WLA brooklynmuseum Grace Young Vase Chief Shavehead ca 1899

Shavehead (born ca. 1800, date of death unknown) was a 19th-century

Potawatomi The Potawatomi , also spelled Pottawatomi and Pottawatomie (among many variations), are a Native American people of the western Great Lakes region, upper Mississippi River and Great Plains. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, a m ...

chief. Shavehead received his name because he shaved the front part of his head, as was the Potawatomi custom. He was not bald, however, having a long braid of hair from the back of his head. His exact dates of birth and death remain unknown. He was, however, active as a Potawatomi chief and warrior in the first quarter of the 19th century in

Cass County, Michigan Cass County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 51,589. Its county seat is Cassopolis. Cass County is included in the South Bend–Mishawaka, IN-MI, Metropolitan Statistical Area which has a t ...

. Shavehead had a reputation as a warrior, and was feared both by other Native Americans and whites. He took part in the

Battle of Fort Dearborn The Battle of Fort Dearborn (sometimes called the Fort Dearborn Massacre) was an engagement between United States troops and Potawatomi Native Americans that occurred on August 15, 1812, near Fort Dearborn in what is now Chicago, Illinois (at that ...

in Chicago in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

. Shavehead particularly disliked the incursions of white settlers, and attacked several mail stages on the

Chicago Road (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

through southwestern Michigan. Under his direction, the Potawatomis set up a camp at the St. Joseph River near

Mottville, Michigan Mottville Township is a civil township of St. Joseph County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,499 at the 2000 census. US 12 runs through the township, and M-103 connects it with the Indiana state line. Geography According to ...

where they collected payment for ferry boats passing through their territory. His handling of those on the mail stages and those on the ferries who did not pay were severe. Shavehead boasted that he owned a string on which hung 99 white men's tongues (although no proof exists of this and this was probably an exaggeration). What is documented is that he showed scalps to white men in an attempt to discourage their entry into Potawatami lands. Several rumors exist regarding the manner of Shavehead's death. None of them can be proven. One popular tale is that a veteran of the Fort Dearborn Massacre recognized the chief and killed him as the chief was boasting of his role in the battle. Another popular tale is that he was killed by a white hunter whom the chief had befriended. The most probable story is that he died of old age and was buried in the forests of Cass County. While the details of his death are thus the subject of legend, what is more substantial is that white settlers severed his head after his death. In 1899, the skull was added to a pioneer collection in

Van Buren County, Michigan Van Buren County is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 75,587. The county seat is Paw Paw. The county was founded in 1829 and organized in 1837. History The county was named for Martin Va ...

. Both Shavehead Lake and Shavehead Prairie near Porter Township, Michigan in Cass County are named after Shavehead.

References

"Shavehead" in "Pottawatomie Indian Chiefs and Leaders"
(in German only) Native American leaders People from Cass County, Michigan Potawatomi people 1800s births Year of death unknown Native American people from Michigan {{Michigan-stub