Hanging Cloud (known in

Ojibwe The Ojibwe, Ojibwa, Chippewa, or Saulteaux are an Anishinaabe people in what is currently southern Canada, the northern Midwestern United States, and Northern Plains. According to the U.S. census, in the United States Ojibwe people are one of ...

as ''Aazhawigiizhigokwe'' meaning "Goes Across the Sky Woman" or as ''Ashwiyaa'' meaning "Arms oneself") was an

woman who was a full warrior (''ogichidaakwe'' in

) among her people, and claimed by the

Wisconsin Historical Society The Wisconsin Historical Society (officially the State Historical Society of Wisconsin) is simultaneously a state agency and a private membership organization whose purpose is to maintain, promote and spread knowledge relating to the history of N ...

as the only woman to ever become one. She was the daughter of Chief ''Nenaa'angebi'' (Beautifying Bird) and his wife ''Niigi'o''. ''Aazhawigiizhigokwe'' was of the ''Makwa-

doodem The Anishinaabe, like most Algonquian-speaking groups in North America, base their system of kinship on patrilineal clans or totems. The Ojibwe word for clan () was borrowed into English as totem A totem (from oj, ᑑᑌᒼ, italics=no o ...

'' (Bear Clan), and was born and lived most of her life at

Rice Lake, Wisconsin Rice Lake is a city in Barron County, Wisconsin, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 9,040. The city is located mostly within the Town of Rice Lake. History Rice Lake was named in 1870 after nearby Rice Lake ...

. Her community became part of the

Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians The Lac Courte Oreilles Tribe ( oj, Odaawaa-zaaga'iganiing) is one of six federally recognized bands of Ojibwe people located in present-day Wisconsin. It had 7,275 enrolled members as of 2010. The band is based at the Lac Courte Oreilles Indian R ...

after the 1854

Treaty of La Pointe The Treaty of La Pointe may refer to either of two treaty, treaties made and signed in La Pointe, Wisconsin between the United States and the Ojibwe (Chippewa) Native Americans in the United States, Native American peoples. In addition, the Isle R ...

. According to Morse, ''Aazhawigiizhigokwe'' wore war paint, carried full weapons, and took part in battles, raids and hunting parties. She was a full member of the war council, performed war dances, and participated in all warrior ceremonies. Shortly after father's death in 1855, her village was ambushed by her

Mdewakanton The Mdewakanton or Mdewakantonwan (also spelled ''Mdewákhaŋthuŋwaŋ'' and currently pronounced ''Bdewákhaŋthuŋwaŋ'') are one of the sub-tribes of the Isanti (Santee) Dakota ( Sioux). Their historic home is Mille Lacs Lake (Dakota: ''Mde W� ...

uncle, Chief ''Shák'pí''. In this ambush, she defended her village and killed a son of Chief ''Shák'pí'', her cousin. Armstrong recorded how she was very proud of that period of her life. ''Aazhawigiizhigokwe'' was married three times: all to non-Native Americans. Her first marriage was to

Taylors Falls, Minnesota Taylors Falls is a city in Chisago County, Minnesota, United States, located at the junction of U.S. Highway 8 and Minnesota State Highway 95. The population was 1,055 at the 2020 census. History Taylors Falls was platted in 1850 or 1851, and ...

lumberman Joe Koveo. A daughter was born from this marriage, ''Ogimaabinesiikwe'', known as Julia Quaderer, after she married John Quaderer, Jr. However, Koveo was already married and abandoned ''Aazhawigiizhigokwe'' shortly after their marriage ceremony. Her next marriage was to Rice Lake's first mayor, James Bracklin. Three children were born from this union: Nellie, Thomas, and James, Jr. Bracklin left Aazhawigiizhigokwe for a white woman, Minnie Russell. ''Aazhawigiizhigokwes last marriage was to lumberman Samuel Barker, which produced two children, Mary and Edward. Barker also left ''Aazhawigiizhigokwe'' for a white woman. In her later years, ''Aazhawigiizhigokwe'' lived in the Whitefish community of the Lac Courte Oreilles Reservation with son Thomas Bracklin. ''Aazhawigiizhigokwe'' was the sister of ''Waabikwe'' (the grey haired), who according to Benjamin Armstrong, became the wife of Edward Dingley in 1857, and had a son. Her husband served in the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

but when assumed dead, she remarried. After the War, when her first husband returned to Wisconsin and heard of his wife's remarriage, they made arrangements to meet with each other and agreed to let her maintain her second marriage. She died in 1919.

References

* Armstrong, Benjamin. ''Early Life Among the Indians: Reminiscences from the life of Benjamin G. Armstrong''. T.P. Wentworth (Ashland, WI: 1891). * Morse, Richard E. "The Chippewas of Lake Superior" in ''Wisconsin Historical Society Collections'', v. III, pp. 349–354 * Redix, Erik M. ''The Murder of Joe White: Ojibwe Leadership and Colonialism in Wisconsin''. East Lansing: Michigan State University Press, 2014.

External links

Chippewa Indian Chiefs and Leaders
(Access Genealogy) {{DEFAULTSORT:Hanging Cloud Ojibwe people Native American women in warfare People from Wisconsin Great Lakes tribal culture Native American history of Wisconsin Year of birth unknown 1919 deaths Women in 19th-century warfare 19th-century Native American women 20th-century Native American women 20th-century Native Americans