THE PROPHET
Tecumseh was now pondering a great plan. Year after year
he had seen his people pushed farther and farther back
from their streams and hunting-grounds. When he looked
into the future, he saw that the red race was doomed
unless a strong and united effort was made to check this
aggression. He did not at once take his followers into
his confidence, but meditated long on a plan to gather
the tribes into one great confederacy to oppose the
encroachments of the whites and to prevent the extermination
of the Indian race. Pontiac, that towering figure in
Indian speech and legend, was ever in his mind. Before
Tecumseh's birth Pontiac had formed an Indian confederation
against the English in America. But his was only a
temporary union of the Indians, while Tecumseh planned
to unite the tribes in a great and permanent empire.
To further his great plan of bringing about a confederation
of the tribes, Tecumseh resolved to take advantage of
the superstitions of the people. An Indian familiar with
the lore of his tribe believes himself to be continually
surrounded by spirits, of whose power he is in constant
dread. He sees them dimly in visions and recognizes them
in many signs and omens--in gliding snake, flying bird,
the lightning, the wind, the rustling of leaves, the
noise of the tempest, the roaring cataract, the sound of
thunder. To the hunter roaming through the forest the
trees take on weird shapes, and ghostly shadows lurk in
dark defiles. At twilight he sees gnomelike figures
dancing before him and anon swallowed up in the darkness;
again he sees them, holding their elfin revels on some
moonlit cliff. Thus it is that the Indian imagination
peoples the gloom of the ancient forests.
It has been mentioned that Tecumseh had a younger brother
named Laulewasikaw, who had been born a twin, and, in
consequence, would be supposed by the Indians to possess
supernatural power. One day, while Laulewasikaw was
smoking in his wigwam, his pipe dropped from his hand,
and he fell prone upon the ground. His body remained so
long without sign of life that his friends assembled to
administer the last rites for the dead. Suddenly, however,
he awoke from his deathlike trance, and announced to the
startled mourners that he had been transported to the
spirit-world, where marvellous things had been revealed
to him. After this he frequently retired to secret places
to hold converse with the Great Spirit, and from his
knowledge of the spirit-world he became an object of
reverence and awe to his fellow-tribesmen.
It thus came about that on the death of Pengashega, an
aged and influential prophet of the Shawnees, this brother
of Tecumseh, Laulewasikaw, or 'the Prophet,' was made
his successor. From his conical-shaped lodge, with its
stout poles bound about by skins of animals, the Prophet
gave forth his oracles. He was often consulted, and a
well-worn path soon marked the way to his abode. It was
believed that he could foretell the future, reveal the
haunts of animals of the chase, and inform anxious
inquirers about the fate of friends. He evaded impossible
requests skilfully, and by moderation in his pretensions
he was able to maintain the respect of his many suppliants.
He jealously guarded in his lodge a bowl credited with
miraculous powers, which he claimed the Great Spirit had
bestowed upon him. He had also a mystic torch, the gift,
as he said, of Manabozho, keeper of the sacred fire. He
had also singular belt made of beans, which he assured
his credulous followers had grown from his flesh and
would render invulnerable all who touched it. To widen
his influence the Prophet had this belt carried by Indian
runners far and wide.
Laulewasikaw, who had already many names, now wished to
be known as Tenskwatawa, 'the Open Door,' to intimate
that he was to be the deliverer of his people. Unlike
other Indian prophets, he preached to his followers after
the manner of the white missionaries. Upon him, as upon
Tecumseh, had descended the gift of oratory. But he lacked
Tecumseh's dignity. He was ugly, and had lost an eye. On
account of his dissolute habits he appeared much older
than his distinguished brother. In spite of his bad
character his persuasive eloquence gained the attention
of the Shawnees, and he flattered their pride by reminding
them of their ancient belief that they were the first
people created by the Master of Life and the greatest of
all his children. At Wapakoneta, on the Au Glaize, he
gathered about him Shawnees, Wyandots, Ottawas, and
Senecas, and announced himself as a bearer of new
revelations from the Master of Life. He claimed to have
been taken up into the spirit-world, and that there the
veil of the future had been lifted to him. He had seen
the suffering of evil-doers and also the happiness that
would reward those who heeded his words. Radical reform,
he declared, must be made in the manners of the red
people. They must eschew all habits learned from the
whites. Linen or woollen clothing must be replaced by
the old-time buckskin; the 'fire-stick' of the white man
must be abandoned and the bow and arrow must be used in
its stead; the flesh of sheep and bullocks must no longer
be eaten, but only that of deer and buffalo; bread should
no more be made of wheat, but of Indian corn. Every tool
and custom of the whites must be relinquished, and the
Indian must return to the ways taught by the Master of
Life. The Prophet exhorted the young to help the aged
and the infirm; he forbade Indian women to intermarry
with the whites, since the outcome would be inevitable
misery; he condemned the accursed fire-water, which had
caused such contention among the Indians, and threatened
with never-ending flames all those who should persist in
its use. He referred in glowing terms to the boundless
hunting-ground of the red men before the coming of the
whites, and contrasted it with their rapidly narrowing
territory. The Indians, he said, should hold all their
lands in common. Having outlined these reforms, he declared
that when the Indians had carried them out, they should
enjoy the long and peaceful lives of their ancestors and
regain their ancient happiness. To assure his hearers of
the divine character of his mission, he announced that
power had been given him to cure all diseases and to
arrest death as a result of sickness or on the battlefield.
