Timeline story

Native · 1750 – 1786

Nonhelema

Nonhelema Hokolesqua (active mid-1700s–1786), sister of the Shawnee leader Cornstalk, was a Chalakatha (Chillicothe) chief, diplomat, and warrior whom settlers nicknamed “the Grenadier” for her height.

AI illustration of Nonhelema, Shawnee Chalakatha chief and diplomat, about 1786
Nonhelema AI illustration · Kentucky History Drive; no known likeness exists

By mid-century she held influence at Lower Shawneetown on the Ohio–Scioto confluence—Kentucky’s northeastern corner across from the main town—and later warned American posts of British-allied raids even after Cornstalk’s 1777 murder at Fort Randolph.

In 1785 Congress answered her land petition with a ration pension instead of Ohio acreage. In 1786 Kentucky militia under Benjamin Logan struck her Ohio village; her husband Moluntha was killed (by Hugh McGary in the usual accounts), and she died later that year after captivity.

Cite this story

Published . Last revised .

Chicago

Snowden, Shannon. "Nonhelema." Kentucky History Drive. Published October 2, 2026. Last revised October 2, 2026. https://kyhistorydrive.com/stories/nonhelema/.

MLA

Snowden, Shannon. "Nonhelema." Kentucky History Drive, published 2 Oct. 2026, last revised 2 Oct. 2026, https://kyhistorydrive.com/stories/nonhelema/.

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