Gabriel Renville facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Gabriel Renville
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| Born | April 1825 Sweet Corn Village, Lake Traverse, South Dakota
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| Died | August 26, 1892 Browns Valley, Traverse County, Minnesota
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| Nationality | Dakota Sioux, French Canadian and British descent |
| Citizenship | American |
Gabriel Renville (born April 1825 – died August 26, 1892) was an important leader of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Sioux Tribe. His Dakota name was Ti'wakan, which means Sacred Lodge. He served as Chief from 1866 until he passed away in 1892. Gabriel Renville worked to prevent fighting with the United States during the Dakota War of 1862. He was a key leader in the Dakota Peace Party. His strong leadership helped create the Lake Traverse Indian Reservation in what is now South Dakota.
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Early Life and Family Background
Gabriel Renville was born in April 1825. His parents were Winona Abigail Crawford (1805–1897) and Victor Renville (1780–1832). He was likely born in Sweet Corn village, near Lake Traverse.
His father, Victor, was the son of a French Canadian fur trader and a Mdewakanton woman. Victor was the younger brother of the famous Joseph Renville. Gabriel's mother, Winona, was the daughter of a British trader and a Sisseton woman.
In August 1832, Victor Renville was attacked and killed by a group of Ojibwes. A few years later, Gabriel's mother, Winona, married Akipa (c. 1810–1891). Akipa was a full-blood Dakota from the Wahpeton Dakota Nation. He admired Gabriel's uncle, Joseph Renville, and adopted his English name.
In 1838, Gabriel Renville moved to Grey Cloud Island in Washington County, Minnesota. He lived there with his brother-in-law and guardian, Joseph R. Brown, his half-sister, Susan Frenier Brown, and his stepfather, Akipa.
Learning and Language Skills
Gabriel Renville did not have much formal schooling. He attended classes at the Lac qui Parle Mission. There, he learned to read and write the Dakota language and do basic math.
When Gabriel was a teenager, his guardian, Joseph R. Brown, sent him to a boarding school in Chicago. Gabriel stayed there for only one month. His nephew, Samuel J. Brown, later wrote that Gabriel did not like being confined in a classroom. He also struggled with people speaking a language he did not understand.
Gabriel ran away from the school and walked all the way back home to Minnesota. Even though he avoided speaking English, Gabriel Renville became known as a very skilled speaker in the Dakota language. His nephew, Sam Brown, said that Gabriel had no equal in using the Sioux language. He said Gabriel's words were "clear, homely but strong, and to the point."
Changes in Trade and Farming
In 1841, Joseph R. Brown hired Gabriel Renville to work as a clerk in his fur trading business. This business was based in the Coteau des Prairies. After Brown sold his business in 1846, Renville worked briefly for Henry Hastings Sibley's business partner, Martin McLeod. By 1849, Renville had moved back to Lac qui Parle.
The fur trade began to decline, causing economic hardship in the new Minnesota Territory. In 1850, Brown asked Renville to come to Saint Paul. Brown was meeting with traders like Sibley to help sign a treaty between the U.S. government and Dakota leaders. This treaty would also pay traders for debts owed to them.
Historian Gary Clayton Anderson noted that Renville quickly joined the group working for the treaty. Renville believed he was helping his people. Their traditional way of life was becoming harder to maintain.
In 1851, Gabriel Renville was present at the signing of the Treaty of Traverse des Sioux. He was part of the Wahpeton delegation. Since Renville was of mixed heritage, he did not sign the treaty himself. Instead, his stepfather, Akipa, signed for him.
As news of the 1851 treaty spread, many white settlers moved into Minnesota Territory. They tried to claim Indigenous lands. This included 320,000 acres set aside for people of mixed European and Dakota heritage.
To make up for this loss, the U.S. government offered "land scrip." This was a type of certificate that could be exchanged for land. Eligible mixed-race people could trade their claims to the "half-breed tracts" for this scrip.
