The Allegewi

Ethnologist Henry Schoolcraft Rowe (1793–1864) said this about the Allegewi, an ancient and mysterious tribe with a power center in the Ohio River Valley: 

“The oldest tribe of the United States of which there is a distinct tradition were the Alleghans…This tribe at an antique period had the seat of their power in the Ohio Valley and its confluent streams which were the sites of their numerous towns and villages…From the traditions of the Lenapes, given to the Moravian missionaries, while the lamp of their traditionary history still threw out its flickering but enlivening flames, the Alleghans had been a strong and mighty people, capable of great exertions and doing wonders.”

A Dim Tradition

There is a dim tradition of an ancient tribe that lived in high-walled villages in the Ohio Valley. These were the Alleghans, better known as the Allegewi. John Heckewelder (1743–1823) was a Moravian missionary. He recounted many of the traditions of the Lenni Lenape (also known as the Delaware) in his writings. He said this about the Allegewi:

“Many wonderful things are told of this famous people. They are said to have been remarkably tall and stout, and there is a tradition that there were giants among them, people of a much larger size than the tallest of the Lenape.”

—John Heckewelder, History, Manners, and Customs of The Indian Nations Who Once Inhabited Pennsylvania and the Neighbouring States, (Philadelphia: The Historical Society of Pennsylvania, 1881).

The Allegewi were "wonder workers." Moreover, their physical endurance and high civilization earned the respect of their neighbors.

Lenni Lenape Legend

According to Lenni Lenape legend, their tribe originally lived in the western United States. They moved east in the remote past. Their eastward migration probably began around 3,500 years ago. Heckewelder wrote:

The Lenni Lenape (according to the traditions handed down to them by their ancestors) resided many hundred years ago, in a very distant country in the western part of the American continent. For some reason, which I do not find accounted for, they determined on migrating to the eastward, and accordingly set out together in a body.

After a very long journey, and many nights encampments by the way, they at length arrived on the Namessi Sipit? where they fell in with the Mengwe, who had likewise emigrated from a distant country, and had struck upon this river somewhat higher up. Their object was the same with that of the Delawares; they were proceeding on to the eastward, until they should find a country that pleased them. The spies which the Lenape had sent forward for the purpose of reconnoitering, had long before their arrival discovered that the country east of the Mississippi was inhabited by a very powerful nation, who had many large towns built on the great rivers flowing through their land.

John Heckewelder.

The Uneasy Alliance

Today, we know the Mengwe as the Iroquois. The two groups formed an alliance and moved east together; however, they halted their progress on the banks of the Mississippi River. Their scouts sent word that the powerful Allegewi inhabited the land on the other side. Heckewelder left us with the following accoutn:

When the Lenape arrived on the banks of the Mississippi, they sent a message to the Alligewi to request permission to settle themselves in their neighbourhood. This was refused them, but they obtained leave to pass through the country and seek a settlement farther to the eastward.

I have often wondered why the Allegewi did not allow the alliance to settle. There is no way to know. But I wonder if, being of such large physical stature, the Allegewi were in charge of things and wanted to keep it that way. If the Allegewi represented an elite ruling class, and had normal-sized people living among them in lesser societal roles, they were probably afraid that an influx of newcomers would upset the balance of power and threaten their position. So, in order to keep the status quo intact, the Allegewi refused to allow the migrants to put down roots. 

Treachery

The Allegewi granted permission for the alliance to continue their eastward trek but treachery was afoot. In a cowardly and villainous act, the Allegewi attacked the alliance as they crossed the river. This set off a devastating war. I believe the war began sometime around 1,300 BCE.

After a lengthy, bloody campaign that lasted between one hundred and one hundred fifty years—possibly even three hundred to five hundred years according to some sources—the Allegewi fell to the alliance. As an aside, I can’t help but wonder if finds such as this are mass graves from the war:

In Sayre, Pennsylvania, 68 skeletons were uncovered during the excavation of a mound. The average size of the skeletons was 7 feet; many were much larger. Huge axes were found beside many of the bones. 
—“Salem Professor Discovers Huge Skeletons in Mounds.” Charleston Gazette, June 15, 1930.


After the war, the two tribes went their separate ways and lived in peace for about three hundred years. The Mengwe went north while the Lenape took the lands in the Allegewi power center—the Ohio Valley and surrounding area—and the Lenape absorbed the remaining Allegewi (mostly women and children) into their tribe.

The "Adena Type"

According to Ross Hamilton who wrote A Tradition of Giants: The Elite Social Hierarchy of American Prehistory, this blending between the Lenape and the remnant Allegewi produced the “Adena type.” While the typical Adena male was about 5’6,” selective breeding brought about an elite class of robust, large-statured warriors, chiefs, and shamans. Some of these folks stood at eight feet in height. Some think, me included, that the Allegewi were the original Mound Builders and their influence among the Lenape and other tribes kept their mound building traditions alive.

There is another aspect to the fall of the Allegewi that might help account for giant traditions in other parts of the United States. As the Allegewi fell, many abandoned their land and fled. Some may have fled north or northwest. There are stories of giants from tribes in New York. The Plains Indians have similar tales. There is also a tradition of Allegewi fleeing down the Mississippi River. Some may have fallen in among friendly tribes, eventually taking on leadership roles.

The Nahoolo

H.B. Cushman (1820–1904), a missionary to the Choctaw, mentioned the great war between the Lenape alliance and Allegewi in his writings. He believed the Allegewi were the progenitors of the Nahoolo—giants of Choctaw legend:

The Allegewi were defeated and driven out of their country retreating southward, and the Delawares and other tribes took possession of their country. Now these Allegewi are without doubt the same stock of people spoken of in Choctaw tradition as the Nahoolo.

H. B. Cushman, History of the Choctaw, Chickasaw, and Natchez Indians, (Greenville, TX: Headlight Publishing House, 1899).

This story of an ancient tribe, giant-sized people, and their movements go much deeper. I only scratched the surface in this article. Check out my book Giants: Men of Renown for more.




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