USA > Indiana > Miami County > History of Miami County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests, Volume I > Part 5
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Morgan divides the Pottawatomi into fifteen gentes, to wit: 1. Moah (wolf), 2. Mko (bear), 3. Muk (beaver), 4. Misshawa (elk), 5. Maak (loon), 6. Knou (eagle), 7. Nma (sturgeon), 8. Nmapena (carp),
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9. Mgezewa (bald eagle), 10. Chekwa (thunder), 11. Wabozo (rabbit), 12. Kakagshe (crow), 13. Wakeshi (fox), 14. Penna (turkey), 15. Mke- tashshekakah (hawk).
The Pottawatomi have been described as "the most docile and affec- tionate toward the French of all the savages of the West." They were naturally polite, more kindly disposed toward the early missionaries and the religion they taught them than any of the western tribes, though some writers say they were filthy in their habits, low in their nature, lazy, and would rather fish and hunt than to till the soil. In their religion they had two spirits-Kitchemondo, the good spirit, and Matchemondo, the evil spirit-though Schoolcraft thinks these spirits were the result of the teaching of the missionaries. He says that in early times the Pottawatomi worshipped the sun and practiced polyg- amy. When starting to battle the tribe appealed to the two spirits, asking Kitchemondo to give them the victory and Matchemondo to confuse their enemies.
Prior to the peace of 1763, the Pottawatomi sided with the French. They were with Pontiac in the uprising of that year and at the begin- ning of the Revolutionary war they cast their lot with the British. At the treaty of Greenville, August 3, 1795, they served notice upon the Miami tribe that they intended to "move down upon the Wabash," which they did, in spite of the protests of the Miamis, who claimed all that territory. About the beginning of the nineteenth century, the Pottawatomi were in possession of the country around the head of Lake Michigan, extending from the Milwaukee river, in Wisconsin, to the Grand river, in Michigan; thence across Michigan to Lake Erie; thence southwest, over a large part of Illinois, and all that part of Indiana lying north of the Wabash river. Within this territory they had about fifty villages.
Ashkum, a Pottawatomi chief, had his village on the north side of the Eel river, not far from the present town of Denver, in Miami county. The village of Metea, a chief distinguished for his bravery and oratory, was situated on the St. Joseph river, at the mouth of Cedar creek, near the village of Cedarville, in Allen county. Metea was one of the leaders of the party that massacred the families of the garrison and settlers about old Fort Dearborn (where the city of Chicago now stands) as they were retreating to Detroit at the beginning of the War of 1812. His band of warriors also harrassed the troops that were marching to the relief of Fort Wayne, in the fall of 1812, and in one of the engagements he was shot in the arm by General Harrison. At the treaty council in October, 1826, he was one of the Pottawatomi Indians who impressed his hearers by his eloquence, but the following year he died in a drunken
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debauch at Fort Wayne. His village, the Indian name of which was Muskwawasepeotan, was sold in 1828.
The Pottawatomi took part in more than forty treaties with the United States. The last important treaty was that of February 27, 1837, soon after which the tribe left Indiana and took up their residence on a new reservation in Kansas. Although the tribe was one of the strongest of the Algonquian tribes numerically, it is probable that it never num- bered more than 3,000 or 4,000 warriors. In 1908 it had dwindled until the number in the United States was 2,522. Of these 1,768 lived in Oklahoma, 676 of what was left of the "Prairie band" lived in Kansas, and 78 of the same band lived in Michigan.
There is something pathetic in the manner in which the North American Indians were dispossessed of the lands where they and their ancestors had lived for generations before the coming of the white man, and it may be worth while to note the policies adopted by European nations to get possession of these lands. As early as 1529, Cortez, captain-general of New Spain, was directed by the Spanish government to "give his principal care to the conversion of the natives," and directed that "none shall be given to the Spaniards as slaves or servants." Bishop Ramirez, acting governor under Cortez, tried to carry out this royal edict, as well as the instructions of his church, but without avail. Indians were enslaved, treated with great cruelty and made to work in the mines, and their lands were taken ruthlessly and without promise of compensation. This was especially true in the con- quests of Mexico and Central America, and a similar policy prevailed among the Spaniards to some extent in the southern part of the United States.
The French had no settled policy in dealing with the Indians. The Jesuit fathers were interested in their conversion to the Christian faith and the other early French immigrants were chiefly interested in the fur trade. They made little or no effort to cultivate the land or to dispossess the Indians, but the two peoples lived as neighbors, the Indians peaceably permitting the French to dwell among them and allowing them sufficient land for their needs, and the French always recognizing the rights of the natives as the original owners.
