Tenskwatawa (1775-1836)

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Tenskwatawa (1775-1836)

Tenskwatawa, a Native American prophet of the Shawnee people, was the brother of the famous war chief Tecumseh. He grew up in the shadow of his more famous brother, and was a somewhat alienated soul who did not take part in traditional male activities such as hunting and fishing. At some point he also lost the use of his right eye. He compensated for this physical defect by wearing jewelry from his pierced ears and nose. He did have some oratorical abilities.

He arose out of obscurity in the first decade of the nineteenth century as American settlers moved into traditional Shawnee territory in the Midwest. He had become a medicine man in his brother's tribe and claimed additional status as a prophet after being visited by the Great Spirit in a dream. The new settlers labeled him "The Prophet." People took him seriously after he successfully predicted a solar eclipse in 1806. Especially younger Shawnee were drawn to this new leader and his new religion. He told them to reject white culture and adhere to their traditional ways. He also urged them to follow his example and give up the use of alcohol.

The white settlers, however, were more interested in his broad message that North America was a land that was held in common by all the tribes. Hence, no particular Indian group had the right to sign away its territory to the U. S. Government. It was not theirs to give. Tecumseh accepted the idea and used it to build a confederation of tribes. Meanwhile, Tenskwatawa gathered his most dedicated followers and created a new village called Tippecanoe, at the point where the Wabash and Tippecanoe Rivers met. The settlers called it Prophet's Town. As the movement focused in Tenskwatawa grew, anxiety over Indian resistance to further settlement was focused on Prophet's Town.

In the fall of 1811, Tecumseh headed south to gather the support of additional tribes for his confederacy to resist further white encroachments. Indiana governor William Henry Harrison decided to seize the opportunity and remove the heart of the movement. He sent soldiers to Prophet's Town and in what came to be known as the Battle of Tippecanoe, destroyed the village. Though not a great battle, it was later used by Harrison in his quest for the American presidency. It also led to the downfall of Tenskwatawa. Former residents of Tippecanoe almost killed him, and his influence as a man of magical power and prophetic ability waned from that moment. However, the idea of the confederation of tribes was still very much alive the next year and was used by the British to enroll Indians as allies in the War of 1812.

After the war, Tenskwatawa lived in Canada on a British pension. He returned to the United States in 1926 and attempted to reassert his authority among a group of Shawnee who were being moved from Ohio and eventually settled in Kansas. He died there in 1836.