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Biography of TenskwatawaName: TenskwatawaBirth Date: 1775 Death Date: 1836 Place of Birth: Old Piqua, Ohio, United States of America Nationality: American Gender: Male Occupations: religious leader Tenskwatawa Tenskwatawa (1775-1836), also known as the "The Prophet," was a Shawnee religious leader and reviver of traditional ways. With his brother Tecumseh, he worked to create an Indian confederacy to resist American encroachment on Indian lands.Tenskwatawa, known as Lalewithaka in his youth, was one of a set of triplets born to Puckeshinwa, a leader of the Kispokotha division of the Shawnee tribe. His mother, Methoataske, was of Creek descent. One of the triplets died in infancy, but Kumskaukau, the other triplet, survived. In addition to the two surviving triplets, the family also included three daughters and three sons. Tecumseh, who would later become a great leader of the Shawnee, was one of these sons.Lalewithaka's childhood was not easy. Before he was born, in October 1774, his father was killed in a battle against British soldiers at Point Pleasant. His mother, depressed at the loss of her husband and frightened by …showed first 150 words…
…showed last 150 words…Native American he saw that if the Indians would turn against the Prophet, the whites would treat them as friends. Three decades later, Harrison would become president of the United States, campaigning as a military hero on the strength of his supposedly decisive victory against the Indians at Tippecanoe. However, history has since revealed that his claims were exaggerated; white and Native American forces were similar in size and suffered similar losses during the battle.The battle was a decisive defeat for Tenskwatawa. He had lost all credibility after telling his warriors they would be safe. Many were now dead, the people were scattered, and his supernatural power was broken. From now on, his brother Tecumseh would be the dominant leader in the movement for Indian resistance against the whites. Tenskwatawa died in Kansas City, Kansas in November 1836. Further Reading Edmunds, R. David, The Shawnee Prophet, University of Nebraska Press, 1983. |