or Western Nort ...

from Weiser, who was trying to persuade the Shawnees not to attack English traders living on the Allegheny, to prevent war from erupting. Weiser described Meshemethequater as "A captain of war, and a very noted man among the Shawonese; the English call him the Great Huminy." Ultimately, the negotiations were successful.

Travels with Chartier, 1745-1748

He was with his cousin

, and about 400 Shawnees on 18 April 1745, when they robbed eight English traders of their goods on the

.Charles Augustus Hanna, ''The Wilderness Trail: Or, The Ventures and Adventures of the Pennsylvania Traders on the Allegheny Path,'' Volume 2, Putnam's sons, 1911
/ref> He then went with Chartier to the Ohio River Valley and stayed in

Lower Shawneetown Lower Shawneetown, also known as Shannoah or Sonnontio, was an 18th-century Shawnee village located within the Lower Shawneetown Archeological District, near South Portsmouth in Greenup County, Kentucky and Lewis County, Kentucky. The population ...

until 24 June 1745,"Anonymous Diary of a Trip from Detroit to the Ohio River, May 22 - August 24, 1745," in ''PAPIERS CONTRECOEUR Le Conflit Angelo - Francias Sur L' Ohio De 1745 a 1756.'' English translation of documents in the Quebec Seminary by Donald Kent, 1952
/ref> when he went with Chartier to Kentucky, where they established the community of Eskippakithiki.Lucien Beckner, "Eskippakithiki, The Last Indian Town in Kentucky," ''The Filson Club History Quarterly,'' Vol. 6, No. 4, Oct 1932. Louisville, KY, pp 355-382
/ref>Craig Thompson Friend, ed. ''The Buzzel About Kentuck: Settling the Promised Land.'' University Press of Kentucky, 2014.
/ref> In 1747 he accompanied Chartier's band of Shawnees to Tennessee, Alabama and South Carolina. In mid-1748, Meshemethequater and other Shawnee leaders apparently had misgivings about leaving Pennsylvania and returned to Lancaster with part of Chartier's band. In council with

Scarouady Scarouady (also spelled Scarowady, Scarrouady, Scaroyady, Scarujade, Scaiohady, Skaronyade, Scaronage, Scruniyatha, Seruniyattha, or Skaruntia) was an Oneida tribe, Oneida leader at Logstown. He was sometimes referred to as Monacatuatha (also rend ...

on 20 July they submitted an apology for having joined with Chartier. In a letter to

dated 23 June 1748 Anthony Palmer, President of the Pennsylvania Provincial Council, says of the repentant Shawnees:

...they relented, made acknowledgment to the Government of their error in being seduced by Peter Chartier, and prayed they might be permitted to return to their old Town, and be taken again as sincere penitents into the favor of the Government.

Return to Lower Shawneetown

Meshemethequater returned to Lower Shawneetown in 1750, and met

George Croghan George Croghan (c. 1718 – August 31, 1782) was an Irish-born fur trader in the Ohio Country of North America (current United States) who became a key early figure in the region. In 1746 he was appointed to the Onondaga Council, the governin ...

, Robert Callander and

Christopher Gist Christopher Gist (1706–1759) was an explorer, surveyor, and frontiersman active in Colonial America. He was one of the first white explorers of the Ohio Country (the present-day states of Ohio, eastern Indiana, western Pennsylvania, and nort ...

there on 30 January 1751,The Journal of Christopher Gist, 1750–1751 From Lewis P. Summers, 1929, Annals of Southwest Virginia, 1769–1800. Abingdon, VA.
/ref> during which he was the chief speaker for the Shawnees and made a warm speech which concluded: "We hope that the Friendship now subsisting between us & our Brothers will last as long as the Sun Shines or the Moon gives light." On 8 February 1752 he signed a letter to Governor James Hamilton, pledging to support the English against the French after the French reportedly killed some Twightwee warriors.Walker, Richard, ''Where is the Legendary Silverheels and other Shawnee Studies,'' Occasional Papers in Muskingum Valley Archeology, 13-15. Muskingum Valley Archeological Survey, 1983; p. 87
/ref> Big Hominy, Loapeckaway (Loyparcowah, Opessa's son), Nickiphock, and Lawackamicky were named as among the chiefs at the Lower Shawneetown in 1752. Meshemethequater and his wife are believed to have died in 1758 during an epidemic.

References

{{reflist 1690 births 1758 deaths Shawnee history History of Pennsylvania Native American leaders 18th-century Native Americans Native American people from Pennsylvania