Any sale made by one chief or one group of chiefs was not valid without the consent of all.

The argument was legally sophisticated, philosophically coherent, and absolutely incompatible with the American system of land acquisition.

If Tecumseh’s principle were accepted, virtually every land transfer the United States had made in the Northwest Territory would be invalid.

Which was, of course, precisely his point.

The Two Brothers: Tecumseh And Tenskwatawa

The story of Tecumseh’s confederation cannot be told without the story of his younger brother, Tenskwatawa, whose spiritual revival movement was the religious foundation on which Tecumseh’s political project was built.

Tenskwatawa was not, by early accounts, an impressive figure.