Glory of the Morning facts for kids
Glory of the Morning (died around 1832) was a very important leader in the history of Wisconsin. She was the first woman ever written about in Wisconsin's history books. She was also the only known female chief of the Ho-Chunk (Winnebago) people. Her name, Hąboguwįga, means "Glory of the Morning" or "The Coming Dawn."
Glory of the Morning was the daughter of the tribe's chief. This meant she was part of the Thunderbird Clan. Her village was on Doty Island, which is now Menasha, Winnebago County, Wisconsin.
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Early Life and Family Connections
Around 1730, French explorers and traders met the Ho-Chunk tribe again. A French officer named Sabrevoir de Carrie visited the Ho-Chunk people. He became friends with them and decided to become a fur trader. He then married Glory of the Morning. This marriage seemed to make her even more respected among her people. The Ho-Chunk stories say that Carrie was a great leader.
Glory of the Morning and Sabrevoir de Carrie had two sons and one daughter. Their oldest son was called Cugiga, or "Spoon Dekaury." Their younger son was Cap’osgaga, also known as "Buzzard Decorah." Later, her marriage ended, and Sabrevoir de Carrie went back to Quebec with their daughter. When their daughter grew up, she married another trader in Quebec. During the French and Indian War, Carrie joined the French army again. He was badly wounded in the Battle of Sainte-Foy in 1760 and later died.
A Powerful Leader and Diplomat
As the French fought with the Fox people over fur trade, Glory of the Morning strongly supported her husband's people. This led to seven years of war with their neighbors. In the end, she played a key role in making peace. Later, she allowed her warriors to fight against the Illini people, attacking groups like the Michigamea and Cahokia.
When war started between France and Great Britain in 1754, Ho-Chunk warriors attacked English settlements. But when the British won, Glory of the Morning made friends with them. She refused to join Pontiac in his war against the British.
Jonathan Carver's Visit
In 1766, a British explorer named Captain Jonathan Carver visited Glory of the Morning's village. He wrote an interesting account of his visit:
He arrived at the main Ho-Chunk town on an island at the east end of Lake Winnebago. He said that the "queen" (Glory of the Morning) welcomed him very kindly. She entertained him well for four days.
The day after he arrived, Carver held a meeting with the chiefs. He asked for permission to travel through their land. They quickly agreed, seeing it as a great honor. Glory of the Morning was in the meeting. She asked a few questions and gave some small instructions. Women were usually not allowed in these meetings unless they were the supreme leader. Even then, they didn't give long speeches like the chiefs.
Carver described her as a very old woman, small in size. She didn't look much different from the younger women who helped her. Her helpers seemed very happy when Carver showed respect to their queen, especially when he greeted her. Carver said the old lady tried to act young and smiled, showing she was pleased with his attention.
After giving some gifts to the "good old queen" and getting her blessing, Carver left the village.
Her Final Years
Glory of the Morning was not heard of again until 1832, when the Kinzie family visited her. She had lived to an incredibly old age, possibly over 100 years old. Mrs. Kinzie described her:
She had dim, almost white eyes. Her face was dark and wrinkled, like a baked apple. Her voice was shaky and weak, unless she was yelling at her grandsons. They loved to play tricks on her! She usually moved around on her hands and knees because she wasn't strong enough to stand straight. On the day of a payment, she got her share of money and carefully hid it in her blanket. Then she crawled to the door and sat down to count her money.
Even with their tricks, she seemed to love her grandsons very much. She always asked her "Father" (Mr. Kinzie) for something she could give to them.
One morning, she crawled into the parlor. She stood up, holding onto the door frame, and cried in a sad voice, "Silver-man, I have no looking glass!" Mr. Kinzie smiled and asked, "Do you want to look at yourself, mother?" She found this so funny that she laughed until she had to sit on the floor. She then admitted she wanted the mirror for one of the boys. After Mr. Kinzie gave it to her, she said she had "no comb," then "no knife," then "no calico shawl." This usually ended with Mr. Kinzie paying quite a bit for his joke!
She likely died soon after this visit. Ho-Chunk stories say that one night, while she was among the pine trees, an owl (which was a sign of bad luck) called her name. That night, she died peacefully in her furs, with a smile on her face. Strangely, during a huge snowstorm that night, the rare sound of thunder could be heard. This was said to be the gods of her clan calling her home.
Her children and grandchildren became the famous Decorah family. They provided many chiefs to the Ho-Chunk Nation. Her grandson was Chief Waukon Decorah, who has two cities in Iowa named after him: Waukon and Decorah.
