Shawnee traditions recount how the Pekowi tribe of the Shawnee came from a man who arose out of the Ashes.  The name comes from the stem pekw-, pekow- 'ASHES, DUST'; Pekowiitha 'Pekowi tribe'.

Michael Chomyh, John Johnston and the Indians by Leonard U. Hill
Courtesy of the Third Savings and Load Association, Piqua, Ohio.

On these pages you will find the following information about the Pekowitha Shawnee:

1.  The Shawnee traditional tale of the origins of the
    Pekowi (scroll down).
2.  An ethnohistorical summary of what is known of the
    Pekowi (click here).
3.  Some prominent Shawnee known or believed to have
    been of the Pekowiitha tribe (see box to the right).

Some Historic Pekowi Personages:

Opessa's son
Peter Chartier
Tecumseh's mother
Blue Jacket
Thomas Wildcat Alford


Source:  Folk-lore and Legends - North American Indian.  Compiled by C. J. T.  W. W. Gibbings, 18 Bury St., London, 1890, pp. 158-000.  The identity of the compiler is unknown.  It is also not known where the tale was collected and who the "Wakulla" were, among other things.  It is, however, the only full-length version of this tale known and to which references of the Pekowi arrising from the ashes originate.  While the editor was free with the use of English language conventions, the material itself reflects Shawnee beliefs and attitudes of the early 19th century.