Martin Chartier  Martin Chartier (1 June 1655 – Apr 1718) was a French-Canadian explorer, a glove maker, and then a "white Indian", living much of his life amongst the Shawnee Native Americans. Chartier accompanied Louis Jolliet on two of his journeys to the Illinois Territory, and went with René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle on his 1679-1680 journey to Lake Erie, Lake Huron, and Lake Michigan. Chartier assisted in the construction of Fort Miami and Fort Crèvecoeur where, on April 16, 1680, Chartier, along with six other men, mutinied, looted, burned Fort Crèvecoeur, and fled. In a letter dated 1682, La Salle stated that Martin Chartier "was one of these who incited the others to do as they did." Chartier sometimes was written as Chartiere, Chartiers, Shartee or Shortive. Martin Chartier was born in 1655 in St-Jean-de-Montierneuf, Poitiers, Vienne, Poitou-Charentes, France. He arrived in Quebec in 1667 with his brother Pierre, his sister Jeanne Renée, and his father René. On the transatlantic voyage, René and Martin became acquainted with René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, who was also immigrating to Canada. Some sources state that Martin spent the next several years in Montreal learning to make gloves, however there is also evidence that he was apprenticed to a carpenter. In 1672, Martin Chartier, along with his brother Pierre, participated in Louis Jolliet's second expedition. Jolliet was chosen by Intendant Jean Talon (who in turn had been delegated his power from Governor Louis de Buade de Frontenac) to explore the Mississippi River, which the Indians alleged flowed into the southern sea. In December of the same year Jolliet reached the Straits of Mackinac, where with Père Marquette, he spent the winter and the early spring questioning the Indians and preparing maps for his famous 1673 expedition, also with Père Marquette, to find the mouth of the Mississippi River and discover if it flowed into the Gulf of Mexico or the Pacific Ocean. In 1674, Chartier accompanied Louis Jolliet to the Illinois Territory, where he became acquainted with the Pekowi Shawnee, who lived at that time on the Wabash River.