Two Kettles

[ladonna]

Oohenonpa ('two boilings' ). A division of the Teton Sioux, commonly known as Two Kettle Sioux, or Two Kettles; also a subdivision thereof. No mention of it is made by Lewis and Clark, Long, or other earlier explorers. It is stated in a note to De Smet's Letters (1843) that the band was estimated at 800 persons. Culbertson (1850) estimated them at 60 lodges, but gives no locality and says they have no divisions. Gen. Warren (1856) found them much scattered among other bands and numbering about 100 lodges. Gumming (Rep. Ind. Aff. for 1856) places them on the south side of the Missouri. Hayden (1862) says they passed up and down Cheyenne river as far as Cherry creek and Moreau and Grand rivers, not uniting with other bands. Their principal chief then was Matotopa, or Four Bears, a man of moderate capacity but exercising a good influence on his people. They lived entirely on the plains, seldom going to war, and were good hunters and shrewd in their dealings with the traders. They treated with respect white men who came among them as traders or visitors.
They were on the warpath in 1866 at the time of the Ft Phil. Kearney massacre, yet it is not certain that they took an active part in this attack. By treaty made at Ft Sully, Dak., on Oct. 19, 1865, they agreed to cease attacking whites or Indians except in self defense and to settle permanently on designated lands. This treaty was signed on their behalf by chiefs Chatanskah (White Hawk), Shonkahwakkonkedeshkah (Spotted Horse), Mahtotopah (Four Bears), and others, and was faithfully observed by them unless they were in the Sitting Bull uprising of 1876, which is doubtful.
Neither contagion nor war materially reduced the number of the Oohenonpa, which seems to have remained comparatively stationary up to 1887, when it was reported as 642, the last separate official enumeration. They reside on Cheyenne River reservation, South Dakota, with Sihasapa, Miniconjou, and Sans Arcs.
www.accessgenealogy.com/native/tribes/siouan/twokettleindianhist.htm

[kingsleybray]

Two Kettles, by Kingsley M. Bray (expanded from yesterday's posting)

The Two Kettles (Oohe-nompa) were closely associated with the Miniconjou, originally being a sub-band within the Broken Arrow band of the latter division. They did not formally separate from the Broken Arrows until the early 1840's. In 1825 the Broken Arrows were represented at the Atkinson Treaty by two signatories: chief Two Lance, and soldier No Heart. Two Lance, already an active leader in 1790, died in 1833. In 1839 Nicollet located the Broken Arrows along the Belle Fourche, especially Bear Butte. He assigned them 80 lodges, equivalent to 640 people, identifying the chiefs as No Heart and Four Bears. The latter was probably Two Lance's son. There were three basic sub-bands: the Broken Arrow proper, the Two Kettle, and the Eat No Dogs. As late as 1840 S. R. Riggs, visiting Fort Pierre from Minnesota, noted "The Oohenonpa or Shunkayutexni", i.e. Eat No Dogs, at 100 lodges "and commonly range north of the Black-feet." The Sihasapa range is given as Grand River.

About 1840-41 the Broken Arrow band broke up. Two tiyoshpaye, the Broken Arrows proper and the Eat No Dogs, remained part of the Miniconjou tribal organization. Their leading families in the succeeding generation included such famous names as Black Shield, No Heart, and Hump. Part of the band simply dissolved, families joining relatives across the Lakota domain. The third segment formed a newly autonomous band, the Two Kettles. Unlike their parent band, which had an unenviable reputation - "not well looked upon by the other bands of Sioux, being considered rather refractory & ungovernable", according to Atkinson in 1825 - the Two Kettles would create a very different community.

At a time in the 1840s when the first hints of buffalo depletion were apparent, the Two Kettle leadership soon formulated a new strategy. They co-operated closely with traders and official US personnel, settling semi-permanently near such trading posts as Fort George and Fort Pierre. Some groups planted small gardens of corn and beans. E. T. Denig characterised the Two Kettles as thrifty, able hunters who trapped for fine furs and participated only marginally in the expansionist war complex identified with most Tetons.

