A rough draft6 for the paper that ended up being Chief Joseph and Saul

M. Andrew Barton
Biblical Leadership
Moses and Sitting Bull

For a brief period of history it seemed the seemingly endless expansion of the United States might be held in check. A powerful, charismatic man was welding together numerous Native American tribes in a confederation that threatened the expansionist policies and desires of the Thirteen Fires, as the fledgling states were called. His name was Tecumseh.
Tecumseh was the leader of the last somewhat successful attempt to meld various Native American tribes together. Although he himself was Shawnee he argued against tribalism and gave powerful arguments for unity. His leadership included elements of the warrior, the mystic, the diplomat, and the negotiator. His influence spanned much of the continent and he represented a greater threat to U.S. expansion than even the Imperial powers of Europe.
The earliest leadership elements for Tecumseh came when he rose to power in conjunction with his brother Tenskwatawa, also known as The Prophet. Tenskwatawa preached a startling new religious concept to various tribes. His teaching was based on an ecstatic vision he had where he touched the mind of the Great Spirit. His teachings opposed the use of alcohol and advocated a return to the “true” native traditions.
As people swarmed to hear Tenskwatawa, Tecumseh used the opportunity to work for political unity. The brothers combined to preach that all lands belonged to one, unified Native American nation made up of all the tribes, cultivation of the land, and avoidance of alcohol.
Tecumseh had as his inspiration men such as Chief Pontiac and Little Turtle who had previously attempted to join together various tribes for the purpose of battling the loss of Native American lands. It is generally believed Tecumseh even participated in the Battle of Fallen Timbers in 1794, the U.S. victory that ended the efforts of Little Turtle. Tecumseh had refused to sign or accept as valid the Treaty of Grenville that resulted from the U.S. victory at Fallen Timbers and similar treaties would be his focus for the remainder of his life. Evidence points to his use of Tenskwatawa as a means to this end as he recognized the charisma initially possessed by the Prophet. Tecumseh himself seemed to have more secular charisma, although his arch-enemy William Henry Harrison once remarked that he, not Tenskwatawa, was, “the Moses of the family, really the efficient man…”[1]
This assessment came after several encounters that demonstrated it was Tecumseh, not his better known brother who was leading the Native American resistance to Harrison’s goals for land purchases from Native Americans. Tecumseh showed his leadership by leading in the resistance to or overturning of numerous treaties illicitly garnered from the Native Americans. He also managed to bring together various factions of the Native American tribes that had formerly been too busy fighting one another to form a cohesive strategy for battling against the attempts to seize even more land. As the numbers of followers of Tenskwatawa and Tecumseh grew it became obvious they needed a more secure base of operations.
Tecumseh spearheaded the building of a town where people could come to follow the teachings of Tenskwatawa. Using the people there as a numerical base and his home there as a physical base Tecumseh went forth to create a larger, more unified force of Native Americans to save the lands of the unified peoples and fight against the land-hunger of the Thirteen Fires.
Tecumseh was successful in welding together the tribes because he epitomized the values of many Native Americans while holding a superior vision for what needed to be done to maintain their freedom and traditions. He aligned himself with the correct co-leaders to advance his cause and worked tirelessly for the good of his people. In addition, his leadership was characterized with the touch of the divine.
Certainly Tenskwatawa was one example of a selected leader but not the only one. Tecumseh was able to weld together tribes of diverse interests. His power rested
When people came to hear Tenskwatawa Tecumseh was the guiding influence. He facilitated the speeches of the Prophet and took the opportunity to weld his own pan-tribal political views to the spiritual teachings of Tenskwatawa. In this way the charisma of spiritual power attached both to Tecumseh and his political teachings of pan-tribal unity.
Tecumseh traveled from the Canadian border in the North to the tip of Florida in the south. He taught unity of the Native American peoples as both a political necessity to combat the Thirteen Fires and also as a spiritual necessity to regain the favor of the Great Spirit. Over time and as the influence of Tenskwatawa waned the messages merged into one that was exclusively associated with Tecumseh.
The key moment came when Tecumseh was away on a mission of diplomacy. Harrison knew the leadership of Tecumseh could be too much to overcome, but in his absence he had his opportunity. He moved on Prophetstown and goaded Tenskwatawa into an ill-advised attack. The resultant Battle of Tippecanoe saw the destruction of Prophetstown and the shattering of the influence of the Prophet. It was here that Tecumseh demonstrated the strength of his leadership.
He continued to build alliances among the Native American tribes. When the War of 1812 broke out he negotiated a favorable alliance with the British. Some historians go so far as to claim this alliance saved Canada from falling to the Americans. Unfortunately for the Native Americans, Tecumseh died at the Battle of the Thames. Even in death he demonstrated his power as a leader. Prior to his death the battle was a draw, but after his battle it became a route. It also ended any possibility of the Native American forces being a key portion of the battle forces in the remainder of the War of 1812. It also removed the key factor in restraining the transfer of lands from Native American hands to United States possession.
Tecumseh was effective because he appealed to the spiritual power through the auspices of his brother Tenskwatawa, to the political nature of his listeners with his teachings, and because he was a powerful orator.
He was similar in many ways to David. David tended to rely on Nathan the prophet for his spiritual matters, although when necessary he could take on the priestly role himself. Examples of David demonstrating spiritual charisma include his partaking of the show bread at Nob and his dance when the Ark reentered Israel. Both Tecumseh and David have gone down in popular memory as powerful orators. Even today millions of people quote the 23rd Psalm when they are troubled, finding solace in the words and expressions found therein. Both men worked to unify disparate groups of tribesmen with varying success.
[1] Berton, Pierre, The Invasion of Canada, 1812-1813, McClelland and Stewart, Toronto, 1980, p. 53