White Cap/Whitecap/White Warbonnet (Wapahaska) (born?; died of tuberculosis in 1889)
White Cap - by Otto Buell, around the time of his trial in 1885
Following the Dakota uprising in Minnesota in 1862, Whitecap (Wapahaska) was one of several Santee leaders, including the elder Standing Buffalo, who took their people, largely Shooters at Trees Sissetons in his case, to Canada along the Souris River, initially living in the Fort Ellice and Fort Qu’Appelle areas, living peacefully alongside those traditional enemies of the Sioux, the Assiniboin, then in the early 1870s, moving south of Moose Mountains in present day southeast Saskatchewan and mixing with the Yankton and Yanktonais who frequented that area and hunting both sides of the Canadian/US border.
Little Crow (left) and White Cap, drawn form life by Sydney Prior Hall, 1881.
The elder Standing Buffalo, by Whitney, 1858?
Or is this the elder Standing Buffalo, circa 1860?
The Canadian government fearing that a united Sioux effort would halt settlement of the prairies, tried to induce White Cap and young Standing Buffalo (his father having been killed riding alone and unarmed against a party of Gros Ventre - presumably Atsina in this case - and Assiniboine in 1871) to move to Manitoba; although they visited Winnipeg in July 1873, they were not persuaded and wanted to continue the hunting life with their Métis allies. However, they were concerned when the government began to negotiate Treaty Number Four with the Cree, Assiniboine and Ojibwa and wanted to know if they could continue to live under British protection. Eventually, they were allowed to select reserves, as long as they were not to near the border in case they were used as a refuge for ‘American’ Sioux.
The younger Standing Buffalo, drawn from life by Sydney Prior Hall at Fort Qu'Appelle, 18 August, 1881
In 1876, Standing Buffalo chose land along the Qu’Appelle valley and the government, not recognising that there were two distinct bands, agreed that the Sioux could live there; it was 1879 before White Cap was granted a reserve along the South Saskatchewan River – and only after he lived in the region for a year after leading his people away from Qu’Appelle.
Another photo of White Cap taken during his captivity, 1885
White Cap's band and their captors, from the Illustrated War News, 1885
His band initially continued to live the traditional lifestyle and when the buffalo herds disappeared, they settled at Moose Woods in 1881, the present site of the Whitecap Indian Reserve, where they farmed and worked as wage labourers in Prince Albert and the surrounding area; indeed, their relations with the local whites were so good that White Cap is credited with helping John Lake set up his agricultural and temperance colony which eventually became Saskatoon. He is also recognised for protecting the young community by securing the Métis’ promise not to attack in return for his joining them at Batoche. To this day, he is remembered as the “father” of Saskatoon and White Cap Park is named after him.
Hans Holtkamp's 2008 sculpture of White Cap and John Lake's 1882 meeting at present-day River Landing, Saskatoon
Two years before the Riel Rebellion, a friendly White Cap poses with some whites on his reserve. Another source suggests this was actually taken in 1885 and was reproduced as an engraving in the Illustrated War News and represents him pledging his friendship to his white neighbours:
White Cap was unwillingly swept into the 1885 Resistance and following Riel’s surrender, he was tried for treason-felony at Regina. His presence was noted as a member of the Métis council at Batoche and one witness saw him with a gun in the rifle pits, although the defence counsel questioned how easy it would have been to pick one man out of close to 150 fellow Indians in the heat of battle. He later claimed to have fled and one witness, Doctor Gerald Willoughby, testified that he had met the Santee leader at this time and he had complained that he had been forced to attend the Métis council under duress (although George Woodcock, in his book on Gabriel Dumont, gives the impression that White Cap could not be persuaded to turn back by the 'Orangemen' of Saskatoon).
A rather fanciful depiction of the meeting between White Cap and Gabriel Dumont
White Cap and his family at Original Humboldt where he was a prisoner of war. He is seated at the centre, front; his son, Black Bird, stands at the left; taken during the period of their captivity, 1885
Three of White Cap's band captured by Captain French of the NWMP, sketch by F W Curzon, Illustrated War News, 1885
He was acquitted after 15 minutes, unlike Cree leaders Poundmaker and Big Bear who had actually refused to participate yet were imprisoned. The conclusion could drawn that the Canadian government were more interested in using these trials as an opportunity to break the power of the Cree chiefs who had continually presented an influential and united front in terms of treaty demands.
White Cap in his village, 1885
After the rebellion, White Cap’s people made their way back to the reserve and switched to raising cattle. Gradually, they developed one of the largest and most efficient slaughter and breeding-stock herds in the district, and expanded to include dairy cattle and draught horses. When the price of cattle fell in 1905, they opened possibly the first commercial feedlot in Canada, wintering cattle on consignment for settlers, and finishing slaughter animals for meat buyers and packers. After World War Two, they were unable to remain competitive in this area and many sought employment away from the reserve.
Lloyd Pinay's 2006 statue of White Cap, in Whitecap Park, Saskatoon; he holds an eagle fan to symbolise peace, a rifle as a symbol of war, and a medal that represents the Dakotas' loyalty to the Crown in past conflicts
This was compiled from various sources, including Sidney L. Harring's White Man's Law; David G. McCrady's Living with Strangers; James Howard's The Canadian Sioux;
209.85.229.132/search?q=cache:TeAULtplK68J:www.riverlanding.ca/project_update/phase1/third_ave_roundabout/call_for_submission.doc+white+cap+sioux&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=29&gl=uk; George Woodcock's Gabriel Dumont; The Star Phoenix (http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix/news/story.html?id=ada635df-155c-4ce1-952f-c3711cf5439f);
www.meewasin.com/news_and_events/news/archive/?article_id=77&back=%2Fnews_and_events%2Fnews%2Farchive%2F; esask.uregina.ca/entry/whitecap_dakota_first_nation.html
