Indian chiefindian chief little turtle biography

He was a big kind of man. Many records also said that he was a bit sarcastic and unpopular. Cheif Little Turtle was clear about his opposition to the domination of the white population. It was around this time that the United States finally acquired their independence as a nation. This is exactly what the tribe fo Chief Little Turtle, and the others, are strongly against of.

Little Turtle Native American was highly vigilant in protecting the territories of his tribe. With this, they formed an alliance with the British army to fight against the United States. After the war, a peace treaty was established. Unfortunately, many parts of the treaty were not exactly well followed, and until the whole matter was settled, parts of Detroit and some other areas were held by the British Army.

This move of the British has provided a security for the American Indians as they fear of what the Americans might do to them. The British said that the Americans have no right over the lands of Ohio. The ensuing battle resulted in the worst defeat ever inflicted on the U. Army by a Native American force. The engagement convinced the chiefs that further resistance was futile.

Wayne invited them to negotiate at Fort Greenville in the spring of Although Little Turtle objected to the discussions, the two sides agreed to a treaty ending hostilities and giving the United States three quarters of the modern state of Ohio. A couple weeks after the agreement, Little Turtle met privately with Wayne and pledged to live in peace with the United States.

Little Turtle returned home to Kekionga, now occupied by Fort Wayne. In his transition to peace, he became an advocate for the welfare of the Miami. Little Turtle received a smallpox inoculation from Dr. He worked closely with the Society of Friends to stamp out alcohol abuse among his people. Little is known about his parents, but he did share one parent in common with the Myaamia leaders Pakaana and Tahkamwa.

Following a lengthy indian chiefindian chief little turtle biography and the return of the captives, he reported back to his Myaamia relatives about the strength of the American forces deployed against them. Privately, both men worked together to achieve peace. He was of medium stature, with a complexion of the palest copper shade, and did not wear paint.

His hair was a full suit, and without any admixture of gray… His dress was completed by a long red military sash around the waist and his hat a chapeau bras was ornamented with a red feather. The majority of the Myaamia community felt that the lands in question belonged only to the Miami Nation and that other tribal nations should not benefit from their sale.

Within months of his death, the clouds of a new war descended on his people. I ask your permission to re-print this post to hang with Julies print at the Fort Recovery Museum. Thank you! Kim Rammel. A lifelong teetotalerLittle Turtle made a personal plea to President Jefferson to prohibit the sale and consumption of alcohol in Native American communities.

Father, nothing can be done to advantage unless the Great Council of the Sixteen Fires, now assembled, will prohibit any person from selling spirituous liquors among their red brothers. The introduction of this poison has been prohibited in our camps but not in our towns, where many of our hunters, for this poison, dispose of, not only their furs, etc.

Owing to the introduction of this fatal poison, we have become less numerous and happy. Jefferson and members of Congress were impressed with Little Turtle's arguments, and on 30 MarchCongress passed the revised Indian Nonintercourse Act. This and other federal laws restricting the sale of alcohol to Native Americans remained in effect until Harrison was forced to recognize the Mississinewa chiefs as the true representatives of the Miamis, not Little Turtle, and to declare that Little Turtle was not a Miami.

Although Little Turtle was among the signers of the Treaty of Fort Wayne, afterward, he was "forcibly retired from Miami affairs. Harrison's forces also destroyed the village where Little Turtle resided, [ 60 ] but spared Little Turtle's home, which the U. As a result, many Native Americans moved farther west. Little Turtle died on July 14,[ 5 ] at the home of his son-in-law William Wellsnot far from Kekionga.

Little Turtle had been suffering from gout and rheumatism for some time.

Indian chiefindian chief little turtle biography

Little Turtle was buried in his ancestral burial ground near Spy Run. InLittle Turtle's grave was accidentally disturbed. His remains were disinterred when workers discovered the burial site during a cellar excavation for a home on Lawton Place in Fort Wayne. Little Turtle's legacy was one of initial resistance and cooperation to preserve the lives and future of his people.

InFort Wayne residents Mary Catherine Smeltzly and her sister, Eleanor Smeltzly, purchased Little Turtle's burial site to honor his peacemaking efforts by donating the property to the city as a public park. A bronze plaque attached to a granite boulder erected on the site was dedicated in Contents move to sidebar hide. Clair's defeat. Article Talk.

Read Edit View history. Tools Tools. Download as PDF Printable version. In other projects. Wikimedia Commons Wikiquote Wikidata item. Miami chief c. Lithograph of Little Turtle, reputedly based upon a lost portrait by Gilbert Stuart that was destroyed when the British burned Washington, D. Name [ edit ]. Early life and physical description [ edit ].

Career [ edit ]. Early years [ edit ]. La Balme's Defeat [ edit ]. Main article: La Balme's Defeat. Little Turtle's War [ edit ]. Main article: Northwest Indian War. Clair's defeat [ edit ]. Main article: St. Battle of Fallen Timbers [ edit ]. Later years [ edit ]. Death and legacy [ edit ]. Honors and tributes [ edit ]. Burial site [ edit ].

Indiana sites named for Little Turtle [ edit ].