Dubbed the "Red Man's Longfellow" by literary fans, Pokagon was often called the "Hereditary and Last Chief" of the tribe by the press.

He was an early activist trying to force the United States to pay monies owed pursuant to treaties and to provide fair treatment of Indian peoples.

He also met with President Ulysses S. Grant to accept an expression of gratitude for the efforts of Potawatomi volunteers in the Civil War.

A complicated individual with what often seemed to be contradictory motivations, he sold "interests" in that Chicago land claim to real estate speculators, angering some in the Pokagon community.

In much of his writings, Pokagon wrote about the past and traditional ways of life; he lamented the passing of a "vanishing" race of Indians.

Meanwhile, most tribal members worked as laborers at local factories and farms and retained close ties to the Catholic Church.

According to the historian Susan Sleeper-Smith, unlike the neighboring Miami in Indiana, who "hid in plain sight", the Pokagon Potawatomi tightly held onto their traditions and sense of community.

In a publication originally titled Red Man's Rebuke and subsequently Red Man's Greeting, Pokagon wrote: On behalf of my people, the American Indians, I hereby declare to you, the pale-faced race that has usurped our lands and homes, that we have no spirit to celebrate with you the great Columbian Fair now being held in this Chicago city, the wonder of the world.

And while...your hearts in admiration rejoice over the beauty and grandeur of this young republic and you say, 'behold the wonders wrought by our children in this foreign land,' do not forget that this success has been at the sacrifice of our homes and a once happy race.

He gave a speech to a crowd of nearly 75,000, addressing the devastation of alcohol on Indians and stated that his people needed to abandon their tribal allegiance and pursue U.S. citizenship:What can be done for the best good of .

[then] they will be able to compete with the dominant race.Another part of his speech, published in the Chicago Tribune, reflected his hope for the progress of his tribe:I shall cherish as long as I live the cheering words that have been spoken to me here by the ladies, friends of my race; it has strengthened and encouraged me; I have greater faith in the success of the remaining few of my people than ever before.