Cowkeeper (ca 1710 - 1783) is the Anglicized name of the first recorded chief of the Alachua band of Seminole tribe. His traditional name was actually "Ahaya." // Events April 10 - The worlds first copyright legislation became effective, Britains Statute of Anne Ongoing events Great Northern War (1700-1721) War of the Spanish Succession (1702-1713) Births January 4 - Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, Italian composer (d. ... 1783 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Seminole is the name of an American Indian tribe formed in Florida in the 18th century. ...

Ahaya the Cowkeeper was born about the year 1710, a member of the Oconee tribe of Central Georgia. But, his people settled along the Chattahoochee River in North Florida when he was a small boy. Oconee is the name of several places in the United States: Oconee, Georgia Oconee, Illinois Oconee Township, Illinois Oconee Township, Nebraska This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... The Chattahoochee River runs from the Chattahoochee Spring in the Georgia, southwestward by Atlanta and through its suburbs, then turns southward to form the southern half of the Georgia/Alabama state line. ... State nickname: Sunshine State Other U.S. States Capital Tallahassee Largest city Jacksonville Governor Jeb Bush Official languages English Area 170,451 km² (22nd)  - Land 137,374 km²  - Water 30,486 km² (17. ...

By his mid-twenties, Ahaya was chief of his village, and had developed a passionate hatred for the Spaniards who ruled over Florida. When James Oglethorpe of Georgia launched an English raid against the Spanish capital at St. Augustine in 1740, he found Ahaya and his thirty warriors were willing allies. James Edward Oglethorpe (22 December 1696 - 30 June 1785) was an English general and philanthropist, a founder of the state of Georgia. ... Five flags have flown over St. ...

About the year 1750, Ahaya led his people south to what is now Payne's Prairie, possibly near the ruins of the Timucua village of Potano. They found abundant game and fish, as well as many wild cows. His people rounded-up the cattle to form a vast herd, earning their chief his English byname "Cowkeeper." Paynes Prairie is a region of savanna south of modern Gainesville, Florida. ... The Timucua were a Native American tribe that lived in North Central Florida, mainly around the St. ...

By 1757, the Cowkeeper's people had a thriving village of their own called Cuskowilla, on the northwest shore of Lake Tuscawilla where the modern town of Micanopy now stands. That year, the chief visited the Governor of Georgia and expressed his hatred both for the Spanish and for any Indian tribes allied with them. His hatred, he explained, came from a vision that he would not find peace in the afterlife unless he killed one hundred Spaniards.

In 1763, when Spain was forced to cede Florida to the British, Cowkeeper was overjoyed. He even traveled to St. Augustine for the inauguration of the new British governor Patrick Tonyn. The British treated his people as separate and distinct from the other native people of Florida, calling them "Seminoles," a name derived from the Spanish word "cimarones," or "runaways." Eventually, this name was applied to all the tribes. Patrick Tonyn (1725-1804) was a British General who served as colonial governor of East Florida from 1775 to 1783. ...

In 1774, naturalist William Bartram of Philadelphia visited Cowkeeper at Cuskowilla. He was honored with a great feast featuring a number of the Alachua band's finest cattle. When Bartram explained to his host that he was interested in studying the local plants and animals, Cowkeeper was amused. He called the American scientist "Puc-puggee," or "the flower hunter." But, he also gave him free reign to explore his lands. William Bartram (April 20, 1739 -July 22, 1823) was an American naturalist, the son of John Bartram. ... Philadelphia is a village located in Jefferson County, New York. ...

In the same year, a Georgia settler named John Bryan attempted to trick the Creek chiefs in that colony to sign-away the tribe's rights to lands in Florida. Cowkeeper was shocked when the bold man traveled as far south as Payne's Prairie to carve his name into a red oak tree. But, his allies quickly intervened. Governor James Wright of Georgia informed the Creeks of Bryan's trickery, and Governor Tonyn of Florida issued an arrest warrant for the scoundrel. The Creeks are a Native American people originally from the southeastern United States, also known by their original name Muscogee or Muskogee (in traditional spelling Mvskoke), the name they use to identify themselves today. ... There have been several people named James Wright. ...

In 1783, when the British had to cede Florida back to Spain, Cowkeeper saw a chance to finally fulfill his vision of killing a hundred Spaniards befoe his death. He organized a war party to attack St. Augustine, but quickly fell ill. Knowing his end was near, he summoned his sons Payne and Bowlegs to his side to confess that he had only killed eighty-six Spaniards and asked them to kill the remaining fourteen in his name. People Alexander Payne (born 1961), U.S. movie director and screenwriter Ben Iden Payne (1881-1976), English actor and director C.D. Payne, U.S. novelist Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin (1900-1979), British-American astronomer Chris (C.F.) Payne (born 1954), U.S. illustrator Cynthia Payne (born 1932), British madam David...

He was succeeded as chief of the Alachuas by his elder son Payne.

For further reading

Paynes Prairie: A History of the Great Savanna, by Lars Andersen. Pineapple Press, Inc., Sarasota, Florida, 2001.