Yellow Thunder facts for kids
Yellow Thunder (born around 1774, died 1874) was an important leader of the Ho-Chunk people, also known as the Winnebago tribe. His Ho-Chunk names were Wa-kun-cha-koo-kah and Waun-kaun-tshaw-zee-kau. He played a key role in his tribe's history during a time of big changes with the United States government.
A Trip to Washington D.C.
In 1837, Yellow Thunder was part of a group of Ho-Chunk leaders who traveled to Washington, D.C. The group was led by the main chief, Carrymaunee, and included another well-known leader, Waukon Decorah. Their goal was to talk to the United States government because American settlers were moving onto their lands in Wisconsin.
Even though many of these Ho-Chunk leaders had helped the U.S. during the 1832 Black Hawk War, they were pressured to sign a new agreement. This agreement was a removal treaty, which meant they had to give up all their Ho-Chunk land west of the Mississippi River to the United States.
A Misunderstanding About the Treaty
The Ho-Chunk leaders thought the treaty gave their people eight years to leave Wisconsin. They believed this would give them enough time to work out a better deal. However, the written document said the tribe had only eight months to move. This meant they had to leave Wisconsin quickly and resettle on new lands, called reservations, in Iowa and Minnesota.
Returning Home
In 1840, a U.S. Army general named Henry Atkinson was given the job of making sure the Ho-Chunks left their lands. Some Ho-Chunk people, including Yellow Thunder and another chief named Little Soldier, did not want to leave. They were arrested by the army.
Yellow Thunder and Little Soldier soon realized that if they kept fighting, it would lead to violence against their people. To protect their tribe, they agreed to cooperate with the U.S. government and were then released.
Yellow Thunder eventually moved away from the Iowa reservation. He returned to a farm near Portage, Wisconsin, where he lived on about 40-acre (160,000 m2) of land. He passed away there in late February 1874.
