Five Medals facts for kids
Five Medals (who lived from about 1794 to 1818) was an important leader of the Potawatomi people who lived along the Elkhart River. His name, Wa-nyano-zhoneya, means "Five-coin" or "Five-medal" in the Potawatomi language. He worked hard to protect his people's homelands and believed that farming was important for their future. Five Medals first appeared in historical records after a big battle called the Battle of Fallen Timbers. He then disappeared from records shortly after the War of 1812 ended.
Working for Peace on the Frontier
After the Battle of Fallen Timbers in 1794, the Potawatomi people wanted peace with the Americans. Five Medals led a group to Fort Wayne to talk about peace. They agreed to a ceasefire in January and planned a bigger peace meeting for June at Greenville.
In 1796, American leaders were worried about the Potawatomi people along the St. Joseph River staying in touch with each other. To help their own position, American Indian Agents sent a group of leaders from different tribes to Philadelphia. At the time, Philadelphia was the capital city of the United States. Five Medals was one of two Potawatomi chiefs who went on this trip.
They traveled by boat from Detroit and arrived in Philadelphia. There, President Washington held a special dinner for them. Washington encouraged the chiefs to follow the Treaty of Greenville, which had been signed after a difficult war. He also told all the tribes that they should start farming. By 1800, Five Medals convinced another leader named Topinabee that farming was the best way to improve their lives. This was especially true because hunting had been difficult since 1796. Topinabee then asked the Americans for help with farming.
In December 1801, another group of leaders traveled east. This time, they went to Washington, which was the new capital city. This group was led by Little Turtle of the Miami tribe. On their way, they stopped in Baltimore. Five Medals spoke to a group of Quakers there. He asked them for help with farming and also for help to stop the sale of alcohol. In Washington, Five Medals supported Little Turtle's idea to have payments (called annuities) given out at Fort Wayne instead of Detroit. Fort Wayne was easier for both sides. Villages further west often didn't receive their payments. Both leaders also joined Little Turtle in asking for the alcohol trade to be stopped. Alcohol was reaching the Potawatomi from the Wabash River trade routes. Governor Harrison agreed to have the payments made at Fort Wayne. He then called for a meeting at Vincennes to discuss giving up some land.
Protecting Their Land
Leaders like Topinabee, Five Medals, Magaago, and Keesass represented the Potawatomi people at the Vincennes meeting. The land they were talking about was far south of Keesass’s village, which was the southernmost Potawatomi village. In June 1803, the treaty was finished, and the Potawatomi agreed to it.
In 1807, William Kirk, a Quaker missionary, met with Five Medals. They planned for a farming project in Five Medals' village, but it never happened. For the next four years, Five Medals, Winamac, and Topinabee kept asking the American government for help with farming. The farming tools that were sent were never used. William Kirk had been sent to teach the Native American people how to use these tools. However, he had problems with William Wells, Little Turtle's son-in-law. This led Kirk to move to Ohio to help the Shawnees instead. Eventually, President Thomas Jefferson stopped supporting the Quaker project.
In September 1809, Governor Harrison held a meeting at Fort Wayne. Winamac, Five Medals, and Keesass of the Potawatomi were there, along with Miami chiefs. The Miami chiefs refused to give up any land. The Potawatomi leaders, including Five Medals, stood by the Miami as allies. Even though Winamac tried to convince the Miami to sell their land, they held firm. Because Five Medals' village was close to American forts, he remained friendly with the Americans, as did Keesass. Five Medals was worried about Tecumseh because he knew Tecumseh's actions could lead to trouble. Despite many requests, Five Medals refused to listen to Tecumseh.
The War of 1812 and Its Aftermath
During the winter of 1811–1812, some Potawatomi warriors attacked settlements in southern Indiana and Illinois. To stop the fighting, the Americans called for meetings at Cahokia and Vincennes. Winamac and Five Medals told the American agents that only a few warriors were against the Americans, and they didn't represent all the Potawatomi. However, because some chiefs supported the British, Winamac and Five Medals refused to travel to Washington.
Tecumseh, a Shawnee leader, spoke at the council. He blamed Winamac and Five Medals for not controlling their warriors. In May, Tecumseh called a meeting for all Native American tribes at Mississinewa. Here, Five Medals realized he no longer had control over his warriors. He quickly went to Fort Wayne to warn the commander there. At Fort Wayne, he learned that a family from his own village had been attacked. This happened while they were returning from a trading trip to Kentucky. The government helped get the captured family members back and gave gifts for the two warriors who were killed. However, this only made the warriors more angry at Five Medals. When Tecumseh and the Prophet moved to Prophetstown on the Tippecanoe, many Potawatomi warriors went with them.
In August 1812, the Potawatomi supported the British during the attack on Detroit. This led to the British taking control of the fort. Immediately after, the Potawatomi started an attack on Fort Wayne. Five Medals was forced to support this attack. Governor Harrison sent troops up the Wabash River to help Fort Wayne. They successfully ended the attack on September 12. To get back at the Potawatomi for the attack, Harrison sent two groups of soldiers to raid Potawatomi villages in northern Indiana. Meanwhile, his main troops continued towards Detroit. Major Samuel Wells led one group to the Elkhart River, where Five Medals' villages were located. Since the villages were empty, only the crops and buildings were destroyed. After their village on the Elkhart River was destroyed, Five Medals' people moved closer to Detroit, settling on the Huron River.
Many Potawatomi continued to support Tecumseh and the British. They were defeated at the Battle of the Thames in October 1813. When American Brigadier General Duncan McArthur offered a truce to the tribes around the lower Great Lakes, Governor Harrison at first didn't want the Potawatomi to join. But he changed his mind to ensure peace. Topinabee, Five Medals, and Main Poc signed the truce for the Potawatomi.
In July 1814, Topinabee, Five Medals, and Metea attended a meeting at Greenville to try and end the fighting. Other chiefs did not attend. On September 8, 1815, a peace treaty was signed between the Americans and several Potawatomi leaders, including Topinabee, Chebass, Five Medals, Metea, and Mad Sturgeon. After the war ended in 1815, there was some confusion about who the main Potawatomi leaders were. The Indian Agent at Peoria supported Shabbona and Senachewine. The Fort Wayne Agents chose Five Medals and Metea. The Chicago Indian Agents supported Topinabee and Chebass. This caused confusion among the Americans who wanted to recognize just one main chief.
In 1818, the Treaty of St. Mary's was signed. This treaty gave up about 1550 square kilometers (or 1550 acres) of Potawatomi land in western Indiana and eastern Illinois. Many individual payments were given to the chiefs of all the tribes involved. Topinabee, Five Medals, Chebass, Moran, and Mad Sturgeon all signed this treaty.
