Shabbona
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| Shabbona | |
1.jpg/200px-Shabbona_(chief)1.jpg) |
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| Born | c. 1775 Ohio, Ontario, or Illinois |
|---|---|
| Died | July 17, 1859 Morris, Illinois |
| Burial place | Evergreen Cemetery, Morris, Illinois |
| Nationality | Ottawa (tribe), Potawatomi |
| Other names | Shabbonee |
| Occupation | Native American chief |
| Title | Chief |
| Known for | Keeping the Potawatomi people out of the Black Hawk War. |
Shabbona (or Sha-bon-na), also known as Shabonee,[1] (b. c. 1775-d. 1859) was an Ottawa tribe member who became a chief within the Potawatomi tribe in Illinois during the 19th century.
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[edit] Early life
Shabbona, which was recorded to mean "built strong like a bear" or "built like a bear," was born around 1775 of the Odawa (Ottawa) tribe either on the Maumee River in Ohio, in Ontario or in a Native American village in Illinois.[2][3][1] The Ottawa are an Algonquian-speaking tribe that was driven out of Ontario, Canada by the Iroquois and moved west into Michigan. Once in Michigan, the tribe aligned with The Council of Three Fires (Ojibwa, Odawa and Potawatomi) and moved further south across Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. The Odawa became very closely intermixed with the Potawatomi at this time.[3] Shabbona was the grandnephew of Pontiac, considered the greatest chief of the Ottawa tribe. Shabbona was granted his chief status at a very young age.[2]
The son of an Ottawa warrior who had fought with Pontiac during Pontiac's Rebellion, Shabbona himself would become a lieutenant under Shawnee chieftain Tecumseh and, during the War of 1812, later participated in the Battle of the Thames where Tecumseh was killed.[4]
[edit] Wars
[edit] War of 1812
Shabbona was an accomplished warrior who fought alongside Tecumseh during the War of 1812 while aligned against the United States.[2] It was Shabbona who helped persuade many Native Americans in the Northwest Territory to oppose the white settlers and side with Tecumseh and the British in an all-out war.[2] Following Tecumseh's death Shabbona, feeling that fighting was in vain, abandoned his stance against the United States and allied himself with them permanently.[2][3]
[edit] Black Hawk War
On April 5, 1832 Sauk Chief Black Hawk crossed the Mississippi River into Illinois, the move triggered a war in Illinois and present-day southern Wisconsin. During the first phase of the Black Hawk War Shabbona met with Black Hawk at Saukenuk, a Sauk village, where he warned Black Hawk not to resist white settlement.[3] "Join me," Black Hawk told him, "and our warriors will number like the trees in the forests." To which Shabbona replied, "that is true, but the white men number like the leaves on those trees."[5] On May 16, 1832 Shabbona, knowing he could not control all Potawatomi, rode across northern Illinois to warn the settlers of impending danger. It is recorded that during this ride Shabbona warned settler William Davis and the others at his settlement of the danger.[5] Davis and the other settlers would become the victims of the Indian Creek massacre on May 21, 1832. During the short war he also acted as a guide for the white militia in its many marches across Illinois.[3]
Shabonee would warn settlers on several occasions of hostile tribes, including one incident where he rode from Princeton to Chicago, Illinois in one night to warn residents of an impending attack.[citation needed]
[edit] Late life
Shabonna died in Morris, Illinois on July 17, 1859, at the age of 84 and, in 1903, a large granite boulder was erected as a monument on his gravesite in Evergreen Cemetery. Shabbona's wife, whom he married around 1800, was Coconako (or Pokanoka, Pokenoquay), daughter of Chief Spotka. She is also buried at Morris, Illinois, having died in 1864, five years after her husband.[6]
[edit] Legacy
[edit] Chief Shabbona Historical Trail
The Shabbona Trail was established in the 1950’s by Troop 25, featuring a variety of woodland habitats. The trail is Nationally Approved by the Boy Scouts of America and follows the paths that Shabbona was known to have walked. The trail is 20 miles in length extending from Joliet, IL to Morris, IL. Chief Shabbona Trail Flyer is a printable trail Map.
[edit] References
- Grant, Bruce. The Concise Encyclopedia of the American Indian. New York: Wings Books, 2000. ISBN 0-517-69310-0
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b "Portrait (Front) of Shabonee or Shabbona (Built Like A Bear) in Native Dress with Ornaments n.d.," Archives, Manuscripts, Photographs Collection, Smithosonian Institution Research Information System (SIRS). Retrieved 6 August 2007.
- ^ a b c d e "Chief Shabbona, Historical Buildings, Northern Illinois University. Retrieved 6 August 2007.
- ^ a b c d e Mann, Robert. "Shabbona: Friend of the White Man" Nature Bulletin No. 748, 21 March 1964, Forest Preserve District of Cook County (Illinois). Retrieved 6 August 2007.
- ^ "Real names, personalities behind local Indians," Ledger-Sentinel (Oswego, Illinois), Reflections, 2 October 2003. Retrieved 7 August 2007.
- ^ a b McIntyre, Mac. "The Indian Creek Massacre," 2000, DeKalb County History, DeKalb County Online. Retrieved 5 August 2007.
- ^ AMBROTYPE IMAGE OF COCONAKO, WIFE OF CHIEF SHABONNA.
