Coureur des bois Daniel Amiot; Charles Michel de Langlade ("Father of Wisconsin”) and Pontiac’s Rebellion

 

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Coureur des bois Daniel Amiot; Charles Michel de Langlade ("Father of Wisconsin”) and Pontiac’s Rebellion

Daniel Joseph Amiot (Amyot) dit Villeneuve (1665–1726)

Daniel Joseph Amiot, commonly known as Daniel Amiot dit Villeneuve, was a prominent French-Canadian coureur des bois (woods runner or fur trader) and voyageur in New France during the late 17th and early 18th centuries. Born on October 4, 1665, and baptized the following day at Notre-Dame de Québec, he was the son of Mathieu Amiot dit Villeneuve (c. 1628–1688), a French settler, interpreter for the Jesuits, and small seigneur who arrived in Quebec around 1635, and Marie-Anne Miville (1632–1702), daughter of early colonists Pierre Miville dit LeSuisse and Charlotte Maugis.  Daniel grew up in a large family of 14 siblings in the seigneurie of Maur near Quebec, where his father farmed and traded. His godfather was Daniel de Courcelle, the governor of New France, indicating early connections to colonial elites. 

As a young man, Daniel ventured into the fur trade, leveraging family ties—his uncle Charles Amiot was a Quebec merchant with hinterland experience.  In 1686, at age 20, he joined explorer Henri de Tonti on a perilous expedition down the Mississippi River from Fort Saint Louis (Illinois) to search for the missing René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, reaching the Gulf of Mexico.  This cemented his reputation as a skilled voyageur, navigating rapids and trading with Indigenous nations. By the early 1700s, he operated out of Michilimackinac (Mackinac Island, Michigan), a key fur trade hub, where he lived among the Nassaukueton (Fork) band of Odawa (Ottawa) people. 

Daniel died around 1726 at Michilimackinac, likely in his early 60s, after decades in the trade.  His life exemplifies the intercultural world of New France's frontier, blending French colonial ambitions with alliances forged through marriage and trade.

Marriages and Children

Daniel had two known wives, both Indigenous women from the Outaouais (Ottawa) region, reflecting common coureur des bois practices of à la façon du pays (country-style) unions, often formalized later by the Church.

• First Marriage: On September 2, 1709, in Montreal's Notre-Dame Basilica, he wed Marie Kapiouapnokoue (c. 1670–c. 1712), an Ottawa woman. Witnesses included local traders and settlers.  They had at least five children, many baptized at Michilimackinac's Mission of Saint-Ignace:
• Marie Amiot dit Villeneuve (b. c. 1710)
• Anne Amiot dit Villeneuve (b. c. 1712)
• Others, including possible sons who entered the trade.
• Second Marriage: Around 1712–1715 at Michilimackinac, Daniel married Domitilde Oukabé (detailed below). They had at least six children, including:
• Jean-Baptiste Amiot dit Villeneuve (b. May 13, 1722, Michilimackinac)
• Constant Stanislas Amiot (b. November 14, 1725, Michilimackinac; d. 1761, La Prairie, Quebec) 
• Marie-Louise-Thérèse Amiot dit Villeneuve (b. c. 1715)
• Toussaint, Jacques, and others who became Métis traders or settlers.  Their union produced notable Red River Métis descendants, such as brothers Henry Munroe Fisher and George Fisher in the 19th century. 

Domitilde Oukabé Nepveuouikabe LaFourche (c. 1692–1782)

Domitilde Marie Kapeouapnokoue, known variably as Domitilde Oukabé, Nepveuouidabe, or LaFourche (reflecting Odawa naming conventions and French adaptations), was a influential Odawa woman of the Nassauakueton (Fork) doodem (clan). Born around 1692 in the Great Lakes region (possibly near Michilimackinac or Detroit), she was the daughter of Chief Kewinaquot "Returning Cloud" (c. 1660–1707), a powerful Ottawa leader and war chief allied with the French, and Nesxesouexite Neskes "Mi-Jak-Wa-Ta-Wa" (Otter).  Her older brother, Nissowaquet (c. 1685–1735), known as Chief La Fourche (The Fork), succeeded their father and became a key Ottawa diplomat, negotiating treaties with the French and British.  Domitilde's high status in Odawa society—tied to her clan's influence in the fur trade and missions—made her a bridge between Indigenous, French, and emerging Métis worlds.

