Shissahecon [Big Lake]


Shissahecon was a respected headman and warrior among the St. Joseph Potawatomi. He was the son of famed leader Nanaquiba and brother to Topinabee and Chebass. Active in tribal affairs, he signed the 1795 peace Treaty of Greenville and was among many who opposed American encroachment and the sale of Native lands.

In 1838, Shissahecon and his family were among the hundreds of Potawatomi who were taken captive and forced to walk the Trail of Death. Upholding a strong legacy, Shissahecon’s son, Pammamkadek or Peter the Great, would ascend to leadership in Kansas, eventually leading his people to Indian Territory and establishing what would become the Citizen Potawatomi Nation.

Citations

Citizen Potawatomi Nation Cultural Heritage Center: Collections and Research Division. 2005. Vieux Family Manuscripts

Clifton, James A. 1998. The Prairie People: Continuity and Change in Potawatomi Indian Culture, 1665-1965

Kappler, Charles J. 1904. Indian Affairs: Laws and Treaties, II

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