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where the wild west comes alive
War Eagle
(1785 - 1851)
His name was Huya-na which means Little Eagle. He was born in Wisconsin or possibly Minnesota and migrated west with the rest of the Santee Sioux because of White encroachment. He was always friendly to the whites, in spite of his militant name.
A tall, strong young man, he often served as a guide for steamboats on the Upper Mississippi River. During the War of 1812 when many Santee Sioux sided with the British, War Eagle served as an Army courier and interpreter for the Americans.
Later, War Eagle served as a scout and messenger for the American Fur Company. He was able to traverse long distances in a short amount of time and his skills as a diplomat and orator soon earned him election as chief of the Yankton Sioux in spite of his origin as a Santee.
War Eagle became disillusioned when he went to a Washington DC conference only to find out that the United States was taking all the indian land east of the Mississippi. He could no longer return to his ancestral home.
His grave is near Sioux City, IA on a high bluff over looking the Missouri River.
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