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Tecumseh, Tenskwatawa

BOTTIGER, PATRICK. “Prophetstown for Their Own Purposes: The French, Miamis, and Cultural Identities in the Wabash—Maumee Valley.” Journal of the Early Republic, vol. 33, no. 1, University of Pennsylvania Press, 2013, pp. 29–60, http://www.jstor.org/stable/23392569.

This source provides context and details to the creation of Prophetstown and the controversy it generated. Violent skirmishes were breaking out between various Native groups and white settlers on the frontier in the Ohio River Valley. A lot of this violence was caused by misinformation spread throughout the region by the French and Miami natives, which means that not all of the violence in that region was an inherent result of ethnic or religious tensions. Old dead white guys would then go on to use this violence to paint a picture of “savagery” among Native Americans in that region.

Cave, Alfred A. “The Shawnee Prophet, Tecumseh, and Tippecanoe: A Case Study of Historical Myth-Making.” Journal of the Early Republic, vol. 22, no. 4, [University of Pennsylvania Press, Society for Historians of the Early American Republic], 2002, pp. 637–73, https://doi.org/10.2307/3124761.

This source explains and highlights some of the falsehoods and misinformation spread by whites throughout the 19th and 20th centuries about Tenskwatawa. Many biographers and historians who published works on Tecumseh during those times painted Tecumseh as what Alfred Cave describes as, “the Good Indian” while simultaneously painting Tenskwatawa as, “the Bad Indian”. These old dead white guys would more or less paint the religious and cultural aspects of Tenskwatawa as bad and painted him as a lazy and unsuccessful character who piggybacked off of Tecumseh’s success. In actuality, they were both equally vital in sparking Native resistance and unification at that time.

Tenskwatawa

“The Prophet’s and Tecumseh’s historical fame belies the reality of the situation they faced. The brothers failed to prevent American encroachment into the Ohio River Valley because factions of the French, Miamis, and Americans exaggerated, manipulated, and misunderstood the Prophet’s nativist message. They did so to empower their own agendas, which ultimately led to the weakening of the pan-Indian experiment at Prophetstown and subsequent frontier violence. As Indians and whites used Prophetstown to attack one another, ethnic factionalism created an atmosphere of fear and violence along the frontier that culminated at the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811.” - Patrick Bottiger

Local factions of natives and other ethnic groups manipulated and utilized Tenskwatawa's movement for their own gain, which lead to conflict and violence along the frontier of the Ohio River Valley.

“ The Prophet’s most radical innovations were religious. Denouncing much traditional shamanic practice as diabolical, he sought to proscribe both the medicine dance and the use of medicine bags. He demanded that the latter be destroyed…In place of the traditional practices he condemned, he ordained new observances, including morning and evening prayers to the Creator, a new sacred dance, public confession of sins, and a use of sacred beads vaguely resembling the Catholic rosary in a ceremony called ‘shaking hands with the Prophet.’ Lalewithika offered his adherents a new syncretic religion that borrowed some Christian ideas alien to Shawnee tradition, among them belief in an omnipresent and omnipotent creator, in heaven and hell, in sexual repression, and perhaps in patriarchy…His proscription of contact with objects and persons of Euro-American origin resonated with the customary avoidance of acts that gave offense to powerful spirit-beings. His appearance and behavior when in communion with the spirit, although described by a white observer as ‘truly hideous,’ were also profoundly meaningful to traditionalists. Stephen Ruddell, a white captive raised among the Shawnees, recalled that the Prophet…would enter ‘a darkened wigwam’ and ‘would remain in his incantations whole days and whole nights without eating, drinking or sleeping…his powers of endurance when thus engaged were really remarkable.’ In recognition of the power of his visions and of his message, his follower gave [Lalewithika] a new name: Tenskwatawa, ‘the open door that leads us to heaven.’” - Alfred Cave

Tenskwatawa made what some consider very radical innovations with his religious movement, denouncing many practices known to Natives at the time and replacing them with practices similar to some of those in Christianity. His powerful presence in this religious reformation led to the transformation of his name from Lalewithika, "the Noise Maker," to Tenskwatawa, "the open door that leads us to heaven."

 Article Edits 

In 1795, after the Battle of Fallen Timbers, the Indians of the Old Northwest signed the Treaty of Greenville with the American government, in which they agreed to surrender most of modern Ohio. In return, the American government promised to allow them to retain the remainder of the Northwest Territory forever. After 1803, however, and his main official in the Northwest, William Henry Harrison, began pressuring the tribes of the Old Northwest to cede more land west of the Greenville line. Jefferson and Harrison tried to pressure the tribes of the Old Northwest into adopting Euro-American customs, especially European-style farming. They hoped that such acculturation would make the tribes more willing to cede additional land, but also believed that they could force the tribes into acculturating by pressuring them to cede more of their remaining territory. To this end, Jefferson encouraged American officials in the Northwest to deliberately entrap the tribes of the region in debt to force them to cede land. Many established chiefs, such as Black Hoof and Little Turtle, encouraged their followers to adopt European customs and tried to maintain good relations with the American government. After 1803, Harrison convinced some pro-accommodation chiefs to cede large areas of land west of the Greenville line. The American government paid for these cessions with annuities, which it placed under the control of the pro-accommodation chiefs. Many Indians saw these payments as bribes to the pro-accommodation chiefs. Local factions of natives and other ethnic groups manipulated and utilized Tenskwatawa's movement for their own gain, which lead to conflict and violence along the frontier of the Ohio River Valley.

Beginning in 1805 Lalawethika had a series of religious visions that transformed his life, caused him to change his name which resulted in people referring to him as Tenskwatawa (meaning "Open Door"), and led him to reject his old ways. He experienced his first vision in May 1805, when he fell into unconsciousness during one of his alcoholic stupors and was thought to be dead. Unexpectedly reviving as his body was being prepared for burial, he recounted a powerful vision of two different worlds, one filled with ample blessings for the virtuous ones who lived as the Master of Life intended, while the other world was filled with pain, hardship, and terror for those who refused to follow traditional tribal ways. Tenskwatawa became known as "The Prophet," began preaching and gathered a growing number of followers. He soon emerged as a powerful and influential spiritual leader. More visions followed in succeeding months, including revelations that the European invaders from the east were "the children of the Evil Spirit.".