Siwinwa Hokemike (Shawnee Chiefs)

Chief Civil John was the first chief of the Mixed Band consisting of Shawnees and Senecas to serve in Indian territory, as well as the last chief of the Mixed Band to serve in Ohio. Civil John’s signature is the first to appear on the 1817 Fort Meigs Treaty, stating that the Shawnees give up their land in exchange for the three reservations of Wapakoneta, Hog Creek, and Lewistown in Ohio. However, this treaty was not authorized by congress which resulted in the Treaty of 1818, designating the Lewistown reservation to the Shawnees and Senecas, establishing the Mixed Band. Although there is not much information regarding Civil John’s personal life, it is noted in a document dating back to 1830 that he had a wife and three children. Two of Civil John’s three children signed the Mixed Band treaty. His eldest son went by the name of “Civil John’s Son,” and his youngest child followed suit, dubbing himself “young son of Civil John.” Civil John appears to have vanished from Eastern Shawnee records in the year of 1845. He is thought to have served as chief of the Mixed Band from 1831-1845.

Unlike our first Chief Civil John, who was Seneca, Chief Lewis Davis was a member of both the Shawnee and Seneca tribes. The Lewistown Reservation in Ohio was one reservation with the Seneca living on one end and the shawnee on the other. There, they became known as the Mixed Band. Check the documents signed by the Mixed Band of Senecas and Shawnees from 1831- when they signed the treaty to leave Ohio- to 1867- when they signed the omnibus treaty that formally separated the Shawnees and the Senecas into two distinct tribes, the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma and the Seneca-Cayuga Tribe. It is quite likely that within this nearly-four-decades worth of documents, you will find an “X” mark representing the signature of a man who was known, at least at first, by his Indian name, Quashacaugh. He then became known as Little Lewis, and later, as an adult, Lewis Davis. At times, he made that “X” mark as an interpreter, a general laborer, a blacksmith, a councilman and later in life, as chief of the Mixed Band.

John Jackson was one of the signers of the treaty with the Seneca’s in 1831 in Ohio along with Civil John and Lewis Davis. Jackson participated in the removal march from Ohio to Indian Territory. His father was a white man who was adopted by Blackfish. John Jackson was the chief councilor of the Mixed Band of Senecas and Shawnees. John Jackson was one of the earliest chiefs after the Ohio removal. His wife, Ke-ne-fe-ase-a, a Shawnee woman, was known throughout the tribe for taking in and rearing two children, John Prophet, a Shawnee, and Stonewall Jackson, a Mexican. Jackson is most known for his early involvement with the Mixed Band. His leadership within the Mixed Band lasted his entire life.

In a time of unrest across North America, lawless tribal lands were vacated and returned to in present day Ottawa City with a great confusion. Faced with no other options, In April of 1870, William Jackson signed a lease agreement between the Shawnees and two non-Natives from Missouri to fence, cultivate, and improve two-hundred acres of land. As first Chief from 1870 until 1872, Jackson also signed documents to confirm the receipt of annuity payments from Enoch Hoag. He could have potentially been the Chief as early as 1868 following the death of Lewis Davis or as late as 1874 when James Choctaw was elected Chief of the Eastern Shawnee tribe. Jackson played an intricate role in helping to revitalize the tribe and its lands following the dismay of the civil war.

There is not much information on the parents, children, marriages or birth of James Choctaw, but he had a very significant role in the ESTOO tribe. James Choctaw is best known for his effort in building homes for the Modoc Indians. James Choctaw’s name first appears in the years 1870 and 1872 because he was listed on the Eastern Shawnee tribal rolls. In 1874, Choctaw’s name is represented as one of two chiefs on the Articles of Agreement – a document between the United States and Eastern Shawnee Indians stating that six thousand dollars would be paid per capita for four thousand acres of land, giving the Modoc Indians a place to expand their farms and improve civilzation. In 1874, Choctaw and Tom Captain visited Washington in honor of the deaths of their “old men” and to meet with the commissioner to find out more about their business. James Choctaw was also listed as the representative of the Eastern Shawnees at the sixth session of the Indian Territory General Council in 1875. He was elected vice chief, or second chief, of the Shawnees in 1876. It is presumed that Choctaw served as Chief from 1874-1875 and was reelected in 1876, but how long he was in that position has not yet been determined.

Tom Captain served as chief of ESTOO in 1874 as principal chief and second chief in 1893. Both James Choctaw and Tom Captain are listed in agreements between the United States and ESTOO, selling 4,000 acres of land to the Modocs, in exchange for $6,000. This would allow ESTOO to increase the size of their farms and overall improve the condition of their civilization. There were instances where Tom invited other tribes to live on his land; for example, he allowed Chief Joseph and the Nez Perces to live on his land, feeding them and helping their band. Later in 1893, Tom Captain served as second chief to Andrew Dushane. He was described to be a role model for ESTOO and a caring man to many in the tribe.

John Jackson Jr. was the son of John Jackson Sr who was a former Chief. The year 1876 was important for John Jackson Jr., as that was when he was elected head chief of the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma, with James Choctaw chosen as vice chief. Possibly the greatest legacy of John Jackson Jr. is the number of family footprints that came after him. A vast number of Eastern Shawnee families are related to the Jackson family, many of them through marriage, including the Daugherty family, the Deweese family, the Hampton family, the Prophet family, the Hauser family, the Amos family, the Tayrien family, the Dushane family, and others. As one of the main families of the ESTOO, Jackson helped pave the way for future generations to come.

In 1890, he was listed as the principal Chief in correspondence with the Cherokee chief, and in correspondence to the U.S government attorney due to a contract they signed. This indicated that the government had to pay just over $9,000 to the tribe with interest and to erect a blacksmith shop for them. He made the decision to end the tribal stomp dance, due to the small amount of men at the time and the U.S government campaign against Native American religion during the time. Stomp dance has since been reestablished among the Shawnee people.