Bolek (Seminoles)

Bolek († 1821 ), also known as Boleck or Bowlegs , was a supreme chief of the Seminoles . He was a son of Cowkeeper (Secoffee), the chief of the Alachua Seminoles. Later he was the leader of the Seminoles during the First Seminole War.

The expansion of the American settlers in Spanish Florida led to opposition between him and the Americans at Bolek and later with his successor Micanopy . In addition, more and more runaway black slaves fled to the Seminoles. Many of them married into the tribe. White slaveholders from Georgia repeatedly invaded the land of the Seminole to bring back the runaway slaves.

When the British-American War broke out in 1812 there was also fighting in the border area of ​​southern Georgia. Seminoles, led by King Payne and his brother Bolek, attacked settlements along the Florida- Georgia border. Even after the end of the war of 1812, fighting continued between the Seminoles and the Georgia militia.

Units of these militias invaded the Seminole area under the leadership of Colonel Daniel Newnan (King Payne was killed in the battle in 1812, Bolek was wounded), later under Colonel John Williams . They destroyed several Indian villages and captured large herds of horses and cattle. The fighting continued until the Creek War of 1813-1814.

During the First Seminole War of 1818, units under General Andrew Jackson invaded northern Florida. The village of Miccosukee, headed by the Seminole chief Kinache , was conquered and destroyed. The village was a stronghold of Bolek during his attacks on the Georgia settlements. Furthermore, several Seminole villages along the Suwannee River were destroyed and the settlement of Saint Marks was occupied. On May 23, 1818, Jackson captured Pensacola . Bolek died in 1821. He was succeeded as Chief Chief by his great-nephew Micanopy.

Another member of Cowkeeper's family was Billy Bowlegs .

literature

• Bruce E. Johansen, Donald A. Grinde Jr .: The Encyclopedia of Native American Biography . Henry Holt and Company, New York 1997.

predecessor	Office	successor
King Payne	Supreme chief of the Seminoles 1812 - 1821	Micanopy