Friday Reprise: Pontiac of the Ottawa

There were many fine qualities that could make a man eligible for elite warrior status among his people, if not leadership or even to become a chief.  There were other qualities which could doom a once-great warrior to disgrace.  The range of good and bad can be seen in Pontiac (c 1720-1769), a war leader of the Ottawa.

Pontiac was born in the Great Lakes region sometime in 1720.  Sources differ as to whether both of his parents were Ottawa.  While his mother may have been a member of that tribe, his father might have been Ojibwe or Miami.  From an early age, Pontiac began to show promise as a warrior.  He had a charismatic personality and was a good orator who could persuade others of his point of view.  He had a reputation for honesty, always keeping his word and paying his debts.  At this point in their history, the Ottawa sided with the French.  Pontiac rose to fame when he led warriors against a Huron rebellion, and later during the French and Indian War (1755-1762).  Tradition, unsupported by evidence, states that Pontiac may have taken part in the destruction of the Braddock Expedition.  Nevertheless, Pontiac continued to rise in stature as a leader among his people.  Enter Robert Rogers, the colorful commander of Rogers Rangers.  According to Rogers, although this is disputed by most sources, he developed a friendship with Pontiac although they were on different sides of the conflict.  After the War, Rogers went to London and wrote a play called "Ponteach: the Savage of America", which was a surprise one-hit wonder and made Pontiac famous in his own time.

While the fighting of the North American phase of the French and Indian War died down by 1760, French-allied tribes became discontent with the differing trade practices of the British.  British authorities cut back on the rations and other gifts given to the Indians.  They also cut back on the arms and ammunition allowed to be traded to Natives.  This impaired their ability to hunt and led to rumors that the British intended to subjugate or destroy them.  To add fuel to the fire, squatters began infiltrating Native land.  A Lenape/Delaware prophet known as Neolin tried to start a pan-Indian movement, calling on the tribes to reject European ways and band together against British oppression.  Several tribes joined in a council on the Detroit River to band together in armed resistance against the British.  Attention soon focused on Pontiac as the leader of this movement. 

Pontiac held his own council at what is now Lincoln Park, Michigan.   According to a French chronicler, Pontiac roused interest during a second counsel with the words "It is important for us, my brothers, that we exterminate from our lands this nation (Britain), which only seeks to destroy us.  You see as well as I that we can no longer supply our needs, as we have done from our brothers, the French.  Therefore, my brothers, we must all swear their (British) destruction and wait no longer.  Nothing prevents us; they are few in numbers and we can accomplish it." Despite his optimism, On May 7, 1763, when Pontiac and 300 followers attempted to take Fort Detroit, they found that an informer had tipped off the British commander.  Pontiac postponed the attack until May 9, when more reinforcements had jointed him.  He again laid siege to the Fort.  His actions inspired other Native leaders and contingents, who soon began attacking British forts and colonists.  The Natives soon were blockading nine of eleven British forts in the Ohio Valley Region.  Pontiac scored another success in defeating an entire British detachment in the Battle of Bloody Run in July, 1763.  However, neither he nor any other Native commanders were able to actually take any of the forts and Pontiac had to lift his siege on Detroit.

With the siege lifted, the British believed that the crisis was over, but as the discontent among the Natives continued and more tribes joined Pontiac's movement, they realized that they had to treat with the Natives and make concessions.  Although Pontiac's name was most associated with the uprising, British authorities failed to realize that the were more senior leaders involved and that many tribes were operating independently.  The British focused their attentions on Pontiac.  He met with Sir William Johnson, the British Superintendent for Indian Affairs, on July 25, 1766, at Fort Ontario near present-day Oswego, New York and agreed a cessation of hostilities.  The British offered more generous trade concessions, but they also increased their footprint in the Ohio Valley.  Their continued focus on Pontiac aroused jealousy among other Native leaders and it may have gone to Pontiac's head.  According to observers, he became arrogant and tried to assume more power than was usually granted to a leading warrior who was not a chief. 

In 1767, Pontiac was alleged to have been involved in an incident involving the murder of a young British captive named Elizabeth "Betty" Fisher.  According to the allegations, she was in Pontiac's camp and tried to warm herself at his fire.  She was ill with dysentery and soiled some blankets or clothing.  Incensed, Pontiac picked her up and threw her into the Maumee River, ordering a Frenchman in his camp to hold her under.  The child died and a warrant was issued for the Frenchman.  He was caught and Pontiac was summoned to testify, but the Frenchman escaped before a trial could begin.  Pontiac never confirmed or denied the incident and was not charged, but the scandal marked the beginning of the end.  By 1768, he was forced to leave his village on the Maumee river and relocated to a village on the Wabash River.  There are several reasons given for this.  One being that his people believed he was becoming too much a pawn of the British.  Or, that they were tired of his high-handed ways and excessive cruelty toward captives.  In any event, he dictated a letter to British authorities dated May 10, 1768, in which he stated that he was no longer recognized as a leader by his people on the Maumee River.  On April 20, 1769, he was murdered by a Peoria warrior near the town of Cahokia, Illinois.  The Peoria was avenging the injury by Pontiac to his uncle, a Peoria chief named Makachinga.  Despite legend, there were no attempts by the Ottawa to take reprisals against the Peoria for the murder of their one-time leader.  Tradition says that Pontiac was ultimately buried somewhere in or near present-day St. Louis.

Because of his resistance to British tyranny, the Daughters of the American Revolution placed a commemorative plaque in a corridor of a St. Louis hotel believed to stand on his burial place.  Different assessments have been placed on his role in the rebellion that bears his name.  Although he was a noted orator and may have persuaded some tribes and bands to join it, other more senior leaders conducted most of the fighting.  During the time of the rebellion, there was widespread unrest among the Natives and dissension among various tribes.  Many tribes operated on their own, without control from a centralized command, let alone Pontiac.  Historians today believe his role in the rebellion was overstated.  Nevertheless, his fame continues.  Towns in Illinois, Michigan and Quebec bear his name, as does a Municipality in Quebec.  But he is most famous today for his automotive namesake, the Pontiac brand developed by General Motors and no longer being made.