Tamaqua (Lenape chief)
Tamaqua, also known as The Beaver or King Beaver, was a Lenape leader born about 1725 in the Tulpehocken Creek Valley. He belonged to the Unalachtigo (Turkey) phratry and came from a family of leaders that included his uncle Sassoonan and brothers Shingas, Nenatcheehunt, and Pisquetomen.
When Sassoonan died, the Lenape needed a strong, unifying spokesperson. Tamaqua emerged as a skilled diplomat who could represent Lenape interests to the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) and to colonial authorities. In 1752 he stood in for his brother Shingas at the Logstown meeting where a Lenape leader was chosen.
By 1758 Tamaqua was one of the three main Lenape leaders in the Ohio country and their primary spokesman. He helped push for peace during the French and Indian War and again after Pontiac’s War. He worked to protect Lenape lands from encroaching settlers and to keep the Six Nations and the British on good terms with the Lenape.
In 1759 Tamaqua released two English captives to show good faith and pressed the English to prevent further settlement of Lenape lands. After the war, he helped restore trade and maintain peace with colonial authorities. He also participated in efforts to reunite western Lenape under a common leadership.
Tamaqua founded the town of Tuscarawas, Ohio (initially called Beaver’s Town or King Beaver’s Town), and lived there in the 1760s. He died there in the early 1770s (sources vary, approximately 1769–1771). Netawatwees later became the western Lenape leader.
Today Tamaqua is remembered as a leading peacemaker who guided the Lenape through war and toward a fragile era of peace in the Ohio Country.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 10:19 (CET).