In the English policy the Indian was not entirely forgotten, as may be seen in the early charters, but no provision was made for the educa- tion, support or conversion of the natives. Charters granted by the English kings generally authorized the colonists "if God shall grant it, to vanquish and captivate them ; and the captives to put to death, or, according to their discretion, to save." (Lord Baltimore's charter to Maryland.)
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Cyrus Thomas, of the United States Bureau of Ethnology, says : "Frequent and bloody wars, in which the whites were not always the aggressors, unavoidably ensued. European policy, numbers and skill prevailed. As the white population advanced, that of the Indians receded. The country in the immediate neighborhood of agriculturists became unfit for them. The game fled to thicker and more unbroken forests, and the Indians followed. That law which regulates, and ought to regulate in general, the relations between the conquerer and the conquered, was inapplicable to a people under such circum- stances."
The Indians were therefore treated by the English colonists as mere occupants; or tenants. In time of peace they were protected, to some extent at least, in the possession of their lands, but were not regarded as capable of transferring their title to others-the crown grants did that -and in war they were expelled, when their lands were "taken by con- quest" without remuneration or recourse.
In some degree, the United States inherited, or copied the English policy. Article IX of the Articles of Confederation gave congress the sole right to deal with the Indians and Indian affairs, under certain restrictions. And by the act of March 1, 1793, entitled " An act to regulate trade and intercourse with the Indian tribes," it was provided :
"That no purchase or grant of lands, or any title or claim thereto, from any Indians, or nation or tribe of Indians, within the bounds of the United States, shall be of any validity, in law or equity, unless the same be made by treaty or convention entered into pursuant to the constitu- tion."
Under this policy treaty followed treaty, each crowding the Indian farther toward the setting sun. After the treaties with the Miami and Pottawatomi tribes in Indiana, as they left their cabins and favorite hunting grounds along the Wabash, the Kankakee, the Tippecanoe and the Mississinewa, they cast longing looks backward toward the land which had so long been their home, and sorrowfully bade adieu to the scenes of their childhood forever. About all they have left are the names of the streams and towns, which the white man has adopted. And
"The pale-face rears his wigwam where the Indian hunters roved,
His hatchet fells the forest fair the Indian maidens loved."
CHAPTER III
INDIAN CHIEFS AND TREATIES
EARLY MIAMI CHIEFS-LITTLE TURTLE-JOHN B. RICHARDVILLE-LEGEND OF HOW HE BECAME CHIEF-HIS CHARACTERISTICS-TRIBAL ORGANI- ZATION-WAR CHIEFS-SHEPOCONAH-FRANCIS GODFROY-HOW HE WAS CHOSEN WAR CHIEF-HIS FAMILY-HIS DEATH AND WILL- GABRIEL GODFROY-POTTAWATOMI CHIEFS-TREATIES WITH THE POT- TAWATOMI-TREATIES WITH THE MIAMIS-FULL TEXT OF THE GREAT TREATY OF 1838-SCHEDULE OF INDIAN LAND GRANTS-TREATY OF 1840-THE WHITE MAN IN POSSESSION.
Little is known of the Miami chiefs prior to July 3, 1748. On that date a treaty was concluded at Lancaster, Pennsylvania, between the chiefs of several tribes on one side and commissioners appointed by the English- colonial authorities on the other. In this treaty, which was merely one of peace and friendship, the name of A-gue-nack-gue appears as principal chief of the Miamis. At that time he lived at Turtle vil- lage, a few miles northeast of the present city of Fort Wayne. Two other Miami chiefs from the Wabash country also signed the treaty, which lasted until after the establishment of the United States govern- ment.
Aguenackgue married a Mohican woman, according to the Indian custom, and one of their sons was Me-she-ke-no-quah, or Little Turtle, who was born at Turtle village about 1747, and who became principal chief of the Miami nation upon the death of his father. About the time he succeeded to the chieftainship his tribe was regarded as the leading one in the West. His people were brave and fearless, were considered more intelligent than those of the surrounding tribes, lived in better habitations, possessed a greater degree of self respect, and were more careful in their dress and habits. To be the principal chief of this great tribe, one must have both physical and intellectual powers of a high order.