This response to the gathering resource crisis was approved by many Teton peoples. The proof is in the growth of the division, which grew from 60 lodges in 1850 to peak at ca. 170 just fifteen years later. People must have been marrying in to the group in very significant numbers to create this growth, which far outran the average for the Tetons as a whole.

The first separate notice I can find is that of Andrew Dripps, in his capacity as Upper Missouri agent, who distributed presents to the Two Kettles (at Fort Pierre?) on March 25, 1844 (SDHC 9: 200). Other distributions were to recognized tribal divisions. The Two Kettle goods were receipted for by chiefs Two Soldiers and Four Bears. In August 1845 A. R. Bouis, writing from Fort Pierre, stated that 15 lodges of Two Kettles had taken possession of the abandoned buildings of Fort George. The rest of the band had gone hunting on White River, but had left their baggage at Fort George. (SDHC 12: 206-07.) We know that Four Bears himself took over the buildings. In 1850 Culbertson rated the Two Kettles at 60 lodges, @standard = 420 people, chief Four Bears.

Several tiyospaye are reported for the later 19th Century, including the following noted by Josephine Waggoner:

tiyospaye chiefs and headmen
1. Wanuwaktenula, [Killed Accidentally] Swift Bird
2. Sunka-yutesni, Eat No Dogs Long Mandan I
3. Minisa-la, Red Water Black Spotted Horse
4. Oiglapta, [Take All That Is Left] Four Bears II

The December 1876 Cheyenne River Register lists Two Kettle bands, of which several are "consolidated", indicating either (a) hierarchies of nested or (b) amalgamated tiyospayes. The consolidated bands (with Waggoner attributions added) are as follows:
1. (a) Long Mandan (Eat No Dogs band)
(b) Bear Eagle
(c) Red Tomahawk
(d) Whirlwind

2. (a) Four Bears II (Oiglapta band)
(b) Swift Bird (Killed Accidentally)
(c) Black Spotted Horse (Red Water)

The above indicates that these "consolidated" bands - especially Four Bears' group - are more factions of amalgamated tiyospayes. We know for instance that Killed Accidentally and Eat No Dogs were originally both tiyospaye within the Broken Arrow band. Each one has aligned itself with one of the two leading families (Long Mandan; Four Bears) of the Two Kettles. It is worth noting that according to a statement by Two Lances (Two Kettle headman, 1865) Long Mandan I (born 1804) was originally a Sihasapa who married in to the Two Kettles.

The existence of a Minisa tiyospaye is surprising, representing an offshoot from the Sans Arc parent-band (possibly via the Minisa splinter that rejoined the Sans Arcs in 1845, after a lengthy sojourn among the Brules). Note too that in the December 29, 1876 register (p.160) Black Spotted Horse, headman of the Minisa, has in his lodge another man, Elk Head, who died at the agency about May 1877. The name again ties Black Spotted Horse to the leading family of the Sans Arc Minisa.

Riggs and Dorsey divide the Two Kettles into two bands:
1. Two Kettles proper
2. Mawahota, Skin Smeared with Whitish Earth.

Toksha!

Kingsley

[ladonna]

Thank you Kingsley for all your work ;D

[Dietmar]

Excellent Kingsley!!

The Two Kettles are one of the more neglected tribes in history. I hope I got this right, but these men must be some of the Two Kettle leaders mentioned above:


Long Mandan 1867 by A.Z. Shindler (SIRIS)


Swift Bird aka Flying Bird 1867 by A.Z. Shindler (SIRIS)


Spotted Horse 1867 by A.Z. Shindler (SIRIS)


Four Bears (Joseph) on right with White Swan
Was he the son of the Four Bears mentioned above?

