Winnebago Scouts

Little Priest's own name was Hųk Xų́nųga: hųk means chief first and priest only second, and xųnų means small or young. His last fight among the Hocąk (Ho-Chunk) comes down in two tellings. Captain John Harrison's, in Paul Radin's Winnebago notebooks, has him ride out alone one spring day to fight the entire day, shot in the breast and below the navel at a large stone, then healed in four days by a grizzly bear ceremony. Norton Jipson's 1923 history puts the fight on the Powder River in March, against thirty-two Sioux, and says Little Priest died soon after.

What the plaque says

Winnebago Scouts In 1863, the Winnebago Indians were moved from their home in Minnesota to a barren reservation in Dakota Territory. Groups of Winnebago soon moved down the Missouri River to the Omaha Reservation in Nebraska. In March, 1865, the Winnebago used their own funds to purchase land from the Omaha. That land is now the Winnebago Reservation. In early 1865, about 75 members of the Winnebago Tribe enlisted in the Nebraska Volunteers. Known as Company "A", Omaha Scouts, the unit took an active part in quelling the Indian uprisings of 1865 and 1866. This army service exemplified the Winnebago's desire for peace and good relationships between the Indians and the white settlers. In the summer of 1866, upon the return of the Winnebago veterans, a homecoming festival was held. Shortly thereafter, Chief Little Priest died of wounds received in army service. An annual memorial celebration is held in remembrance of his sacrifice. The year following his death, Little Priest's service flag was raised as a symbol of the tribe's allegiance to their country. This ceremony remains an important part of each celebration. Later the gatherings became known as the Annual Pow-wow. To the honor of these brave and noble forebears with their rare wisdom and foresight, do we, the remanents of once a proud nation, dedicate this marker. The Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska Historical Land Mark Council

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Blackbird Scenic Overlook — 11 mi
  A pull-off on US-75 at Macy on the Umóⁿhoⁿ reservation, looking over the Missouri valley toward the hill where Wazhiⁿga' sabe, Blackbird, was buried after the smallpox of 1800.
• Ponca State Park — 27 mi
  Oak ravines and bluffs at the downstream end of the Missouri's last unchannelized reach in Nebraska, with a three-state overlook and the river's resource and education center.

More markers nearby

• Combs School, Built 1857 - Closed 1964 — 3.5 mi
• Susan LaFlesche Picotte Memorial Hospital — 6.5 mi
• Susan LaFlesche Picotte Memorial Hospital — 6.6 mi
• Tonwantonga — 7.5 mi