Alexander Henry The Elder - Michilimackinac and The Ojibwa Indians

Michilimackinac and The Ojibwa Indians

In 1761, as they travelled west, Henry was repeatedly warned by the Indians they encountered not to risk his life among the Ojibwe, who remained fiercely loyal to the French. By the time Henry took the warnings seriously, he didn't have enough supplies to turn back and so disguised himself as a voyageur and let Campion pass for the proprietor. No one was fooled. When he arrived among the Ojibwe at Michilimackinac, Henry found himself surrounded by sixty of their warriors, "each with his tomahawk in one hand, and scalping knife in the other." The imposingly tall war chief Mihnehwehna/Minweweh coldly reminded him that the English may have conquered the French, but they had not conquered the Ojibwe - a true fact as the English on taking New France had neglected to make peace with their Indian allies. Having put to use all of his diplomatic skills for which he would become well known, Henry "inwardly endured the tortures of suspense," before Mineweh declared that he admired Henry's bravery for entering their lands and as he came not with the intention to make war, he was therefore allowed to "sleep tranquilly" among them. That winter of 1761-62, a minor Ojibwa chief, Wawatam, adopted Henry as a brother.

Henry's ability to make friends with both the French and their allied Indians greatly facilitated his trading activities. Between 1762 and 1763, Henry did business at Sault Ste Marie, where he formed friendships with Jean Baptiste Cadotte (brother of Michel Cadotte) and Sir Robert Davers. However, when they returned to Michilimackinac, Chief Pontiac had already invoked his Indian uprising against British posts in the North West, and the Ojibwa warriors famously attacked Fort Michilimackinac. Danvers was killed and Henry hid for a time in the house of Charles Michel de Langlade, but was later discovered and captured. He was rescued by Wawatam, his adopted brother, who placed him for his own safety in Skull Cave - which in the cold-light of day he uncomfortably discovered was literally so named.

He lived with the Wawatam and his family for nearly a year, following them on their seasonal moves to hunting and fishing territories in lower Michigan. Henry's experiences during this winter of 1763-64, described in his memoirs, are a valuable primary source into Native American life during the fur trade era.

They returned to Michilimackinac in the spring of 1764 to trade their furs, but some of the Ojibwas from Saginaw Bay plotted to kill Henry and Wawatam permitted him to go to Sault Ste Marie to seek the protection of Cadotte. He was still not safe as another Ojibwa chief, Madjeckewiss, followed him there with some of his warriors intent on killing him, and it took Cadotte's diplomatic skills to dissuade them. Soon after this, at last Sir William Johnson held a peace conference at Fort Niagara and both Henry and the Ojibwas attended. Eager to return to Michilimackinac to recover his property, Henry accompanied the expedition of Colonel John Bradstreet from Niagara to Detroit, and from there he went with Captain William Howard's troops who reoccupied Michilimackinac in September, 1764.