Piankeshaw

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The Piankeshaw (or Piankashaw) Indians were Native Americans, and members of the Miami Indians who lived apart from the Miami nation. They lived in an area that now includes western Indiana and Ohio, and were closely allied with the Wea Indians.

The Piankeshaw are usually regarded as being "friendly" towards European settlers. They intermarried with French traders and were treated as equals by residents of New France. Like their French neighbors, the Piankeshaw generally sided with the Americans during the American Revolution, and took no part in the Northwest Indian Wars that followed. The Piankeshaw did suffer retaliation for attacks made by other native tribes, however, and George Washington issued a proclamation forbidding harm to the Piankeshaw. ^[1]

During the late 18th century, the Piankeshaw population began to decline. Many of the Piankeshaw simply left and joined other Miami tribes. After the Americans and French suffered setbacks in the Revolution, notably the disastrous LaBalme expedition, some joined tribes aligned with the British, who- in the West- seemed certain to be the eventual victors ^[2]. Others left when depreciated American currency and stagnated fur trade (caused by unrest in the Northwest Indian Wars) created an economic depression. The Piankeshaw suffered especially hard when 1781 brought a severe Winter followed by a Summer drought^[3].

Despite overall good relations with the new United States, a few Piankeshaw did not like the new settlers, and participated with natives from other tribes in various attacks on Americans. This led to increasing tension at Vincennes, which peaked after an attack on the Embarras River by Kentucky resident Patrick Brown in August 1788. A large exodus of Piankeshaw left Vincennes and moved to Terre Haute, joined the Wea, or moved to Kaskaskia.^[4]

By 1818, the Piankeshaw chief Chekommia had signed a treaty selling rights to much of their land, simply because there were not enough of them to use it.

[edit] Notes

^ Beckwith, 112
^ Somes, 45
^ Somes, 76
^ Libby, pg 140

[edit] References

Beckwith, Hiram. "Illinois and Indiana Indians" 1975. Arno Press, New York.
Somes, Joseph Henry VanderBurgh, "Old Vincennes" 1962. Graphic Books, New York.
Libby, Dr. Dorothy. An Anthropological Report on the Piankashaw Indians, Dockett 99 (a part of Consolidated Docket No. 315) ©1996, Glenn Black Laboratory of Archaeology and The Trustees of Indiana University.