The Royal Canadian Mint have released a new gold coin which is a tribute to one of Canada's great military heroes of the War of 1812. Known as Tecumseh (1768-1813), whose life and legacy as alegendary Shawnee war leader are woven into the complex fabric of Canada's history, he is now honoured on the 250th anniversary of his birth. His beliefs, triumphs, and sacrifice were fuelled by adesire to protect his homeland. Born in 1768, Tecumseh, whose name refers to "the rising path of a shooting star, like a panther leaping across the sky," was a member of the Kispoko division of theShawnees that focused on war. While the spiritual teachings of his brother Tenskwatawa (the prophet) warned of the dangers of abandoning ancestral ways, Tecumseh's message was one of cross-culturalunity.

His first visit to Canada (Upper Canada) was in 1808 when he arrived at Fort Malden located in Amherstburg, Ontario. While initially cautious of the British, the Americans aroused Tecumseh's furywith the Treaty of Fort Wayne in 1810 and an attack on his settlement at Prophetstown, known as the Battle of Tippecanoe, in 1811. Tecumseh was offered the rank of brigadier-general in the BritishArmy and would go on to lead over 2,000 warriors into four major battles: The Siege of Detroit, Fort Meigs, Fort Stephenson, and the Battle of the Thames.

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