Stella Mountain Wolf Woman (Blowsnake) Stacy (1884 - 1960)

Born Apr 1884 in East Fork Black River, Jackson, Wisconsin, United States

Ancestors

Wife of James Mą̄kų̄hącinįka Whitepine — married about 1903 (to before 5 Apr 1907) in Wisconsin, United States

Wife of Badsoldier Mą̄ną̄pešīšíka Stacy — married 5 Apr 1907 (to 25 May 1936) in Jackson, Wisconsin, United States

Died 9 Nov 1960 at age 76 in Black River Falls, Jackson, Wisconsin, United States

Biography

Stella was Ho-Chunk.

Stella (Blowsnake) Stacy is Notable.

Birth

Mountain Wolf Woman ("Stella") was the daughter of Charles Blowsnake and Lucy Goodvillage. She was born in April 1884 where her grandparents were camping on the East Fork Black River, at least 13 miles from Black River Falls.^[1] Lurie says, "Mountian Wolf Woman knows that she was born in April 1884, but the exact day is unknown."^[2]

Names

The name by which is she best known, "Mountain Wolf Woman" (Xehacíwįga, vars. Xeacíwįga, Xeyacíwįga), and which was her preferred name, was not given to her by her family. Once, around 1890, she became deathly ill, and a very old Wolf Clan woman, by the name of "Wolf Woman" (Šukcągᵋwįga), used her powers to save her life. So she was given for a brief time to this woman.

[The old woman said,] “I will give my name to my own child. The

name that I am going to give her is a holy name. She will reach an

old age.” There they named me with a Wolf Clan name; Xehacíwiŋga

they called me, — It means to make a home in a bluff or a mountain,

as the wolf does, but in English I just say my name is Mountain Wolf

Woman.^[3]

The name derives from xe, "hill, mountain"; hací, "to live, dwell on, by, or at"; -wį-, a feminine gender infix; -ga, a definite article suffix used in personal names.

Her birth order name was Aksígaxų́nųga, "Fifth Daughter", whom they called Sigáxų́nųga for short.^[4]

Marriages

She was the wife of James Whitepine (b. 1881), son of Jim Whitepine (b. 1855) and his wife Pet (b. 1857).^[5] They probably married around 1903.

On 5 April 1907, she married Badsoldier Stacy (b. 1882).^[6] He later adopted the Anglo name "Henry".^[7]

Children

With James Whitepine she had the following children:^[8]

She had the following children with Badsoldier Stacy:

Philip and John C. Stacy both died in infancy. Theodore was mentioned in the 1910 Indian census, but not in the Federal census, and probably died in 1910. The 1940 census notes that Rebecca was born in Flambeau, Nebraska. That census includes a daughter Dolly not mentioned in other censuses. In 1940 they also had their 5 year old niece Maureen Stacy living with them.

Death

She died at Black River Falls, Jackson County, Wisconsin on 9 November 1960.^[10] She is buried at Blackdeer Homestead Cemetery, Black River Falls, Jackson County, Wisconsin.^[11]

Sources

Footnotes

1. ↑ Lurie 1.
2. ↑ 111 nt 1.
3. ↑ Lurie 6-7.
4. ↑ Lurie 6.
5. ↑ 1905 census.
6. ↑ 1910 census, Vital Rec. Index.
7. ↑ 1933 census.
8. ↑ 1913 census.
9. ↑ Corrected from an original "Eva" in the 1933 census. "My mother was Stella Stacy's youngest child, and her name was Doris Eve, not Eva." Personal communication from Ila Joy Waller to Richard Dieterle on 20 August 2023.
10. ↑ Wisc. Death Index, Lurie 107.
11. ↑ Find a Grave.

Bibliography

• Nancy O. Lurie (ed.), Mountain Wolf Woman, Sister of Crashing Thunder: The Autobiography of a Winnebago Indian (Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1961).
• 1905 Indian census; Roll: M595_671; Line: 4. Indian Census Rolls, 1885-1940; (National Archives Microfilm Publication M595, 692 rolls); Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Record Group 75; National Archives, Washington, D.C.
• 1910 Federal Census for Merry, Thurston, Nebraska; Roll: T624_857; Page: 13A; Enumeration District: 0205; FHL microfilm: 1374870. Thirteenth Census of the United States, 1910 (NARA microfilm publication T624, 1,178 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.
• 1910 Indian census; Roll: M595_671; Line: 6; Agency: Wittenberg. Indian Census Rolls, 1885-1940; (National Archives Microfilm Publication M595, 692 rolls); Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Record Group 75; National Archives, Washington, D.C.
• 1913 Indian census; Roll: M595_570; Line: 16; Agency: Tomah Ind School. Indian Census Rolls, 1885-1940; (National Archives Microfilm Publication M595, 692 rolls); Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Record Group 75; National Archives, Washington, D.C.
• 1914 Indian census; Roll: M595_570; Line: 12; Agency: Tomah Ind School. :Indian Census Rolls, 1885-1940; (National Archives Microfilm Publication M595, 692 rolls); Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Record Group 75; National Archives, Washington, D.C.
• 1920 Federal Census for Merriman, Cherry, Nebraska; Roll: T625_981; Page: 13A; Enumeration District: 0058: Cody Precinct including Cody Village, Eli Precinct, Merriman Precinct including Merriman Village. Fourteenth Census of the United States, 1920. (NARA microfilm publication T625, 2076 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C. Note: Enumeration Districts 819-839 are on roll 323 (Chicago City).
• 1925 Indian census; Roll: M595_168; Page: 52; Line: 1; Agency: Grand Rapids. Indian Census Rolls, 1885-1940; (National Archives Microfilm Publication M595, 692 rolls); Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Record Group 75; National Archives, Washington, D.C.
• 1933 Indian census; Roll: M595_571; Page: 82; Line: 1; Agency: Tomah Indian School. Indian Census Rolls, 1885-1940; (National Archives Microfilm Publication M595, 692 rolls); Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Record Group 75; National Archives, Washington, D.C.
• 1937 Indian census; Roll: M595_573; Page: 88; Line: 1; Agency: Tomah Indian School. Indian Census Rolls, 1885-1940; (National Archives Microfilm Publication M595, 692 rolls); Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Record Group 75; National Archives, Washington, D.C.
• 1940 Federal Census for Komensky, Jackson, Wisconsin; Roll: m-t0627-04484; Page: 2B; Enumeration District: 27-20: KOMENSKY TOWN. United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1940. T627, 4,643 rolls.
• Wisconsin Vital Record Index, pre-1907. Madison, WI, USA: Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services Vital Records Division Wisconsin Historical Society. Pre-1907 Vital Records Collection. Madison, WI, USA: Wisconsin Historical Society Library Archives. Vol. 2, p. 419.
• Wisconsin Death Index, 1959-67, 1969-97. Wisconsin Vital Records Office. Madison, Wisconsin, USA: Wisconsin Department of Health. DC 032318.
• Find a Grave, database and images (accessed 04 November 2020), memorial page for Xehachiwinga Blowsnake Mountain wolf woman (1 Apr 1884–9 Nov 1960), Find a Grave Memorial no. 197292142, citing Blackdeer Homestead Cemetery, Black River Falls, Jackson County, Wisconsin, USA ; Maintained by The missing link (contributor 49552457).

Acknowledgement

This profile was created by Richard L Dieterle on 23 Oct 2020.