Gabriel Renville applied for land scrip in 1856. He claimed lands south of Fort Ridgely. By 1857, Renville and his cousins moved north. They settled east of the Minnesota River, near the Upper Sioux Agency. This area was close to their old home in Lac qui Parle.
There, Gabriel Renville focused on building a large farm. It was about 3,000 acres. He wanted to be self-sufficient and support his growing family. His house was modern for its time. It had "the first brick fireplace in the region."
Gabriel Renville joined the Presbyterian Church in 1856. He also became a cabinet member of Stephen Return Riggs's "Hazelwood Republic." However, he continued many traditional Dakota practices. Over the years, Gabriel Renville married three Sisseton Dakota sisters. He had at least ten children.
Role in the U.S.-Dakota War
During the Dakota War of 1862, Gabriel Renville helped organize a group of "friendly" soldiers. This group opposed the warriors who were attacking white settlements. He was a key leader in the Dakota Peace Party. This party formed among the Sisseton and Wahpeton bands. Soon, other Dakota people who were tired of the conflict joined them. The peace party wanted to end the war and free the prisoners taken by the Dakota warriors. Their actions made it harder for the warriors to continue fighting.
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Evacuation and Stand at Yellow Medicine Agency
On August 19, 1862, Gabriel Renville heard about attacks at Redwood Agency. He rode to Yellow Medicine Agency to check on his relatives. On the way, he met Rev. Thomas Smith Williamson, who did not believe he was in danger. Renville convinced him to flee. Renville then went home, where his family was ready to leave. They headed toward the agency.
Later, they saw Williamson's family crossing the river to escape east. An Indigenous person friendly to the whites had helped them. Four miles on, Renville was stopped by warriors who had looted the agency. He forced his way through them.
At his mother's house, he found his brother Charles Crawford. Charles had returned after meeting "hostiles" who wanted to kill him. That evening, they learned that their sister Susan Frenier Brown, wife of Joseph R. Brown, was not killed. She had been taken prisoner with her children and son-in-law.
On August 20, Renville and 12 other Dakota and mixed-blood men went to Yellow Medicine Agency. They decided to "make a stand" in the agency's brick buildings. Gabriel's stepfather Akipa and his half-brother Charles Crawford went south to rescue Susan and her children. On August 23, they reached Little Crow's camp. Akipa successfully negotiated their release.
In the following days, Renville heard that hostile warriors and their families were moving north. When Little Crow arrived, he advised Renville and his men to leave the agency buildings. He said the hostiles would burn them down.
Dakota Peace Party and Soldiers' Lodge
As Renville and his group moved north, they passed through the hostile camp. They saw that more than half of the 200 white and mixed-blood prisoners were women and children.
With tensions high, Gabriel Renville decided to call a council. He invited the hostile warriors to discuss releasing the prisoners. He provided a calf for a feast. Over 100 hostile Mdewakanton warriors arrived with guns. But when Renville invited them to eat, they could not refuse, as was Dakota tradition. Talks broke down because the hostiles would not release the women and children. The friendly group would not join the hostiles.
Renville's group decided to form their own camp of families friendly to the whites. They set up a large tent in the center of a circle, west of Riggs's Hazelwood Mission buildings. They organized their own soldiers' lodge. Renville was one of the four officers, and Paul Mazakutamani was their spokesman.
The hostile Mdewakantons then called a large council. Nearly a thousand people attended. Again, strong speeches were made by both sides. During the council, the Mdewakantons shared news about the Battle of Birch Coulee. Several hostile warriors said they recognized the voice of Major Joseph R. Brown. Renville wanted to know if Brown was still alive. He suggested sending Charles Crawford to Birch Coulee to investigate.
Upon his return, Crawford reported to Renville that he found a letter. Colonel Henry Hastings Sibley had left it on the battlefield. The letter invited the Dakota people to speak with him without punishment. The hostiles were against this at first and threatened to kill anyone who contacted Sibley. But Little Crow finally agreed to send two representatives. They returned and reported that Sibley would not treat friendly Dakota as enemies. He would only meet with hostiles if they released the prisoners first.
