Shawnee Prophet

"This volume is a valuable contribution to the history of Indian-white relations...[Edmunds] is adept in portraying the circumstances among the midwestern tribes which inspired the transformation of Lalawethika, the village drunkard, into Tenskwatawa, the Prophet...It is all presented in a smooth and felicitous style which makes unobtrusive the solid scholarship on which it is based." (Montana). "A splendid biographical study of Tenskwatawa, the Shawnee Holy Man who is best known as the brother of Tecumseh...Based upon extensive and meticulous research, this biography is a joy to read...The author convincingly establishes the critical and pre-eminent role of Tenskwatawa as the leader of the Indian resistance to American expansion before 1810." (W. David Baird, Journal of the West). "A fine book. The author gives balanced consideration to the individual, his people, and his times. Tenskwatawa's story is told in the context of the increasing American pressure upon Indian lands, disruption of Shawnee society and cultute, inter- and intratribal politics, and British influence among the tribes in a period of mounting intern-tional tension." (Herman J. Viola, Pacific Historical Review).R. David Edmunds is a professor of history at Indian University. His other publications include The Potawatomis: Keepers of the Fire (1978) and Tecumseh and the Quest for Indian Leadership (1984).