Examine individual changes

'[[Image:Ten-squat-a-way.jpg|250px|thumb|Ten-squat-a-way, Painted in 1830 by [[George Catlin]].]] '''Tenskwatawa'''{{Pronunciation-needed}}, (also called '''Tenskatawa''', '''Tenskwatawah''', '''Tensquatawa''' or '''Lalawethika''') (1775 &ndash; November 1836) was a [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] religious and political leader of the [[Shawnee]] tribe, known as '''The Prophet''' or the '''Shawnee Prophet'''. He was the brother of [[Tecumseh]], leader of the Shawnee. He was originally given the name Lalawethika (He Makes a Loud Noise or The Noise Maker). He denounced Americans as children of the devil and mobilized the Indians in the Midwest to fight them, but his movement was defeated in the [[War of 1812]] when his brother was killed, and he faded away. ==Early years== [[Image:Shawnee Prophet, Tenskwatawa.jpg|thumb|left|Portrait by [[Charles Bird King]]]] Tenskwatawa's mother was Methoataske (or Methoataaskee, meaning "[One who] Lays Eggs in the Sand"), who was believed to be either [[Muscogee Creek]], [[Cherokee]], or Shawnee, possibly of [[Pekowi]] division and the Turtle Clan<ref>Schutz, Noel. [http://www.shawnee-traditions.com/Lineage.html "The Family of Tecumseh & Tenskwatawa"]</ref><ref name="Sugden1997">{{cite book |title= Tecumseh: A Life |last= Sugden|first= John |year= 1997 |publisher= Holt |location= New York |ISBN= ISBN 0-8050-4138-9 (hardcover) ISBN 0-8050-6121-5 (1999 paperback) }}</ref> Because his father died before he was born and because his mother left his family shortly after, Lalawethika grew up without parents. Lalawethika was then dependent on his siblings to teach him the Shawnee ways. Because he was not close to his older sister or older brother, he never learned how to hunt or fight successfully, skills essential to a Shawnee man. He also lost an eye in a hunting accident, and his poor looks and braggart personality did not win him many friends. As a result, Lalawethika grew up to be an outsider to his community and turned to alcohol.<ref name="Sugden1997"></ref> Based on his history, it seemed that he would never make a contribution to his tribe. However, that changed when Lalawethika was put in trance by the [[Master of Life]]. In May 1805, he experienced the first of several visions. In one of his alcoholic stupors he fell into a fire and was thought dead. Unexpectedly reviving, he recounted a powerful vision and soon began preaching. White (1991) notes that in Algonquian tradition the "Great Serpent" came from the sea and stood for evil powers; Tenskwatawa said Americans came from the sea and were the spawn of the Great Serpent.<ref>Richard White, ''The middle ground: Indians, empires, and republics in the Great Lakes region, 1650-1815'' (1998) [http://books.google.com/books?id=gKXgtvYvTRkC&pg=PA507&dq=Tenskwatawa+serpent+inauthor:richard+inauthor:white&hl=en&ei=rLBoTsKJI6jliAKJ6sWvBA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCoQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Tenskwatawa%20serpent%20inauthor%3Arichard%20inauthor%3Awhite&f=false p 507 online]</ref> He also conducted witch hunts against Christian Indians. He forbade his people to use European foods, clothing, manufactured goods and alcohol. He changed his name to Tenskwatawa (The Open Door or One With Open Mouth). ==Purification== Tenskwatawa had a series of religious visions which transformed his life and led him to reject his old ways. More revelations followed in succeeding months, revelations that the white invaders from the east were “not my children, but the children of the Evil Spirit.".<ref>Edmund's, ''The Shawnee Prophet'' [http://books.google.com/books?id=iz-lJHeVqjsC&pg=PA38&dq=%22not+my+children,+but+the+children+of+the+Evil+Spirit.%22+intitle:prophet+inauthor:edmunds&hl=en&ei=fbFoTt_bDKXKiALp1MSgBA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCoQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=%22not%20my%20children%2C%20but%20the%20children%20of%20the%20Evil%20Spirit.