Tecumseh: Lost Hope for an Indian Nation

Rhett Cabanacan

History 223
Professor Carpenter
12 January 2013

Tecumseh: Lost Hope for an Indian Nation

Tecumseh was a Shawnee Indian who was a warrior and a gifted leader in the art of diplomacy. A visionary, who believed in uniting all tribes to establish one Indian nation, with a common goal of stopping further loss of land to the westward expansion of a young republic. For Tecumseh, he viewed Americans as a threat to their way of life and if they don’t unite against the Americans, they would lose their identity and their land. He created an alliance with different tribes in order to air their grievances with the U.S. Government, hoping that they would be respected as one people and given their land back.[1]

Tecumseh was believed to be born in the year 1768. In Shawnee belief and tradition, his name meant, a panther jumping from one mountain to another. The basis for this was the celestial formation of stars in the shape of a panther. The Ohio valley was home to the Shawnees, a vast stretch of land where elk, deer, and other game are abundant. This place was dear to a Shawnee for they can roam freely and hunt food. Tecumseh grew in the midst of the American Revolution, a violent time in America. Even the Native Indians were not spared from the violence; they were fighting their own battles. In October 1774, the growing violence claimed Tecumseh’s father. During the Battle of Point Pleasant, Tecumseh’s father Pukeshinwau fell in a failed effort to resist a thrust by Virginians to secure Kentucky from Ohio Valley tribes who had long considered Kentucky their prime hunting ground.[2] He lost his father when he was seven years old, so he was raised by his mother.[3] At a young age, he was already showing signs of a natural born leader. He had a vision in his early teens when he embarked on a spirit quest. The spirit quest required fasting and forest isolation. During the quest, he envisioned that his guardian was a bison. To the Shawnee, the bison is a sign of great strength. When he was in his 20’s he took the lead of attacking a flatboat on the Ohio, he showed exceptional bravery and surpassed even the most seasoned warriors. What was far remarkable was the humanity he showed in the fight’s aftermath, for which he condemned the torture and killing of five captives as cruel and cowardly acts.[4]

After the American Revolution, Britain transferred all territory to the U.S. government. But all these land, south of Great Lakes, east of Mississippi and north of Florida, where Indian country. President Jefferson’s idea of an “Empire of Liberty” for the United States pushed for the expansion of colonial settlers to move west. Tecumseh felt that the settlers were encroaching on their land, that Shawnee leaders and other tribal leaders allowed the sale of Indian land. Indian tribes begin to unite in an effort to resist American incursions. They form a confederation, supported by the British who still had posts in the region. Shawnees take the lead in this confederation of tribes and in a span of thirty years engage the Americans in different battles.[5] Two Shawnees emerged as leaders in the pan-Indian religious and political movement, Tecumseh and his younger brother Laloeshiga.[6]

Tecumseh was determined to organize the growing resistance and defend Indian independence against American expansion. He showed his defiance by opposing the treaty of Greenville and any accommodation with Americans. Tecumseh was aware that as a people they were divided and this makes them weak, an obstacle that must be overcome. The Indians are now faced with a common enemy and all ancient tribal quarrels must be put aside. He called for reviving the earlier confederation and expanding it so that it included all groups west of the Appalachians and stretched from the Great Lakes to Mexico.[7] Tecumseh also believed his people was psychologically weakened and beaten which majority of them turned to alcohol. Addicted Indian men bartered for whiskey rather than needful goods and, once drunk gave up their pelts for a pittance.[8] For him, rejection of all things coming from the white man was a must. Shawnees and other Indians should go back to practicing their culture and denounce their dependence on Americans.

