Custaloga
Custaloga (also known as Kustaloga, Tuscologas, Packanke, or Pakanke) was a chief of the Wolf Clan of the Delaware (Lenape) tribe in the mid-18th century.
[12] Washington persuaded the Lenape chiefs at Logstown that they should side with the British in the event of war, and he recommended that they return strings of wampum that the French had given them as a sign of friendship.
He was in favor of remaining allied with the French, and when Washington visited him, he initially refused to give up the wampum,[3]: 52 on the excuse that Shingas had sent no speech for the occasion,[13]: 27 and had to be persuaded to do so by Christopher Gist.
Custaloga, known for his dislike of missionaries, reportedly became jealous of Virot's influence over the community,[21]: 513 however, and the Jesuit was forced to leave after Fort Duquesne was captured by the British in November, 1758.
[22]: 93–94 [23]: 413 [24] William Trent mentions in his journal that from July 22-24, 1763, during the Siege of Fort Pitt, "Custaluga" attended a council meeting with "Gray Eyes, Wingenum, Turtle's Heart and Mamaultee.
[27]: 210 Custaloga also claimed that Bouquet openly requested Lenape assistance in persuading the French to abandon the Ohio Country.
It remains unclear whether Custaloga was present at the meeting with Bouquet on December 4, or whether he heard this story from someone else or was, in fact, only telling the French what he thought they wanted to hear.
[28][29]: 134–37 On May 10 1765, Custaloga attended a conference at Fort Pitt, together with Tamaqua, Netawatwees, Wingenund, Guyasuta, White Eyes, Captain Pipe, and other chiefs of the western tribes, for the purpose of resuming trade relations between Pennsylvania and the Lenape after the end of Pontiac's War.
[1] In 1769, Custaloga brought a small group of Munsees from the Cuyahoga River Valley to settle at the former site of Kuskusky, abandoned since 1759, probably in order to be near the English trading post at Pittsburgh.
The growing influence of the Moravian missionaries at Freidensstadt caused many Munsees to relocate there, creating conflict in Custaloga's community.
[30] In 1770, Custologa's friend Glikhikan, a former warrior who served as a speaker for the Lenape community at Kuskusky, decided to confront the Moravian missionaries about their teachings, which he wanted to refute.
He even recommended that the Moravian preachers be adopted as full-fledged Lenape,[3]: 107 [32]: 188 and told his own children to listen to the missionaries when they preached.
[34]: 609 By late 1773 at a conference of Indian nations at Fort Pitt, the tribe was discussing the succession of the aging principal chief, Netawatwees.
In February 1778, Custaloga's sister (the mother of Captain Pipe) was killed at Kuskusky during the Squaw Campaign of General Edward Hand.
[38][39]: 73–75 [40]: 141 On November 29 1778, Colonel James Smith led 400 troops on the French Creek Expedition from Fort Pitt to Custaloga's Town, but found it evacuated.
