Chief Waukon Decorah
Encyclopedia
Waukon Decorah also known as Wau-kon-haw-kaw or "Snake-Skin", was a prominent Ho-Chunk
(Winnebago) warrior and orator during the Winnebago War
of 1827 and the Black Hawk War
of 1832. Although not a hereditary chief, he emerged as a diplomatic leader in Ho-Chunk relations with the United States.
. He was the son of Buzzard Decorah, who was in turn the son of a French trader named Sabrevoir De Carrie and a Ho-Chunk woman named Glory of the Morning
. Waukon Decorah's brother was known as Big Canoe or One-Eyed Decorah (c.1772–1864). Early historical accounts sometimes confused the brothers with each other, or with their uncle Spoon Decorah (c.1730–c.1816) or with their cousin Old Decorah (c.1746–1836) and Old Decorah's sons Little Decorah (1797–1887) and Spoon Decorah (c.1805–1889).
Some early histories state that Waukon Decorah was also known by the nickname "Washington Decorah", because he had visited Washington, D.C. in the 1820s. However, in June 1832, Indian agent
Joseph M. Street
wrote in a letter that he had met with Waukon Decorah and his brothers One-Eyed Decorah and Washington Decorah, implying that Washington and Waukon were two different men. According to historian Ellen M. Whitney, it is not clear which member of the Decorah family was called "Washington". Waukon Decorah and One-Eyed Decorah had an older brother named Mau-wah-re-gah, who became an outcast after killing their father in a drunken brawl.
by Sauk and Meskwaki
raiders, part of ongoing hostilities between Dakotas and the Sauks and Meskwakis. Decorah wanted to mount a retaliatory raid against the Sauks and Meskwakis, but he was discouraged from doing this by United States officials, who were trying to negotiate an end to the hostilities.
When the Black Hawk War
erupted in 1832, Decorah eagerly joined the American war against Black Hawk
's band of Sauks and Meskwakis, hoping to finally avenge his daughter's death. Although some Ho-Chunks were sympathetic to Black Hawk's efforts to resist American expansion, Decorah was able to recruit warriors from his followers on the Wisconsin River
, and was joined by One-Eyed Decorah and his followers from Prairie la Crosse. After the war, on November 5, 1834, Meskwaki raiders killed ten women and children from Decorah's family, including his wife. Decorah believed that the attack was meant as retaliation for his role in the Black Hawk War.
and Minnesota
. Ho-Chunks who refused to leave were rounded up by General Henry Atkinson and escorted west, though many later returned.
Decorah's family moved across the Mississippi River into the "Neutral Ground" of northeast Iowa. Later he moved to Long Prairie, Minnesota
, and by 1855 he was living in Blue Earth County, Minnesota
. Some older histories state that Decorah died in Minnesota at the Blue Earth Indian Agency, but he evidently returned to Wisconsin in the last years of his life. In 1868, the Mauston Star of Mauston, Wisconsin
, reported that he died on July 18 while living next to the Lemonweir River
near Mauston.
Two Iowa cities, Decorah
and Waukon
, are often said to be named for him, although Waukon is also said to be named for his son Chief John Waukon. There are other place names, such as Dekorra, Wisconsin
, and Decoria Township, Blue Earth County, Minnesota, that are named for his relatives. In 1859, citizens of Decorah, Iowa, exhumed the remains said to be of "Chief Decorah", believed to be the man for whom the city was named, to make way for the city's expansion. The body was re-interred on the grounds of the county courthouse. However, as was rumored at the time, Waukon Decorah was still living in 1859; it is unclear who was actually buried there. The remains of the unknown Native American were exhumed again in 1876 during court house renovations; some of the relics buried with the body were stolen before the remains were re-interred.
Waukon Decorah's son John Waukon is buried in Oakland Cemetery in Waukon. A new headstone was placed at the grave in November 2007.
Ho-Chunk
The Ho-Chunk, also known as Winnebago, are a tribe of Native Americans, native to what is now Wisconsin and Illinois. There are two federally recognized Ho-Chunk tribes, the Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin and Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska....
