Tecumseh’s relationship with the British was complex.

He needed British support to make his confederacy viable.

British weapons, supplies, and military backing could provide the material resources that would make the confederacy a credible military force.

The British were the only major power with both the interest and the capacity to provide this support.

But Tecumseh was not simply seeking to become a British client.

He had his own political agenda that was distinct from British interests.

He wanted an independent Native nation — an autonomous entity east of the Mississippi that would be sovereign and self-governing.