Pontiac (?-1769)
The name Pontiac is derived from Ottawa obwendiyag, but is of unknown
meaning. This Ottawa chief was the leading force behind a coordinated attack
on English outposts in the Great Lakes area. Although little is known of
his early years, it is believed that he was born of an Ottawa father and Chippewa
mother around 1720, along the Maumee River near the mouth of the Auglaize, in
Ohio. (Some accounts say the Ottawa River near the Michigan-Ohio boundary.) During
Pontiac’s youth, most of the Midwestern tribes sold hides to the French
fur traders in the area. The French and Indian relationship was mutually
beneficial—the French wanted furs and the Indian wanted arms and other
European goods—so both sides were content. But when the English came,
they wanted the land, and they took it.
With the defeat
of the French following the French and Indian Wars, the British assumed dominance
in dealing with frontier Indians. Pontiac’s first experience with
them was in 1760 when he was forced to surrender Detroit to the British and retreat
into the woods. Pontiac was a natural leader, respected among the Indian
people for his eloquence, wisdom, and his achievements as a warrior and military
strategist. While at first disposed to be friendly toward the English after
their victory in the French and Indian War, their tactless conduct towards him,
his increasing sensitivity toward the British ambitions for Indian lands, and,
perhaps most importantly, a mistaken belief that the French were about to take
up war again, led him to plan an offensive coup.
Like many
other foresighted Indian leaders, Pontiac’s idea was that the tribes west
of the Appalachians should unify, take advantage of the general confusion of
the times, and in one surprise attack overwhelm the British forts and settlements. To
this end, he sent red wampum belts to all tribes, and received in return indications
of encouragement and support. Following a general War Council on April
27, 1763, the alliance was formed, and in May the general attack began. Pontiac
and his men entered Fort Detroit wearing blankets to cover their guns and knives;
however, the fort commander, Major Henry Gladwin, had been forewarned by a half-breed
girl, and the Ottawa found themselves surrounded. They left the fort peaceably,
but shortly after, returned and laid siege. They were unable to prevent
the fort from being resupplied and the standoff dragged on. Elsewhere,
Pontiac’s allies were more successful: in the course of the war, which
lasted until the fall of 1764, the Indians captured eight British forts and forced
the abandonment of a ninth.
Early reinforcements
sent to aid Detroit were defeated, but the Indian alliance began to split up,
nevertheless. It became clear that no help could be expected from the French;
greater numbers of troops began to come from the East to help the British; and
the traditional Indian occupations—hunting and fishing—suffered,
greatly affecting native survival. Protracted techniques were contrary
to Indian warfare practices.
Finally, with
the knowledge that peace had been established between the French and the British
in the Louisiana Territory, the disillusioned Pontiac abandoned his siege and
withdrew West. His failure to defeat the British diminished his influence,
and the Indians perceived that their once great leader had become a liability
to their future, since now they had to deal with the Whites, who saw him as a
continuing threat. Earlier jealousies and tribal hatreds began to surface
again, and on April 20, 1769, while visiting a trading post at Cahokia, Illinois,
Pontiac was murdered by a Peoria warrior. The motive for the killing is
not known, but it is possible that the British, fearing Pontiac, may have bribed
his Indian executioner.
The idea of
Indian unity against the White man suffered a setback, but did not die with him. What
had started with Popé in 1680 was to be revived again and again all over
the country during the next 125 years, to end only with the calumniating tragedy
at Wounded Knee in 1890.
Pontiac was
tall, powerfully built, with an imposing grace and personality—a man of
great eloquence and forthright demeanor. He is known to have had one wife,
Kantuckeegan, and at least two sons, Otussa and Shegenaba. His character
and abilities have been so strained through historic accounts, some preserving
him as an “Indian saint,” and others portraying him as a Machiavellian
monster, that we little realize the potential of his skills.
Source: Great North American Indians by Frederick J.
Duckstander
NATIVE
AMERICAN RHYMES 
