We-Chank-Wash-ta-don-pee
Encyclopedia
We-Chank-Wash-ta-don-pee, or Chaska (died December 26, 1862) was a Native American
of the Dakota
who was executed in a mass hanging near Mankato, Minnesota
in the wake of the Dakota War of 1862
, despite the fact that President Abraham Lincoln
had commuted his death sentence days earlier.
in a "a series of broken peace treaties" were no longer available. Starving tribesmen attacked settlements in Minnesota
, and in response, more than 400 Dakota and “mixed blood” men were detained by Brigadier General Henry Hastings Sibley
. 303 of these men were sentenced to death
, but Lincoln
reversed all but 38 of the death sentences for lack of evidence. Chaska's sentence was one of those commuted, but (because of an apparent case of mistaken identity) he was nevertheless executed.
There has been some dispute over whether or not mistaken identity was in fact to blame for Chaska's execution. University of Oklahoma
history professor and Little Crow
biographer Gary Anderson believes soldiers “just grabbed the wrong guy." According to the New York Times, "We-Chank-Wash-ta-don-pee’s case was No. 3 and not listed in the execution order handwritten by Lincoln. . . . The man he died for was No. 121, identified by Lincoln as Chaskey-don or Chaskey-etay, who had been condemned for murdering a pregnant woman." Others believe the execution was deliberate. During the war
, Chaska had abducted a white woman, Sarah Wakefield, and her children. According to Wakefield, Chaska "kept them from certain death and abuse at the hands of his fellow tribesmen. 'If it had not been for Chaska,' Wakefield said, 'my bones would now be bleaching on the prairie, and my children with Little Crow
.'" For her part, Wakefield "firmly believed that Chaska was executed on purpose, in retaliation for her testimony and in reaction to rumors that she and Chaska were lovers
. General Sibley
, who appointed the tribunal that convicted Chaska, privately referred to him as Wakefield’s 'dusky paramour.'"
. According to the New York Times, the idea of a pardon has received a mixed (though largely positive) response from the Dakota
community:
Former Minnesota Congressman James L. Oberstar said a pardon would be “a grand gesture and one I think our Congressional delegation
should support,” adding that “A wrong should be righted.” Minnesota Senator Al Franken
, who sits on the Committee on Indian Affairs
, has also signalled support for a pardon.
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
of the Dakota
Sioux
The Sioux are Native American and First Nations people in North America. The term can refer to any ethnic group within the Great Sioux Nation or any of the nation's many language dialects...
who was executed in a mass hanging near Mankato, Minnesota
Mankato, Minnesota
Mankato is a city in Blue Earth, Nicollet, and Le Sueur counties in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The population was 39,309 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth largest city in Minnesota outside of the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. The county seat of Blue Earth County, it is located...
in the wake of the Dakota War of 1862
Dakota War of 1862
The Dakota War of 1862, also known as the Sioux Uprising, was an armed conflict between the United States and several bands of the eastern Sioux. It began on August 17, 1862, along the Minnesota River in southwest Minnesota...
, despite the fact that President Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
had commuted his death sentence days earlier.
Background
In the years prior to the Civil War, relations between the Dakota people and white settlers had deteriorated considerably. Once the War began, already scarce resources were further strained, and the supplies promised to the DakotaSioux
The Sioux are Native American and First Nations people in North America. The term can refer to any ethnic group within the Great Sioux Nation or any of the nation's many language dialects...
in a "a series of broken peace treaties" were no longer available. Starving tribesmen attacked settlements in Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, and in response, more than 400 Dakota and “mixed blood” men were detained by Brigadier General Henry Hastings Sibley
Henry Hastings Sibley
Henry Hastings Sibley was the first Governor of the U.S. state of Minnesota.-Early life and education:...
. 303 of these men were sentenced to death
Capital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
, but Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
reversed all but 38 of the death sentences for lack of evidence. Chaska's sentence was one of those commuted, but (because of an apparent case of mistaken identity) he was nevertheless executed.
