Editing Shingas (section)

==Early life==
Shingas was born and raised in the [[Tulpehocken Creek (Pennsylvania)|Tulpehocken Creek Valley]], in [[Berks County, Pennsylvania|Berks]] and [[Lebanon County, Pennsylvania|Lebanon]] counties, on the upper [[Schuylkill River]], with his uncle [[Sassoonan]] and his brothers.<ref name = "McConnell1">[https://books.google.com/books?id=kMt1AAAAMAAJ Michael McConnell, "Pisquetomen and Tamaqua: Mediating Peace in the Ohio Country," in ''Northeastern Indian Lives, 1632-1816,'' Robert S. Grumet ed., Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 1996]</ref> One source reports that Shingas had six brothers ([[Tamaqua (Lenape chief)|Tamaqua]], [[Pisquetomen]], [[Nenatcheehunt]], Buffalo Horn, Munhuttakiswilluxissohpon, and Miuskillamize).<ref name = "Gibson">[https://books.google.com/books?id=FQsQAQAAMAAJ Timothy Alden, "An Account of the Captivity of Hugh Gibson among the Delaware Indians of the Big Beaver and the Muskingum, from the latter part of July 1756, to the beginning of April, 1759," ''Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society,'' 1837]</ref>{{rp|142}} He was a member of the [[Lenape]] Turkey clan (or [[phratry]]), was a nephew of [[Sassoonan]] (also known as Allumapees), a leader who was regarded by colonial authorities in [[Province of Pennsylvania|Pennsylvania]] as the Lenape "king". This title had no traditional meaning for the Lenape, who lived in autonomous villages. However, since the [[Colonial government in the Thirteen Colonies|colonial governments]] of the [[Thirteen Colonies]] preferred to deal with a single leader rather than numerous village elders, Sassoonan emerged as the Lenape "king". Colonial officials in Pennsylvania found Sassoonan useful because he could be induced (with the help of gifts such as large quantities of liquor) to sign away Lenape lands to the colony.<ref>Weslager (p. 185), McConnell (p. 60) and White (p. 259) write that Shingas was a nephew of Sassoonan; Lambert and Franks say they were brothers. For Sassoonan's emergence as "king", see McConnell, p. 13.</ref>