Netnokwa

Netnokwa (also Net-no-kwa; 1740s – after 1815) was an Odawa leader and fur trader. She adopted the captive boy John Tanner into her family, purchasing him from an Odawa relative when he was around 12 years old. She married an Ojibwe man and served as the leader of her band. While little is known of Netnokwa's early life, she figured prominently in Tanner's 1830 book A Narrative of the Captivity and Adventures of John Tanner.

Early life and family Netnokwa was Odawa, born in the central Great Lakes region, probably in the 1740s or early 1750s. Little is known of her early life, with most accounts being based on A Narrative of the Captivity and Adventures of John Tanner, the life story of John Tanner, whom she adopted into her family around 1791. She was part of the Midewiwin society and became a respected fur trader.

Netnokwa was married to Tawgaweninne, an Ojibwe man whose people were from Red River. His family were among the first of the western Ojibwa. He was about 17 years younger than her and had two other wives. As the eldest woman, Netnokwa was considered the head of the household. and attended a council at Mackinac where tribal representatives met with British agents. She met with Manitoogeshik there, an Odawa relation of hers, who told her of John Tanner (Zhaashaawanibiisi), a boy he had captured. Having lost her own son Kewatin, She was able to barter for Tanner, travelling to meet Manitoogeshik, and bringing with her many valuables, including tobacco, blankets, and a 10-gallon keg of whiskey. Netnokwa was likely no older than in her 50s at the time. In Tanner's narrative, Netnokwa is referred to either as his mother or "the old woman", which is likely an English translation of the Ojibwe term of respect .

Netnokwa served as matriarch of the extended family, gathering together orphans and displaced people.

Death and legacy Netnokwa died sometime after 1815, probably by 1820. In an introduction to modern printing of Tanner's book, writer Louise Erdrich characterized Netnokwa as both charismatic and hilarious, writing that she was the "most arresting character in the drama of Tanner's life."