Paul Eagle Star (1866 – 24 August 1891) was a

Lakota Lakota may refer to: * Lakota people, a confederation of seven related Native American tribes *Lakota language, the language of the Lakota peoples Place names In the United States: * Lakota, Iowa * Lakota, North Dakota, seat of Nelson County * La ...

Sioux known for being a performer with

Buffalo Bill's Wild West William Frederick Cody (February 26, 1846January 10, 1917), known as "Buffalo Bill", was an American soldier, bison hunter, and showman. He was born in Le Claire, Iowa Territory (now the U.S. state of Iowa), but he lived for several years in ...

Show. Eagle Star grew up on the

Rosebud Indian Reservation The Rosebud Indian Reservation is an Indian reservation in South Dakota, United States. It is the home of the federally recognized Rosebud Sioux Tribe, who are Sicangu, a band of Lakota people. The Lakota name ''Sicangu Oyate'' translates as ...

Dakota Territory The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of N ...

. From November 1882 until 1888, he attended the

Carlisle Indian Industrial School The United States Indian Industrial School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, generally known as Carlisle Indian Industrial School, was the flagship Indian boarding school in the United States from 1879 through 1918. It took over the historic Carlisl ...

(CIIS) in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. In 1889, Eagle Star returned to the Rosebud Agency and began working in a blacksmith shop alongside fellow former CIIS student Frank Locke; during this time, it is also speculated that Eagle Star may have been a member of the Rosebud Indian Police. According to a correspondence between Oglala Sioux George Means and Captain R. H. Pratt, Eagle Star traveled to the

Pine Ridge Indian Reservation The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation ( lkt, Wazí Aháŋhaŋ Oyáŋke), also called Pine Ridge Agency, is an Oglala Lakota Indian reservation located entirely within the U.S. state of South Dakota. Originally included within the territory of the Gr ...

during the Battle of Wounded Knee, but did not take part in the fighting.

Buffalo Bill's Wild West show

Two years later, in early 1889, Eagle Star was contracted as a performer in " Buffalo Bill" Cody's Wild West show. As a member of the show, Eagle Star toured Belgium, Germany, and England. While performing in

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire a ...

, England, Eagle Star suffered a tragic accident that led shortly after to his early death. According to the Sheffield Evening Star and Telegraph, on August 14, 1891 Eagle Star's horse suffered a fall while exiting the performance arena after a show, causing a compound dislocation of one of Eagle Star's ankles. The following Saturday, due to infections to the injury, Eagle Star contracted

tetanus Tetanus, also known as lockjaw, is a bacterial infection caused by ''Clostridium tetani'', and is characterized by muscle spasms. In the most common type, the spasms begin in the jaw and then progress to the rest of the body. Each spasm usually ...

. His leg was amputated in an attempt to save his life, but by Monday, Eagle Star had died from the infection while being treated at the

Sheffield Royal Infirmary The Royal Infirmary was a hospital in Upperthorpe, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. History Founding an infirmary for Sheffield was suggested in an anonymous letter written 1789 and following a public meeting in April 1792, public subscri ...

Repatriation

At his death, Bill Cody had Eagle Star's remains buried in London's

Brompton Cemetery Brompton Cemetery (originally the West of London and Westminster Cemetery) is a London cemetery, managed by The Royal Parks, in West Brompton in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is one of the Magnificent Seven cemeteries. Establ ...

, where fellow Lakota Surrounded by the Enemy had been buried after dying on an earlier Wild West tour. Eagle Star was survived by his wife and child. In March 1999, his remains were exhumed and transported to the United States. Eagle Star's two grandchildren, Moses and Lucy Eagle Star, accompanied the repatriation of their grandfather's remains. The reburial took place as a private ceremony in the Rosebud Lakota cemetery two months later.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eagle Star, Paul 1866 births 1891 deaths Brulé people People of the American Old West Wild West show performers People from South Dakota Burials at Brompton Cemetery Carlisle Indian Industrial School alumni 19th-century Native Americans People from Dakota Territory