Timeline story

Native · 1774 – 1780

Shawnee Chillicothe divisions

The Shawnee were a loose confederacy of five divisions—Chalahgawtha (Chillicothe), Mekoche, Kispoko, Pekowi, and Hathawekela—each with traditional roles; Chillicothe customarily supplied political leadership.

The principal Chillicothe village moved when war or settlement forced it, so several "Chillicothes" appear in the record. From Old Chillicothe on the Little Miami (near present Xenia, Ohio), war chief Blackfish's people staged raids into Kentucky to contest the hunting grounds; Boone was held there in 1778, and Kentucky militia under Clark burned the town in 1780 after Bird's invasion.

Cite this story

Published . Last revised .

Chicago

Snowden, Shannon. "Shawnee Chillicothe divisions." Kentucky History Drive. Published September 20, 2026. Last revised September 20, 2026. https://kyhistorydrive.com/stories/shawnee-chillicothe-divisions/.

MLA

Snowden, Shannon. "Shawnee Chillicothe divisions." Kentucky History Drive, published 20 Sept. 2026, last revised 20 Sept. 2026, https://kyhistorydrive.com/stories/shawnee-chillicothe-divisions/.

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