One day, in 1720, the Ottawa Indians held a ceremony in southern Canada just across the river from Fort Detroit, to name an Indian baby boy. During the ceremony the baby was passed around for inspection by the braves, after which the priest prayed for his welfare, and the medicine man called for a sign to help give him a name.

Soon a brave came running from the woods with a sign for the child’s name. Then the head priest cried out, “Listen, we have been given a sign for his name.” He tried sounding out the name in several ways. Finally he said, “Pontiac is his name.”

Pontiac’s parents and tribe migrated with the seasons. They spent their winters in Canada and their summers in Ohio. During his early childhood, Pontiac learned to hunt and fish, as other Indian boys did. He was highly elated when he killed a deer and helped his father to kill a bear with a musket.

One time, while he was still a boy, he befriended and English boy, who had been captured by a roving band of Delaware Indians. When he was fifteen years old, he joined a party of warriors to wage war against the Shawnee Indians to the south.

In time, Pontiac became chief of the Ottawa tribe. After a few years, he succeeded in uniting his tribe with several other tribes. As an Indian leader, he maintained friendly relations with the French, who had settled along the Great Lakes, the Ohio River, and the Mississippi River.

When the French and Indian War started in 1755, Pontiac organized his Indian warriors to help the French fight against the British. After the French lost Fort Duquesne, Fort Niagara, Fort Detroit, and other key points, he kept on fighting. He hoped to turn these forts back to the French.

In 1763, Pontiac captured a number of points along the Ohio River and the Great Lakes. Finally, he attempted to capture For Detroit, by pretending that he was friendly to the English, who controlled the fort. This attempt, which is referred to in history as Pontiac’s Conspiracy, failed because someone revealed his strategy.

In preparing this book, Howard Peckham has written a thrilling story about Indian life, as it existed about two centuries ago. His stories are filled with exciting incidents and experiences which capture the child’s attention. Moreover, he has produced one of the most authentic stories ever written about Indians in the Midwest.

From the dust jacket