Little Turtle was not lacking in any of the essential qualifications. From his mother he inherited many of the superior qualities of the Mohicans. Agile and athletic, his physical ability was not to be ques-
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tioned for a moment. As a youth his influeunce was made manifest on numerous occasions, and even the older warriors listened with respect when he presented his views in council. After he became chief, not only his own tribe, but also others of the Miami confederacy, acknowl- edged him as their great leader and followed him without the slightest envy or jealousy. No military academy taught him the art of war, but in the management of any army he showed the skill of a Napoleon. His prowess in this line is seen in the masterly manner in which he conducted the assault on General St. Clair's army, November 4, 1791. Not until he met General Wayne, whom he designated as "the man who never sleeps," did Little Turtle acknowledge defeat. He was likewise a states- man, as well as a warrior, and was a conspicuous figure in the negotiation of several of the early treaties with the United States. Having once affixed his signature to a treaty, his honor would not permit him to vio- late its stipulations, and by this means he won the confidence and esteem of the whites. General George Washington, while president of the United States, presented him with a medal and a handsome sword, which were buried with him at Fort Wayne, where he died on July 14, 1812. He was buried by the white people with honors, a monument was erected over his grave, and it was said of him that "he never offered or received a bribe."
Jean Baptiste Richardville, commonly called John B. Richardville, became principal chief of the Miamis after the death of Little Turtle. His Indian name was Pe-she-wa (the lynx), a name indicative of his char- acter-always alert and watchful for his own interests and the welfare of his tribe. Richardville (pronounced Roosheville) was not a full- blood Miami. His father, a noted French trader, was Joseph Drouet de Richardville, a scion of a noble family of France, and there is a tra- dition that he was an officer in the French service in Canada before be- coming interested in the fur trade. His brother was a trader at Vin- cennes, where some of his descendants still live, and who according to Meginnis have in their possession valuable documents "which trace their ancestry back to the year 1162."
The mother of Chief Richardville was Tah-kum-wah, daughter of the old chief Aguenackgue and a sister of Little Turtle. He was born at the Miami village of Kekionga (Fort Wayne) about the year 1761. His election to the chieftainship of the tribe was the result of a daring feat that for bravery is entitled to rank with the defense of the pass at Ther- mopylae or the heroic sacrifice of Arnold Winkelried. A white man was captured by a war party of Miamis and brought into the Indian camp on the Maumee river. Little Turtle's successor had not yet been chosen and, after a consultation of the head men, the unfortunate prisoner
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was sentenced to be burned at the stake. Among the Miamis there were some who wanted to abandon this barbarous custom and one of these was Tah-kum-wah, the mother of Richardville. With her son she stood apart, silently watching the preparations for the sacrifice of the prisoner, who, knowing that protestations were useless, resigned himself to his horrible fate. The stake was planted, the captive bound to it securely, the fagots piled around him, the bloodthirsty savages around him reveling in fiendish anticipation. When all was ready the torch was applied and the Indians "began their awful dance of death." Then Richardville's mother thrust a knife into his hand and bade him assert his claims to the chieftainship. Springing through the circle of frenzied dancers and kicking aside the blazing fagots, Richardville quickly severed the cords that bound the prisoner and bore him beyond the cordon of flames. It would probably be a difficult matter to say which was the most aston- ished-the liberated captive or the Indians whose barbaric ceremony had been so rudely interrupted. Meginnis says they were "by no means pleased at the loss of their prize, yet the young man, their favorite, for his daring conduct, was at once esteemed as a god by the crowd, and then became a chief of the first distinction and honor in the tribe."
The story then continues to the effect that Richardville's mother took charge of the man, placed him in a canoe, covered him with peltries and sent him down the Maumee under the protection of friendly Indians. Some years later, while on his way to Washington, Richardville stopped for a few hours in a town in Ohio and while there a stranger came up to him, gave him a warm greeting and declared himself to be the rescued prisoner.
The story of this dramatic incident, was related by the chief to Allen Hamilton, the Indian agent at Fort Wayne, and has since been repeated by several writers, all of whom describe Richardville as a young man at the time he did the daring deed that won for him the chieftainship of his tribe. The same authorities agree that he did not become chief until after the death of Little Turtle, in the summer of 1812. The story of the rescue may be true, but if Richardville was born in 1761 and did not succeed to the chieftainship until after the death of Little Turtle, he was therefore past fifty years of age when he became the principal chief, civil ruler and great lawgiver of the Miamis.