A devout Catholic convert, Domitilde was praised by Jesuit missionaries like Father Chardon for her "wisdom" and role in teaching the Ottawa language, serving as a model for French and Indigenous women alike at Michilimackinac.  She became a prolific godmother to over two dozen baptisms, including French, Métis, Odawa, and enslaved individuals (at least one of whom she owned), extending her influence across communities.  Her strategic marriages amplified her brother's power and her son Charles Michel de Langlade's rise as a colonial military leader during the French and Indian War.  Domitilde died in 1782 in the Province of Quebec (likely Michigan region), at about age 90, outliving most contemporaries. 

Marriages and Children

Domitilde's unions were politically astute, common among elite Indigenous women in the fur trade era.

• First Marriage: Around 1712–1715 at Michilimackinac, she wed Daniel Joseph Amiot dit Villeneuve (as noted above). They had seven to ten Métis children, blending French and Odawa heritage; see Daniel's section for details.  This marriage allied the Nassaukueton with French traders amid post-1701 treaty tensions. 
• Second Marriage: After Daniel's death (c. 1726), Domitilde married Augustin Mouet, Sieur de Langlade (1703–1777), a French trader and interpreter, around 1728 at Michilimackinac. They had two children:
• Charles Michel de Langlade (b. 1729; d. 1807), a famed Métis officer who fought for France and Britain.
• A daughter, possibly Marie-Louise.  Charles's descendants include prominent Métis figures.

Their Shared Legacy

Daniel and Domitilde's union around 1712 at Michilimackinac was a pivotal alliance: his trading expertise complemented her clan's Odawa networks, aiding the Nassaukueton's survival after displacements from earlier wars.  Their Métis children carried forward hybrid identities, contributing to Great Lakes fur trade families and later Red River settlements.

Charles Michel de Langlade (1729–1801): The "Father of Wisconsin"

Charles Michel Mouet de Langlade, often simply known as Charles de Langlade, was a pivotal figure in the colonial history of the Great Lakes region—a Métis fur trader, interpreter, diplomat, and war chief who navigated the turbulent alliances between French, British, American, and Indigenous powers during the 18th century. Born into a world of intercultural exchange, he embodied the hybrid identities of New France's frontier, leveraging his Ottawa heritage and French education to lead warriors, broker trades, and shape the outcome of major conflicts. His life spanned the French and Indian War, Pontiac's Rebellion, and the American Revolutionary War, making him a bridge between Indigenous resistance and European imperialism. Retiring to Green Bay, Wisconsin, where he had long operated a trading post, Langlade earned the enduring title of "Father of Wisconsin" for his role in its early settlement.

Early Life and Family Background

Charles Michel de Langlade was baptized on May 9, 1729, at Fort Michilimackinac (present-day Mackinaw City, Michigan), a bustling fur trade hub in New France. He was the son of Augustin Mouet, sieur de Langlade (c. 1703–1777), a French-Canadian voyageur and trader from a noble Guienne family who sought Odawa alliances to bolster his business, and Domitilde Oukabé (also known as Domitilde LaFourche or Nepveuouikabe, c. 1692–1782), a prominent Odawa woman from the Nassauakueton (Fork) clan. Domitilde was the daughter of Chief Kewinaquot "Returning Cloud," an influential Ottawa leader allied with the French, and the sister of Nissowaquet (c. 1685–1735), the Ottawa war chief known as "La Fourche." At the time of her marriage to Augustin in 1728, Domitilde was a widow with six children from her first union with the coureur des bois Daniel Joseph Amiot dit Villeneuve (1665–c. 1726), making young Charles one of at least eight half-siblings in a blended Métis family.

