Prophet, The (redirected from Tenskwatawa)

Prophet, The

 orig. Tenskwatawa

(born c. March 1768, Old Chillicothe, Ohio—died 1834, Argentine, Kan., U.S.) North American Indian leader. The brother of Tecumseh, he maintained a strong following among the Shawnee on the strength of his 1805 declaration that he had received a message from the “Master of Life” and had contact with the supernatural. Advocating a return to traditional ways of life, he rejected alcohol, textile clothing, and individual ownership of property. He also worked with Tecumseh to create an indigenous confederacy to resist U.S. encroachment on tribal land. In Tecumseh's absence The Prophet allowed the Shawnee to be drawn into and defeated at the Battle of Tippecanoe (1811), discrediting himself and leading to the dissolution of the alliance.