Pakota ( Yavapai: "Big Man" or Nya-kwa-la-hwa-la "Long Black Fellow") was a 19th-century

Apache The Apache () are a group of culturally related Native American tribes in the Southwestern United States, which include the Chiricahua, Jicarilla, Lipan, Mescalero, Mimbreño, Ndendahe (Bedonkohe or Mogollon and Nednhi or Carrizaleño an ...

/ Yuma/ Yavapai leader.

Career

Pakota and his nephew Takodawa ( Yavapai: "Hanging on a limb,") were Yavapai men. They were picked by General Oliver Otis Howard to attend a peace conference in Washington with President

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...

. Earlier, Grant had called for Indians across the country to attend the conference to bring peace between the tribes and the settlers. Howard wanted Chief

Ohatchecama Ohatchecama (Yavapai: "Striking Enemy"; also known as Ocho-cama and Ah-oochy Kah-mah, among other variations) was a Tolkepaya Yavapai leader who was arrested for taking part in the Wickenburg Massacre The Wickenburg Massacre was the Novembe ...

and Chief Jemaspie to attend but Chief Ohatchecama refused because he believed he would never return, while Chief Jemaspie wanted the President to come to Camp Date Creek. In a compromise, the chiefs picked Pakota and Takodawa to go to the conference in their places. In June, 1872, General Howard, his aide-de-camp, Captain Wilkinson; Superintendent of Indian Affairs Bendell; Pima missionary and teacher Cook; Joe Gacka, the Yavapais' interpreter; and two Indians from Camp Grant with two Indians from the

Pima Pima or PIMA may refer to: People * Pima people, the Akimel O'odham, Indigenous peoples in Arizona (U.S.) and Sonora (Mexico) Places * Pima, Arizona, a town in Graham County * Pima County, Arizona * Pima Canyon, in the Santa Catalina Mountains ...

journeyed to the historic meeting. At the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...

, each delegate received $50, a document that proclaimed him to be a “chief”, and a medal with Grant’s image on it. Pakota (later called José Coffee) and Takodawa (later called Washington Charley) were not leaders or chiefs at the time. Pakota scouted Los Angeles as a possible location for the tribe to farm.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pakota Native American leaders Yavapai 19th-century Native Americans Year of birth missing Year of death missing