Raised primarily in Odawa culture, Langlade spoke Ottawa as his first language and was immersed in Anishinaabeg traditions among the Three Fires Confederacy (Odawa, Ojibwe, and Potawatomi peoples). However, Jesuit missionaries at the fort provided him with a French education, fostering bilingual fluency and a Catholic faith that he maintained throughout his life. By age 10, he joined an Ottawa war party led by his uncle Nissowaquet against the Chickasaw in the Mississippi Valley, an expedition that ignited his lifelong affinity for military life. In 1745, at just 16, Langlade accompanied his father to establish a trading post at La Baye (present-day Green Bay, Wisconsin), securing family influence in the lucrative fur trade amid British-French rivalries.

Military Career and Key Conflicts

Langlade's military prowess emerged early, blending Indigenous guerrilla tactics with European strategy. By 1750, he was a cadet in the French colonial regulars, rising to lieutenant in the Marines by 1760. His influence stemmed not only from kinship ties to Ottawa leadership but also from personal charisma and a legendary childhood incident where he reportedly saved an Odawa chief's life, earning widespread respect among the Anishinaabeg.

• Prelude to the French and Indian War (1752 Raid on Pickawillany): In a bid to curb British encroachment in the Ohio Valley, Langlade assembled a war party of 200–250 Odawa, Potawatomi, and Ojibwe warriors in the winter of 1751–1752. On June 21, 1752, they attacked Pickawillany (Piqua, Ohio), a Miami village and British trading post led by the pro-British Miami chief Memeskia (La Demoiselle). Langlade's forces killed Memeskia, ritually mutilated and cannibalized his body (a traditional Odawa practice to absorb an enemy's power), and destroyed the outpost. This brutal raid escalated colonial tensions, directly contributing to the outbreak of the French and Indian War (1754–1763) by inflaming British outrage.
• French and Indian War (1754–1763): Langlade became a key French ally, commanding Indigenous auxiliaries. In July 1755, he led warriors from the Three Fires to Fort Duquesne (Pittsburgh), where his forces ambushed and routed British General Edward Braddock's army at the Battle of the Monongahela—despite Braddock's death and George Washington's presence on the British side. Langlade's sharpshooters from Wisconsin and Michigan inflicted heavy casualties, preserving French control of the Ohio frontier. He later participated in the 1757 Siege of Fort William Henry, where he struggled to restrain Odawa warriors from massacring surrendering British troops (an event dramatized in The Last of the Mohicans). In 1759, he fought at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham, defending Quebec against the British. By 1760, as second-in-command at Fort Michilimackinac, he surrendered the post to the British, marking the French collapse in the region.

After the 1763 Treaty of Paris ceded New France to Britain, Langlade pragmatically swore allegiance to the Crown, joining the British Indian Department as an interpreter and captain by 1775. He permanently relocated his family to Green Bay in 1762–1764, fortifying his trading operations.

• Pontiac's Rebellion (1763): Langlade played a dual role, warning British commandant George Etherington at Michilimackinac of the impending Odawa uprising led by Pontiac, while subtly aiding the rebels. His nephew, Charles Gautier de Verville, helped orchestrate the fort's capture through a lacrosse ruse, but Langlade's warnings mitigated bloodshed.
• American Revolutionary War (1775–1783): Loyal to the British, Langlade rallied Great Lakes Indigenous forces against American expansionists. In 1778, he repelled an American raid on Green Bay led by Captain George Rogers Clark's agent. That year, he commanded 400 warriors in a devastating attack on German Flatts, New York, burning settlements and crops. In 1780, near present-day Milwaukee, he defeated Rogers' Rangers and militia under Colonel John Armstrong at what became known as the Battle on the Petit Chemin. These victories delayed American incursions into the Northwest Territory, protecting Indigenous lands and British interests.

Langlade's adaptability—fighting for three flags—highlighted his strategic acumen and commitment to Odawa sovereignty amid shifting empires.

