{{Short description|One of the five divisions of the Shawnee people}} {{Use American English|date=January 2026}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2026}} {{Infobox ethnic group | group = Mekoche | native_name = Mekoche | native_name_lang = sjw | image = Black Hoof.jpg | image_caption = Catecahassa, Mekoche head civil chief | population = | popplace = Historically Ohio; today Oklahoma | langs = Shawnee, English | related = Chalahgawtha, Hathawekela, Kispoko, Pekowi, Shawnee }} '''Mekoche''' (also spelled Mequachake; Shawnee: ''mecoce'') is one of the five divisions of the Shawnee, a Native American people. The other four divisions are the Chalahgawtha, Hathawekela, Kispoko, and Pekowi. All five division names appear in varied spellings in historical records. Together, these divisions form the loose confederacy that is the Shawnee tribe.
Traditionally, Shawnee healers came from the Mekoche patrilineal division.<ref name="Kleber1992">{{cite book |last=Kleber |first=John E. |title=The Kentucky Encyclopedia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8eFSK4o--M0C&pg=PA815 |access-date=February 16, 2013 |date=May 18, 1992 |publisher=University Press of Kentucky |isbn=978-0-8131-2883-2 |page=815}}</ref>
== History ==
=== Ohio settlements === Pigeon Town, occupied by the Mekoche division, was located on the Mad River, {{convert|3|mi|km}} northwest of West Liberty, Logan County, Ohio.<ref name="AccessGen">{{cite web |title=Shawnee Indian Tribe History |work=Access Genealogy |date=July 9, 2011 |url=http://www.accessgenealogy.com/native/tennessee/shawneeindianhist.htm |access-date=February 18, 2013}}{{better source needed|date=January 2026}}</ref> Macochee Creek is named for this division; it is a small stream that meets the Mad River at West Liberty, having arisen near modern Pickrelltown, Ohio.<ref>{{cite book |title=Ohio Atlas & Gazetteer |edition=7th |location=Yarmouth, Maine |publisher=DeLorme |year=2004 |page=56 |isbn=0-89933-281-1}}</ref>
== Modern status == {{expand section|date=January 2026}} Today, the Shawnee are represented by three federally recognized tribes: the Absentee-Shawnee Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma, the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma, and the Shawnee Tribe.
== Notable Mekoche == * Black Hoof
== See also == * Shawnee * Shawnee traditional narratives
== References == {{reflist}}
== External links == * [https://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry?entry=SH018 "Shawnee, Eastern"] – Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Mekoche}} Category:Shawnee Category:Native American history of Ohio Category:Native American history of Oklahoma
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