War Eagle (Dakota Leader)

War Eagle (Dakota: Waŋbdí Okíčhize; c. 1785 - Autumn 1851) was a Dakota-born tribal chief of the Yankton Sioux Tribe.

Little is known of War Eagle's early life in regard to his birthplace and the dating of his birth, however historians estimate that he was born around 1785 in present-day Minnesota or Wisconsin.

Two of his daughters, Dawn and Blazing Cloud, married Theophile Bruguier, a trader with the American Fur Company who had also been accepted into the Yankton tribe and had traveled with them for several years.

Sometime during autumn in 1851, War Eagle died and was buried on top of the high bluff overlooking the confluence of the Big Sioux and Missouri.

A monument was constructed in his honor with a steel statue depicting him with the eagle feather bonnet and ceremonial pipe, symbolizing his brave leadership and his commitment to peace.