Ongpatonga, nicknamed the “big elk” was the chief of the Omaha tribe which was primarily located near the junction of the Ohio and Wabash rivers, near present day Cincinnati, Ohio. Big Elk earned a reputation as a warrior when he was very young, primarily in skirmishes against the Pawnee tribe. Big Elk, who had gained a reputation for fairness in making decisions, became the principal chief of the Omaha tribe. Afterward, the Euro-Americans began to pass through Omaha Territory. In 1821 and 1837, he traveled to Washington, D.C., to negotiate treaties and became a spellbinding orator. He continued to lead the Omaha Indians until he died of fever in 1846. He was buried in Bellevue, Nebraska at Elk Hill, but to the Omaha, called Onpontonga Xiathon, meaning “the Place Where Big Elk Is Buried.
Just finding …Big Elk was my fourth great grandfather
That is so fascinating! Would you care to share more information, Dawn?
u have his blood run through you. make ur ancestors proud
I’ve been studying Omaha Tribal history and this little tid-bit is great, thank you. I do have a question, what year did Onpatonga give his famous speech to his people after a trip to Washington DC? Its the one that starts, “My chiefs, braves, and young men, I have just returned from a visit to a far-off country toward the rising sun. …”