Anishinnaabeg Indian power base at Michilimackinac a overlooked aspect of North American history

Cougar Face
   The ties established by great lakes Indians and the kinship role in settling a peace among themselves and the French created their balance and a relative peaceful period in native American history. A book called " Master Of Empire" reflects the harmony of great lakes region native societies despite pressures to migrate and the tribal diversity that existed in this region. The Anishinaabeg Indians and their powerbase at Michilimackinac is often an over-looked part of the settling of North America and this book does much to inform the reader how this tribe otherwise known as the Ojibwe were able to call the shots and get French and English to trade favorable to their cause. The buying off of native society with gifts roved to be costly though and when the British attempted to tax the colonists for this peace with their neighbors the colonists rebelled.

 The book looks at the recent history f the Ojibwe tribe and how they were affected by war in the Ohio Indians and the diplomacy and network they developed with both the Europeans and other tribes and why they were more successful at avoiding resettlement to the West. Author Michael McDonnel does some amazing research of this huge tribe where history often skips over as they had a huge impact with Euro-settler policy out west and had a huge impact in relations and warfare on the frontier that the trie did best to avoid conflicts with all. Their successes though may have been the downfall of Wisconsin and Illinois natives who didn't have a strong powerbase to resist the encroaching settlers and put up more of a fight as Comanche and other Western tribes. The Anishinabe were master canoe makers and masters of the riverways and a reason the French treaded carefully with this important tribe that had major influence through their kinship ties and acted and financially benefited as ole of Middle men with the European empires. The book covers the developments and start of the two Anglo-Indian wars and the delicate balance this far away tribe played in supporting their French allies and then making a successful transition to getting the British as well pay tribute and give natives in the area gifts to placate them as allies. In the Michilimackinac homelands Europeans played a minor role and often subservient to the power of the Indians that appreciated their goods if not their goals of transforming the forests of North America into one of profit. The fact that Europeans penetrated little into the important waterways and role of this area is a tribute to both the hostility of the environment and the possible hostility of this important tribe that the British and French knew they could not afford to confront and worsen. this tribe frustrated the british attempt for them to field more men in the revolutionary role as this tribe rightfully saw the conflict as a European civil war and started to realize he role of European warfare had in effect of decominating tribes of their strongest warriors and depletion of important human resources for the Natives to use in defense of their own homelands instead of British or French worldwide prestige.