In 1763, a group of Native Americans staged a game of baaga'adowe – Ojibwe against Sauk – outside Fort Michilimackinac, on the Straits of Mackinac (between Lakes Michigan and Huron). The fort had been relinquished to Britain two years earlier by the French, along with the rest of their territory in Canada, following their defeat in the French and Indian War – the North American front of the Seven Years' War.
The Native Americans had told the British garrison that the purpose of the game was to celebrate the 25th birthday of King George III, two days later. But at some point during the play the 500 or so half–naked warriors swapped their sticks for the knives and tomahawks that had been concealed under the clothes of their watching womenfolk, and launched a devastating attack on the 35 or so unsuspecting British soldiers manning the fort – who were unarmed at that moment in time. Around 27 of the latter were killed; the Indians held the fort for a year before the British managed to regain control, promising to offer more and better gifts to the native inhabitants of the area.
This was one of several engagements that began what became known as Pontiac's Rebellion, or Pontiac's War. Pontiac was one of the leaders of a group of Native Americans known as the Odawa ('traders'), after whom the modern-day capital of Canada was named. The conflict was characterised by atrocities on both sides, not to mention the settlers (many of them Ulster Protestants) who, frustrated by a lack of action on the part of the Pennsylvania government, undertook vicious reprisals against the native peoples. The fighting essentially ended in stalemate in 1764, and a formal treaty was finally sealed in 1766.
You can read much more detail regarding the events at Fort Michilimackinac on 2 June 1763, on MyNorth.com – the website of a company whose mission seems to be to promote the leisure possibilities of northern Michigan. But if your sympathies lie with the British side, be warned: MyNorth Media shows little evidence of sharing those sympathies. It also seems to be incapable of differentiating between the 'British' and the 'English'.
© Haydn Thompson 2021