Waanįk Šuuc and Wekau
Painted by Charles Bird King
Indigenous Peoples' Day
October 13, 2025
In 1820, Galena and the surrounding area were home to Indigenous American nations. It is believed that the Ho Chunk (aka Winnebago) were in this area for thousands of years, and in 17th and 18th century it appears that several other nations co-mingled as the expansion of the United States pushed Indigenous nations west. These included the Sauk and Fox (aka Meskwaki).
Waanįk Šuuc, known to us as "Red Bird," was a Ho Chunk leader who resisted the white incursion into Wisconsin. He was eventually surrounded and surrendered, expecting to be honorably executed. Instead he died imprisoned at Prairie Du Chien, Wisconsin, in 1828.
This painting depicts the 1827 surrender of Waanįk Šuuc and Wekau, painted by Charles Bird King.