Shabbona

Shabbona
Born	c. 1775 Ohio, Ontario, or Illinois
Died	July 17, 1859 Morris, Illinois, United States
Resting place	Evergreen Cemetery, Morris, Illinois
Nationality	Ottawa, Potawatomi
Other names	Shabbonee
Occupation	Native American chief
Known for	Keeping Potawatomi people out of the Black Hawk War
Title	Chief

Shabbona (or Sha-bon-na), also known as Shabonee and Shaubena, (c. 1775–1859) was an Ottawa tribe member who became a chief within the Potawatomi tribe in Illinois during the 19th century.

Shabbona (from either the Ottawa Zhaabne or the Potawatomi Zhabné meaning "indomitable" or "hardy" in both languages, but was recorded to mean "built strong like a bear" or "built like a bear") was born around 1775 of the Odawa (Ottawa) tribe either on the Maumee River in Ohio, in Ontario or in a Native American village in Illinois. Shabbona's own biography places his birth on the Kankakee River; "Shaubena, according to his statement, was born in the year 1775 or 1776, at an Indian village on the Kankakee River, now in Will county." This may be reflective of Will County today or in Kankakee County of today, but Will county was reduced in size in 1853, several years before "Memories of Shabbona" was published.

The Ottawa are an Algonquian-speaking tribe that was driven out of Ontario, Canada by the Iroquois and moved west into Michigan. Once in Michigan, the tribe aligned with The Council of Three Fires (Ojibwa, Odawa and Potawatomi) and moved further south across Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. The Odawa became very closely intermixed with the Potawatomi at this time. Shabbona was said to be a grandnephew of Pontiac, the famous Ottawa leader. Shabbona was granted his chief status at a very young age. The son of an Ottawa warrior who had fought with Pontiac during Pontiac's War, Shabbona himself would become a lieutenant under Shawnee chieftain Tecumseh and, during the War of 1812, later participated in the Battle of the Thames where Tecumseh was killed.

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