Laloeshiga, Tecumseh’s brother was a failed healer and warrior. He was an alcoholic who was prone to violence and lived in the shadow of his brother. In 1805, he experienced a spiritual awakening brought about by an accident. These caused him to transform his life, changed his name to Tenskwatawa, and bring a message of hope to his people. Tenskwatawa preached that the Master of life had selected him to spread the new religion among Indians.[9] His brother’s spiritual vision bolstered Tecumseh’s strategy to unify the scattered tribes and start the political movement. As more and more Indians came to see the prophet, the Shawnee village was moved to Indiana where Tippecanoe Creek entered the Wabash River. The settlement took the name Prophetstown.[10]

However, the alarming growth of the Indian population in Prophetstown worried the Americans, especially the governor of Indiana Territory, General William Henry Harrison, who had built his career advancing Jefferson’s policies of national expansion and Indian dispossession.[11] Tecumseh’s confederation was not well supported by many tribes. In 1809, Tecumseh, set out on an epic tour to travel great distances in recruiting other tribes to support his cause of a united tribal resistance. This was not an easy task to accomplish, as he was faced with at least twenty different tribes with various languages and cultures. In 1810, Tecumseh, met with General Harrison asking him for the return of their land. He said that he represented every Indian tribe and that he was their voice. The meetings were not productive and only heightened their disagreement; Tecumseh knew that war was inevitable.[12] In the summer of 1811, while Tecumseh was in the south to recruit more tribes for the confederation, Harrison led an army in a preemptive strike against the Prophetstown at Tippecanoe.[13] Harrison’s army of one thousand was camped just outside of the village with orders to disperse the Indians. Despite orders from Tecumseh to avoid conflict, Tenskwatawa caves to pressure and attacks the army camp at dawn. Outnumbered and outgunned the Indians lose the battle and retreated. Harrison marched to Prophetstown and burned everything including food supplies. Tecumseh, considered forgave his brother and considered the defeat a set back.

Finally, in 1812, Tecumseh aligned himself and his confederation with the British and supported them when Fort Detroit surrendered. His brave friend Major General Isaac Brock, who fought with him and was just as aggressive as him, was killed in battle two months after the surrender of Fort Detroit. Colonel Henry Procter, Major Brock’s replacement was tentative and aloof, who only wanted to defend the British fort.[14] As the British and Indian alliance furthered, Tecumseh lost British support when William Henry Harrison invaded Canada and pressed toward Colonel Procter’s position. Colonel Procter was going to withdraw east, Tecumseh told Procter that he was like a fat animal that struts with its tail high in easy times, but at the first whiff of real danger flees with its tail between its legs. Tecumseh showed his brilliance in the field of battle. On the clear morning of October 5, 1813, at the Battle of Thames River, Tecumseh took his last stand. Greatly outnumbered, Tecumseh and the Indians fought gallantly, while the British riflemen quickly buckled and ran. But in the end, Tecumseh met his fate as he was killed in battle.

The hope for a united Indian nation was lost. The Shawnee leader fought and died for the Indian people. He considered himself a Native Indian first and a Shawnee second. He would forever be remembered as a great Native American leader, whose vision and charismatic leadership inspired different tribes to stand against the Americans and fight for their land.

Bibliography
Calloway, Colin G., First Peoples: A Documentary Survey of American Indian History, 4th ed. 2011.

We Shall Remain: America through Native Eyes: After the Mayflower. Exec. Prod. Sharon Grimberg., A production of American Experience.

West, Elliott. "Tecumseh's Last Stand." American History 47, no. 5 (December 2012): 34-41. Academic Search Premier, EBSCO host (accessed January 13, 2013).

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[1] We Shall Remain: America Through Native Eyes
[2] Elliott West, Tecumseh’s Last Stand: American History, 36
[3] We Shall Remain: America Through Native Eyes
[4] Elliott West, Tecumseh’s Last Stand: American History, 36
[5] We Shall Remain: America Through Native Eyes
[6] Colin Calloway, First Peoples: A Documentary Survey of American Indian History, 279.

[7] Elliott West, Tecumseh’s Last Stand: American History, 38
[8] Elliott West, Tecumseh’s Last Stand: American History, 39
[9] Colin Calloway, First Peoples: A Documentary Survey of American Indian History, 279.

[10] Elliott West, Tecumseh’s Last Stand: American History, 38
[11] Colin Calloway, First Peoples: A Documentary Survey of American Indian History, 279.
[12] We Shall Remain: America Through Native Eyes
[13] Colin Calloway, First Peoples: A Documentary Survey of American Indian History, 279.

[14] Elliott West, Tecumseh’s Last Stand: American History, 41