Yellow Thunder (c. 1774–1874), was a chief of the

Ho-Chunk The Ho-Chunk, also known as Hoocągra or Winnebago (referred to as ''Hotúŋe'' in the neighboring indigenous Iowa-Otoe language), are a Siouan-speaking Native American people whose historic territory includes parts of Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iow ...

(or Winnebago) tribe. He signed two treaties with the United States in which his Ho-Chunk name was given as Wa-kun-cha-koo-kah and Waun-kaun-tshaw-zee-kau. In 1837, Yellow Thunder was part of a Ho-Chunk delegation headed by principal chief Carrymaunee and including noted leader

Waukon Decorah Waukon Decorah (–1868), also known as Wakąhaga (Wau-kon-haw-kaw) or "Snake-Skin", was a prominent Ho-Chunk (Winnebago) warrior and orator during the Winnebago War of 1827 and the Black Hawk War of 1832. Although not a hereditary chief, he em ...

, that went to Washington, D.C. to seek redress for American encroachment on their land in

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

. Even though many of the delegates had been U.S. allies during the 1832

Black Hawk War The Black Hawk War was a conflict between the United States and Native Americans led by Black Hawk, a Sauk leader. The war erupted after Black Hawk and a group of Sauks, Meskwakis (Fox), and Kickapoos, known as the "British Band", crosse ...

, they were pressured to sign a removal treaty ceding all Ho-Chunk land west of the Mississippi River to the United States.John W. Hall, ''Uncommon Defense: Indian Allies in the Black Hawk War'' (Harvard University Press, 2009, ), 259–60. The delegates thought that the treaty gave the Ho-Chunks eight years to leave Wisconsin, which would leave them time to negotiate a new treaty, but the wording on the document gave the tribe eight ''months'' to vacate Wisconsin and resettle on reservations in

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

and

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

.Robert E. Bieder, ''Native American communities in Wisconsin, 1600–1960: a study of tradition and change'' (Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press, 1995), 132. In 1840, U.S. Army General Henry Atkinson was assigned to round up the Ho-Chunks who refused to leave. Two chiefs, Yellow Thunder and Little Soldier, were arrested. Realizing that further resistance would lead to violence against their people, the chiefs agreed to cooperate and were released. Yellow Thunder eventually moved off the Iowa reservation and returned to a farm near

Portage, Wisconsin Portage is a city in and the county seat of Columbia County, Wisconsin, Columbia County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 10,581 at the 2020 census making it the largest city in Columbia County. The city is part of the Madison, Wiscon ...

, where he died in late February, 1874. Virgil J. Vogel, ''Indian names on Wisconsin's map'' (University of Wisconsin Press, 1991), 67–70.

Notes

External links

Yellow Thunder Monument
Sauk County (Wisconsin) Historical Society

signed by Yellow Thunder

signed by Yellow Thunder {{DEFAULTSORT:Yellow Thunder 1774 births 1874 deaths Ho-Chunk people Native American leaders People from Iowa People from Green Bay, Wisconsin People from Portage, Wisconsin Native American people from Wisconsin 19th-century Native Americans