Marriages, Children, and Personal Life

On August 12, 1754, at Michilimackinac, Langlade married Charlotte Ambroisine Bourassa (1735–c. 1820), the French-Canadian daughter of voyageur René Bourassa (6th great-granduncle) and Métis woman Charlotte Joanna Veronique. Their union produced at least eight children, many of whom continued in the fur trade and intermarried with prominent Métis families:

• Augustin Grignon de Langlade (b. 1755; d. 1808), a trader who succeeded his father at Green Bay.
• Louise Domitilde de Langlade (b. 1757; m. Charles Reaume), whose descendants include Wisconsin pioneers.
• Susanne Angelique de Langlade (b. 1760; m. Pierre Grignon), linking to the influential Grignon family.
• Other children included Marie-Anne, Charles Jr., and Louis, who spread across Mackinac, Green Bay, and Detroit.

Langlade's household at Green Bay was a multicultural hub, blending French voyageurs, Odawa kin, and enslaved individuals. He owned a quilled buckskin pouch for trade documents, now a Wisconsin Historical Society artifact. No records indicate additional marriages, though some genealogies speculate on earlier Odawa unions.

Later Years, Death, and Legacy

Post-Revolution, Langlade received British land grants in Quebec (including 3,000 acres near Machiche) for his services but preferred Green Bay, where he focused on trading until his death. He died in late 1801 (after July 26) at his Green Bay home, likely in his early 70s, and was buried in the old La Baye Cemetery (remains later moved to Allouez Catholic Cemetery). His wife Charlotte outlived him by nearly two decades.

Langlade's legacy endures as a symbol of Métis resilience and intercultural diplomacy. Named the "Father of Wisconsin" for founding Green Bay's permanent European settlement, he influenced the region's creole culture—evident in Langlade County and the Langlade Historical Society seal, featuring his likeness sculpted by descendant Sidney Bedore. His raids and battles shaped colonial borders, while his family lines (e.g., Grignons) became Wisconsin's early elite. Scholars like Michael A. McDonnell view him as an "intercultural window" on the "Sixty Years' War for the Great Lakes," though his role in ritual violence, like at Pickawillany, draws modern critique for its brutality. Primary sources, including his 1796 memoir in the Wisconsin Historical Collections, offer glimpses of his worldview, emphasizing loyalty to kin and trade over imperial flags.

Pontiac’s Rebellion (1763–1766): Overview and Context

Pontiac’s Rebellion, also known as Pontiac’s War or Pontiac’s Conspiracy, was a major Indigenous uprising in the Great Lakes region of North America from 1763 to 1766. Named after the Odawa war chief Pontiac (c. 1720–1769), the rebellion was a coordinated resistance by a loose confederacy of Native American tribes against British colonial policies following the French and Indian War (1754–1763). The conflict arose in the wake of France’s cession of New France to Britain under the 1763 Treaty of Paris, which left many Indigenous nations—previously allied with the French—facing British military occupation, restrictive trade policies, and encroaching settlers. The rebellion targeted British forts and settlements across the Ohio Valley, Great Lakes, and Illinois Country, aiming to expel British forces and restore Indigenous autonomy or French influence.

The uprising was not a centralized campaign but a series of raids and sieges by diverse tribes, including the Odawa, Ojibwe, Potawatomi, Huron (Wyandot), Delaware (Lenape), Shawnee, Seneca, and others, loosely united by shared grievances. Pontiac, a charismatic Odawa leader from the Detroit region, emerged as a key figure, though his role was more symbolic than directive across the widespread conflict. The rebellion ultimately failed to oust the British but forced policy changes, including the Proclamation of 1763, and highlighted Indigenous resilience against colonial expansion.

