Wonder Woman of the Week: Hanging Cloud
This week's Wonder Woman was the first and only known woman warrior of the Ojibwe Peoples- a group of Indigenous Americans native the the lands north and west of the Great Lakes. Hanging Cloud- known in her language as Aazhawigiizhigokwe (meaning Goes Across the Sky Woman) and Ashwiyaa (Arms Oneself) was the daughter of Beautifying Bird- chief of the Prairie Rice Lake Band of the Lake Superior Chippewa and the niece of Shakopee- chief of the Mdewakantan Isante Dakota. There is little known about Hanging Cloud's childhood, but there must have been tremendous turmoil between her father and her uncle because Beautifying Bird raised Hanging Cloud to be a warrior. Hanging Cloud was the only Ojibwe woman to serve on a war council, only Ojibwe woman to dawn the warpaint of an ogichidaakwe (professional soldier), and saw combat when war broke out between her father and uncle.
As the United States continued to settle more and more of what at the time was considered the northwest frontier of the country, violence between indigenous populations escalated. War broke out between Hanging Cloud's father and uncle in the 1850's. Following the death of Chief Beautifying Bird in 1855, Chief Shakopee launched a surprise ambush of Hanging Cloud and her fellow warriors. During the battle, Hanging Cloud killed her own cousin to defend her fellow warriors and almost singlehandedly won the battle. After the 1850's, Shakopee's people withdrew west of the Mississippi River, and Hanging Cloud retired from warfare. She married several times- each time to white men- but none remained loyal. White white biographers often describe Hanging Cloud as a woman proud of her combat history, in reality she likely was the victim of her own actions. US colonization of North America causes infighting among indigenous populations for decades- and caused the conflict that led to Hanging Cloud killing her own cousin in battle against her uncle. Regardless, Hanging Cloud was a courageous warrior, tactful military leader, and charismatic historical figure of Ojibwe history.
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