A Holy Man Called Cheveyo

A Holy Man called Cheveyo
Now I will tell the story of how a Holy Man, the greatest in the tribe, called Cheveyo, made mystery-power in days of old.
The people were encamped in a circle with the opening towards the east, The way of the Creator. In the middle of the circle they set up a great tipi made of several tipi's put together. The people sat inside this great Tipi and they made ready a great feast. Beyond the central fire, opposite the doorway, the Holy Man made mystery. With a stick like an arrow he made a line of holes in the ground, a finger's length deep. Then he placed a burning stick in each of the seven holes and came back to the doorway and sat down. He bade the people to take their places to either side of him; So they took their places and sat quietly watching Cheveyo. When they had done this the Holy Man touched the ground and then stood up and raised his face and arms to the sky. He began to speak in a language that no one present had ever heard. Cheveyo walked to each of the seven burning sticks and paused while he continued his chanting. Then he went to the doorway and He faced the east and stood looking out at the great sky. He raised his arms and again spoke in this unknown language. After some time he turned and walked to each person, touching them. When he touched them he told them to open their mouths and to begin to make noise, but not to speak their language. He told them if they did this they too would talk to the Creator. It was as He had said, when he touched them, they too began to stand and raise their arms and let strange sounds come from their mouths, then slowly each one began to speak in the unknown language.
When Cheveyo had touched all that were present, and all were speaking in the unknown language, he took his place in the center of the Tipi and everyone formed a circle around him.
Then he spoke. He said, "Now I will tell you what I have seen, I have journeyed beyond the sky into the world of the Creator.
I have seen the mysteries of all that is. We may walk upon Mother earth but there are others beyond that which I can say.
What you see with your eyes is not real. You must see into your self and into what you cannot touch, with the eyes of your heart.
The people did not understand what had happened to them or what Cheveyo was telling them. They begged his forgiveness for their lackof understanding and ask him to explain.
He told them that he would show them and he did.
Cheveyo took up his Spirit stick and held it toward the sky, he began to speak in the unknown language and the stick began to float from his hands. As Cheveyo continued to chant, the stick turned red and glowed bright, as if on fire. Then the stick slowly drifted back to the ground and the people could see an image standing before them briefly, before it faded away. Then the people understood what Cheveyo was trying to tell them. The people from that day on began to seek the unknown and to speak to the Creator in their language and in the unknown language. They learned how to walk in the spirit world and to believe in what they could not see.
So have I told of how a Holy Man called Cheveyo made mystery to help the people.

Tecumseh

Tecumseh was a Shawnee Indian. The Shawnee Nation was the largest group of tribes in Ohio. Tecumseh's father Puckeshinwa was a Shawnee Chief.
The settlers in western Virginia were claiming that the Shawnee land belonged to them, so the Shawnee began to fight the settlers. Puckeshinwa was killed during the fighting.
Cheeseekau was Tecumseh's oldest brother. He taught Tecumseh how to be a good woodsman, hunter, and warrior. When Tecumseh was 15 he saw his village burn down. After the village burned Tecumseh's mother took his small brother and sisters to a safe home. Tecumseh and his brother Cheeseekau went to Tennessee to help the Cherokee defend their land. Cheeseekau was killed in battle.
Tecumseh became a chief and lead the warriors into many fights with the settlers and soldiers. In the spring of 1795 twelve Chiefs signed a peace treaty giving up a large piece of land to the Americans. After the treaty was signed Tecumseh moved just west of the treaty line with his warriors.
Tecumseh had a dream of uniting all the Indians from the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes into one Indian Nation. Tenskwatawa, Tecumseh's younger brother, joined him in his dream of peace. Tenskwatawa believed the Great Spirit had given him magic powers and that he could tell the future. Tecumseh and Tenskwatawa built a large Indian village and called it Tippecanoe.
William Henry Harrison was the governor of the Indian Territory. Harrison called a great council at Fort Wayne and asked many poor, old Chiefs to sign a treaty. The treaty gave away three million acres of land for very little money. Tecumseh was angry over the treaty. He asked to meet with Harrison at Vincennes. Tecumseh told Harrison that the treaties were only useless pieces of paper and that the Great Spirit had given the land to the Indians. Harrison told his men to find any excuse to burn down the village of Tecumseh.
Late in 1811 Harrison led one thousand men to attack Tippecanoe. Tenekwatawa told the Indians that his magic powers would protect them from the gunpowder. Many Indians died in the battle.
In 1812 the English and the Americans began to fight. Tecumseh led 32 tribes to help the English fight the Bluecoats and the American settlers. At Fort Detroit Tecumseh had the Indians run in and out of the woods three times yelling and making cries so that it looked like he had many more men. The soldiers at the fort surrendered.
General Harrison built a small fort on the Maumee River in Ohio. There he made plans to take back Fort Detroit. General Harrison would not fight Tecumseh and English General Proctor when they surrounded the fort because he knew he had more troops coming. When the battle took place the Indians won the fight for the English. General Proctor ordered the English and the Indians to move north to Fort Malden close to Lake Erie.
On September 10, 1813 a naval battle took place on Lake Erie. After the battle the English fleet was destroyed. General Proctor took his men and ran into Canada. Tecumseh and the Indians went with General Proctor into Canada. Tecumseh begged General Proctor to turn around and fight the Americans. After General Proctor would not fight, the Indians decided to fight Harrison without the help of the English.
On October 5, 1813 Tecumseh fought Harrison. Tecumseh was killed during the battle. Tecumseh's dream of a large Indian Nation died with him.