Background and Causes

The French and Indian War’s end in 1763 shifted the Great Lakes power dynamic. Indigenous nations, accustomed to French trade networks and diplomatic gift-giving, faced a new reality under British rule. Key grievances included:

• British Trade Restrictions: The British, under General Jeffery Amherst, reduced gifts of food, ammunition, and supplies to Indigenous allies, viewing them as unnecessary expenses. Amherst’s policies, including limiting gunpowder and rum, disrupted trade relationships critical to Indigenous economies. French traders, by contrast, had maintained alliances through generous exchanges.
• Land Encroachment: British settlers and land speculators began moving into the Ohio Valley and Great Lakes, threatening Indigenous territories. The Treaty of Paris ignored Native land rights, treating the region as British territory.
• Cultural Insensitivity: Amherst’s disdain for Indigenous customs—calling them “savages” in correspondence—contrasted with French efforts to build kinship ties through intermarriage and diplomacy. This alienated tribes like the Odawa and Delaware.
• Neolin’s Influence: The Delaware prophet Neolin preached a spiritual revitalization movement, urging Native peoples to reject European goods (especially alcohol) and return to traditional ways to restore their power. His teachings, blending Christian and Indigenous elements, inspired Pontiac and others to resist British domination.

By spring 1763, Pontiac and other leaders began organizing a multi-tribal resistance, capitalizing on widespread discontent.

Key Events and Timeline

Pontiac’s Rebellion unfolded through coordinated attacks on British forts and settlements, primarily from May to December 1763, with skirmishes continuing into 1766. Below is a detailed timeline of major events:

• April–May 1763: Planning and Initial Attacks
• Pontiac, based near Fort Detroit, rallied Odawa, Potawatomi, and Huron warriors, advocating a surprise attack to seize the fort. On April 27, he held a council with local tribes, citing Neolin’s vision and French rumors of a potential return. He planned to infiltrate Detroit under the pretense of a peace talk.
• On May 7, 1763, Pontiac led 60 Odawa warriors into Fort Detroit, intending to seize it, but British Major Henry Gladwin, forewarned (possibly by an Ojibwe woman or French informant), was prepared. Pontiac withdrew, beginning a siege instead.
• By late May, other tribes launched attacks across the region. Between May 16 and June 2, eight British forts fell:
• Fort Sandusky (Ohio, May 16): Wyandot warriors killed the garrison and burned the fort.
• Fort St. Joseph (Michigan, May 25): Potawatomi forces captured the fort, killing most of the small garrison.
• Fort Miami (Indiana, May 27): Miami warriors used a ruse to enter and seize the post.
• Fort Michilimackinac (Michigan, June 2): During a lacrosse game orchestrated by Ojibwe and Sauk warriors, including Charles Gautier de Verville (a nephew of Charles Michel de Langlade), attackers entered the fort, killed 15–20 British soldiers, and took others captive. Langlade, a Métis trader and interpreter, warned Commandant George Etherington, mitigating some losses but not preventing the fort’s fall.
• Fort Ouiatenon (Indiana, June 1): Wea and Kickapoo warriors captured the fort without bloodshed.
• Fort Venango, Fort Le Boeuf, and Fort Presque Isle (Pennsylvania, June 16–22): Seneca and Delaware forces overran these smaller posts, killing or capturing garrisons.
• Siege of Fort Detroit (May–October 1763):
• Pontiac’s forces, numbering 800–900 Odawa, Potawatomi, Huron, and Ojibwe warriors, besieged Fort Detroit for six months, cutting supply lines and skirmishing with British troops. On July 31, 1763, Captain James Dalyell led a sortie (Battle of Bloody Run) to break the siege, but Pontiac’s warriors ambushed them, killing 20 and wounding 34. The siege persisted until October, when Pontiac, low on supplies and hearing of French withdrawal, lifted it and retreated.
• Siege of Fort Pitt (June–August 1763):
• Delaware, Shawnee, and Seneca warriors besieged Fort Pitt (Pittsburgh), led by figures like Guyasuta. On August 5–6, 1763, Colonel Henry Bouquet’s relief force clashed with Native warriors at the Battle of Bushy Run, narrowly breaking the siege. Bouquet’s victory stabilized British control in the Ohio Valley.
• Fall 1763–1764: British Counteroffensives:
• By late 1763, British forces under Bouquet and General John Bradstreet retook some posts and negotiated truces. Bradstreet’s expedition to Detroit in 1764 pressured Pontiac to sign a preliminary peace, though fighting continued sporadically.
• In October 1764, Pontiac met with Bouquet at the Muskingum River, agreeing to a ceasefire but not a formal treaty. Skirmishes persisted into 1765, particularly in the Illinois Country.
• 1765–1766: Decline and Resolution:
• By 1765, British diplomatic efforts, including restoring trade and promising to limit settlement west of the Appalachians (via the Proclamation of 1763), weakened the rebellion. Pontiac, increasingly isolated, traveled to the Illinois Country to rally support but found little backing.
• In July 1766, Pontiac signed a peace treaty with Sir William Johnson at Oswego, New York, formally ending the rebellion. He pledged allegiance to the British, alienating some former allies.