[kingsleybray]

Dietmar, thanks for pulling these pictures together. Yes, they illustrate several of the headmen I named in my piece. What I should also have said is that the Broken Arrow band broke up in 1840 or 1841. The Two Kettle division, newly autonomous, formed one line of descent. Two other tiyoshpaye, the Broken Arrow (Wanhin Wega) and the Eat No Dogs, remained part of the Miniconjou tribal organization. Their leaders in later years included such famous men as Black Shield, No Heart, and Hump. Another part of the old band simply dissolved, joining relatives in tribal circles across the Teton domain - e.g. Oglala, Brule, Sihasapa, Hunkpapa.

Kingsley

[kingsleybray]

Dietmar, Joseph Four Bears is indeed a son of the elder man of the same name. Incidentally, the latter is said by Nicollet to have been given the name by the famous Mandan chief (Mato Tope) - whose name of course also means Four Bears!

I have expanded my entry above, working in some details from the tribal profiles section of my paper on 'Teton Sioux Population History, 1655-1881', Nebraska History, 75: 2 (Summer, 1994).

Kingsley

[Dietmar]

Very good article indeed. Unfortunately Nebraska History says this volume has sold out. Everyone interested should try abebooks.com or another used book seller... I managed to get a copy there some time ago. Good luck!

[Dietmar]

Joseph Four Bears:

The son of Chief Four Bears was born in 1834. According to D. Sprague ("Cheyenne River Sioux") he married the daughter of Chief White Horse. She was probably the wife he had in census records called Amy Four Bears, born 1844. Her Indian name was Wigmaker.
They had a son, Chester Four Bears, who later married Louise Bear Face.

Joseph Four Bears was a member of the Fool Soldier Society that rescued the Shetak captives in 1862.

He died on April 24th, 1909 on Cheyenne River Indian Reservation, Dewey, South Dakota.

[andrew]

Black Spotted Horse from register of December 29, 1876 also named Joseph Black Spotted Horse, or he is another man?
Andrew

[swiftbird659]

I believe the picture from above is of my grt,grt,grt grandfather chief swift bird. I am trying to locate a copy of this photo but have had no luck. Is their anyone who can help me finding this photo? I did not know he also went by fling bird. I am reseaching my family history and would like any information anyone might have on this old chief.

[Dietmar]

Welcome Swift Bird,

you can order a high resolution scan at the Smithsonian Institute. Just put "Zitka Kinyan" in the search box here to find the photo:

siris-archives.si.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?profile=allimg#focus

There´s another portrait of him as a delegate to Washington in 1888, I´ll look for it later.

Best wishes

Dietmar

[swiftbird659]

Dietmar: Thank you very much for the photo location it is the one i have been looking for! I do think it is a photo of my grandfather chief swift bird.I know him as"Zitkalaoranka"and Alex LaChapelle.Cheyenne River Allottee#659,1832-1905.

[Dietmar]

Here is Swift Bird when he was in Washington in 1888, edited from group photos:


Spotted Eagle, Spotted Elk, Swift Bird


Swift Bird

[swiftbird659]

Dietmar, I thank you very much for your help! Swift Bird and Flying Bird are indeed the same person, i did not know that.Shindler's photo of Flying Bird is excelent. Do you know why these Two Kettle Chiefs were in Washington in 1867?and do you know what the ribbon represent's that Swift Bird is wearing pinned to his suit coat in the 1888 group photo?

[Dietmar]

Swift Bird,

I read in Herman Viola´s "Diplomats in Buckskin" (page 70) that Upper Missouri Indian agent J. R. Hanson in 1867 lead a delegation of Yankton, Santee and Upper Missouri Lakota to Washington "to discuss the subject of uniting these groups on one large reservation in Nebraska".
Interestingly Hanson was later criticized that his delegation was lacking some of the more prominent men of his agency, so we could speculate who these men were.

I haven´t found out about the ribbons, but they seem to have been given out to all delegations around the time. Photos of delegations in 1891 show similar ribbons.