1. Simon Pokagon was born near Bertrand in southwest Michigan Territory and died on January 28,1899, in Hartford, Michigan.
18 Facts About Simon Pokagon
1. 2.
Simon Pokagon was a son of his tribe's patriarch, Leopold Pokagon.
3.
Simon Pokagon was born to Potawatomi chief Leopold Pokagon and his wife.
4.
Simon Pokagon claimed attendance at the University of Notre Dame and Oberlin College, but that has been challenged, as they have no record of his matriculation.
5.
Simon Pokagon is identified as one of the recognized Native American authors of the nineteenth century.
6.
Simon Pokagon was a featured speaker at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago.
7.
Simon Pokagon was an early activist trying to force the United States to pay monies owed pursuant to treaties and to provide fair treatment of Indian peoples.
8.
Simon Pokagon met with President Abraham Lincoln twice to petition for payment from the government for land taken in the 1833 Treaty of Chicago.
9.
Simon Pokagon met with President Ulysses S Grant to accept an expression of gratitude for the efforts of Potawatomi volunteers in the Civil War.
10.
In much of his writings, Simon Pokagon wrote about the past and traditional ways of life; he lamented the passing of a "vanishing" race of Indians.
11.
Simon Pokagon wrote prolifically, his books including The Red Man's Rebuke, The Red Man's Greeting, and O-gi-maw-kwe Mit-i-gwa-ki, Queen of the Woods which was written about his wife, Lodinaw.
12.
Simon Pokagon's writings reflected his pride in being Indian as well as the struggle to "hide in plain view" that many Indians faced.
13.
The Simon Pokagon have had chiefs since his death, and leadership in Potawatomi communities is not hereditary.
14.
Simon Pokagon became an ambiguous icon of an early Indian who obtained "celebrity" status.
15.
On October 9,1893, Simon Pokagon was a featured speaker at the World's Columbian Exposition.
16.
Simon Pokagon was the umpire for a lacrosse game featuring Iroquois and Potawatomi athletes.
17.
Simon Pokagon dressed in a suit but wore a feathered cap as a mark of his Potawatomi identity.
18.
Simon Pokagon gave a speech to a crowd of nearly 75,000, addressing the devastation of alcohol on Indians and stated that his people needed to abandon their tribal allegiance and pursue US citizenship:.