St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-09-11
GABRIEL RENVILLE.
An Interesting Sketch Of the
Career of the Dead
Chief.
His Friend and Comrade Pays
s@ss Tribute to the Red Mans
Memory.
Made Chief OF the Sissetons
for His Efficient Aid Of
"a Whites.

He Was a Mighty Hunter
! With Both Rifle and
Arrow.
The following interesting article on
the late Chief Renville is from the pen
of one who of all others is most compe-
tent for the task. and is taken from the
Browns Valley Footprints. Mr.. Brown
has been for many years the companion
and friend of the late chief, and their
lives nave been linked together. as it
we're, for the last twenty-five Cor thirty
years, and what he writes of the chief
may be implicitly relied on.
The death of this noted Indian chief,
the tried and faithful friend of the white
man, which occurred at my residence at
Browns Valley, Aug. 26, 1892, is an
event which should elicit far mora
elaborate notice of his life and character
than can now attempt to present. A
faithful memoir would be little less
than complete history of govern
mental intercourse with the SiSsetOn
Sioux, from period when this part
of the Northwest was comparatively I'M
eXplOred--When the country between the
Mississippi river on the east and the Mis-
souri, on the west was the home and
tramping ground of the nomadic Sioux,
the BedouinS of America, and the wild
buffalo-when his people wore the
blanket, dressed in skins, lived in tepees
and followed the chase as means of
subsistence and clOthing-up to the
present time, for Gabriel Renville
(whose Indian name was Ti-wakan, by
which he was known far and near and
throughout the Seventy-odd thousand
Sioux-speaking people, has figured more
or less cOnsDlcuOusly for period eX-
ceeding the lifetime of generation in
almost every event of Importance af-
fecting both the Indians and the whites
of this region.
The deceased was born on the west
ern shores of Big Stone lake, at the big
bend, in March or April of the year
1928, and therefore was we'll on to three
score years and ten at the time of his
death. He was the son of Victor Rem
vile and nephew of Joseph Renville,
who figured so prominently in the early
days in Minnesota and for whom the
county of Renyille, this state, was
named.
d When Gabriel was about twelve years
old his father, who was on the war
path against the ChippewaS, was killed
and Scalped by those hereditary enc
mics of the Sioux, near the present CITY
of Sank Center. Soon after this event
my father took Gabriel to Chicago for
tile purpose of educating him, and left
him there apparently cOntented, but lie
soon tired of the restraints of school lite
and ''ran away" 1t was here he devel-
nnnd fhaf 6ari,c cnirif ioI, 10
noted in his after life, for as young as he
was, alone and with nothing but roots
and herbs to live on. he travelled across
the trackleSS prairieS of Illinois and
through the dense forests Of Wisconsin
back to his people in Minnesota. dis
lance Of not less than 500 miles. Att
age of about twenty-five he was en-
gagged in the fur trade for Gen. Sibley.
Commodore KitsOn and Mai. Brown,
and was located on the James river near
the present city of Aberdeen In 1858
and 1859 he was government farmer for
the Indians on Big Stone lake and Lake
Traverse. During the latter year he
had several hundred acres of ground
broken for the Indians on what is now
the Beck farm, just north of this city.
At the time of the outbreak OF 1862
Gabriel was a prosperous farmer near
Yellow Medicine agency, few miles
below the present city of Granite Falls.
He has ever been firm friend of the
whites and all earnest and anxious la
bOrer in the cause of civilization among
his people and, owing to these facts, his
property, worth several thousand dol
lars, accumulated by agricultural indus
try, was destroyed by hostile bands.
From the first indication of hostuities
in 1862 he with his stepfather, Jo-
seph Akipa Renville. who died year
OF so ago, and other relatives, among
whom were John B. and Michael Rem.
vile and Maj. Amos and Two Stars.
acted boldly ON the side of the whites.
and did not cease their exertions to
save the whites ana punish the hostile
Indians until peace had been declared.
Those organized for an armed resist
ance to the depredations of the hostile
bands were largely and almost entirely
the chief relatives. During the month of
May. 1865. thirteen Indians who were
OH their way to depredate upon the
whites were killed at different times by
these friendly Indians while acting as
scouts for the protection of the frontier
under the immediate command of Ga
briel Renville, their chief. Through
the influence of himself and relatives
the hostile Indians were prevented
from killing the white captives i'm
their possession, and 1t was these
relatives with whom Gen. Sibley CO.
operated I'm rescuing and restor-
ing those captiveS 10 their friends.
1t was Oh account of Gabriel Renville's
constant and answering friendship for
the whites, the very efficient aid he
rendered Gen. Sibley and his peculiar
fitness otherwise for the position, that
he was made chief of the Sissetons. He
was first appointed by Gen. Sibley in
1862, elected by the Indians in 1854 and
reelected in 1856. He was recognized
by the general government as chief and
appointed by the commissioner of H.
dian affairs in 1867, and elected for life
by the Indians in January. 1854.
Gabriel Renville was great hunter.
He was in his element when on a buffalo
chase. He always rode the fastest horse
and made the best run. l have seen
him on a single chase shoot and kin
sixteen buffalOeS in sixteen shots i'm less
than sixteen minutes. Armed with a
Henry rifie-now known as the Win
7cilester-and mounted on swift horse.
he.took after drove OF about 500 buff
faloes and shot as rapidly as he could
pull the trigger, and at every shot
brought down buffalo, and they were
all choice animals, too. good. fat young
cows. As the robes at that time were
worth from Sl2 to Sl4 apiece this rum
melted Gabriel over $500 The news
papers of the day were filed with
stories of this wonderful feat. and it
was seriously commended that Ga
briel Renville had made the best
rum on record. He was also an expert
with the bow and arrow. | have
seen him kill two buffaloeS with one
}artOw at one shot. One of the buffaloes
was calf running along beside its
mother. The arrow pierced the cow
and struck the calf and both dropped
dead. now have the steel point of that
arrow i'll my possession.
Gabriel Renville never learned to
speak EngliSn. but liz smoke vnnd sound