Hanging Cloud
Encyclopedia
Ojibwa
The Ojibwe or Chippewa are among the largest groups of Native Americans–First Nations north of Mexico. They are divided between Canada and the United States. In Canada, they are the third-largest population among First Nations, surpassed only by Cree and Inuit...
woman who was a full warrior (ogichidaakwe in Ojibwe
Ojibwe language
Ojibwe , also called Anishinaabemowin, is an indigenous language of the Algonquian language family. Ojibwe is characterized by a series of dialects that have local names and frequently local writing systems...
) among her people, and claimed by the Wisconsin Historical Society
Wisconsin Historical Society
The Wisconsin Historical Society is simultaneously a private membership and a state-funded organization whose purpose is to maintain, promote and spread knowledge relating to the history of North America, with an emphasis on the state of Wisconsin and the trans-Allegheny West...
as the only woman to ever become one. She was the daughter of Chief Nenaa'angebi (Beautifying Bird)
Beautifying Bird
Chief Beautifying Bird or Dressing Bird , was a principal chief of the Prairie Rice Lake Band of Lake Superior Chippewas, originally located near Rice Lake, Wisconsin...
and his wife Niigi'o. Aazhawigiizhigokwe was of the Niibinaabe-doodem (Merman Clan), of the Prairie Rice Lake Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
Lake Superior Chippewa
The Lake Superior Chippewa were a historical band of Ojibwe Indians living around Lake Superior in what is now the northern parts of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.-Origins:...
. Her Band became part of the Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians
Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians
The Lac Courte Oreilles Tribe are one of seven federally recognized Wisconsin bands of Ojibwa. The band is based at the Lac Courte Oreilles Indian Reservation, at in northwestern Wisconsin, which surrounds Lac Courte Oreilles...
after the 1854 Treaty of La Pointe
Treaty of La Pointe
The Treaty of La Pointe may refer to either of two treaties made and signed in La Pointe, Wisconsin between the United States and the Ojibwe Native American peoples...
.
According to Morse, Aazhawigiizhigokwe wore war paint
War Paint
War Paint is the title of an album by American country music artist Lorrie Morgan. The album was released via BNA Records in 1994. It contains the singles "My Night to Howl" , "If You Came Back from Heaven" at #51 and "Heart Over Mind" at #39...
, carried full weapons, and took part in battles, raids and hunting parties. She was a full member of the war council, performed war dances, and participated in all warrior ceremonies. Shortly after father's death in 1855, her village was ambushed by her Mdewakanton
Mdewakanton
Mdewakantonwan are one of the sub-tribes of the Isanti Dakota . Their historic home is Mille Lacs Lake in central Minnesota, which in the Dakota language was called mde wakan .As part of the Santee Sioux, their ancestors had migrated from the Southeast of the present-day United States, where the...
uncle, Chief Shák'pí
Chief Shakopee
Chief Shakopee may refer to any of the three Mdewakanton Dakota chiefs who lived in the early 19th century. The name comes from the Dakota Shák'pí meaning "Six".-Shakopee I:...
. In this ambush, she defended her village and killed a son of Chief Shák'pí, her cousin. Armstrong recorded how she was very proud of that period of her life.
Aazhawigiizhigokwe lived near Rice Lake, Wisconsin
Rice Lake, Wisconsin
Rice Lake is a city in Barron County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 8,320. The city is located mostly within the Town of Rice Lake.-Geography:Rice Lake is located at ....
. She became the wife of Edward Dingley in 1857, and had a son. Her husband served in the Union Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
but when assumed dead, she remarried. After the War, when her first husband returned to Wisconsin and heard of his wife's remarriage, they made arrangements to meet with each other and agreed to let her maintain her second marriage. She worked for many years as a housekeeper
Housekeeper
Housekeeper may refer to:* Housekeeper , a woman heading up domestic maintenance* Maid, a female with various domestic duties* Janitor, a person responsible for institutional maintenance* A person engaged in housekeeping...
for a local lumber baron. She died in 1919.