Passenger Testimonies

Nika, a Shawnee

I am Denis Thomas, and will give the testimony of Nika, who accompanied La Salle on his expedition.

I am a light-skinned, slightly fat Shawnee with thick black hair. La Salle purchased me as a prisoner of war in 1669 on an early exploration from Canada. My tribe allied with the French and traded with them. We were a roaming tribe that traveled great distances.

I went to France when La Salle returned to ask the King for funding for his expedition. I spoke French fluently, as well as many Native languages. I joined La Salle on his journey to colonize the mouth of the Mississippi River. We had heard news that the local Indians were warring against the Spanish and that there were rich mines to be taken there.

I always joined La Salle on his expeditions from Fort St. Louis, serving as the chief hunter and feeding everyone with the buffalo meat I shot. I was bit by a rattlesnake on one hunt but cut the bite, drained the poison, and recovered.

The surgeon, Liotot, split Nika’s skull open one night, and he died.