Ambrotype of Chief Okemos
Ambrotype of Chief Okemos in Cheboygan County, Michigan, chief of the Grand River band of Chippewa/Ojibwe. Born ca. 1780, died 12/1886, said to be a nephew of Pontiac. Mounted in full case with baroque aperture. See attached note and newspaper article inside case.
He was either born in 1769, 1775, 1788, or 1700s in general at Ketchewandaugoning (indian settlement) near Knaggs Crossing on the Shiawassee River (Knagg’s Bridge, Shiawassee County) in the bear clan. He was about five feet tall wearing a blanket coat with a belt and a steel pip hatchet tomahawk and a long hunting knife. His face was sometimes painted with a vermilion on his cheeks, horsehead, and over his eyes. In the early morning, he would play his pipe or flute. He went to non-alcoholic picnics or events with 8 to 12 Indians that Okemos claimed to be his children.
In 1796, Okemos and 16 others enlisted with the British and scouted against the Americans. In 1811, he fought in the battle of Tippencanoe, Indiana. In 1812, he fought for the British Forces in the War of 1812. In 1813, he led the Battle of Snadusky, took part in the Siege of Meigs in Northeastern Ohio, and on October 5 he fought in the Battle of the Thames. He was a Prisoner of War pardoned by Territorial Governor Lewis Cass. After all of his fighting, he had terrible wounds on his forehead and one gash on his back that never healed. In 1814, he presented in front of the commanding officer at Fort Wayne in Detroit and said that he would not fight anymore. He later became a Saginaw Chippewa Chief of the Grand River Band along the Grand River from Portland, Michigan to the Red Cedar in Okemos, Michigan.
It has been said by some that he was the nephew of Chief Pontiac
He signed the 1815 Treaty with the Wyandot, 1817 Treaty with the Wyandot, 1819 Treaty with the Chippewa, 1837 Treaty with the Chipewa. The different spellings of his name on the treaties were Okemans, Ogimaus, Okemos, O-ge-mah, and O-Gee-Manse.
In the 1830s, he moved to the Shimnecon area, near Portland, Michigan. It is said that he had four wives.
He married Waindegoquayzance around 1818. He had four known children:
- Son John (Paymechewaysawdung) born in 1829, died in 1899
- Son James (Waygeshegome) born in 1845, died in 1902
- Daughter Kawbaishcawmoquay born in 1845, died in 1896
- Daughter Shawusquahbenoquay
Okemos died on December 4 or 5, 1858, five miles northeast of Dewitt by the Looking Glass River. His body rests at Shimnicon on the Grand River in Ionia County, Michigan. Hall Ingalls mentions that the grave was four feet deep, seven feet long, and four feet wide. Bark was gathered to be laid on the floor and walls of the grave. Okemos was covered with blankets and blankets under his head, so the August sun fell full upon his face. To his right, two guns were placed. To his left, his tomahawks, scalping knives, and other personal effects were placed. A blanket was then placed over him as a shroud. More bark then was laid upon his with the rest being filled with dirt. His grave was vandalized to a degree. A gravestone now marks his gravesite.
Ambrotype of Chief Okemos [Anishinaabe (Chippewa/Ojibwa)] photographed by Henry H. Smith in 1858.
The upper, right hand portion of the ambrotype glass is broken and missing. The ambrotype is housed in a leather case and features a brass mat and preserver.
Two newspaper clippings about Chief Okemos that are glued together. The first appears to be from the Lansing Journal and reads, "Old Okemus. –Our friend [paper missing] has left on our table a very fine ambrotype of Okemus, the well known chief of the Chippawas, whose residence in this part of the State has made his name and fame familiar to most of our readers. The old Chief paid a visit to our village a few days since. He is not far from one hundred years old, and although his step is feeble, yet he is as erect as in his palmier days. He has heretofore objected to having his likeness taken, under the impression it would shorten his life. At best he has but a few more days on earth. He carries scars upon his head and shoulder into which a man could lay his finger, which he claims to have received at the battle of Thames and while he was aiming his tomahawk at the head of Col. Johnson, just after he had shot Tecumseh. He also claims to have held a captain's commission in the British government. His position as chief has been usurped by younger hands. – Lansing Jour[word cut off]".
The second clipping is from Springfield (Mass) Republican on December 22, 1858 and reads, "The Potawatamie Chief Okemos, who has for a long time lived near Lansing, Michigan died on Sunday last. His precise age was not known, but it is supposed to have been over one hundred years".
There is conflicting information about the details of Chief Okemos' biography including his birth year. It is believed that Chief Okemos was born circa 1769 possibly in the Anishinaabe (Chippewa/Ojibwa) settlement of Ketchewandaugoning on the Shiawassee River (near present day Bloomfield, Michigan). Other spellings of his name included Okemus, Okemans, Ogimaus, Okemos, O-ge-mah, and O-Gee-Manse.
He fought in several battles including the battle of Tippencanoe, Indiana (1811), the War of 1812, the Battle of Sandusky (1813), and the Battle of the Thames (1813). During the War of 1812, Okemos suffered an injury, which left him with a large scar on his forehead. Chief Okemos also signed several treaties on behalf of the Anishinaabe including the Treaty of Saginaw (1819).
His family included his wife Waindegoquayzance; his son Paymechewaysawdung (1829-1899; also known as John); his son Waygeshegome (1845-1902; also known as James); his daughter Kawbaishcawmoquay (1845-1896); and his daughter Shawusquahbenoquay (d.1852). Chief Okemos died on December 5, 1858 in Michigan.
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Notes from NAA on Okemos
In this Pdf, there are notes on Chief Okemos from Mrs. Franc L. Adams, Mason MI 1910. This might be useful to include in the NAA community record.
SI_NAA_SPC_Eastern Canada_Ottawa _BAE 1-50.pdf
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