White Eyes
| Lenape leader | |
|---|---|
| Preceded by | Netawatwees (Newcomer) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | c. 1730 Pennsylvania? |
| Died | November 1778 |
| Spouse(s) | Rachel Doddridge, d. 1788 |
| Relations | Son was raised by his friend, George Morgan |
| Children | George Morgan White Eyes (1770?–1798) |
| Known for | Negotiated a Lenape state; peace emissary in Lord Dunmore's War; trader, tavern keeper; founded settlement near present day Coshocton, OH |
| Nickname(s) | George White Eyes |
White Eyes, named Koquethagechton (c. 1730 – 5 November 1778), was a leader of the Lenape (Delaware) people in the Ohio Country during the era of the American Revolution. Sometimes known as George White Eyes, or Captain Grey Eyes al. Sir William, his given name in Lenape was rendered in many spelling variations in colonial records.
By 1773 he was Speaker of the Delaware Head Council and known as one of the most important councilors. White Eyes was a war chief and a tireless mediator in turbulent times, negotiating the first Indian treaties with the fledgling United States, and always working toward his ultimate goal of establishing a secure Indian territory. His murder by an American militia officer is believed to have been covered up by United States officials.
Nothing is known about the early life of Koquethagechton. Likely born in present-day Pennsylvania, he was first noted in the English colonial record near the end of the Seven Years' War (French and Indian War), as a messenger during treaty negotiations. He appeared to be considered well suited for interaction between Indians and whites, although he could not read or write, and probably did not speak English—at least not well.
After the war, when European colonists began settling near the Lenape villages around Fort Pitt in western Pennsylvania, the Native Americans moved further west to the Muskingum River valley in present-day eastern Ohio. By this time, many Lenape had converted to Christianity under the influence of Moravian missionaries and lived in villages led by these missionaries. The missionary towns also moved to the Muskingum, so that the Lenape, both Christian and non-Christian, could stay together. Though not a Christian, White Eyes ensured that the Christian Lenape remained members of the larger native community.
In the early 1770s, Lenape attacked the Philip Doddridge family farm, along the shores of killing some members of the nine-person extended family and capturing others. The Lenape took away three girls, a son, and the grandmother. The five-year-old girl Rachel Doddridge was known to have been adopted into the tribe.
...
Wikipedia