Born Into Turbulence

The thick dark line represents the new territorial boundaries defined by the Treaty of Stanwix. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Tecumseh, whose name means “Shooting Star” was born into a turbulent frontier. In 1768, the year of his birth, the powerful Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) gave away large pieces of land that the Shawnee claimed as their own traditional territory at the Treaty of Fort Stanwix. Though they hoped to stay neutral in the American Revolution, the Shawnee eventually joined the British. Against the backdrop of major wars and frontier tension, Tecumseh learned to hunt and fight. By 1779, Tecumseh was being raised by his siblings as his father had been killed in battle and his mother had fled to Missouri. Chicksika, the eldest son of their family, taught Tecumseh the ways of a Shawnee warrior. The young man showed much promise.

Many Shawnee suffered during this period of cultural transition. The constant threat of violence from both settlers and other Indigenous groups in addition to a new dependency on foreign trade goods had disturbed the traditional cultural, economic and spiritual balance of the Shawnee. It was becoming more difficult to make a living in the fur trade and many hunters used their earnings to buy low-quality alcohol rather than quality trade goods. As Tecumseh grew up, he watched his people struggle to maintain their culture and defend their homeland. Clearly a new approach was needed.