There is abundant evidence, however, that for years prior to that time he had been one of the leading men of his tribe. He was more of a diplo- mat than a warrior, but he took part in the action that defeated General Harmar's army in October, 1790. He was one of the Miami representa- tives in the council of Greenville, which resulted in the treaty of August 3, 1795; was one of the signers of the treaty of Fort Wayne, June 7,
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1803, and of the treaty of Grouseland, August 21, 1805. The treaties of 1818, 1826 and1838 he signed as principal chief.
Richardville was one of the chiefs who received $500 from the gov- ernment about 1827, with which to build a house. To the appropriation he added a considerable sum of his own money and built a rather pre- tentious residence on one of his reservations. The "Handbook" issued by the United States Bureau of Ethnology says: "His house on the bank of the St. Mary's, about four miles from Fort Wayne, was for many years known as the abode of hospitality." For a number of years he conducted a large trading house at Fort Wayne, where he spent most of his time, but about 1836 he removed his trading post to Wabash and continued in business there for some time, his wife and the younger mem- bers of the family remaining at the home on the St. Mary's. The follow- ing description of him is from the pen of Judge Horace P. Biddle, who was personally acquainted with the chief for several years preceding his death :
"In stature Richardville was about five feet ten inches, with broad shoulders, and weighed about 180 pounds. His personal appearance was attractive and he was graceful in carriage and manner. Exempt from any expression of levity, he is said to have 'preserved his dignity under all circumstances.' His nose was Roman, his eyes were of a lightish blue and slightly protruding, his upper lip pressed firmly upon his teeth, and the under one slightly projecting. That he was an Indian half-breed there can be no doubt. His own statements and unvarying traditions conclusively prove that he inherited his position through his mother, by the laws of Indian descent, and contradict the theory that he was a Frenchman, who obtained the chieftainship by trickery or purchase. In appearance he was remarkable, in that his skin was neither red nor white, but both colors combined in his skin, which was mottled or spotted red and white."
Richardville died at his home on the St. Mary's river on August 13, 1841. The next day he was buried by the Catholic church, the services being conducted by Father Clark, the priest from Peru, in the church of St. Augustine. His body was first interred where the cathedral of Fort Wayne was afterward erected, and when work on that building was commenced his remains were removed to the Catholic cemetery south of the city. His grave is marked by a marble monument placed there by his daughters. On the east side of the monument is the inscription : "Here rest the remains of Chief Richardville, principal chief of the Miami tribe of Indians. He was born at Fort Wayne, about the year 1760. Died August 13, A. D. 1841," and on the west side: "This monument has been erected by La Blonde, Sarah and Catherine, daughters of the deceased."
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HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY
Catherine, whose Indian name was Po-con-go-qua, became the wife of Francis La Fontaine (To-pe-ah), who was the last principal chief of the Miamis. Like his illustrious predecessor, he was the son of a French- man and his mother was a Miami. His marriage to the daughter of Richardville occurred when he was about twenty-one years of age, and but a short time before the old chief's death. In that short interval he took such interest in the welfare of the Miamis that he was unanimously selected as chief soon after the death of his father-in-law. La Fontaine is described as a "tall portly man, weighing about 350 pounds." His home was on two sections of land a short distance east of the city of Huntington. But his elevation to the position of chief came after the treaties of 1826 and 1838, which had taken from the Miamis their lands and humbled their pride, hence he had no opportunity to display his qualifications as a leader. He accompanied his people to their new reservation in Kansas, spent the winter there with them, and the follow- ing spring set out to return to his home in Indiana. On the way he was taken ill and died at Lafayette, Indiana, April 13, 1847. His remains were taken to Huntington and interred in the Catholic cemetery.
With regard to the social and political organization of the Indian tribes, J. N. B. Hewitt, of the United States Bureau of Ethnology, says : "Among the North American Indians a chief may be generally defined as a political officer whose distinctive functions are to execute the ascer- tained will of a definite group of persons united by the possession of a common territory or range. . The clan or gens, the tribe and confederation present more complex forms of social and political organi- zation. The clan or gens embraces several such chieftaincies, and has a more highly developed internal political structure with definite land boundaries. The tribe is constituted of several clans or gentes, and the confederation of several tribes. There were in several com- munities, as the Iroquois and Greeks, civil and sub chiefs, chosen for personal merit, and permanent and temporary war chiefs."
