Tecumseh

In 1768 in the Ohio Valley, a Native American woman who had become a member of the Shawnee Indian tribe gave birth to a son. The custom for many Native Americans at that time was to name a new child after something that occurred at the time of the baby's birth. Shortly after this little Indian boy was delivered, a comet flashed across the sky. So, the boy's father named his son "Tecumseh" or "Panther Crossing the Sky." The comet was considered a sign that this small child, Tecumseh, would live to achieve great things.

As Tecumseh grew, the Shawnee tribe came into more frequent contact with whites. Many settlers began moving onto the tribe's land and taking it over. The fact that these lands belonged to the Shawnee did not seem to matter to the new settlers. They moved in and took over, as if the land was theirs. This caused great tension between the Shawnee and their new neighbors, and small battles frequently occurred between the two peoples. Tecumseh's own father was killed by white settlers in a battle which was called the Battle of Point Pleasant. Later the boy's teacher and friend was shot and killed by a white man. After his brother was also killed, Tecumseh's distrust of the white man and his ways grew. His heart grew cold towards his enemies and he wished to drive them away from Indian lands.

Tecumseh fought bravely against those who invaded the Ohio Valley lands of the Shawnee, but he realized that the Shawnee could not defeat the whites alone. He dreamed of a unified confederation of Indian tribes that would work together to rid the area of the white settlers. He wanted a group which saw themselves first as Indians and then as members of a specific tribe.

Tecumseh set off in 1811 on a journey to create his unified Indian society. He met with the leaders of dozens of tribes and told them of his idea. However, most would not listen. Many of the Indian tribes were not friendly with each other, and some were even at war. Tecumseh travelled and talked and tried to convince his Indian brothers of the need to unite, but his plan failed.

During the War of 1812, Tecumseh and his tribe fought with the British. During the war, as at other times in his life, the Indian leader did not allow his prisoners to be tortured. He spoke out against other Indians and British leaders who did use torture. On October 5, 1813, the American forces battled the British and Indian soldiers near Chatham, Ontario, and Tecumseh was slain. His body was carried from the field and secretly buried in an unmarked grave to prevent its desecration.

Tecumseh lived a great life and became a symbol for his people. Tecumseh saw the need of all Indians to unite as one. He realized that their differences, no matter how deeply rooted, were nothing compared to the threat of the new settlers to the Indian way of life. Although Tecumseh was a brave and powerful warrior, he was humane and opposed the torture and murder of the helpless. His campaign to unite the Indian nations failed, but he is still remembered for his courage and his work to aid all Native American peoples.