Draft:Shaw-Waw-Nas-See

Shaw-Waw-Nas-See (also Shau-Wa-Na-See, died 1834), was a Potawatomi Chief in Illinois during the 19th century.

Village
Shawanasse had a village called "Little Rock Village" that was located on the north bank of the Kankakee River now located on the southern tip of Rock Creek Woods in Kankakee. In 1830, the last council of the Three Fires (Potawatomi, Ottawa, Chippewa) was held there. The famous Ottawa-Potawatomi Chief Shabbona was in attendance..

Possible daughter
According to Wagner, Shawanasse had a daughter Wais-Ke-Shaw who was born circa 1800 The identification of Shaw-waw-nass-see as her father is based on an 1839 baptismal certificate that gives her father's name as "Shawnessi," the phonetic equivalent of "Shawnese."

Participation in the Black Hawk War
During the summer of 1832, under the direction of the famous mixed-blood leader Billy Caldwell, both Shaw-waw-nass-see and his son-in-law David Laughton were members of the company that left Chicago on June 22, 1832. Shaw-waw-nass-see was one of the two war chiefs of the company, while David Laughton's rank was unspecified. The members of the company wore white headbands to identify themselves to the other members of the American army as Potawatomi rather than Sauk. Discouraged by a lack of provisions and any sign of immediate success in catching Black Hawk, a number of the militia including David Laughton and the majority of the Potawatomi company left the army on the Rock River on July 10, 1832, and returned to their homes. Shaw-waw-nass-see and 33 other Potawatomi remained with the army for an additional 12 days. On July 21, 1832, the American army killed at least 69 Sauk who were discovered attempting to flee across the Wisconsin River and lost only one man in return. Shaw-waw-nass-see and all but four of the Potawatomi were discharged the day after the battle, possibly because of their reluctance to take any further part in the uneven contest between the Sauk and the Americans.

Treaty at Camp Tippecanoe
On October 20th, 1832, Shawanasse signed a treaty at Camp Tippecanoe in Indiana and was given 5 sections of land (3,200 Acres) to add to his village.

1833 Treaty of Chicago
On September 26th, 1833, Shawanasse signed the 1833 Treaty of Chicago at Chicago, Illinois and was paid $40 ($ in 2021) to compensate for a horse that was stolen from his village late during the Blackhawk War

Artifacts
Steel Knife: This steel knife is a gift to Shaw-waw-nas-see from the United States government at the completion of the signing of the treaty between the Chippewas, Ottawas and Pottawatomie at Chicago. The knife was given to Major Robert J. Boylan, surveyor of the Shaw-waw-nas-see Reservation near Rock Creek, by Shaw-waw-nas-see a few years prior to the chief's death.

Death and burial
In 1834, less than a year after signing the treaty at Tippecanoe, the chief died. The chiefs' men had two of his white settler friends Rev Benjamin Scroggins and George Beckworth build the chief's burial cabin.

His grave was a miniature structure of split puncheons, approximately three feet square. Or in another description we read that it was 3 feet wide, 4 feet long and 4 or 5 feet high, made of split logs and notched at the corners. the roof was made of 'shakes', held in place by large flat stones laid thereon. On the western side was a small, square aperture cut in the logs, so that during ceremonial feasts held for the dead, the old Chief's portion might be set there.

The blanketed body of was placed in the structure in a sitting position. The articles buried with him were a rifle, brass kettle, tomahawk, scalping knife, pipes, pouch of tobacco.

The Chief's rifle, tomahawk, pipes and tobacco were stolen some time later by one Joseph Shabonier, a voyageur and a 'squatter'.

Later, the skeleton of the Chief disappeared. The rumor was that a doctor from Rush Medical School had stolen it and displayed it in his office saying that it was of a prominent Indian chief.