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Waukon Decorah (–1868), also known as Wakąhaga (Wau-kon-haw-kaw) or "Snake-Skin", was a prominent
Ho-Chunk The Ho-Chunk, also known as Hoocągra or Winnebago (referred to as ''Hotúŋe'' in the neighboring indigenous Iowa-Otoe language), are a Siouan-speaking Native American people whose historic territory includes parts of Wisconsin, Minnesota, Io ...
(Winnebago) warrior and orator during the
Winnebago War The Winnebago War, also known as the Winnebago Uprising, 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 ...
of 1827 and the
Black Hawk War The Black Hawk War was a conflict between the United States and Native Americans led by Black Hawk, a Sauk leader. The war erupted after Black Hawk and a group of Sauks, Meskwakis (Fox), and Kickapoos, known as the "British Band", cross ...
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
Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michi ...
. He was the son of Buzzard Decorah, who was in turn the son of a Ho-Chunk chieftess named Glory of the Morning and a French trader named Sabrevoir De Carrie. Waukon Decorah's brother was known as Big Canoe or One-Eyed Decorah (c. 1772–1864).Decorah family
''Dictionary of Wisconsin History'', Wisconsin Historical Society. Accessed December 20, 2010.
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 In United States history, an Indian agent was an individual authorized to interact with American Indian tribes on behalf of the government. Background The federal regulation of Indian affairs in the United States first included development of ...
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.


Black Hawk War

In 1829, Waukon Decorah's daughter, who had married a
Dakota Dakota may refer to: * Dakota people, a sub-tribe of the Sioux ** Dakota language, their language Dakota may also refer to: Places United States * Dakota, Georgia, an unincorporated community * Dakota, Illinois, a town * Dakota, Minnesota ...
man, was killed in
Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to ...
by Sauk and
Meskwaki The Meskwaki (sometimes spelled Mesquaki), also known by the European exonyms Fox Indians or the Fox, are a Native American people. They have been closely linked to the Sauk people of the same language family. In the Meskwaki language, th ...
raiders, part of ongoing hostilities between the 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 The Black Hawk War was a conflict between the United States and Native Americans led by Black Hawk, a Sauk leader. The war erupted after Black Hawk and a group of Sauks, Meskwakis (Fox), and Kickapoos, known as the "British Band", cross ...
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 The Wisconsin River is a tributary of the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. At approximately 430 miles (692 km) long, it is the state's longest river. The river's name, first recorded in 1673 by Jacques Marquette as "Mesk ...
, 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
Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to ...
and
Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
. 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 is a town in Todd County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 3,458 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat. and the oldest town in the County. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a ...
, and by 1855 he was living in
Blue Earth County, Minnesota Blue Earth County is a county in the State of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 69,112. Its county seat is Mankato. The county is named for the Blue Earth River and for the deposits of blue-green clay once evident along th ...
. 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 is a city in and the county seat of Juneau County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 4,347 as of the 2020 census. It is approximately 70 miles northwest from the state capital, Madison. History Mauston was founded by Milt ...
, reported that he died on July 18 while living next to the
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 ...
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.Virgil J. Vogel, ''Indian names on Wisconsin's map'' (University of Wisconsin Press, 1991), 60–61. 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.Charles Philip Hexom
''Indian History of Winneshiek County''
Decorah, Iowa, 1913. Unpaginated.
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.Alexander, ''History of Winneshiek County'', 244. Waukon Decorah's son John Waukon is buried in Oakland Cemetery in Waukon. A new headstone was placed at the grave in November 2007.


References

;Notes ;Bibliography *Hall, John W. ''Uncommon Defense: Indian Allies in the Black Hawk War''. Harvard University Press, 2009. . *Whitney, Ellen M., ed. ''The Black Hawk War, 1831–1832: Volume II, Letters & Papers, Part I, April 30, 1831 – June 23, 1832''. Springfield, Illinois: Illinois State Historical Library, 1973. . {{DEFAULTSORT:Waukon Decorah 1780s births 1868 deaths Ho-Chunk people Native American leaders People from Iowa Native Americans of the Black Hawk War People from Wisconsin