Pontiac: Voicing The Proclamations Of The Master Of Life

The primary source I chose to read about is Pontiac, an Ottawa chief, voicing the proclamations of the “Master of Life,” 1763. This was Pontiac’s speech to his fellow Indians asking them to maintain the ways of the Indian and never to modernize with the colonials. Within the speech, I saw that Pontiac was being symbolized to God. My interpretation of Pontiac was a young Indian Chieftain with wisdom beyond his years. For example, when Pontiac introduces himself as the head of Ottawa and life itself with the phrase, “I am he who made heaven and earth, the trees, lakes, rivers, all men, and all that thou seest, and all that thou hast seen on earth.” A phrase from Pontiac’s speech parallels to John 15:18 of how Jesus Christ warns his disciples that the world will hate them because they Him; the sentence reads “Because . . . I love you, you must do what I say and [not do] what I hate.” Pontiac brings his audience to his world about how modern technology corrupted his people. All he wants them to do is maintain the old ways and preserve their heritage. What I discover about the speech is that Pontiac’s proclamation was sounding more like a will before he was murdered three years later in 1769 at the French town of Cahokia.

An evil spirit “who whispers to people and to whom they listen because you do not know me well.” Psychologically, Pontiac’s power was put on display as he can reach followers through religious ceremonies, in which Pontiac reintroduced ceremonies to the fading culture. Leadership, he stabilizes control over the people and inspire the Indians to protect their land. Pontiac also reminds them of hunting animals and making clothes of their skin to survive. Not to mention, their fighting skills to combat