Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1922-02-23
Ah-ho-cho-ka, An
Indian Chieftair,
Paper Prepared by Dr. F. D. HuIbmt Of Reedsbmg and
Read Before the Sank County Historical Society, February
49, 1922

nebagOS are Dranch or the SlOudI
4 family of Indians, and originally oc-
u cupied the territory around Green Bay
the western shore of Lake Michigan
and in the valleys of the Fox and Wis
consin rivers and their tributaries
i In 1910 they were driven from the
latter lake shore westward by the
/ Illinois, which tribe had waged bit
ter warfare against them for many
years. In addition to their linguistic
connection the Winnebagos were mark
| ed by similarity of character and hab-
its. They lived nomadic life in the
! dense woods and often shifted their
abodes to escape from warning tribes
| or removed to other localities where
game was more plentiful. They were
! fond of decorating their persons with
paint and other ornaments, generally
extracted their scantty boards, and had
the typical long, straight coarse, glossy
black hair. Their eyes were small,
black, somewhat deep set, and always
horizontal; with eyebrows narrow, very
arched and black The language Of the
| Winnebago is distinctive, and like other
dialects of the American Indian is
! polysynthetic. The women are usu-
ally of stout build and are expected to
perform all ordinary labor done about
| the camp.
When white men first visited terri
tory now included in Wisconsin, the
principal village of the Winnebago was
at the north end of Lake Winnebago.
Later they split up into bands, with
sub-chiefs, which made their head
quarters at various points in the do
main of the tribe. Among those in
Ah-ho-cho-ka's band were the Decor
| abs.
These children of the wilderness ap-
pear to have believed in monsters
witches and the like, and to have been
suspicious in regard to their dreams.
The sun thunder and the wind were
their principal divinites, towards which
they entertained feelings of reverence
and awe. They also believed that the
objects about them-both animate and
inanimate-were possessed by spirits.
and offerings were often made to gain
their good will and assistance. The
wild animals of the woods and waters
were their relatives and guardian spir
its.
The marriage custom with the Win
nebago was not complicated. Presents
to the parents of the maiden desired,
by either the parents of the man or
by the man himself, if accepted, was
all that was required to secure the
bride. However much the girl disliked
the young man, she considered it her
bounden duty to go and at least try
to live with him. Divorce was easy
among them. There were no laws COM
polling them to live together. Some
times there we're marriages for a speci-
fed time, say for few months or
year. So long as the union existed it
was deemed sacred, and there were
few instances of infdelity. In some
instances buck would have two wives,
who lived apparently on equal terms.
With all the ease Of divorce Indian
couples usually remained true to each
other for life.
Ah-ho-cho-ka had two wives, but
did not take the second wife until the
first one was old and infirm. The name
of the first squaw ------, the second
suuaw
The ehieftain on once being asked
by a white woman why he took on
the second wife, replied: -"First squaw
too old. had to get young squaw to
take care of old one, and do the work"
The first wife finally died leaving
him with only the young sQuaw, whom
he likewise survived, and at the time
of his death he was widower.
The demise of Ah-ho-cho-ka mark
ed the passing of the Winnebago as
an organized band. The death rate
among them exceeded the birth rate.
They had already become greatly re-
duced in numbers Some of his pro-
geny and other decendents of his
old time followers yet remain, but the
band is scattered and disorganized.
They no longer have chief to advise,
counsel and direct. Some Of them are
new living near Tomah, others make
their homes near Mauston, at Black
River Falls, Valley Junction, and
other points in the northern part OF
our state. Usually every year, as II
to take one long lingering look at
| their former dwelling place, a family
or two retiern to ,Reedsburg and
again put up their lodges on or near
! their old time home-site and camping
/ ground here, but they do not long re-
main. They are yet our neighbors