Miniyuhe (Dakota) Renville (1760 - 1840)

Born 1760 in Fort Snelling, Hennepin, Minnesota

Descendants

Died 16 Feb 1840 at about age 80 in Lac qui Parle, Lac qui Parle, Minnesota, United States

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Biography

Miniyuhe was Dakota.

Mary Renville Dakota Noblewoman

Mary Renville was the granddaughter of the head war chief of the Dakotas, Petit Corbeau. Her husband Joseph Renville, served as translator for treaties and along side of Petit Corbeau on the British side of the War of 1812.

"Mary Renville was descended from the Little Crow royal family. She was rather above the medium height of Dakota women, of a graceful form, and possessed a good deal of natural dignity. Sometimes a little hauteur was manifest in her deportment. To some of us she appeared rather reserved, occasionally unhappy, but those of her own sex and people who knew her best always spoke highly of her as very intelligent and affable. Mrs. Renville was the first full blood Dakota who was received into the mission church formed at Lac qui Parle;and she is believed to have well maintained and illustrated her profession of the religion of Jesus. Among the Indians she had the reputation of being remarkably benevolent, giving largely on all occasions; and on this account she was greatly beloved, and much lamented in her death." " In the spring of 1839, Mrs. Renville was taken ill with disease, which affected her lungs, and finally terminated in death. During her illness, Dr. Williamson, acting as her physician, was with her frequently, and embracing opportunities for becoming acquainted with her mental and spiritual state, was much better satisfied than he had previously been that her faith and hope were in God. Those who watched by her until her last, say that she often spoke of Jesus as her only hope. On the morning of the Sabbath, February 16, 1840, Mr. Renville was with her alone and said," You seem to be failing much today." "Yes," she said,"today God calls me to a feast. Jesus Christ who suffered for me, I have in remembrance as my only trust. Of a truth today my afflictions and troubles will be at an end. God invites me. This day I shall stand in his presence and joy with Jesus Christ." Afterwards her children and relatives came in and sat around her crying. She said to them, "It is the holy day, sing and pray to God." They did so and when they had ceased, they spoke to her but she answered them not.The day after she died, Mr. Renville remarked to the writer of this article, that he had seen a great many die, but never one like her, hers was a holy death. And the general impression made upon the Indians at the time was that her dying was different from anything they had ever seen before. In the case of Mrs Renville, it is said ten blankets of various colors and texture were wrapped around the body. It was then placed in a very large box on a feather bed, together with all the clothes of the deceased. Her friends did not wish to retain anything in the house that belonged to her wardrobe, nor did they wish to see her clothing worn by others. This is Dakota feeling. Mrs. Renville's body was placed in a root house, according to her request, where it remained for many years; after having become the depository of several others of the family, it was finally buried. The excessive wailing for the dead, common among the Dakotas, Mr. Renville used his influence to restrain. A little more than a month after the death of Mrs. Renville, a grandchild was taken from them. On this occasion all was quiet until the moment the spirit took its flight. Then some women who were in the room awaiting the event commenced wailing. The parents and other relatives kissed the child and, in the expressive language of Scripture, "lifted up their voices and wept." A great multitude was soon gathered in and there was a very great wailing, "like the weeping of Jazer for the vine of Sibmah". When it ceased, Mr. Renville remarked that they did not mean to blame God. They felt that he did all things well, but this affliction came so near the death of Mrs. Renville that they were unable to control their feeling. On the morrow, when the remains of the child were deposited in the same box with its grandmother, Mr. Renville said, "Restrain yourselves," and there was no such outburst of feeling as there had been previously.^[1]

Also known as Miniyuhe Dakota This biography is a rough draft. It was auto-generated by a GEDCOM import and needs to be edited.

Sources

1. ↑ Dakota Portraits pg 552-557 From the Minnesota Free Press 30 June 1858 https://collections.mnhs.org/mnhistorymagazine/articles/2/v02i08p481-568.pdf

• WikiTree profile Renville-7 created through the import of Behan Family Tree.ged on Aug 6, 2011 by Chad Behan. See the Changes page for the details of edits by Chad and others.

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