Great Leader: Washakie of the Eastern Shoshone, c 1810-1900
Native leaders had to be both proficient warriors and skilled diplomats, leading their people in warding off threats from other tribes and from the army, and making peace when it was advantageous to do so. Washakie of the Eastern Shoshone, c 1810-1900 combined these skills so well that he maintained the respect of his people, and of White authorities.
As was typical of many Native warriors, his name changed throughout his life. He was born to Lost Woman, a White Knife Shoshone woman and Crooked Leg, and Umatilla who had been rescued from slave traders by the Shoshone and raised among them. Crooked Leg became a medicine man. For the first few years of their life, their son was given a name meaning Smells Like Sugar. After he was old enough to join the men on buffalo hunts and achieve his first kill, he changed his name to Shoots the Buffalo Running. Washakie was the nearest English translation of his name. Washakie would have seen his first White men early in life, fur traders working for the John Jacob Astor's American Fur Company. Washakie's father, Crooked Leg, was killed during a Blackfoot/Piegan raid, leaving Washakie to provide for his mother and siblings.
Washakie became familiar with fur traders and attended many of their rendezvous, or annual gatherings to trade furs for supplies, and to celebrate before the long winter began. He learned French and became friends with Jim Bridger. Later Bridger would marry one of Washakie's daughters, making them related by marriage. He was signatory to a number of treaties at Fort Bridger, in 1863 and 1868, which established a rough boundary for Shoshone country. The 1868 established the Shoshone and Bannock Agency in Wyoming. Portions of these treaty lands remain to the Shoshone people to this day. Washakie believed that his people should be educated, and cooperated with a clergyman to establish a school to teach young women household skills. He was tolerant of religion, allowing missionaries on Shoshone land and eventually converting to Mormonism before converting to the Episcopalian faith, in which he was eventually buried.
Washakie's ability to get along with traders and missionaries was also evident in his willingness to cooperate with the Army, particularly during the Great Sioux War. He was present with General George Crook at Crook's defeat at the Battle of the Rosebud on June 17, 1876, and later, was with Crook when the Sioux were defeated on their return to the United States from Canada. Because of Washakie's efforts at maintaining the peace between his people and the Army, there was very little hostility toward the Shoshone from the U.S. government, although there was often conflict between Mormon settlers in Utah and Shoshone bands until Washakie met with Brigham Young. Washakie died in 1900 and was given a military funeral. Fort Washakie, in Wyoming, was named for him, the only U.S. fort to be named for a Native. Washakie County in Wyoming bears his name. A statue of Washakie represents Wyoming in Statuary Hall in Washington, D.C.
As was typical of many Native warriors, his name changed throughout his life. He was born to Lost Woman, a White Knife Shoshone woman and Crooked Leg, and Umatilla who had been rescued from slave traders by the Shoshone and raised among them. Crooked Leg became a medicine man. For the first few years of their life, their son was given a name meaning Smells Like Sugar. After he was old enough to join the men on buffalo hunts and achieve his first kill, he changed his name to Shoots the Buffalo Running. Washakie was the nearest English translation of his name. Washakie would have seen his first White men early in life, fur traders working for the John Jacob Astor's American Fur Company. Washakie's father, Crooked Leg, was killed during a Blackfoot/Piegan raid, leaving Washakie to provide for his mother and siblings.
Washakie became familiar with fur traders and attended many of their rendezvous, or annual gatherings to trade furs for supplies, and to celebrate before the long winter began. He learned French and became friends with Jim Bridger. Later Bridger would marry one of Washakie's daughters, making them related by marriage. He was signatory to a number of treaties at Fort Bridger, in 1863 and 1868, which established a rough boundary for Shoshone country. The 1868 established the Shoshone and Bannock Agency in Wyoming. Portions of these treaty lands remain to the Shoshone people to this day. Washakie believed that his people should be educated, and cooperated with a clergyman to establish a school to teach young women household skills. He was tolerant of religion, allowing missionaries on Shoshone land and eventually converting to Mormonism before converting to the Episcopalian faith, in which he was eventually buried.
Washakie's ability to get along with traders and missionaries was also evident in his willingness to cooperate with the Army, particularly during the Great Sioux War. He was present with General George Crook at Crook's defeat at the Battle of the Rosebud on June 17, 1876, and later, was with Crook when the Sioux were defeated on their return to the United States from Canada. Because of Washakie's efforts at maintaining the peace between his people and the Army, there was very little hostility toward the Shoshone from the U.S. government, although there was often conflict between Mormon settlers in Utah and Shoshone bands until Washakie met with Brigham Young. Washakie died in 1900 and was given a military funeral. Fort Washakie, in Wyoming, was named for him, the only U.S. fort to be named for a Native. Washakie County in Wyoming bears his name. A statue of Washakie represents Wyoming in Statuary Hall in Washington, D.C.
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