There has been some dispute over whether or not mistaken identity was in fact to blame for Chaska's execution. University of Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
history professor and Little Crow
Little Crow
The Little Crow is an Australian species of crow, very similar to the Torresian Crow in having white bases to the neck and head feathers but slightly smaller and with a proportionately smaller bill...
biographer Gary Anderson believes soldiers “just grabbed the wrong guy." According to the New York Times, "We-Chank-Wash-ta-don-pee’s case was No. 3 and not listed in the execution order handwritten by Lincoln. . . . The man he died for was No. 121, identified by Lincoln as Chaskey-don or Chaskey-etay, who had been condemned for murdering a pregnant woman." Others believe the execution was deliberate. During the war
Dakota War of 1862
The Dakota War of 1862, also known as the Sioux Uprising, was an armed conflict between the United States and several bands of the eastern Sioux. It began on August 17, 1862, along the Minnesota River in southwest Minnesota...
, Chaska had abducted a white woman, Sarah Wakefield, and her children. According to Wakefield, Chaska "kept them from certain death and abuse at the hands of his fellow tribesmen. 'If it had not been for Chaska,' Wakefield said, 'my bones would now be bleaching on the prairie, and my children with Little Crow
Little Crow
The Little Crow is an Australian species of crow, very similar to the Torresian Crow in having white bases to the neck and head feathers but slightly smaller and with a proportionately smaller bill...
.'" For her part, Wakefield "firmly believed that Chaska was executed on purpose, in retaliation for her testimony and in reaction to rumors that she and Chaska were lovers
Miscegenation
Miscegenation is the mixing of different racial groups through marriage, cohabitation, sexual relations, and procreation....
. General Sibley
Henry Hastings Sibley
Henry Hastings Sibley was the first Governor of the U.S. state of Minnesota.-Early life and education:...
, who appointed the tribunal that convicted Chaska, privately referred to him as Wakefield’s 'dusky paramour.'"
Calls for a pardon
As the 150th anniversary of the execution approaches, a move has begun to award Chaska a posthumous pardonPardon
Clemency means the forgiveness of a crime or the cancellation of the penalty associated with it. It is a general concept that encompasses several related procedures: pardoning, commutation, remission and reprieves...
. According to the New York Times, the idea of a pardon has received a mixed (though largely positive) response from the Dakota
Sioux
The Sioux are Native American and First Nations people in North America. The term can refer to any ethnic group within the Great Sioux Nation or any of the nation's many language dialects...
community:
"Wayne Wells, a Dakota language teacher on the nearby Prairie Island reservationPrairie Island Indian CommunityPrairie Island Indian Community is a Mdewakanton Sioux Indian reservation in Goodhue County, Minnesota, along the Mississippi River, in and around the city of Red Wing. It was created in 1889, with boundaries modified after that time. Much of the reservation land was lost following construction of...
, said there would be a range of response to a pardon just for Chaska. Many Dakota, he said, 'consider all of them to be innocent martyrs — people who stood up and died for us.”
However, Leonard Wabasha, a local Dakota leader, said a federal pardon for Chaska would 'shine a light.'
'It would cause people to read and research into it a little deeper,' Mr. Wabasha said. 'It would be a step in the right direction.'"
Former Minnesota Congressman James L. Oberstar said a pardon would be “a grand gesture and one I think our Congressional delegation
United States Congressional Delegations from Minnesota
These are tables of congressional delegations from Minnesota to the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives. Minnesota became a state on May 11, 1858.-United States Senate:- Delegates from Minnesota Territory :...
should support,” adding that “A wrong should be righted.” Minnesota Senator Al Franken
Al Franken
Alan Stuart "Al" Franken is the junior United States Senator from Minnesota. He is a member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, which affiliates with the national Democratic Party....
, who sits on the Committee on Indian Affairs
United States Senate Committee on Indian Affairs
The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs is a committee of the United States Senate charged with oversight in matters related to the American Indian, Native Hawaiian, and Alaska Native peoples. A Committee on Indian Affairs existed from 1820 to 1947, after which it was folded into the Committee on...
, has also signalled support for a pardon.