Show stories tone of GREAT INDIANS by ELMO SCOTT WATSON copyright hit wegern Nax paper union balon SHABBONA A POTTAWATOMIE I WHITE MANS FRIEND FRIEN M ANY indians have shunned the name of white mans friend but to one it was a proud title shab bona ona chief of the Pottawatomie i curiously enough war neither a chief nor ft a member of that tribe by birth tie he was an ottawa nephew of the groat great pontiac Pout lac haling married a bonife woman he was adopted into the tribe given the name of shabbona Sh abbona built like a bear and eventually was made peace chief Shab bonas first service to the whites occurred on the day of the fort dearborn massacre when he and chief Sau sauganash ganash saved raved john kinzie the tha trader and his family from the blood mad pottawatomie warriors during the winnebago war mar of 1827 lie he won first st the title of the white mans friend by persuading his people not to join the Winne bagos on the war path but it was during the black hawk war that the pottawatomie chieftain proved himself the white mans anns friend indeed in february 1832 black hawk attempted to form a confederation of the sacs and foxes homles and Winnebago es to fight the whites white cloud claud the winnebago chief favored the union and declared that if all the tribes will join us our warriors will be like the trees of trio tha forest yes replied shabbona Sh abbona but the soldiers of the whites will outnumber the leaves on the trees the did n not 0 t join shabbona Sh abbona was not content with holding his own warriors quiet after stillmans Still mans defeat had left the whole nort northern beni frontier of illinois unprotected he set out to warn the whites that the ho hostiles host stiles lles were coming A few farmers persisted in staying find and a second time the chief facing biath at the hands of black hawks warriors carried the alarm the settlers wh who refused to heed this warning died in the dreadful massacre on indian creek Sh abbona served general allinson faithfully and well as a scout during the remainder of the campaign and for once in history a frie friendly adly indian was rewarded by the whites the government excepted Sh abbona and his family from the order removing all tile to a reservation in kansas and gave him a pension sut but land speculators took possession of his tract while he wa was S visiting his tribe however citizens alto appreciated the value of its ills services raised money to buy land on the illinois river and gave g ave the old chief a home for the rest of hi hla s days ile he died there july 17 and la Is buried in morris |