Although the town of Red Wing, Minnesota is named for its legendary Chief Red Wing, his life story has remained obscure. Evidence, although sketchy, is presented on his birth, tribal background and rise to fame as Great War Chief of his tribe.

The first Europeans known to have reached the Goodhue County region arrived on April 11, 1680. The Europeans met mostly with the Eastern Sioux, a people called Dakota, which means friends, or alliance of friends. The Dakota divided into separate but allied tribal groups, with four—the Mdewakanton, Wahpekute, Wahpeton, and Sisseton – becoming known to the French as the Sioux of the East.

There are very few actual photos of Chief Red Wing, primarily due to the time in which he lived. There are more commonly paintings or artwork depicting his likeness.

This sketch of Chief Red Wing (Tatankamani - Walking Buffalo), Mdewakanton War Chief, was done by Mark Diedrich, after an engraving of Thomas Hughes' Indian Chiefs of Southern Minnesota (Ross and Haines, Mpls., 1969). The likeness in the original engraving is claimed by Hughes to be authentic.

Hodge’s Handbook of American Indians speaks of the name of Red Wing as that “of a succession of chiefs of the former Khemnichan band of Mdewakanton Dakota, residing on the west shore of Lake Pepin Minnesota where the city of Red Wing now stands. At least four chiefs in succession bore the title of Chief Red Wing, each being distinguished by a second name as well. The elder Chief Red Wing is recognized as early as the time of the Pontiac War, 1754-1776. The name was maintained during two succeeding generations, but later disappeared sometime between 1862-65.

The apparent son of the earliest Chief Red Wing, of whom recorded history is more aware, is Tatankamani or Walking Buffalo. Tatankamani, was born around the year 1750 into the Mantanton tribe and was related to the Mdewakanton chief Wabasha I, possibly as his nephew. The Mdewakanton considered (Chief) Red Wing among the greatest of their leaders, valued by his people as one of the most prominent warriors in the nation. He was “famed for foretelling events… a great prognosticator.”

Provided with permission from historical archives of the Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul, Minnesota.

He was also known throughout history as L’Aile Rouge, which was French for Red Wing and later in life took the name Shakea, The Man Who Paints Himself Red. Tatankamani had several village sites along the Mississippi River and ultimately took his more than one hundred followers to the mouth of the Cannon River, north of where Red Wing is today.

As to the origin of his name, the popular story is that it came from the talisman of a red-dyed swan’s wing, which the chief carried. A later missionary to the Red Wing village said that Red Wing “acquired his name from the color of his blanket and the alacrity with which he swept over hill and vale, swamp and stream, to surprise his enemies.”

During the war of 1812 Chief Red Wing moved his village east from the Cannon River to the foot of a river bluff rising 334 feet above the Mississippi. The Mdewakanton called the site Khemnichan (hill, wood, water). More than half a mile long and 300 feet high, the bluff reminded the French of a barn, hence their name for it – La Grange. Chief Red Wing’s village, one of the smaller Mdewakanton communities, contained about ten bark lodges set 20 feet above the waterline on the river’s south bank. The villagers planted and raised corn, fished in the river, and traveled west on buffalo hunts. It was at this location, many of the Euro-American visitors, such as; Captain John Carver, Lieutenant Zebulon Pike, General Clark, Stephen W. Kearny, Governor Cass, Henry Schoolcraft, Italian Count Giocamo Beltrami, and Indian Agent Lawrence Taliaferro (to name but a few) encountered Chief Red Wing and his people. In less than 40 years, Red Wing’s village did become the Goodhue County seat.

In 1815, Chief Red Wing lead a delegation of Mdewakanton and Wahpeton, called the “Sioux of Lakes”, including Iron Cloud and Marching Wind, to sign a treaty with the United States and American delegates led by William Clark and Meriwether Lewis (Lewis and Clark credited for opening the American West).

In 1820, Chief Red Wing now approximately 70 years old, bestowed his name on his only surviving son (although some say nephew or stepson), and thereafter took the name of Shakea, the man that paints himself red. The name of the new successor was Wakute (pronounced Wah coo ta, meaning Shooter). Chief Red Wing died on a hunting trip during the winter of 1829, on March 4^th. His war club was preserved by his band for many years and was greatly respected not only by the whites but his own people and all surrounding nations – even his enemies.

Stephen Kearny’s view of the first formally recognized Chief Red Wing, written after their meeting in 1820, provided a fitting epitaph for the Mdewakanton warrior: “Red Wing was an early example of the self-made American. Not born in a chief’s family, he rose from warrior ranks by sheer force of character to be second only to Wabasha.”

Kinship ties were of great importance to Mdewakanton Dakota culture throughout history, carrying family names and valued history to the next generations. Respect for Mdewakanton Dakota culture today mirrors that of their ancestors of over 200 years ago. Although now referred to as a “Community” instead of a village, members view all individuals of their tribe as close relatives and uphold respect for great warriors and leaders, as did the people led by Chief Red Wing.

Photo provided with permission from historical archives of the Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul, Minnesota.

Diedrich, Mark F. “Red Wing: War Chief of the Mdewakanton Dakota.” 1981. The Minnesota Archaeologist, Vol. 40, No. 1.

Johnson, Frederick L., Goodhue County Minnesota, A Narrative History. Pg 9-50., Goodhue County Historical Society Press; Red Wing, MN 2000

Keating, William. Narrative … Expedition to source of St. Peter’s River. I, Philadelphia. 1824

Hennepin, Louis. Description of Louisiana. Minneapolis, University of Minnesota 1938.

Rasmussen, Christian. History of the City of Red Wing, Minnesota. Privately published. 1933

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