 |
 | War Eagle
was born into the Santee Tribe in 1785
in what is today Minnesota or Wisconsin. In spite of his militant name, he
was never known to have taken to the warpath and he was always a friend of
the white people. As a young man, he traveled to St. Louis where he became
acquainted with Manuel Lisa, fur trader, and became his scout and diplomat
among the tribes of the Upper Missouri. No one knows when he established
his home at the confluence of the Missouri and Big Sioux rivers. This was
Yankton Sioux country where he was soon elected Chief. During the War of 1812, when the British were putting pressure on the Sioux to join the British side, War Eagle remained loyal to the Americans and influenced the Indian tribes in the area to remain neutral. War Eagle must be recognized as a great humanitarian. The fact that he was a Red Man only adds to the dignity of all Native Americans. He lived as a friend of all men and showed by personal example that men of different backgrounds could and should respect each other's dignity. War Eagle died in the Autumn of 1851 and, at his request, was buried on the bluff overlooking the Missouri and Big Sioux valleys, where friends have erected a monument in memory of this Great Chief. |
[Reprinted from the Bulletin, Institute of Indian Studies, November 1978.]
Photographs courtesy of Mr. Joe Night.
Another photograph of War Eagle
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16 December 1999, lrb