May 01, 2009

Final quotes in Tecumseh's Vision

Concluding the discussion of Tecumseh's Vision, the second episode of PBS's We Shall Remain series:

A couple of historian quotes explain why Tecumseh is so memorable:Tecumseh is saved by his death for immortality. One of the great things in icons is to bow out at the right time. Tecumseh never lets you down. He bows out at the peak of this great movement he's leading.And:I think one of the things that is so important about Tecumseh is that he is a person who by his vision, and by his personality, and by the way he conducts himself, gives us glimpses of humanity at his best. That in the most difficult of situations--in the most hopeless of situations, perhaps--people can have the courage to stand up and fight for what they believe in. Courage in the face of adversity: Tecumseh personifies it.In an online poll conducted a few years ago, Native and non-Native respondents picked Leonard Peltier as the greatest Indian ever. I was thinking, "Are you out of your freakin' minds?" How does someone who has stoically endured a prison sentence compare to someone who almost led a confederation of Indians to victory over the USA? I'm not sure who would be the second choice--Sitting Bull? Crazy Horse?--but Tecumseh seems a clear choice for no. 1.

For more on the subject, see Winning in Tecumseh's Vision and Review of Tecumseh's Vision.

2 comments:

Stephen said...

I agree with you about Peltier; 'sides the guy's scum, he was originally in jail for trying to kill a cop.

dmarks said...

I've seen nothing to support the idea that Peltier is innocent.

But yes, there are so many great Natives in history: military and political leaders who faced very tough choices (Tecumseh, the not often named Wabasha I,II,III, for example) and non-military types like Sequoyah.