LITT LE TU RT LE C H IE F OF THE MI$ MI $ r e p a r e d by the Staff of the $ ub l i c Library of Fort Wayne and Allen C ounty 19 54 F 7 7 £ The Indi an tribe s of eve ry region of continental U nited State s a n i n have produced great le a de rs . Ame ric hi sto ry has been fl u d d i h a s i e nc e , a n Ame r c an lite rature been enr ched by the exploits D and achievements of the se nota ble pe rsonalitie s . is simil a r in cultu re and c iviliz ation to the white le a de rs who di spo s se ssed th e m of the ir hunti ng pre se rve s a nd killed o r drove the ir people into i w i n ex le , the se native chiefs we re endo ed with a high o rde r of te l l i g e nc e and skill i n statec raft and proved wo rthy foe s to the i r white a dve rs a rie s . The fo llowing Indian chiefs have been rega rded by ma ny Ame r i i i n $ i a in $ a M a s sa s soi c an h stor a s as pre em nent$ Powhat n irgini , t o in o of the Wampan ags Mas s a chusetts , Logan f the Mingo , C o rn a l w a st k of the Sha nee s , Red Jacket of the Senec as Bl ck Hawk of $ d F n the S a uk an oxe s , Joseph of the Nez Pe rce s , Sitti g Bull of the o in d Sioux , O sce la of the Se m ole s , an Ge ronimo of the Ap a che s . The se leade rs and nume rous othe rs directed the stubbo rn a nd of ten te mporarily effective re a r gua rd action of people a t b a y in their atte mpt to survive the anni hila tion which at time s confr onted the m . w a s The Indian population on the continent sp a rse . A prim iti ve people in the hunting and fishing stage of c ivilization , the Indian s we re a noma dic race ; relia nce upon hunting in the fore st for their sustenance nece s sitated fre quent cha nge s of re sidenc e to a n a w ensure de quate game supply . As the hite man enc roached a n i w a s w from the E st C oast , the I d an driven we st ard . Eve ry tribe and eve ry a re a e ast of the Mis sis sippi h a d its burden of displa ced and i i a pe rsons fragments of a lien tr be s . Ind n people s diffe red n nd o gre atly amo g themselve s in culture , langu a ge , a cust ms . In r deed , they we re probably as diffe rent from thei r neighbo rs a s a e th e i i -G var ous Europe a n nationa lit e s e rm an s , F rench , Irish , Ita l and n ians , E gli sh . The e a rlie st white men who ma de conta ct w ith the se Indian tribe s we re total ly unf a milia r w ith the la ngua ge s a nd custom s of th e red men . The conclusions and inte rpreta tions dra wn by the se inv a de rs from the ir obse rvations we re often e rroneous a nd i l l og i c a l due to lack of informa tion and scholarship a s well a s the p r e j u di ce s engende red by the controlling religious and ra c ia l bias of $ the time s . C e rtainl y much of the white ma n s reco rd a bout th e In ian i i nd d s , their tr bal div sions , a the pe rsonalitie s of the ir le a de rs a nd is contr dictory a incomplete . a a On the othe r ha nd , ce rta in histo ric l f cts about the India n le a de rship of our own region when it w a s the frontie r of c iviliz a tion ha ve been e sta blished . P rominent Indi an le a de rs , who se a bil d itie s contempo ra ry white s re a lized a n re spected , moved a c ros s the scene in the Old Northwe st during th e se cond ha lf of the e ight e e nth d century an the e a rly ye a rs of the nineteenth century . The se India n sta te smen wielded gre a t infl uence throughout the a r e a fo r m $ d d ing pre sent a y Ohio , Indiana , Illinois , Wi sconsin , an southe rn an a a a w C d . Sometime s thei r ctivitie s extended into the country no a s Y nd K known Minne sota , we ste rn New ork , a entucky ; occ a sion a lly the se le a de rs we re potent fa ctors even in are a s a s fa r distant a s -da d a the pre sent y sta te s of Tenne s see a n Alab ma . The se India n pa triots we re closely connected with the whi te $ a nd settlement a t the confluence of the St . Ma ry s Rive r the St . h d m i Jo seph Rive r . The site a be e n fro t me imme mo rial a cente r al d n of politic an economic a ctivity . Gene ra l W a y e noted tha t the ag ricultura l development a long the Ma umee Rive r w a s e qu al to any a h d th t he a eve r obse rved elsewhe re . Even though the se coppe r skinned chiefs we re fre quently enga ged in frontie r politic s and war fa re re far from the neighbo rhood of the three rive rs , they a a n al integr pa rt of the history of our Fort Wa yne . d o It is with a dmira tion , re spect , pride , an a sense of hi st ry a tha t We drop this petal of me mo ry upon the gra ve s of Ponti c , the B k on e h a d T u e l a s an . Prophet , Little Turtle g , Blue J cket , ecumseh They we re rega rded by their ra ce as a n a ristoc ra cy of inte lligence a t a a s s a a n and le st impo rtant a tha t of H a rma r , St . C l i r , W y e , a h H rrison by the w ite ra ce . r $ w a s o Of all the se le a de rs , Little Tu tle s influence most p a a a nd a tent loc lly . The a nnals of the p a st record hi s n me c ree r a a al a a mong the illustrious . Although e st bli shed biographic d t i s hi s i sc a nty , still , the re i s enough to indic a te the prima cy of gen u s and a d bility both in ba ttle a n a t the counc il fi re . Little Turtle (M i ch ik i nik w a o r Me - she -kin -no - qu ah ) w a s bo rn a t 1 2 s a a n hi s vill a ge on E el Rive r in 7 5 . His mothe r w a a M hic a nd hi s fa the r a Mi a mi chief , but the Mi a mi custom of tra c ing de scent through the fe m a le line denied him any he redita ry a dva ntage w an a nd from his pa te rn a l line . His c a pa bilitie s e re outst ding we re m a n w a s a so recognized by his fellow s . As a ve ry young he t ll 2 a nd sour of expre ssion and di sp o si ti on ; h e w a s c rafty both in coun d a l c il a n on the field of b tt e . $ ery e a rly he fell unde r British influence ; he a ided the m e s agai nst the Ame ric an force s during th Revolution . This w a the a a w a beginning of a disti ngui shed milita ry c ree r l sting t enty ye rs . Little Tu rtle p a rtic ipa ted in the L a Bal me Ma ss a c re in 17 80 ; he led the victo rious force s which inflicted defe a t upon the Ame ric a n ‘ Gene ral Ha rma r a t the Battle of H a r m a r s Fo rd in 17 90 ; and he a commanded the India n a llie s who defe a ted Gene ra l Arthur St .