Both the friendly and hostile camps then moved further apart. The hostiles moved north but were stopped at Red Iron's village. Their camp was forced to scatter when shots were fired. This broke up their soldiers' lodge and weakened their position. Meanwhile, the friendly camp grew stronger. Mdewakantons who were tired of the conflict joined them. Renville said that a group of hostile Mdewakantons came to attack the peace party. The peace party was ready with guns. But Iron Walker (Mazomani) convinced the hostiles to stand down.
Battle of Wood Lake and Camp Release
On the night of September 22, Little Crow and the hostiles planned to attack Sibley's troops. They threatened to kill any men who refused to follow. Renville, Solomon Two Stars, and others argued that Little Crow's plan was foolish. They had seen how many men Sibley had. They deliberately prolonged the debate until daylight. This allowed the friendly group to warn Sibley's troops.
On September 23, 1862, the hostiles finally left to attack Sibley's camp. Renville and other members of the friendly camp gathered in a ravine to stay out of the battle. Renville's followers entered the hostile camp. They rescued the white and mixed-blood captives. They brought them to safety in their camp. Renville, Solomon Tukanshaciye, and others pursued a war party moving west. They forced them to release more prisoners. Sibley's army defeated the hostiles led by Little Crow at the Battle of Wood Lake.
Sibley and his troops arrived at the friendly camp on September 26, 1862. Renville remembered, "With joyous handshaking we met, and the white prisoners were taken into the soldiers' camp."
The Dakota Peace Party handed over a total of 269 prisoners to Sibley. This included 107 white people and 162 mixed-bloods. This location became known as Camp Release. Within a few days, the number of released prisoners increased to 285.
Fort Snelling
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On September 28, 1862, a group appointed by Colonel Sibley began questioning Dakota men. They wanted to find out who was involved in the war.
In his memories, Gabriel Renville wrote, "Then word came that the Indians would be sifted as you would sift wheat. The good grain would be put into the bin, but the chaff and the bad seeds would be burned." He explained that those proven to have acted against the whites were put in chains.
Renville, Akipa, and their families were recognized as friendly. They were initially allowed to move freely outside the main camp. Renville went home and found that everything he owned had been taken or destroyed. He moved his camp to Redwood Agency with other friendly groups. They camped on the north side of Sibley's command. Those suspected of acting against the whites camped on the south side.
Before the mass executions, the convicted men were taken to Mankato. Their families and the friendly groups were taken to Fort Snelling. The Renvilles, Browns, and about 1,600 other friendly Dakota were sent to a fenced area near Fort Snelling. On their way, people in Henderson threw stones at them. Many white people in Minnesota blamed all Dakota for the deaths and destruction of August 1862. Once they arrived, many of their horses and oxen were stolen.
Renville recalled, "Then a fence was built on the south side of the fort and close to it. We all moved into this enclosure. But we were so crowded and confined that an illness spread among us. Children were dying day and night, including Two Stars' oldest child, a little girl."
John Williamson, son of Thomas Smith Williamson, got permission to enter the area where the Dakota were held. He found many members of the former mission community there. Gabriel Renville was among them, sick with a serious case of malaria. Between 130 and 300 people died from various illnesses inside the camp.
Becoming Chief
Because of his help during the war, Gabriel Renville became Chief of Scouts in 1863. He served under Minnesota state militia Colonel Henry Hastings Sibley. Sibley later became the first governor of Minnesota. Renville's service to the U.S. Army ended in 1865.
For his military service, Sibley appointed him Chief of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate in 1866. A year later, his people supported Sibley's choice. They declared Renville chief-for-life. During his time as chief, the Lake Traverse Reservation was created and settled by his people. He is buried on a bluff near Old Agency, South Dakota.