Encouraged by the hope of regaining their lost liberty
and happiness, many flocked about the new prophet. The
Kickapoos and Delawares believed in him without reserve.
His stoutest opponents were some of his own people, who
resented the sudden rise to power and influence of one
hitherto regarded with disfavour as stupid and intemperate.
Shawnee chiefs, jealous of his position, made a plot to
overthrow him. But Tenskwatawa, as he was now called,
turned the tables upon them, and, accusing several of
his most outspoken enemies of witchcraft, caused them to
be put to death, with torture.
In 1806 the governor of Indiana Territory sent an envoy
to the Delawares to deliver the following message:
The dark and thorny road you are now pursuing certainly
will lead you to endless woe and misery. And who is
this pretended prophet, who dares to speak in the name
of the Great Creator? Examine him. Is he more virtuous
than you are yourselves that he should be selected to
convey to you the orders of your God? Demand of him
some proof at least of being the messenger of the
Deity. If God has really employed him, He has doubtless
authorized him to perform miracles, that he may be
known and received as a prophet. If he is really a
prophet, ask him to cause the sun to stand still, the
moon to alter its course, the rivers to cease to flow, or
the dead to rise from their graves. If he does these
things, you may then believe that he has been sent from God.
In reply to this unexpected attack Tenskwatawa assured
his followers that he would give them convincing proof
of his being the true messenger of the Great Spirit, and
he boldly predicted that on a certain day he would draw
a veil of darkness over the sun. Many Indians assembled
to witness the test of his supernatural power. If it
succeeded, it would establish his position beyond doubt;
if it failed, the faith of his followers would be sadly
shaken. Scoffers pointed to the brightness of the summer
sun, and openly questioned the power of the Prophet to
dim its rays. Believers furtively watched the entrance
of the Prophet's lodge, which was decorated with strange
symbols. From it at the time appointed the familiar form
of the one-eyed wizard emerged, clad in his prophet's
robe with outspread raven's wings. At his appearance the
noonday brilliance of the sun began to wane. Sudden
silence fell upon the awestruck throng, and faces took
on a look of fear as the darkness deepened about them.
The Prophet's voice thrilled through the gloom. 'Did I
not prophesy truly? Behold, darkness has shrouded the
sun.' The apparent miracle convinced many unbelievers
and established the influence of Tenskwatawa more strongly
than ever. The Indians were completely deceived. The
achievement had, of course, a very simple explanation:
the Prophet had overheard some white missionaries predicting
an eclipse of the sun, and had used this information very
adroitly for his purpose.
In April 1807 some four hundred redskins had gathered
near Greenville, ready to do the Prophet's bidding.
Tenskwatawa and Tecumseh were invited by Captain Wells,
the Indian agent at Fort Wayne, to visit the fort with
a few chiefs, to learn the news contained in a recent
letter from the president of the Seventeen Fires. [Footnote:
The United States. Four new states had been added to the
original thirteen, making, in Indian terms, seventeen
council fires.] Tecumseh peremptorily commanded the
messenger to 'go back to Fort Wayne and tell Captain
Wells that my fire is kindled on the spot appointed by
the Great Spirit above, and, if he has anything to
communicate to me, he must come here; I shall expect him
in six days from this time.' At the time appointed the
messenger returned, bearing a copy of a letter from the
United States government, in which Tecumseh and his
followers were charged with still occupying land that had
passed out of their possession by the Treaty of Greenville.
Tecumseh vented his feelings in vehement speech.
These lands are ours, and no one has the right to
remove us, because we were the first owners; the Great
Spirit above has appointed this place for us on which
to light our fires, and here we will remain. As to
boundaries, the Great Spirit above knows no boundaries,
nor will His red people know any... If my great father,
the President of the Seventeen Fires, has anything
more to say to me, he must send a man of note as his
messenger; I will hold no further intercourse with
Captain Wells.