%22%20intitle%3Aprophet%20inauthor%3Aedmunds&f=false p. 38 online]</ref> He led a purification movement to return his people to their traditional ways, and to extirpate the evils represented by the Americans. Indian witches still remained the most active agents of that spirit on earth, and Tenskwatawa sought to identify and destroy them.<ref>Edmund's, ''The Shawnee Prophet'' p. 39</ref> He formed a new community of followers near the present site of [[Green-ville, Ohio]] in 1805. His following grew even more rapidly after he accurately predicted a [[solar eclipse]] in 1806 humiliating Indiana Territorial Governor William Henry Harrison. Harrison had publicly derided Tenskwatawa as a fraud to the tribal leaders and the accuracy of Tenskwatawa's prediction was taken as proof of his power by many members of the tribes. His followers eventually followed him west to form a large [[Prophets-town State Park|multi-tribal community]] known to the whites as Prophets-town or Tippecanoe in what is now [[Indiana]] in 1808. The site had both practical and spiritual significance. The site was located near the juncture of the [[Wabash River|Wabash]] and [[Tippecanoe River|Tippecanoe]] rivers. Such places at the junction of two rivers had significant spiritual significance in tribal culture. The site was also a geographic central point to the political and military alliance that was forming around Tenskwatawa's brother [[Tecumseh]]. When some chiefs tried to promote compromise and conciliation, Tenskwatawa, proclaiming his obedience to the Great Spirit, lashed out against these government sympathizing chiefs, depicting them as wicked traitors and minions of the Americans.<ref>Willing, ''Restoring the chain of friendship'' (2008) p. 207</ref> Willing (1997) argues that Tippecanoe was not only the largest Native American community in the [[Great Lakes]] region but served as a major center of Indian culture and base to expel the whites and European culture. It was an inter-tribal, religious stronghold along the [[Wabash River]] in Indiana for three thousand Native Americans, Tippecanoe, known as Prophets-town to whites, served as a temporary barrier to settlers' westward movement. Led by Tenskwatawa and Tecumseh, thousands of [[Algonquin language|Algonquin]]-speaking Indians gathered at Tippecanoe to gain spiritual strength. [[US government]] attempts, from the [[George Washington]] to [[William Henry Harrison]] administrations, to rid the area of the numerous Indian tribes eventually met with success as the Indians retreated westward by 1840 to avoid the large numbers of whites entering their territory.<ref>{{cite journal|first=Timothy D.| last= Willing|title=Prophets-town on the Wabash: The Native Spiritual Defense of the Old Northwest|journal=Michigan Historical Review|date=Mar 1997|volume=23|issue=2|pages=115–158|url=http://www.jstor.org/pss/20173677}}</ref> ==Tecumseh's War== {{main|Tecumseh's War}} [[Image:Prophet's Rock view.jpg|thumb|right|250px|The view from Prophet's Rock, looking toward the site of the Battle of Tippecanoe]] There is some disagreement among historians over whether Tecumseh or Tenskwatawa was really the primary leader of the Pan-Indian community that grew up around Prophets-town. Either way, Tenskwatawa's preachings grew more militant and narrowly political from 1808–1811, as more and more young disaffected warriors from nearby tribes joined his movement. By 1811, both white settlers in the region and the U.S. Army had become quite concerned about what was happening at Prophets-town. Late in 1811, Tecumseh journeyed south to meet with representatives of other tribes in hopes of building a larger alliance, leaving Tenskwatawa in command at Prophets-town. According to legend, Tecumseh ordered Tenskwatawa to avoid any confrontation with whites during his absence. However, on November 7, 1811, while Tecumseh was still away, an American force under command of [[William Henry Harrison]] surrounded the village. Though the village was surrounded, it was Tenskwatawa and his smaller besieged force that attacked first. Tenskwatawa's forces were soundly defeated. (See the [[Battle of Tippecanoe]].) It was a two hour battle that left many Indians dead or wounded. The Indians buried their men in the night, and stripped The Prophet of his powers. The village at Prophets-town