Papakeecha ( – 1837; , ) was the most influential

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

chief Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force * Chief of police, the head of a police department * Chief of the boat ...

in the region around

Lake Wawasee Lake Wawasee, formerly Turkey Lake, is a natural lake southeast of Syracuse in Kosciusko County, Indiana, United States. It is the largest natural lake wholly contained within Indiana. It is located just east of Indiana State Road 13. History ...

, in what is now Kosciusko County,

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

leading his people from 1820 until 1837. Lake Papakeechie was named after him. Papakeecha was about 60 years old when white men entered the area. His skin was described as " dark copper" in color, and he wore a silver ring through his nose. Historical accounts have him weighing . He claimed to have participated in the 1811

Battle of Tippecanoe The Battle of Tippecanoe ( ) was fought on November 7, 1811, in Battle Ground, Indiana, between United States Armed Forces, American forces led by then Governor William Henry Harrison of the Indiana Territory and tribal forces associated with Sh ...

. In 1828 he was given

reservation __NOTOC__ Reservation may refer to: Places Types of places: * Indian reservation, in the United States * Military base, often called reservations * Nature reserve Government and law * Reservation (law), a caveat to a treaty * Reservation in India, ...

land totalling which nearly bisected Lake Wawasee north to south. He was the brother of Miami chief Wawasee ''(Wau-wa-aus-see)'', who

was named after. His

town was located near present-day Indian Village in Noble County and had some 75 residents. The

government built him a one-story brick house in 1827 for $562, located in the southeast corner of his village, which was later destroyed by a tornado or "great wind" as the historical marker indicates. This marker was erected in 1967 by the Noble County Historical Society. Another marker by the Indiana Historical Society 1962 states: You are now leaving Papakeechie's Reservation, . This Miami Chief, also known as Flat Belly, held this land from 1828 to 1834 when it was returned to the National Government in the Treaty at the Forks of the Wabash. It was later owned by the Wabash & Erie Canal.Find A grave, Chief "Flat Belly" Papakeecha.
/ref> In 1834, Papakeecha's reservation land was included in a land deal benefiting the

Wabash and Erie Canal The Wabash and Erie Canal was a shipping canal that linked the Great Lakes to the Ohio River via an artificial waterway. The canal provided traders with access from the Great Lakes all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. Over 460 miles long, it was th ...

. Papakeecha died in 1837. His burial place is with a number of his villagers on the northeast side of Lake Papakeechee.''(see Find A Grave)''.

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Papakeecha Miami people People from Kosciusko County, Indiana Native American leaders Native Americans in Indiana 1837 deaths Year of birth unknown 19th-century Native American leaders