If Sitting Bull is the best known Indian leader, Tecumseh, the legendary Shawnee chieftain, is the most revered. In the early years of the nineteenth century he dreamed of welding the diverse North American tribes into a vast confederacy stretching from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, strong enough to defend the cultures and lands of the Indians from the aggression of the United States.
Although he died in battle at the height of his fame with his vision of a great Indian confederacy in shreds, his reputation is secure. Unlike most Indian leaders, who operated locally or participated in inter-tribal warfare, Tecumseh does not stand for one tribe or nation but for all Native Americans. Despite his failed attempt at solidarity, he remains the ultimate symbol of endeavour and courage, unity and fraternity. And while his life was played out against the violent backdrop of bloody battles in the forest, fierce border raids, Indian witch-hunting, and racial brutality on both sides of the frontier, Tecumseh emerges as a man of unusual integrity, generosity and compassion.
