Wahweveh (Black Eagle) was a leader of the Oregon Walpapi

Paiute Paiute (; also Piute) refers to three non-contiguous groups of indigenous peoples of the Great Basin. Although their languages are related within the Numic group of Uto-Aztecan languages, these three groups do not form a single set. The term "Pai ...

(related to the

Shoshone The Shoshone or Shoshoni ( or ) are a Native American tribe with four large cultural/linguistic divisions: * Eastern Shoshone: Wyoming * Northern Shoshone: southern Idaho * Western Shoshone: Nevada, northern Utah * Goshute: western Utah, easter ...

).Ontko, Gale. Thunder Over the Ochoco, Volume IV: Rain of Tears. Bend, OR: Maverick Publications, Inc., 1998. He was head war

chief Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force * Chief of police, the head of a police department * Chief of the boa ...

in the final phase of the Shoshoni Rebellion, known to Americans as the

Sheepeater War The Big Horned Sheepeater Indian War of 1879 was the last Indian war fought in the Pacific Northwest portion of the United States; it took place primarily in central Idaho. A high mountain band of approximately 300 Shoshone people, the Tukudeka, ...

of 1879.

Background

Little is known of Wahweveh's early life. His full siblings were

Chief Paulina Chief Paulina or Pahninee was a Northern Paiute war leader noted for his successful guerrilla tactics. He is known to have been active from 1859 until his death in 1867. Resistance against colonization During the late 1850s and 1860s, Paulina l ...

, Bright Eyes, and Puna (Cactus Fruit).Ontko, Gale. Thunder Over the Ochoco, Volume I: The Gathering Storm. Bend, OR: Maverick Publications, Inc., 1997. His half-brother was Weahwewa (Wolf Dog).

Military service

On June 7, 1878, during the leadup to what became known as the

Bannock War The Bannock War of 1878 was an armed conflict between the U.S. military and Bannock and Paiute warriors in Idaho and northeastern Oregon from June to August 1878. The Bannock totaled about 600 to 800 in 1870 because of other Shoshone peoples b ...

Malheur Reservation The Malheur Indian Reservation was an American Indian reservation established for the Northern Paiute in eastern Oregon and northern Nevada from 1872 to 1879. The federal government discontinued the reservation after the Bannock War of 1878, und ...

Indian agent In United States history, an Indian agent was an individual authorized to interact with American Indian tribes on behalf of the government. Background The federal regulation of Indian affairs in the United States first included development of t ...

William V. Rinehart William Vance Rinehart (28 December 1835 – 16 October 1918) was an American soldier who served as a Union Army officer in both the 1st Oregon Volunteer Cavalry Regiment and 1st Oregon Volunteer Infantry Regiment during the American Civil War. ...

reported to the

Commissioner of Indian Affairs The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), also known as Indian Affairs (IA), is a United States federal government of the United States, federal agency within the U.S. Department of the Interior, Department of the Interior. It is responsible for im ...

that Wahweveh, with 55 braves, had picked up supplies and was heading east. On Saturday, June 22, 1878, Black Eagle rescued the severely injured Pony Blanket (Egan) from the battlefield—saving his life, but signaling the end of Egan's tenure as war chief. By July, news of a new Tukadika (Mountain Sheep Eater) Snake outbreak in Idaho drew Wahweveh and his Hunipui (Bear Killer) Snake dog-soldiers onto the battlefront. On their way, on July 4 Black Eagle and his warriors attacked four heavily laden supply wagons at La Grande on their way to

Pendleton Pendleton may refer to: Places ;United Kingdom *Pendleton, Lancashire, England *Pendleton, Greater Manchester, England ;United States *Pendleton, Indiana * Pendleton, Missouri *Pendleton, New York *Pendleton, Oregon *Pendleton, South Carolina *Pe ...

. They destroyed the wagons, killed and mutilated their drivers, and scattered the freight. On August 13, 1878, more than 60 warriors rode into the Malheur Indian Agency and were arrested after they surrendered to American troops. Among the warriors were Cheegibah (Leggins), son of Natchez (Boy) and grandson of Chief Winnemucca the Younger; Otiz (Left Hand), grandson of Owitze (Twisted Hand) and Ochiho (Red Willow), son of Chochoco (Has No Horse). Under intense interrogation, Leggins identified the ranking war chiefs: Oytes (Left Hand), Bannock Joe Pohave (Racehorse), Captain Bearskin (Honalelo (Little Bearskin Dick)), Big John Ponce (Three Coyotes), Eagle Eye Wahweveh (Black Eagle), Charley Chongyo (Pipe), D.E. Johnson, Beads, and Surger Wahi (Fox). Most of the leaders whom Leggins named were shot in 1878. Lieutenant Colonel James Forsyth reported that his troops had killed Wahweveh (Black Eagle) on July 31, 1878; however, in spring 1879 Wahweveh and medicine chief Tamanmo (Black Spirit), with a few Snake dog soldiers, raided a mining camp on the Oregon-Idaho border and killed several Chinese laborers. American troops under several leaders responded with a series of battles which became known as the

Death

Black Eagle was killed in late August 1879 on the south fork of the Salmon River.

Notes

{{Reflist Native American leaders Paiute people Native American people from Oregon Year of birth missing 1879 deaths 19th-century Native Americans