Evening star., 1932-03-15
TECUMSEH'SFAST
PROVED SINCERITY
Warriors Legend Among In
dians Told by Smithson-
ian EthnoIogiSt.

Tecumseh, Shawnee warrior -shaman
and brigadier general in the British
Army. who proved one Of the most
formidable foes the Indians ever put
in the field against the United States,
became a legendary figure among the
Indians after his death in 1913 at the
Battle Of the Thames.
DR.. Truman Nicholson, ethnologist
of the Smithsonian Institution, has
found among the Ottawa Indians of
Michigan lingering vestiges of the
Tecumseh legend, showing the warrior
as he appealed to the imagination of
his own race, rather than as he ap-
pears to the American schoolboy.
Here Is the tale as it was related
by the old lady, "Sitttng-on-half-the-
sky" shortly before her death in her
91st year:
"Tecumsen was one of those young
Indians who had to go through all the
forms of those days, such as fasting,
being deprived Of a great many things
in which other young people OF his age
took pleasure, in order to be better
fitted for the great future that was
before him. His parents knew that
there was something in their son and
that by fasting they could find out II
he was to be Of any good to his people.
30 Days Of Fasting.
First they made him fast 10 days.
As he did not dream anything the
first 10 days, his parents gave MIN
another 10 days. Again he did not
dream anything Then another 10
days had to be granted him and Just
a little food given him in the middle
of the day. The last night of his 80
days Of fasting he dreamt.
"He dreamt that the body would be
as iron during the battle in which he
would lead. He was blessed with iron,
which meant no bullets or anything
could ever enter his body during ms
battles, and, although once in a great
while he would lose one of his men,
they, too, would escape injury just by
his being their leader. Tecumseh had
to have a certain kind of leather belt.
taken from the hide Of buffalo, ana
this he was to buckle around him TO
hold his garment, and he was to nave
a miniature canoe. With this he could
ALWAYS tell, whether his battles were 10
be hard or mild for that day. Tnls,
he told his parents, was his dream:
"His father at once set to Work 70
get him the needs of which he dreamed.
From the day he set of for battle pc
fore sunrise his little canoe would De
In use telling him whether the battle
fought that day would be severe or
mild. He would 60 in the morning TO
stream or lake by which they mao
rested during the night, and would put
the little canoe into the water. IL
would set of and disappear from sight,
but would sooner or later return to him.
II its stay was long the battle OF the
day would be severe, and he would pre-
pare for the hard fight which would be
before him. If the little canoe hastened
its return he knew the battle would not
be severe, and by this blessing bestowed
upon him many were the battles ne
won.
Little Canoe Missing.
cat last one morning his little canoe
didn't return. He now knew his career
was to end that day. Knowing that he
was going to die, he told his men that
the blessing bestowed on him had ended.
He bowed his head to meet his fate
without murmuring.
when Tecumseh returned from any
battle he always unbuckled his belt and
shot and shell which would have shat
tered his body would rattle to the
ground. His men would stand amazed
at the blessing that had been given
him. Tecumseh would beseech in low
tones that the blessing would be power
full for his men also"
Discovery of this legend was reported
by DR.. Nicholson to the American
Folklore Society, and has just been
published in the society's journal.
Passed down by word Of mouth through
successive generations, DR.. Nicholson
says, the legend may have changed
considerably from its form during the
latter part of Tecumesh's life, but all
its essential elements fit into the pic
ture. Thus, the ethnologist points out,
the vision obtained through fasting was
essential to an Indian leader who ex-
pected the confidence of his followers.
Tecumseh himself, DR.. Nicholson
points out, probably believed sincerely
in the supernatural blessing bestowed
upon him. The fact that the ambitious
boy prolonged the fast so long instead
of consciously manufacturing dream
he says, Is evidence Of the sincerity
which later appealed not only to the
Indians, but also to the British, who
made him a brigadier general In the
War of 1872.
Probably no Indian character has
been portrayed so frequently in fiction,
tine ethnologist points out, but usually
with little comprehension of the pecul-
iarly Indian psychology which Is shown
in the native legend. In history Te-
cumseh is credited with having been
not only warrior and statesman Of great
ability, but an extremely generous foe,
guilty of none of the outrages against
prisoners which have marred the rec
ords of other victorious Indian warriors.