History of Saginaw county, Michigan; together with ... portraits ... and biographies ... History of Michigan ...

HISTORY OF MICHIGAN.

51

this part of the country; but Tecumseh concentrated his greatness
upon the more practical and business affairs of military conquest.
It is doubted whether he was really a sincere believer in the pretensions of his fanatic brother; if he did not believe in the pretentious
feature of them he had the shrewdness to keep his unbelief to himself, knowing that religious fanaticism was one of the strongest impulses to reckless bravery.
During his sojourn in the Northwestern Territory, it was Tecqmseh's uppermost desire of life to confederate all the Indian tribes of
the country together against the whites, to maintain their choice
hunting-grounds. All his public policy converged toward this single end. In his vast scheme he comprised even all the Indians in
the Gulf country,-all in America west of the Alleghany mountains. He held, as a subordinate principle, that the Great Spirit
had given the Indian race all these hunting-grounds to keep in
common, and that no Indian or tribe could cede any portion of the
land to the whites without the consent of all the tribes. Hence, in
all his councils with the whites he ever maintained that the treaties
were null and void.,When he met Harrison at Vincennes in council the last time,
and, as he was invited by that General to take a seat with him on
the platform, he hesitated; Harrison insisted, saying that it was the
"wish of their Great Father, the President of the United States,
that he should do so." The chief paused a moment, raised his tall
and commanding form to its greatest height, surveyed the troops
and crowd around him, fixed his keen eyes upon Gov. Harrison,
and then turning them to the sky above, and pointing toward
heaven with his sinewy arm in a manner indicative of supreme
contempt for the paternity assigned him, said in clarion tones: " My
father? The sun is my father, the earth is my mother, and on her
bosom I will recline." He then stretched himself, with his warriors, on the green sward. The effect was electrical, and for some
moments there was perfect silence.
The Governor, then, through an interpreter, told him that he understood he had some complaints to make and redress to ask, etc.,
and that he wished to investigate the matter and make restitution
wherever it might be decided it should be done. As soon as the
Governor was through with this introductory speech, the stately
warrior arose, tall, athletic, manly, dignified and graceful, and with
a voice at first low, but distinct and musical, *commenced a reply.
As he warmed up with his subject his clear tones might be heard,