Black Dog (Osage chief) facts for kids
Black Dog (Osage, Manka-Chonka, around 1780–1848) was an important chief of the Hunkah band of the Osage people. His band lived near what is now Baxter Springs, Kansas. In the fall of 1803, they moved to a village called Pasuga (Big Cedar) in what is now Claremore, Oklahoma. Black Dog was very tall, about 7 feet 5 inches (2.26 m) (2.26 meters), and weighed around 430 pounds (200 kg) (195 kg). He was blind in his left eye.
He led his band on hunts as far away as Santa Fe, which was then part of Mexico. He might have earned his name Manka-Chonka (Black Dog) from battles with the Comanche people. He is known for creating a trail called the Black Dog Trail. This trail went from east of present-day Baxter Springs, Kansas, to the Great Salt Plains in what is now Alfalfa County, Oklahoma.
In 1834, the artist George Catlin painted Black Dog's picture during a visit to Fort Gibson. Catlin called him "Tchong-tas-sab-bee, Black Dog, Second Chief."
Black Dog had at least one son, also named Black Dog (1827–1910), who became an Osage chief in 1870.
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Black Dog's Early Life
Black Dog I was born in 1780 near the Mississippi River and the city of St. Louis, Missouri. His birth name was Zhin-gawa-ca, which meant Dark Eagle or Sacred Little One. Around 1802, his people moved and settled in the northeastern part of what is now Oklahoma.
His band built a village they called Pasuga (Big Cedar). This village was located on an ancient earthwork mound built by an earlier Native American culture. As a young warrior, Zhin-gawa-ca fought bravely against the Comanche who raided the region. Because of his courage, he was given a new name, Manka-Chonka, meaning Black Dog. It was a custom for the Osage people to receive new names to mark important moments in their lives.
A Powerful Osage Chief
Black Dog was a leader at the same time as two other well-known chiefs: Clermont (Claremore) and Pawhuska. Osage men were often described as very tall and strong. Black Dog was even more impressive than most, standing nearly 7 feet 5 inches (2.26 m) tall and weighing about 430 pounds (200 kg). He was also blind in his left eye. He is believed to have led one of the largest groups of Osage people.
The Famous Black Dog Trail
Black Dog's men completed what became known as the Black Dog Trail by 1803. This trail started from their winter hunting area east of Baxter Springs in Kansas. It stretched southwest to their summer hunting grounds at the Great Salt Plains in present-day Alfalfa County, Oklahoma. The Osage often stopped at springs along the trail for healing on their way to the summer hunting grounds.
They made the trail by clearing away brush and large rocks. They also built earthen ramps to help cross rivers. The trail was wide enough for eight horsemen to ride side-by-side. It was the first improved road in what would become Kansas and Oklahoma.
Pasuga Village and the Secret Cave
Black Dog's band had a village called Pasuga, or "Big Cedar." It was built on an earthwork mound near what later became Claremore, Oklahoma. Osage stories say that Black Dog I built a large cave near his village on Claremore Mound.
The cave was big enough to hide nearly 500 members of his band. They stored enough food in it to last for a year. This cave later helped the remaining people of Pasuga escape being harmed during the Battle of Claremore Mound in 1817.
Black Dog I had a son, who was known as Black Dog II (1827-1910) when he grew up. He later became a chief among the Osage people. Many sources refer to the father as Black Dog I and the son as Black Dog II. The son reportedly became chief in 1870.
