| Pontiac is a chief of the Ottawa tribe of | | | | by 1761, when the Ohio County Seneca tribes |
| North American Indians. He was famous for | | | | distributed war belts among the tribes as a |
| inciting the Pontiac's Rebellion in 1763. It | | | | sign of war. However, a quick council |
| was a rebellion participated by several North | | | | organized by Sir William averted the war for |
| American Indian tribes against the British | | | | about 2 years. Pontiac surprised the British |
| government and settlers in the Great Lakes | | | | on May 9, 1763 by laying siege to Fort |
| region, in which the state of Ohio - - is | | | | Detroit, with a force of composed of warriors |
| located. The rebellion followed closely after | | | | from the Ottawa, Ojibwa, Potawatomi and Huron |
| the British victory over the French in the | | | | tribes. The attack was well-planned. Pontiac |
| French and Indian War waged from 1764-1763. | | | | and 50 Ottawa Indians paid a visit to the |
| Pontiac was a politically powerful Indian | | | | fort with the intention of finding out how |
| leader, a fact that led to his murder a few | | | | strong the garrison's defenses are. The siege |
| years after the Pontiac's Rebellion was ended | | | | was bloody. All British forces that ventured |
| through a dialogue with the British | | | | out of the garrison were killed by Pontiac's |
| officials. Early Life Nobody knows any | | | | forces, which by then were augmented by more |
| concrete information regarding the early | | | | than 900 warriors from other tribes. The |
| years of this Indian chief. There have been | | | | British attempted a surprise attack, but were |
| no records of the actual year of his birth, | | | | routed and defeated at the Battle of Bloody |
| and historians theorize that he may have been | | | | Run on July 31, 1763. Despite a good start, |
| born between 1712 to 1725. No one even knows | | | | Pontiac's siege of Fort Detroit was a |
| to which tribes his mother and father may | | | | stalemate which led him to remove his forces |
| have belonged, although his contemporaries | | | | to the Maumee River. Other Indian attacks |
| point to him as belonging to the Ottawa | | | | were more successful, as a total of eight |
| tribe. Tradition, however, holds that Pontiac | | | | British forts were taken. Five small forts |
| was born to an Ottawa father and an Ojibwa | | | | were captured during the period from May 16, |
| mother. Yet another tradition points to a | | | | 1763 until June 2, 1763. Pontiac's failure to |
| mother of Miami tribal affiliation. Pontiac | | | | capture Fort Detroit may have been the reason |
| was first recorded in history during the | | | | for his influence to lessen among his |
| rebellion led by Nicholas Orontony in 1747 | | | | followers, although he continued to inspire |
| against the French settlers of New France. | | | | militant resistance among the tribes. Making |
| Pontiac fought for the French, something he | | | | Peace With the British and Final Days The |
| would continue to do until 1763, when the | | | | British considered Pontiac as a troublemaker, |
| French were defeated by the British in the | | | | a fact which prompted a negotiation with Sir |
| French and Indian war. A Prelude to the | | | | Johnson as negotiator. Pontiac formally ended |
| Rebellion The British victory resulted in | | | | hostilities with the British on July 25, 1766 |
| Britain's dominance over the Great Lakes | | | | in Oswego, New York after a time of |
| region. In contrast with the French policy of | | | | negotiations. Pontiac decided to assert |
| assimilating the North American Indian tribes | | | | influence over the American Indians in his |
| living in the area, the British proceeded to | | | | region. It is said that the way the British |
| subjugate the Indians. The new policies that | | | | government gave him attention had given the |
| Britain imposed over the conquered Indians | | | | courage to do so. Because of that, he was met |
| led to dissatisfaction over the tribes, which | | | | with several opponents among his fellow |
| ultimately led to the rebellion. It was the | | | | American Indians. Pontiac was kicked out of |
| policy imposed by General Jeffrey Amherst, | | | | his Ottawa village in the Maumee River, which |
| the British commander-in-chief of the North | | | | led him to return to Illinois Country. |
| American theater, in 1761 that stopped or | | | | Pontiac was murdered by a Peoria Indian on |
| reduced the amounts of gifts that the British | | | | April 20, 1769. There are no concrete reasons |
| provided the Indians. It was an important | | | | for the murder, but the widely accepted |
| policy that led to alliances with the French | | | | theory was that it was done in retaliation |
| and a symbolic American Indian custom, so the | | | | for previous actions by Pontiac against the |
| policy led several American Indian tribes of | | | | Peorians. Nevertheless, Pontiac is |
| the region to consider it as an insult | | | | well-remembered in American history. A city |
| towards them. Amherst also reduced the trade | | | | in Michigan bears his name, as well as a city |
| quota of ammunition and gunpowder towards | | | | in both Illinois and Quebec. Although several |
| Indian customers. Amherst wanted to prevent | | | | historians do not count Pontiac as an overall |
| another rebellion after the Cherokee rebelled | | | | mastermind and leader of the rebellion, they |
| the same year, believing that the Indians | | | | all acknowledge that it was Pontiac's |
| might not rise up against the British if they | | | | ambition and daring that gave him more |
| had insufficient gunpowder available. The | | | | prominence during the war compared to other |
| Indians, however, thought that the British | | | | Indian tribe leaders. |
| were preparing to wage upon them by cutting | | | | |
| off their gunpowder supplies. Fort Detroit: | | | | Attila Z Jancsina is a freelance copy writer. |
| The Outbreak of the War American Indians in | | | | He occasionally writes for Ohio Real Estate |
| the New France area were gearing up for war | | | | FSBO. Website offers Free FSBO advertisement. |