Pekowi was the name of one of the five divisions (or bands) of the Shawnee, a Native American people, during the 18th century.
Chartier opposed the sale of rum in Shawnee communities in Pennsylvania, and this brought him into conflict with other traders and the provincial governor, Patrick Gordon.
[2] Shawnee and other Native American chiefs had long complained about the sale of alcohol, and had given the colonial government a list of traders they wanted banned because of their actions.
In 1745 Chartier accepted a French commission and left Pennsylvania, leading some 400 members of the Pekowi to Lower Shawneetown.
The Piqua Sept of the Ohio Shawnee Tribe have placed a traditional cedar pole in commemoration of their history here.