Notes for Aniquiba

Notes for Aniquiba

Source: Cindy Appleby's research at http://chandonai.tripod.com/in2.html
Aniquiba's home village was 1 mile north of present day Niles, Michigan at the confluence of the Dowagiac Creek and the St. Joseph River.

Source: Excerpts from R. David Edmunds' book "The Potawatomis Keepers of the Fire" It is believed that "Nanaquiba" mentioned in the following passages is Aniquiba.
pg. 54:
"On August 1, 1757, Montcalm and his army set sail in bateaux for the southern end of Lake George (north of Albany, NY). Accompanying the French force were eighty-eight Potawatomis: seventy from the St. Joseph and eighteen from Detroit. The Potawatomi warriors were led by Millouisillyny, Ouakousy (Fox), Nanaquiba (Water Moccasin), Oybischagme, and Ninivois. The French and Indian expedition landed near Fort William Henry (near Lake George), and Montcalm dug trenches to position his artillery. Meanwhile, the Patawatomis and other Indians encircled the British fortress to cut off any reinforcements. "

pg. 55:
"The Potawatomis and other Indians left for Montreal on the day after the massacre, but the British had their revenge. Many of the prisoners killed by the Potawatomis had been infected with smallpox, and the warriors carried the dease back to the west. During the spring and summer of 1758, the disease raged among the tribes of Michigan, reaching epidemic proportions in the villages along the St. Joseph. Although such cheifs as Ninivois and Nanaquiba survived, many other Potawatomi leaders who had supported the French perished."

pg. 90:
"They were encouraged by several French traders and by a part of Delawares who arrived in their villages in November (1763). The Delawares brought war belts and informed the Potawatomis that the Ohio tribes planned to renew the war in the spring. The Chippewas at Michilimackinac also urged the Potawatomis to again take up the hatchet, and young warriors listened eagerly. Nanaquiba, Washee, and Machiouquisse (Little Bad Man), a chief from Detroit, all counseled for peace, but their advice was ignored. The winter snow of 1763-64 kept the St. Joseph warriors in their lodges..."

pg. 91:
"The (British) colonel (John Bradstreet) then sailed to Detroit, where he sent messages to the Potawatomis, Ottawas, Chippewas, and Hurons, asking them to meet with him in September (1764). ...the Potawatomis were represented by Nanaquiba and Kiouqua (Returning Bear). ...After the Indians swore allegiance to the British king, Bradstreet naively declared theat peace had been restored in the west."

pg. 97:
"Violence flared again in the spring of 1767. ...near modern memphis, Tennessee, they found an easier prey, intercepting a part of British traders en route to the Chickasaw villages. The Potawatomis killed three white men and took four prisoners. Two of the captives escaped, but the other two were carried back to the Saint Joseph, where Nanaquiba ransomed them and brought them to Detroit."

pg. 104-105:
"...October 7, 1778...Hamilton's party journeyed to the forks of the Maumee, where Chevalier and fifteen St. Joseph Potawatomis joined the expedition. THe St. Joseph warriors were led by Nanaquiba, but the old chief was so senile that in preparing to meet Hamilton, he bedecked himself with a French medal given to him after the fall of Fort William Henry. Hamilton replaced the medal witha British medallion and congratulated the old Potawatomi for his efforts at such an advanced age. The expedition then proceeeded down the Wabash, where it was joined by other Indians, including a few more Potawatomis from a new filliage on the headwaters of the Tippecanoe. On December 17, Hamilton and his allies arrived at Vincennes, where Captain Leonard Helm, the American commander, surrendered both the fort and the village. ... In January, Nanaquiba and the St. Joseph warriors returned to their villages... Before the Potawatomis departed, Hamilton met with their chiefs and reminded them that he intended to attack the Americans in the spring. The Detroit warriors agreed to return to Vincennes (starts on page 105) and accompany Hamilton across Illinois, while Nanaquiba promised to rally the St. Joseph Potawatomis and descent the Illinois River, falling upon rebel settlements inthe American Bottom. Yet Hamilton's plans never materialized. ... British influence along the St. Joseph dwindled as Potawatomi warriors seized British trade goods and the village chiefs, including Nanaquiba, accepted letters of American frienship.