Shaynowishkung

Shaynowishkung. He Who Rattles . Chief Bemidji. , Shaynowishkung was born about 1834 near Inger, Minnesota. He Who Rattles is the English translation of his Ojibwemowin name. As a young man, he hunted and harvested throughout this area, which had been a village site, gathering place and thoroughfare for thousands of years. , In 1860, he and Gaagige-aanakwadookwe, Forever Cloud Woman, were married. When she died in 1882, he moved with his children and other families to the south shore of Bemijigamaag (Lake Bemidji). This Ojibwe place name describes the way the Mississippi River flows crosswise through the lake. As a respected elder in his 50s, Shaynowishkung was present as white settlers moved to this area in 1888. Accounts in newspapers later referred to him as Chief Bemidji. , He had been living at his home on the lake for over a decade when the Great Northern Railroad surveyed a route directly through his property. To keep his land, he tried to secure an allotment and even offered to relinquish his tribal affiliation in order to claim a homestead, all to no avail. In 1900 Shaynowishkung and the people of his village were removed to the Cass Lake (Leech Lake) Reservation. Three years later his home was razed to make room for the mill yards of the Crookston Lumber Co. , In 1904, at age 70, Shaynowishkung died of pneumonia at his allotment northwest of Kitchi Lake. Hundreds came to Bemidji to honor him. Flags were flown at half-mast and businesses were closed. The funeral was one of the largest, most impressive events ever held in the city at that time. , His body lay in state at City Hall until a large procession, including the City Council and several civic societies, marched to Greenwood Cemetery where he was buried with honors (Bemidji Pioneer, 1904). There are conflicting accounts of Shaynowishkung’s burial site; some suggest he was buried in the Mission area near Cass Lake. , Dedicated June 6, 2015 , Artist: Gareth Curtiss . Commissioned by the City of Bemidji , The Statue Committee included six of Shaynowishkung’s descendants whose participation was invaluable.