Tecumseh's confederacy was a confederation of Native Americans in the Great Lakes region of North America which formed during the early 19th century around the teaching of Shawnee leader Tenskwatawa.

[3] Following the 1795 Treaty of Greenville, Native Americans in the Northwest Territory began to move out of the lands ceded to the United States.

The Wea and Kickapoo (both related to the Miami) and Piankeshaw inhabited a series of villages in western Indiana and eastern Illinois.

The witch-hunts inspired a nativist religious revival led by Tecumseh's brother Tenskwatawa ("The Prophet") who emerged in 1805 as a leader among the witch hunters.

[7] Tenskwatawa was influenced greatly by the teachings of Neolin and Scattamek, Lenape religious leaders who had died years earlier, and had predicted a coming apocalypse in which the white men would be overthrown by supernatural powers.

[8] As part of Tenskwatawa's religious teachings, he urged Indians to reject the ways of White Americans, such as liquor, European-style clothing, and firearms.

From his village at Greenville, Tenskwatawa compromised Black Hoof's friendly relationship with the United States, leading to rising tensions with settlers in the region.

Black Hoof and other tribal leaders began to put pressure on Tenskwatawa and his followers to leave the area to prevent the situation from escalating into an open conflict.

[9] They were invited to northwest Indiana by Pottawatomie chief Winamac, who was also a religious leader calling for a return to many of the old ways, although he sought access to American agricultural technology.

Tenskwatawa accepted the invitation and established the village of Prophetstown near the confluence of the Wabash and Tippecanoe Rivers, land claimed by the Miami.

His growing popularity attracted Native American followers from many different tribes, including the Shawnee, Chickamauga, Tutelo, Ojibwe/Chippewa, Mascouten, and Potawatomi.

[11] Willig (1997) argues that Tippecanoe was not only the largest Native American community in the Great Lakes region but served as a major center of Indian culture and final rampart defense against whites.

Tecumseh eventually emerged as the leader of the confederation, but it was built upon a foundation established by the religious appeal of his younger brother.

General William Hull surrendered Fort Detroit in August 1812 to Sir Isaac Brock, who was a confidant to Tecumseh, without a fight.

[16] After Tecumseh's death in 1813, his younger brother Tenskwatawa retained a small group of followers, but had no significant leadership position among the American Indians in the subsequent decade.

In 1824, at the request of Lewis Cass, the governor of Michigan Territory, the aging Tenskwatawa returned to the United States from Canada to assist the federal government with its plans for the Shawnee removal west of the Mississippi River.