Stateside's conversation with Eric Hemenway
Though some Native individuals and communities in the region agreed with Tenskwatawa’s messages, some did not, said
Eric Hemenway, director of archives and records for the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians and a member of the Michigan Historical Commission.
“[Tenskwatawa] had quite a bit of sway. But then, the Prophet was also very, very strict, for lack of a term, in his messages and delivery,” Hemenway said. “He took a very hard line in some cases with other tribes. He would intervene, and some other tribes didn't like how that was happening. They thought he was overstepping his boundaries. So it was all based on the individual and the community and how they viewed this person.”