was burned down and the defeat put an end to Tecumseh's hope of a broad Native alliance. With his brother, Tenskwatawa participated in the defense of the [[Canada|Canadian]] colonies during the [[War of 1812]]. In 1813 he was present at the [[Battle of the Thames]], but fled with the [[United Kingdom|British]] forces and was absent when Tecumseh was killed. ==Later years and death== In the following decade he unsuccessfully tried to regain a position of leadership among Native Americans. In 1825 he returned to the [[United States]] and assisted in removing many of the Shawnees west of the [[Mississippi]]. In 1826 he established a village at the site of modern [[Kansas City, Kansas]]. He died in 1836 at his village in Kansas City, Kansas (located in the Argentine area; the ''[[White Feather Spring]]'' marker notes the location). ==Tenskwatawa in fiction== Tenskwatawa, along with his brother [[Tecumseh]], is one of the major characters in [[Orson Scott Card]]'s [[alternate history (fiction)|alternate history]] [[fantasy]] series of [[novel]]s ''[[The Tales of Alvin Maker]]'' (especially the second book, ''[[Red Prophet]]''). In those books he is called '''Tenskwa-Tawa''' (previously '''Lola-Wossiky'''). He is a supporting character in [[James Alexander Thom]]'s historical novel ''Panther in the Sky''. [[David Brin]] makes a nod to Tenskwatawa's legacy in his novel ''Existence,'' introducing a Native American prophet in the future named Tenskwatawa, who leads the Renunciation movement to return to simpler, wiser ways of life, and to control the expansion of technology with careful consideration of the disruptive effects of adopting new advances. ==Further reading== * Cave, Alfred A. "The Shawnee Prophet, Tecumseh, and Tippecanoe: A Case Study of Historical Myth-Making," ''Journal of the Early Republic,'' Winter 2002, Vol. 22 Issue 4, p637-74 * Edmund's, R. David. "Tecumseh, The Shawnee Prophet, And American History: A Reassessment," ''Western Historical Quarterly'' (1983) 14#3 pp 261-276. argues the Prophet was much more important than Tecumseh. [http://www.jstor.org/stable/969620 in JSTOR] * Edmund's, R. David. ''Tecumseh and the Quest for Indian Leadership '' (2nd Edition, 2006) * Edmund's, R. David. ''The Shawnee Prophet'' (1985) [http://www.amazon.com/dp/0803267118/ excerpt and text search] * Jortner, Adam. ''The Gods of Prophets-town: The Battle of Tippecanoe and the Holy War for the American Frontier'' (2012) * Willing, Timothy D. "Prophets-town on the Wabash: The Native Spiritual Defense of the Old Northwest," ''Michigan Historical Review,'' Mar 1997, Vol. 23 Issue 2, pp 115–158 * Willing, Timothy D. ''Restoring the Chain of Friendship: British Policy and the Indians of the Great Lakes, 1783-1815'' (2008) [http://www.amazon.com/dp/0803248172 excerpt and a text search] ==References== <references/> == External links == *[http://battleground.in.gov/sites.htm Battle Ground, Indiana] *[http://www.ingenweb.org/intippecanoe/prophetsrock.htm Prophet's Rock] *[http://www.biographi.ca/009004-119.01-e.php?&id_nbr=3689 Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''] *{{Cite Appletons'|Ellskwatawa|year=1900|notaref=x}} {{Person-data <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Person-data]]. --> | NAME = Tenskwatawa | ALTERNATIVE NAMES = | SHORT DESCRIPTION = | DATE OF BIRTH = 1775 | PLACE OF BIRTH = | DATE OF DEATH = 1836 | PLACE OF DEATH = }} [[Category:Shawnee people]] [[Category:1775 births]] [[Category:1836 deaths]] [[Category:Native Americans in Indiana]] [[Category:Native Americans in the War of 1812]] [[Category:Native American leaders]] [[Category:Burial place unknown]] [[Category:Religious figures of the indigenous peoples of North America]] [[Category:Prophets]] [[Category:Shawnee tribe]] [[Category:Indiana in the War of 1812]] [[Category:Native American history of Indiana]] [[Category:Native American history of Kansas]] [[Category:Witch hunting]] [[Category:Burials in Kansas]] [[bar:Tenskwatawa]] [[ca:Tenkswatawa]] [[De:Tenskwatawa]] [[es:Tenskwatawa]] [[fr:Tenskwatawa]] [[id:Tenskwatawa]] [[hu:Tenskwatawa]] [[pl:Tenskwatawa]] [[pt:Tenskwatawa]] [[Ru:Тенскватава]] [[SK:Tenskwatawa]]'