Wakąjága Thunderbird (abt. 1775)

Born about 1775 in Wisconsin, British North America

Wakąjága was Ho-Chunk.

Biography

Birth

Wakąjága was born about 1775.

Name

Sam Blowsnake recorded "Thunderbird," as we might suspect, as a Thunderbird Clan name. (Blowsnake) His name was Wakąjága, from Wakąjá, "Thunderbird"; and -ga, a definite article suffix used in personal names.

Military Record

He is mentioned in connection with the large warparty led by Dog Head. Thunderbird as the brother-in-law of Big Sand, the brother of Black Otter. In an attack on a Missouria village, Black Otter captured two children, a boy and a girl. Thunderbird took the girl away, then came back and tried to take the boy, but Black Otter would not give him up. Black Otter was the first to take a captive to the Warleader, Dog Head (Little Duck), and thereby won the First War Honor.

Residence

In 1828 he was a member of the Winnebago Delegation to Washington, D. C., where he was painted by George Caitlin.

In 1832, he was listed as living in Dog Head's village on Big Green Lake (43.813354, -88.934092). Besides himself, his lodge had one man, two women, and three children. (Kinzie)

Sources

• Frank Weinhold, "Black Otter's Narrative: Wisconsin Native Recollections Relating to Pre-History of the Lewis-Clark Expedition," 1-27, in The Encyclopedia of Hočąk (Winnebago) Mythology.
• Abel Green, "Black Otter's Warpath," trs. by Mitchell Red Cloud, Sr., The Encyclopedia of Hočąk (Winnebago) Mythology
• "Winnebago Village List, compiled by John H. Kinzie," Big Green Lake, note 4, in Richard Dieterle, The Encyclopedia of Hočąk (Winnebago) Mythology.
• Sam Blowsnake, "The Story of the Thunder Names," The Encyclopedia of Hočąk (Winnebago) Mythology.