Native nations from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico experienced the War of 1812 as but a chapter in a much longer struggle to defend their homelands against European encroachment and settlement. As empires moved westward, new Native alliances brought together coalitions of nations. Spiritual and cultural renewal combined with military resistance as native communities attempted to stem the tide of American expansion and maintain independence and autonomy.
These stories of American Indians show a group heavily divided about who, how, and why they supported Great Britain or the United States or if they even supported them. The stories of the War of 1812 for American Indians did not end when the last shots were fired from a cannon or musket at New Orleans or when the Treaty of Ghent was ratified and exchanged. For American Indians the stories continued for many years up to the present day.
Showing results 1-10 of 53
- Type: Person
Born Lalawethika, seemingly destined to live in the shadow of his older brothers and struggle with alcohol addiction, a vision changed his life. Lalawethika became Tenkswatawa, the Prophet, a central figure to the establishment of the Pan-Indian Federation in the early 1800s.
- Type: Person
Following the battles, some Creek children were left without parents and taken by American forces to live with their families as "petts" or companions for their young children.
- Type: Article
- Locations: Chesapeake Bay
Kayak and explore the Patuxent River’s West Branch at Mount Calvert Historical and Archaeological Park! Spot wildlife and learn about local history while learning how to kayak!
- Type: Person
Timpoochee Barnard was the chief of the Yuchi Indians, a constituent tribe of the Creek Nation, and served as a member of the Creek National Council.
- Type: Person
Weatherford, a member of the Wind clan from the town of Coosada, was from a prominent Creek lineage and was raised in a bicultural family.
- Type: Person
Chief Okemos, seated holding a cane. Ambrotype dated 1854-1870.
- Type: Person
Tecumseh began life in the Shawnee village of Piqua, Ohio on March 9, 1768 as a great meteor flashed and burned its way across the heavens. This event accounts for his name: The Shooting Star, or Celestial Panther Lying in Wait. Tecumseh grew to be a famous warrior and dynamic orator. These skills, paired with his belief that the white man would never rest until all American Indians were dispossessed, made him a powerful and influential force.
- Type: Person
Jean Baptise Assiginak Odawa was a war chief during the War of 1812. Assiginak adorns the septum piercing, a mark signifying his status as an Odawa leader. The cross signifies his Christian beliefs. His ability to blend both traditions made him an effective leader, during and after the war.
- Type: Person
Josiah Francis was a major Red Stick religious leader of the Creek Indians of Alabama and of the Creek civil war which became a war against the United States in 1813 and 1814. Francis, also known as Hillis Harjo (“crazy-brave medicine”, was born to a South Carolina frontier silversmith and a Creek Indian mother in central Alabama around 1770.
- Type: Person
The famed Shawnee leader Tecumseh counted Shab-eh-nay as one of his good friends and staunchest allies during the War of 1812. Both fought the Americans together on multiple occasions, including at Detroit in 1812 and 1813. Shab-eh-nay also accompanied Tecumseh on trips across the eastern United States, in hopes of recruiting other tribes to fight against the Americans.
Tags:
war of 1812 american indians
Last updated: December 2, 2014