Tenskwatawa
Henry Inman, 28 Oct 1801 - 17 Jan 1846
c. 1830-33
Medium
Painting
Classification
Painting
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Accession Number
NPG.82.71
Tags
GorgetFeatherLandscapePortraitTenskwatawa: MaleNative American advisorNative American leaderReligious leader
About this artwork
Tenskwatawa, the foremost religious leader of the Shawnee, preached a return to traditional ways. Possessed with great oratorical skills, he built a large movement, and in 1808 he established Prophetâs Town in the Indiana Territory. He bitterly opposed territorial governor William Henry Harrisonâs Treaty of Fort Wayne (1809), a dubious agreement in which some Native leaders ceded three million acres to the government. Tenskwatawa denied the legitimacy of their claim to the lands and warned H...