Inkpaduta
Encyclopedia
Inkpaduta (about 1797 – 1881 or 1882) was a war chief of the Santee Sioux
during the 1857 Spirit Lake Massacre
and the 1862 Dakota War
against the United States Army
in Minnesota
and the Dakota Territory
.
shortly before the turn of the 19th century, the son of chief Wamdisapa. As a child he contracted smallpox
, which killed several of his relatives and family members. The disease left him badly scarred for life. After his father was later murdered in a tribal dispute, the band moved to Iowa
, near present day Fort Dodge
.
In the late winter of 1857, which was severe, Inkpaduta led his starving band into Iowa, where on March 8, he launched a series of raids on white settlers in the Spirit Lake area, in which a total of 38 people were killed. The European Americans called this the Spirit Lake Massacre
. His warriors took four young women captive; three were married and Abbie Gardner
was age 14. Although chased by a civilian corps from Fort Ridgely
in Minnesota, Inkpaduta and his band evaded capture. They killed two of the women along the way (possibly because they could not keep up), and released the third relatively quickly. The following summer in 1858, the US succeeded in negotiating the ransom of the girl Abbie Gardner
, who was returned to Spirit Lake. She later became known for her memoir about the events and her captivity, published in 1888 to great success, with repeated editions and two reprintings by the early twentieth century.
In 1862, during the American Civil War
, Inkpaduta participated in a series of uprisings in the Minnesota territory. The Army sent in forces under Brig. Gen.
Henry Hastings Sibley
, who defeated the Indians in a series of battles. Inkpaduta's forces finally withdrew, and the chief migrated with survivors westward onto the Great Plains
. He eventually fell in with the Lakotas and became friends with Sitting Bull
. He fought with the Lakota in the Battle of Little Bighorn against George Armstrong Custer
.
When Sitting Bull and his followers fled to Canada following the battle, Inkpaduta accompanied them. He died in Manitoba
in 1881.
Sioux
The Sioux are Native American and First Nations people in North America. The term can refer to any ethnic group within the Great Sioux Nation or any of the nation's many language dialects...
during the 1857 Spirit Lake Massacre
Spirit Lake Massacre
The Spirit Lake Massacre was an attack by a Wahpetuke band of Santee Sioux on scattered Iowa frontier settlements during a severe winter. Suffering a shortage of food, the renegade chief Inkpaduta led 14 Sioux against the settlements near Okoboji and Spirit lakes in the northwestern territory of...
and the 1862 Dakota War
Dakota War of 1862
The Dakota War of 1862, also known as the Sioux Uprising, was an armed conflict between the United States and several bands of the eastern Sioux. It began on August 17, 1862, along the Minnesota River in southwest Minnesota...
against the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
in Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
and the Dakota Territory
Dakota Territory
The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of North and South Dakota.The Dakota Territory consisted of...
.
Early life
Inkpaduta was born in what later became the Dakota TerritoryDakota Territory
The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of North and South Dakota.The Dakota Territory consisted of...
shortly before the turn of the 19th century, the son of chief Wamdisapa. As a child he contracted smallpox
Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
, which killed several of his relatives and family members. The disease left him badly scarred for life. After his father was later murdered in a tribal dispute, the band moved to Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
, near present day Fort Dodge
Fort Dodge, Iowa
Fort Dodge is a city and county seat of Webster County, Iowa, United States, along the Des Moines River. The population was 25,206 in the 2010 census, an increase from 25,136 in the 2000 census. Fort Dodge is a major commercial center for North Central and Northwest Iowa. It is located on U.S...
.
Career
Inkpaduta and his band were not included in the treaty negotiations in 1851 that transferred the land in northwestern Iowa to the United States. They refused to recognize the treaty restrictions. In 1852, a drunken white whiskey trader killed the new chief (Inkpaduta's older brother) and nine of his family; and Inkpaduta succeeded his brother as chief. He told the U.S. Army of the murders, but little was done to bring the killer, Henry Lott, to justice. The local prosecuting attorney nailed the dead chief's head to a pole over his house.In the late winter of 1857, which was severe, Inkpaduta led his starving band into Iowa, where on March 8, he launched a series of raids on white settlers in the Spirit Lake area, in which a total of 38 people were killed. The European Americans called this the Spirit Lake Massacre
Spirit Lake Massacre
The Spirit Lake Massacre was an attack by a Wahpetuke band of Santee Sioux on scattered Iowa frontier settlements during a severe winter. Suffering a shortage of food, the renegade chief Inkpaduta led 14 Sioux against the settlements near Okoboji and Spirit lakes in the northwestern territory of...
. His warriors took four young women captive; three were married and Abbie Gardner
Spirit Lake Massacre
The Spirit Lake Massacre was an attack by a Wahpetuke band of Santee Sioux on scattered Iowa frontier settlements during a severe winter. Suffering a shortage of food, the renegade chief Inkpaduta led 14 Sioux against the settlements near Okoboji and Spirit lakes in the northwestern territory of...
was age 14. Although chased by a civilian corps from Fort Ridgely
Fort Ridgely
Fort Ridgely was a United States Army outpost near the Dakota reservation in southwestern Minnesota . Built between 1853–1855, it played an important role in the Dakota War of 1862...
in Minnesota, Inkpaduta and his band evaded capture. They killed two of the women along the way (possibly because they could not keep up), and released the third relatively quickly. The following summer in 1858, the US succeeded in negotiating the ransom of the girl Abbie Gardner
Spirit Lake Massacre
The Spirit Lake Massacre was an attack by a Wahpetuke band of Santee Sioux on scattered Iowa frontier settlements during a severe winter. Suffering a shortage of food, the renegade chief Inkpaduta led 14 Sioux against the settlements near Okoboji and Spirit lakes in the northwestern territory of...
, who was returned to Spirit Lake. She later became known for her memoir about the events and her captivity, published in 1888 to great success, with repeated editions and two reprintings by the early twentieth century.
In 1862, 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...
, Inkpaduta participated in a series of uprisings in the Minnesota territory. The Army sent in forces under Brig. Gen.
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
Henry Hastings Sibley
Henry Hastings Sibley
Henry Hastings Sibley was the first Governor of the U.S. state of Minnesota.-Early life and education:...
, who defeated the Indians in a series of battles. Inkpaduta's forces finally withdrew, and the chief migrated with survivors westward onto the Great Plains
Great Plains
The Great Plains are a broad expanse of flat land, much of it covered in prairie, steppe and grassland, which lies west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada. This area covers parts of the U.S...
. He eventually fell in with the Lakotas and became friends with Sitting Bull
Sitting Bull
Sitting Bull Sitting Bull Sitting Bull (Lakota: Tȟatȟáŋka Íyotake (in Standard Lakota Orthography), also nicknamed Slon-he or "Slow"; (c. 1831 – December 15, 1890) was a Hunkpapa Lakota Sioux holy man who led his people as a tribal chief during years of resistance to United States government policies...
. He fought with the Lakota in the Battle of Little Bighorn against George Armstrong Custer
George Armstrong Custer
George Armstrong Custer was a United States Army officer and cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the Indian Wars. Raised in Michigan and Ohio, Custer was admitted to West Point in 1858, where he graduated last in his class...
.
When Sitting Bull and his followers fled to Canada following the battle, Inkpaduta accompanied them. He died in Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
in 1881.