Charles Michel de Langlade’s Role

Charles Michel de Langlade, the Métis trader and officer, played a complex role in the rebellion, reflecting his dual loyalties as an Odawa kinsman and British ally. Stationed at Fort Michilimackinac, Langlade warned Commandant George Etherington of the impending attack on June 2, 1763, based on intelligence from Odawa networks, possibly including his mother, Domitilde Oukabé. His warning allowed some British soldiers to prepare, though the fort fell to Ojibwe and Sauk warriors, led partly by his nephew Charles Gautier de Verville. Langlade’s actions suggest he balanced loyalty to his Odawa kin with his new role in the British Indian Department, where he served as an interpreter. He later mediated between British forces and Indigenous groups, helping to stabilize Michilimackinac after its recapture. His nuanced involvement underscores the delicate position of Métis figures navigating colonial and Indigenous worlds.

Outcomes and Impact

Pontiac’s Rebellion had significant short- and long-term consequences:

• Casualties and Destruction: The rebellion killed approximately 400–500 British soldiers and settlers, with 2,000–4,000 civilian deaths (many from smallpox spread during sieges). Indigenous losses are less documented but likely numbered in the hundreds. Nine of 12 targeted British forts fell, though Detroit and Pitt held.
• Proclamation of 1763: To appease Indigenous nations, Britain issued the Proclamation of 1763, barring colonial settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains. This angered American colonists, sowing seeds for the Revolutionary War, but was largely unenforced, failing to halt westward expansion.
• British Policy Shifts: Amherst was recalled in 1763, and the British restored gift-giving and trade to secure alliances. The Indian Department expanded, with figures like Langlade mediating relations.
• Indigenous Unity and Legacy: The rebellion showcased the potential of pan-tribal resistance, inspiring later movements like Tecumseh’s confederacy. However, internal divisions and reliance on French support limited its success. Pontiac’s leadership elevated his status, but his 1766 treaty alienated some tribes, and he was assassinated in 1769 by a Peoria warrior, possibly over lingering tensions.
• Regional Stability: The rebellion delayed British consolidation of the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley, preserving Indigenous influence temporarily. Forts like Michilimackinac and Detroit remained flashpoints into the Revolutionary War.

Legacy and Historical Significance

Pontiac’s Rebellion is a landmark in Indigenous resistance to colonialism, illustrating the complexities of intercultural warfare. It highlighted the fragility of British control post-1763 and forced a reckoning with Indigenous power. Historians like Gregory Evans Dowd argue it was less a unified “conspiracy” than a decentralized uprising driven by local grievances, with Pontiac as a galvanizing figure rather than a supreme commander. Primary sources, such as the Journal of Pontiac’s Conspiracy (a French account) and British records in the Wisconsin Historical Collections, provide vivid details, though they reflect colonial biases. The rebellion’s legacy endures in Michigan’s place names (e.g., Pontiac, Michigan) and in narratives of Métis and Indigenous agency, exemplified by figures like Langlade.

For deeper exploration, consult Richard White’s The Middle Ground (1991) for the intercultural context or Gail Morin’s First Métis Families of Quebec for Langlade’s family ties.