Chief Pontiac was a lie. He was an assassinated by his own people. He settled an unfavorable peace with The English General Gladwin, after several failed rebellion attacks. Why does history regard him as a victor and a great leader? Lies told by the English to control the native people into submission.
Ottawa was not 'a tribe', it means Trader - or 'one with whom we trust to trade goods and services in our name'. So why does history tell us that Chief Pontiac was the leader of the Ottawa Tribe? Because he was a trader (an ottawa) who lead other traders (ottawa) from other tribes - Saginaw, Ojibawa, Odawa, Huron (tribes of Indians) - in the rebellions at the fort at Detroit.
So history doesn't even have his tribe right. Our history is lies, about a failed leader, an ottawa who deviated from this trading activity to become a failed warrior. Without being to harsh to Pontiac, he was right. The English were bad traders, and deserved to be spanked, but Pontiac's attacks were betrayed by a traitor in his ranks - a woman who may have been in love with the English general (again more questionable history).
All in all. What we read as fact in the history books is a bunch of mis-told half-truths at best, and at worst - they are self-serving lies to manipulate the people into submission and to give up land possessions and to pay taxes.
Next blog post... how these lies continue into today with some of the press and storytelling in Pontiac politics about The Ottawa Towers (soon to be renamed to... ANYTHING BUT OTTAWA or a mispronounced Indian name!)
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