Gabriel Eenvi¡ · Big Stone Lake, A Sisseton, he was the son of Victor Ren-ville, a French-Sisseton trader, and Winona Crawford, who was a descendant of both the Red Wing chief Walk-ing

Gabriel Eenvi¡

Copyright © 1980 by the South Dakota State Historical Society. All Rights Reserved.

Dakota ImagesGabriel Renville, for many years a head chief of the

Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux, was born in the spring of 1824or 1825 at Sweet Corn's Village on the western shores ofBig Stone Lake, A Sisseton, he was the son of Victor Ren-ville, a French-Sisseton trader, and Winona Crawford,who was a descendant of both the Red Wing chief Walk-ing Buffalo and Captain Crawford of the British Army.

By his own account, Renville was at the YellowMedicine Agency near Granite Falls, Minnesota, whenthe trouble began at the Lower Agency in 1862. He andhis followers subsequently aided the escape of theprisoners held by Little Crow and kept General HenrySibley's army informed of the movements of the hostileMdewakanton. Little Crow's warriors destroyed theproperty and farms of Renville and his followers, and theSioux reserve was broken up with all lands confiscated bythe army. Renville's people found themselves with "nolands, no homes, no means of support." Renville, alwaysresourceful, suggested to Sibley the possibility of a troopof Indian scouts for his 1863 expedition against thehostile Sioux, and Sibley agreed, Renville served withSibley as chief of scouts from 1863 to 1865,

In 1866, the War Department appointed Renville headchief of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Tribe, and the followingyear, he, and twenty-two others, signed the treaty thatestablished the Lake Traverse Reservation, Renvillethen settled on the reservation, where he farmed andacted as chief of scouts at Fort Wadsworth (Fort Sissetonafter 1876), Wben the tribe organized its tribal govern-ment in 1884, Renville was elected by his people as headchief of the Lake Traverse Reservation for life, a positionhe filled with distinction until his death on 26 August1892.

Renville firmly believed his people needed to learnfarming and he was a diligent farmer himself, but he alsoretained the traditional marriage customs and religiouspractices of the Sioux, As a result, he frequently clashedwith Indian agents and missionaries who were unable torecognize his progressive influence because of his"heathen" customs. His death in 1892 resulted in the lossof a great leader to tbe Sisseton-Wahpeton Tribe as itentered yet another difficult transition phase brougbt onby allotment and white settlement of the reservation.Non-Indians mourned his death as well, and bishops,generals, and congressmen eulogized him for his greatmental force and integrity.


Copyright of South Dakota History is the property of South Dakota State Historical Society and its content may

not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written

permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.


depr36009a

Typewritten Text

All illustrations in this issue are the property of the South Dakota State Historical Society except those on the following pages: back cover and pp. 281, 284, from the Karl Mundt Library, Dakota State College, Madison (back cover and p. 284 are reprinted with permission of the Washington Star); p. 303, from the W. H. Over Museum, Vermillion; p. 306, from O. H. Holt, comp., Dakota: “Behold I Show You a Delightsome Land” (Chicago: Rand, McNally & Co., 1885) and Big Crops Raised on Dakota Irrigated Lands: Good Soil, Good Water, Good People (Milwaukee: Milwaukee & St. Paul R’y, ca. 1890); pp.313, 316, 321, 325, and 332, from the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.; p. 366, from the Historical Preservation Center, Vermillion; pp. 368 and 369, from the Agricultural Heritage Center and South Dakota State University, Brookings.

Documents

Gabriel Eenvi¡ · Big Stone Lake, A Sisseton, he was the son of Victor Ren-ville, a French-Sisseton trader, and Winona Crawford, who was a descendant of both the Red Wing chief Walk-ing