The American settlers saw with increasing anxiety the
unending stream of Indians on their way to the Prophet.
The strange garb of many of them denoted that they had
journeyed from distant regions. Runners continually passed
to and fro, bearing pipes and belts of wampum from tribe
to tribe. Council fires were frequently kindled. It was
commonly believed that this unwonted activity was due to
the secret plottings of British agents from Canada. By
the autumn of 1807 the Prophet had assembled near Greenville
about eight hundred Indians, many of whom were equipped
with new rifles.
On September 12 came two commissioners from the governor
of Ohio. These were received by the Indians in a friendly
manner, and a council was immediately called to hear
their message. The governor, the commissioners said,
desired to know why so many Indians were gathered on land
no longer theirs. He wished to remind the Indians of
their former relations with the Seventeen Fires, and of
the importance of remaining neutral in the event of war
with the British. After hearing the commissioners the
council adjourned until the following day, when Blue
Jacket, who was unanimously chosen to voice the sentiment
of his people, spoke as follows:
Brethren, we are seated who heard you yesterday. You
will get a true relation as far as we and our connections
can give it, who are as follows: Shawnees, Wyandots,
Potawatomis, Tawas, Chippewas, Winnepaus, Malominese,
Malockese, Sacawgoes, and one more from the north of
the Chippewas. Brethren, you see all these men sitting
before you, who now speak to you.
About eleven days ago we [the Indians] had a council,
at which the tribe of Wyandots [the elder brother of
the red people] spoke and said God had kindled a fire
and all sat around it. In this council we talked over
the treaties with the French and the Americans. The
Wyandot said the French formerly marked a line along
the Alleghany mountains, southerly, to Charleston. No
man was to pass it from either side. When the Americans
came to settle over the line, they told the Indians
to unite and drive off the French, until the war came
on between the British and the Americans, when it was
told them that King George, by his officers, directed
them to unite and drive the Americans back.
After the treaty of peace between the English and
Americans, the summer before Wayne's army came out,
the British held a council with the Indians and told
them if they would turn out and unite as one man, they
might surround the Americans like deer in a ring of
fire and destroy them all. The Wyandot spoke further
in the council. We see, said he, there is like to be
war between the English and our white brethren, the
Americans. Let us unite and consider the sufferings
we have undergone, from interfering in the wars of
the English. They have often promised to help us, and
at last when we could not withstand the army that came
against us, and went to the English fort for refuge,
[Footnote: He is referring to what happened in 1794
at the Fallen Timbers. There was a British post on
the Maumee not far from the scene of the battle. At
this time, it will be remembered, Detroit and other
western posts, which passed to the United States in
1796, were still held by the British.] the English
told us, 'I cannot let you in; you are painted too
much, my children.' It was then we saw the British
dealt treacherously with us. We now see them going to
war again. We do not know what they are going to fight
for. Let us, my brethren, not interfere, was the speech
of the Wyandot.
Further, the Wyandot said, I speak to you, my little
brother, the Shawnees at Greenville, and to you our
little brothers all around. You appear to be at
Greenville to serve the Supreme Ruler of the universe.
Now send forth your speeches to all our brethren far
around us, and let us unite to seek for that which
shall be for our eternal welfare, and unite ourselves
in a band of perpetual brotherhood. These, brethren,
are the sentiments of all the men who sit around you:
they all adhere to what the elder brother, the Wyandot,
has said, and these are their sentiments. It is not
that they are afraid of their white brethren, but that
they desire peace and harmony, and not that their
white brethren could put them to great necessity, for
their former arms were bows and arrows, by which they
got their living.
The Prophet then arose and launched forth into one of
the lengthy harangues so familiar to his followers. Three
years ago, he said, he had been called upon by powers he
could not disobey to follow the course which had been
revealed to him by the Great Spirit. In accordance with
this divine guidance he had earnestly endeavoured ever
since to teach the Indians how to live sober, industrious,
and peaceful lives. He had been persecuted by chiefs of
his own tribe who had refused to listen to his preaching.
He had been driven from his own village. But the Great
Spirit had directed him to this place, which the Americans
now claimed as their own, Here he desired to remain, not
for the value of the land or the natural beauty of the
surroundings, but to obey the divine command, and by his
exemplary life to prove to the complete satisfaction of
the white people his genuine honesty of purpose. By this
adroit speech the Prophet succeeded in allaying suspicion,
and thus under the guise of peace and religion Tecumseh
was enabled to continue his preparations for war. When
the council had terminated, Tecumseh, Blue Jacket,
Roundhead, and Panther accompanied the messengers to
Chillicothe, then the capital of Ohio, and assured the
governor of their peaceful intentions towards the Americans.