Pontiac Native Americans
Ashley Alfisi
Connection with the Great Spirit
Pontiac was a Native American born to the Ottawa tribe and allied with the French. Being during this time the invasions of land by others was very popular; the thoughts of being conquered were always in the back of Native Americans minds. Once the British came and took over Pontiacs land in modern day Detroit, he decided to go on the conquest to look for this Great Spirit. “ How can you hope, encumbered as you are, to succeed in your design? Go down to the foot of the mountain, throw away your gun, your ammunition, your provisions, and your clothing; wash yourself in the stream which flows there, and you will then be prepared to stand before the Mast of Life.” This quote is related to a religious view of finding the Great Spirit and the way to God. It will allow Pontiac to find himself again as a Native American and bring back the knowledge to all his tribe to rekindle the idea of their lives before the Europeans had entered their land. “I am the Maker of heaven and earth, the trees, lakes, rivers, and all things else. I am the Maker of mankind; and because I love you, you must do my will. The land on which you live I have made for you, and not for others.” This is the explanation of Pontiac’s connection and meeting of the Great Spirit. He connects with this entity and really finds his way of life. In relation it is the same connection as Moses had with God. “ We publish Pontiac’s speech on the assumption- a guess, to be sure – that there is a strong likelihood that we spoke words to this effect on the basis of his knowledge of the Delaware prophet.” This here states that the speech provided in this anthology was an assumption of Pontiac’s words, which makes for an interesting debate on if this is just an European depiction of how things were said to embed the ideas of Christianity into the minds of Native Americans through their own people. Most Native American stories are unwritten and just verbally
Connection with the Great Spirit
Pontiac was a Native American born to the Ottawa tribe and allied with the French. Being during this time the invasions of land by others was very popular; the thoughts of being conquered were always in the back of Native Americans minds. Once the British came and took over Pontiacs land in modern day Detroit, he decided to go on the conquest to look for this Great Spirit. “ How can you hope, encumbered as you are, to succeed in your design? Go down to the foot of the mountain, throw away your gun, your ammunition, your provisions, and your clothing; wash yourself in the stream which flows there, and you will then be prepared to stand before the Mast of Life.” This quote is related to a religious view of finding the Great Spirit and the way to God. It will allow Pontiac to find himself again as a Native American and bring back the knowledge to all his tribe to rekindle the idea of their lives before the Europeans had entered their land. “I am the Maker of heaven and earth, the trees, lakes, rivers, and all things else. I am the Maker of mankind; and because I love you, you must do my will. The land on which you live I have made for you, and not for others.” This is the explanation of Pontiac’s connection and meeting of the Great Spirit. He connects with this entity and really finds his way of life. In relation it is the same connection as Moses had with God. “ We publish Pontiac’s speech on the assumption- a guess, to be sure – that there is a strong likelihood that we spoke words to this effect on the basis of his knowledge of the Delaware prophet.” This here states that the speech provided in this anthology was an assumption of Pontiac’s words, which makes for an interesting debate on if this is just an European depiction of how things were said to embed the ideas of Christianity into the minds of Native Americans through their own people. Most Native American stories are unwritten and just verbally