(Winnebago) warrior and orator during the Winnebago War
Winnebago War
The Winnebago War was a brief conflict that took place in 1827 in the Upper Mississippi River region of the United States, primarily in what is now the state of Wisconsin. Not quite a war, the hostilities were limited to a few attacks on American civilians by a portion of the Winnebago Native...
of 1827 and the Black Hawk War
Black Hawk War
The Black Hawk War was a brief conflict fought in 1832 between the United States and Native Americans headed by Black Hawk, a Sauk leader. The war erupted soon after Black Hawk and a group of Sauks, Meskwakis, and Kickapoos known as the "British Band" crossed the Mississippi River into the U.S....
of 1832. Although not a hereditary chief, he emerged as a diplomatic leader in Ho-Chunk relations with the United States.
Family and early life
Waukon Decorah came from a prominent Ho-Chunk family in what is now the U.S. state of WisconsinWisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
. He was the son of Buzzard Decorah, who was in turn the son of a French trader named Sabrevoir De Carrie and a Ho-Chunk woman named Glory of the Morning
Glory of the Morning
Glory of the Morning was the first woman ever described in the written history of Wisconsin, and the only known female chief of the Hocąk nation...
. Waukon Decorah's brother was known as Big Canoe or One-Eyed Decorah (c.1772–1864). Early historical accounts sometimes confused the brothers with each other, or with their uncle Spoon Decorah (c.1730–c.1816) or with their cousin Old Decorah (c.1746–1836) and Old Decorah's sons Little Decorah (1797–1887) and Spoon Decorah (c.1805–1889).
Some early histories state that Waukon Decorah was also known by the nickname "Washington Decorah", because he had visited Washington, D.C. in the 1820s. However, in June 1832, Indian agent
Indian agent
In United States history, an Indian agent was an individual authorized to interact with Native American tribes on behalf of the U.S. government.-Indian agents:*Leander Clark was agent for the Sac and Fox in Iowa beginning in 1866....
Joseph M. Street
Joseph M. Street
General Joseph Montfort Street was a 19th-century American pioneer, trader and US Army officer. During the 1820s and 1830s, he was also a U.S. Indian Agent to the Winnebago and later to the Sauk and Fox tribes after the Black Hawk War. His eldest son was Joseph H.D...
wrote in a letter that he had met with Waukon Decorah and his brothers One-Eyed Decorah and Washington Decorah, implying that Washington and Waukon were two different men. According to historian Ellen M. Whitney, it is not clear which member of the Decorah family was called "Washington". Waukon Decorah and One-Eyed Decorah had an older brother named Mau-wah-re-gah, who became an outcast after killing their father in a drunken brawl.
Black Hawk War
In 1829, Waukon Decorah's daughter, who had married a Dakota man, was killed in IowaIowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
by Sauk and Meskwaki
Meskwaki
The Meskwaki are a Native American people often known to outsiders as the Fox tribe. They have often been closely linked to the Sauk people. In their own language, the Meskwaki call themselves Meshkwahkihaki, which means "the Red-Earths." Historically their homelands were in the Great Lakes region...
raiders, part of ongoing hostilities between Dakotas and the Sauks and Meskwakis. Decorah wanted to mount a retaliatory raid against the Sauks and Meskwakis, but he was discouraged from doing this by United States officials, who were trying to negotiate an end to the hostilities.
When the Black Hawk War
Black Hawk War
The Black Hawk War was a brief conflict fought in 1832 between the United States and Native Americans headed by Black Hawk, a Sauk leader. The war erupted soon after Black Hawk and a group of Sauks, Meskwakis, and Kickapoos known as the "British Band" crossed the Mississippi River into the U.S....
erupted in 1832, Decorah eagerly joined the American war against Black Hawk
Black Hawk
-People:* Black Hawk , a Sauk and Fox leader of the 19th century** The Black Hawk War, named after him.* Black Hawk , a Sans Arc Lakota artist of the 19th century* Antonga Black Hawk, a Ute leader known to whites as "Black Hawk"...
