Wacousta

Wacousta is a historical novel about the Pontiac Conspiracy, a war launched in 1763 by a loose confederation of Native Americans dissatisfied with British rule in the Great Lakes region. Warriors from numerous nations joined in an effort to drive British soldiers and settlers out of the region. The war is named after Odawa leader Pontiac, the most prominent of many Indigenous leaders in the conflict. The novel adopts the idea that the conflict was planned and organized by Wacousta, an ex- British army officer who turns into a brutal and powerful rebel with a vengeance against the fort commander. Wacousta is claimed as the first Canadian historical novel. Its themes include prophecy and opposites, such as manliness vs. effeminacy, wilderness vs. civilization, sensibility vs. compassion and the natural vs. the supernatural among others.

John Richardson (1796-1852) was a Canadian officer in the British Army who became the first Canadian-born novelist to achieve international recognition.