The social and political structure of the Miamis was very similar to that of the Iroquois and Creeks. The principal chief was the civil ruler and executive official of the tribe, and under him were the war chief and the chiefs of the clans or gentes. There is a tribal tradition that at an early date a chief named Osandiah, at the head of one division of the Miami tribe, left the Wabash country and established himself on the Big Miami river in Ohio. Some time afterward he visited President Wash- ington, who presented him with several tokens of regard. His popular- ity with the white man's government awakened the jealousy of some of the other clans and Osandiah's death followed in such a way as to give rise to the suspicion that he had been poisoned.
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HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY
His son Ataw-ataw then became chief and upon his death was in turn succeeded by his son Met-o-cin-yah (or Me-to-sin-ia), who led the clan back to Indiana, locating near the line between the present counties of Grant and Wabash. Of his ten children Me-shin-go-me-sia, the eldest son, became chief of the band upon the death of his father. He was born in what is now Wabash county, about the time of the Revolutionary war, according to Indian tradition, and lived until December, 1879. At the battle of the Mississinewa, December 18, 1812, he distinguished him- self by his bravery and qualities as a leader, but at his death the band had become so decimated that the chieftainship perished.
From this tradition it appears that at least some of the minor chiefs inherited their honors, though the known history of the tribe shows that chiefs were frequently selected for their intellectual ability, or as a reward for the performance of some noteworthy action, as in the case of Richardville.
In Little Turtle the functions of civil ruler and war chief were com- bined. After his death, when Richardville became the principal chief, the mantle of the war chief fell upon She-po-con-ah, later known as the Deaf Man, who was the husband of Frances Slocum, the white woman mentioned in another chapter. Shepoconah is described as a large, heavy set man and a great warrior until his hearing became affected. His headquarters were at the Osage village, near the mouth of the Mississinewa river, until he retired from the chieftainship, when he went farther up the river and built a log house, where a settlement grew . up that became known as "the Deaf Man's village." He died in the early '30s and was buried on a knoll a few hundred yards from his dwelling. Graham, in his History of Miami County, says that Shepo- conah participated in the battle of Fort Wayne, August 20, 1794; the battle of Tippecanoe, November 7, 1811, and the battle of the Mississi- newa, December 18, 1812. In the last named engagement he was one of the leaders of the Indian forces against Colonel Campbell.
Upon the resignation of Shepoconah, Francis Godfroy was made the war chief of the Miamis. He was a son of Jacques or James (some- times called Jocko) Godfroy, a French trader among the Indians along the Wabash. It is said that Jacques Godfroy was a descendant of God- froy of Bouillon, the famous crusader whose standard was the first to be planted upon the walls of Jerusalem, July 5, 1099, in the crusade against the Saracens. Francis Godfroy was born near Fort Wayne in March, 1788. As a youth he was noted for his physical strength, daring and bravery. He and his brother Louis were distinguished from early manhood and commanded the respect of the entire Miami tribe. They were leaders in the battles of Fort Wayne, Tippecanoe and the Missis- Vol. 1-3
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HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY
sinewa, as well as several other engagements. Judge Horace P. Biddle relates the following story, showing how Francis came to be chosen as the war chief:
"There was a very bad Indian in the tribe known as Ma-jen-i-ca. He was a drinking, quarrelsome man and frequently killed those who displeased him. Being the chief of a village, he was greatly feared. Once upon a time, as the story runs, he was in a boisterous condition at a council, which was being held on the hill just above where the God- froy cemetery is now located. Francis Godfroy, then a young man, was present. From some remark, he incurred the displeasure of Ma- jen-i-ca, who commanded him to sit down, telling him he was no man. Young Godfroy resented the insult, and told him that he was no man- that he was a coward-that he should desist from stabbing and killing his own people for trivial causes. These remarks greatly excited Ma- jen-i-ca, and, drawing his knife, he rushed on Godfroy. The latter being brave and powerful, quickly seized his assailant by the wrist and held his arm firmly. Then he drew his own knife and told him the braver way would be to fight a duel. Still holding him by the arm, he com- manded him to look upon yonder sun for the last time if he proposed to fight. If not intending to fight, and if he was a brave man, he would drop his knife. Godfroy stood firm and ready to fight, and, being a giant in strength, caused his assailant, through his determined look, to quail. Finally the big chief dropped his knife and yielded to the superior will of Godfroy. This act of bravery resulted in the latter being chosen war chief after the resignation of She-pan-can-ah."
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