Main Poche: The Last of the Traditional Potawatomi War Chiefs

In the opening years of the 19th century, Native and European Americans struggled for lands throughout the area that we now refer to as the Midwest part of the United States. Among the leaders of the Indians who resisted European intrusion into their territories were the legendary Tecumseh and his brother Tenskwatawa, the Shawnee Prophet. Much has been written about these two significant figures in American history (Sugden 1985), but other leaders also emerged during this time that have not been well researched. One of these is the Potawatomi wabeno and war chief, Main Poche. This paper briefly describes Main Poche, his role in Potawatomi society, and offers several explanations to account for why he is not as well known as other Indian leaders of this period