OHIO STATEWIDE FILES - Know your Ohio: Tecumseh, Son of Pucksinwah [1] *********************************************************************** OHGENWEB NOTICE: All distribution rights to this electronic data are reserved by the submitter. Reproduction or re-presentation of copyrighted material will require the permission of the copyright owner. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. *********************************************************************** File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Darlene E. Kelley http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00026.html#0006374 April 7, 2000 *********************************************************************** Historical Collections of Ohio Diaries of S. J. Kelly Plains Dealer Know Your Ohio by Darlene E. Kelley *********************************************************************** Tecumseh, Son of Pucksinwah,--"The Shawnee War Chief". Part 1-- " So live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart. Trouble no one about their religion; respect others in their view, and demand that they respect yours. Love your life, perfect your life, beautify all things in your life. Seek to make your life long and its purpose in the service of your people. Prepare a noble death song for the day when you go over the great divide. Always give a word o a sign of salute when meeting or passing a friend, even a stranger, when in a lonely place. Show respect to all people and grovel to none. When you arise in the morning give thanks for the food and for the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies only in yourself. Abuse no one and no thing, for abuse turns the wise ones to fools and robs the spirit of its vision. When it comes your time to die, be not like those whose hearts are filled with the fear of death, so that when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way. Sing your death song and die like a hero going home." Chief Tecumseh, Shawnee Nation. **************************************************** When a white man kills an Indian in a fair fight it is called honorable, but when an Indian kills a white man in a fair fight it is called murder. When a white Army battles Indians and wins it is called a great victory. but if they lose it is called a massacre and bigger armies are raised. If the Indian flees before the advance of such armies, when he tries to return he finds the white men living where he lived. If he tries to fight off such armies, he is killed and the land is taken anyway. When an Indian is killed it is a great loss which leaves a gap in our people and a sorrow in our heart; when a white is killed, three or four others step up to take his place and there is no end of it. The white man seeks to conquer nature, to bend it to his will and to use it wastefully until it is all gone and then he simply moves on, leaving the waste behind him and looking for new places to take. The whole white race is a monster who is always hungry and what he eats is land. ---Chiksika, elder brother of Tecumseh. to Tecumseh, March 19,1779. ****************************************************** The Shawnee-- Originally the Shawnee were believed to be located in Southern Ohio, West Virginia and Western Pennsylvania. In the mid 1600's the Iroguois, from the North, drove them from their homes and they were scattered to the Carolinas, Tennessee, Eastern Pennsylvania ad Southern Illinois. Later, just before the mid 1700's, they managed to return to their homelands, only to be driven out again. This time by the European invaders who were bent on settling the new lands and claiming it as their own. Shawnee comes from the Algonquin word " Shawan " meaning " Southerner," Shawnee usually call themselves the Shawano or Shawanoe or Shawanese. There were more than 14,000 Shawnee located on reservations in four distinct groups. The absentee Shawnee, the Eastern Shawnee and the Cherokee Shawnee, with the Cherokee nation. The largest of these groups is what is called the Loyal Shawnee, who were incorporated into the Cherokee. They received the name " Loyal " for having served the Union during the Civil War. The fourth is called the Shawnee Nation Remnant Band which is said to have been descended from the Ohio Shawnee. Although not recognized by the Federal Government nor accepted by the other three groups of Shawee, they were officially recognized by the State of Ohio in 1980 and purchased close to 200 aces near Urbana and Chillicothe. This group appears to have managed to avoid removal during 1830's. The life of a Shawnee-- Shawnee children grew up as free as the animals that roamed the forests around them. Young boys were encouraged by elders to engage in sports of running, swimming, and jumping in order to strengthen muscles and build stamina, and to practice archery to develop their skills as hunters and warriors. The young girls busied themselves imitating their mothers, making mud pies, and particularly developing their skills in molding vessels of clay. Shawnee men were hunters and warriors. The women of the tribe did the domestic labor. They built the lodges, dressed the game, cooked, planted and cultivated the gardens, scraped and tinned hides, made clothing and blankets, wove baskets and made vessels of clay.The women also cared for the ailments within the tribe, and were extremely skillful at mixing herbs and setting fractured bones. The Shawnee believed in " Moneto", a supreme being who ruled the entire univese and distributed blessings upn all who earned his favor, and desperate sorrow upon those who merited his disfavor. The Great Spirit of the Shawnee was a grandmother who ruled the destinies of her children. She eternally wove a great net which, when finished, would be dropped over the world. She would then draw the net back up into the heavens. Those who had proven themselves worthy would be caught up in the net and taken to a better life, those who fell back through the net would suffer an unspeakable fate as the world came to an end. Each Shawnee was judged of his own conduct and held accountable for it. They lived by their own standards. and shrugged off value judgments placed among them by people outside of their tribe. The " Golden Rule " of the Shawnee was; " Do not kill or injure your neighbor, for it is not him that you injure, you injure yourself. But do good to him, therefore add to his days of happiness as you add to your own. Do not wrong or hate your neighbor, for it is not him that you wrong, you wrong yourself. But love him, for Moneto loves him alo, as he loves you." Training in history, codes of conduct,and traditions were carried on by the elders, who memorized the creeds and passed them on from generation to generation. Additionally, every father was a teacher of his sons; every mother taught their daughters. The men enjoyed communal hunts greatly. These were usually followed by long and friendly talks around the glowing embers of a campfire. The talks covered everything from National history and current events to the lit wit of bantering about someone's umsome, or a bad shot taken during a hunt. The women and children sat quietly and respectfully nearby, listening intently to the conversation. An Indian tribe consisted of the entire body of a Nation. A clan represented a group within the tribe. The principal chief of the Shawnee could be compared with the President of the United States, with the Clan Chiefs as Governors. Of the original twelve clans of the Shawnee tribe, history finds them with only five clans left in existence; The Thawegila, Peckuwe and Kispokotha, who generally stood together on tribal matters; and the Chalahgawtha and Maykujay, who were likewise cosely related in their activities. Each clan had its duties to the Tribe. The Peckuwes were responsble for warfare and the training of warriors for battle. The Maykujays answered for matters pretaining to food, health and medicine. The most powerful clans, the Thawegilas and Chalahgawthas, were responsible for overall tribal government and politics. **************************************************** To be continued in part 2--.