Netawatwees
Encyclopedia
Netawatwees was a Delaware
chief of the Turtle subtribe. His name, meaning "skilled advisor," appears in the colonial records as Netawatwees, Netahutquemaled, Netodwehement, and Netautwhalemund. In English, he was known as the Newcomer.
valley around 1678, the young Netawatwees was forced to move west with other members of his tribe due to white pressures. In July of 1758, he was living in a Delaware Indian settlement at the mouth of Beaver Creek, a tributary of the Ohio River
below Pittsburgh, where records identify him as "ye great man of the Unami nation."
Netawatwees moved to Ohio
with other migrant Delaware during the French and Indian War
(1754-63) and established a village near present-day Cuyahoga Falls. From there, he moved to the Tuscarawas
, a tributary of the Muskingum
, where he became chieftain of the Delaware town called Gekelukpechink, meaning "still water." This town, which became known as Newcomer's Town, was on the north bank of the Tuscarawas on the eastern outskirts of present-day Newcomerstown. The Great Council met here until the Delaware population was consolidated at nearby Coshocton
.
Although Netawatwees never converted to Christianity
, the Moravian missionaries made a strong impression on him. Infirm in his old age, he was succeeded by White Eyes
in 1776. His dying word on October 31, 1776, implored the Delaware to give up their native practices and follow the teachings of the Moravian pastors.
Netawatwees' son was Bemino
(John Killbuck Sr.), a renowned war leader on the French side during the French and Indian War. His grandson was Gelelemend
(1737–1811), or John Killbuck Jr., a Delaware chief during the American Revolutionary War
.
Lenape
The Lenape are an Algonquian group of Native Americans of the Northeastern Woodlands. They are also called Delaware Indians. As a result of the American Revolutionary War and later Indian removals from the eastern United States, today the main groups live in Canada, where they are enrolled in the...
chief of the Turtle subtribe. His name, meaning "skilled advisor," appears in the colonial records as Netawatwees, Netahutquemaled, Netodwehement, and Netautwhalemund. In English, he was known as the Newcomer.
Biography
Probably born in the Delaware RiverDelaware River
The Delaware River is a major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States.A Dutch expedition led by Henry Hudson in 1609 first mapped the river. The river was christened the South River in the New Netherland colony that followed, in contrast to the North River, as the Hudson River was then...
valley around 1678, the young Netawatwees was forced to move west with other members of his tribe due to white pressures. In July of 1758, he was living in a Delaware Indian settlement at the mouth of Beaver Creek, a tributary of the Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
below Pittsburgh, where records identify him as "ye great man of the Unami nation."
Netawatwees moved to Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
with other migrant Delaware during the French and Indian War
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
(1754-63) and established a village near present-day Cuyahoga Falls. From there, he moved to the Tuscarawas
Tuscarawas River
The Tuscarawas River is a principal tributary of the Muskingum River, 129.9 miles long, in northeastern Ohio in the United States...
, a tributary of the Muskingum
Muskingum River
The Muskingum River is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately 111 miles long, in southeastern Ohio in the United States. An important commercial route in the 19th century, it flows generally southward through the eastern hill country of Ohio...
, where he became chieftain of the Delaware town called Gekelukpechink, meaning "still water." This town, which became known as Newcomer's Town, was on the north bank of the Tuscarawas on the eastern outskirts of present-day Newcomerstown. The Great Council met here until the Delaware population was consolidated at nearby Coshocton
Coshocton
Coshocton may refer to:* Coshocton, Ohio* Coshocton High School* Coshocton County, Ohio...
.
Although Netawatwees never converted to Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
, the Moravian missionaries made a strong impression on him. Infirm in his old age, he was succeeded by White Eyes
White Eyes
White Eyes, named Koquethagechton , was a leader of the Lenape people in the Ohio Country during the era of the American Revolution. Sometimes known as George White Eyes, his given name in Lenape was rendered in many spelling variations in colonial records...
in 1776. His dying word on October 31, 1776, implored the Delaware to give up their native practices and follow the teachings of the Moravian pastors.
Netawatwees' son was Bemino
Bemino
Bemino — known as John Killbuck, Sr to white settlers — was a renowned medicine man and war leader of Shawnee and Delaware warriors during the French and Indian War . He was a son of Netawatwees, at one time principal chief of the Delaware, and his own son was Gelelemend , a Delaware chief during...
(John Killbuck Sr.), a renowned war leader on the French side during the French and Indian War. His grandson was Gelelemend
Gelelemend
Gelelemend , also known as Killbuck or John Killbuck Jr., was a Delaware chief during the American Revolutionary War...
(1737–1811), or John Killbuck Jr., a Delaware chief during the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
.