's band of Sauks and Meskwakis, hoping to finally avenge his daughter's death. Although some Ho-Chunks were sympathetic to Black Hawk's efforts to resist American expansion, Decorah was able to recruit warriors from his followers on the Wisconsin River
Wisconsin River
-External links:* * * , Wisconsin Historical Society* * * *...
, and was joined by One-Eyed Decorah and his followers from Prairie la Crosse. After the war, on November 5, 1834, Meskwaki raiders killed ten women and children from Decorah's family, including his wife. Decorah believed that the attack was meant as retaliation for his role in the Black Hawk War.
Later life and legacy
In 1837, Decorah was part of a Ho-Chunk delegation that went to Washington, D.C. to seek redress for American encroachment on their land. Even though the delegates had been U.S. allies during the Black Hawk War, they were pressured to sign a removal treaty ceding all Ho-Chunk land west of the Mississippi River to the United States. Decorah signed this treaty as "Wa-kaun-ha-kah (Snake Skin)". The delegates thought that the treaty gave the Ho-Chunks eight years to leave Wisconsin, which would leave them time to negotiate a new treaty, but the wording on the document gave the tribe eight months to vacate Wisconsin and resettle on reservations in IowaIowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
and Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
. Ho-Chunks who refused to leave were rounded up by General Henry Atkinson and escorted west, though many later returned.
Decorah's family moved across the Mississippi River into the "Neutral Ground" of northeast Iowa. Later he moved to Long Prairie, Minnesota
Long Prairie, Minnesota
At the 2000 census, there were 3,040 people, 1,229 households and 769 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,285.2 per square mile . There were 1,334 housing units at an average density of 564.0 per square mile...
, and by 1855 he was living in Blue Earth County, Minnesota
Blue Earth County, Minnesota
Blue Earth County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of 2010, the population was 64,013. Its county seat is Mankato.Blue Earth County is part of the Mankato–North Mankato Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
. Some older histories state that Decorah died in Minnesota at the Blue Earth Indian Agency, but he evidently returned to Wisconsin in the last years of his life. In 1868, the Mauston Star of Mauston, Wisconsin
Mauston, Wisconsin
Mauston is a city in and the county seat of Juneau County, Wisconsin, United States. The population is 4,411 according to the 2010 census.-History:...
, reported that he died on July 18 while living next to the Lemonweir River
Lemonweir River
The Lemonweir River is a river in the U.S. state of Wisconsin.It is a tributary of the Wisconsin River as the Lemonweir River originates near Tomah in Monroe County and flows into Juneau County through New Lisbon and Mauston before converging into the Wisconsin River....
near Mauston.
Two Iowa cities, Decorah
Decorah, Iowa
Decorah is a city in and the county seat of Winneshiek County, Iowa, United States. The population was 8,172 at the 2000 census. Decorah is located at the intersection of State Highway 9 and U.S...
and Waukon
Waukon, Iowa
Waukon is a city in Makee Township,Allamakee County, Iowa, United States, and the county seat of Allamakee County. The population was 4,131 at the 2000 census. It is home to the annual .-History:...
, are often said to be named for him, although Waukon is also said to be named for his son Chief John Waukon. There are other place names, such as Dekorra, Wisconsin
Dekorra, Wisconsin
Dekorra is a town in Columbia County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,350 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 45.0 square miles , of which, 41.1 square miles of it is land and 3.8 square miles of it...
, and Decoria Township, Blue Earth County, Minnesota, that are named for his relatives. In 1859, citizens of Decorah, Iowa, exhumed the remains said to be of "Chief Decorah", believed to be the man for whom the city was named, to make way for the city's expansion. The body was re-interred on the grounds of the county courthouse. However, as was rumored at the time, Waukon Decorah was still living in 1859; it is unclear who was actually buried there. The remains of the unknown Native American were exhumed again in 1876 during court house renovations; some of the relics buried with the body were stolen before the remains were re-interred.
Waukon Decorah's son John Waukon is buried in Oakland Cemetery in Waukon. A new headstone was placed at the grave in November 2007.