Kechewaishke (Great Buffalo) | |
|---|---|
 Photo courtesy of the Wisconsin Historical Society | |
| Born | c.1759 |
| Died | September 7, 1855 La Pointe |
| Nationality | Ojibwe |
| Other names | Bizhiki (Buffalo) |
Chief Buffalo (Ojibwe: Ke-che-waish-ke/Gichi-weshkiinh – "Great-renewer" or Peezhickee/Bizhiki – "Buffalo"; also French, Le Boeuf) (1759? – September 7, 1855) was a major Ojibwa leader, born at La Pointe in Lake Superior's Apostle Islands, in what is now northern Wisconsin, USA.
Recognized as the principal chief of the Lake Superior Chippewa (Ojibwa)[1] for nearly a half-century until his death in 1855, he led his nation into a treaty relationship with the United States Government. He signed treaties in 1825, 1826, 1837, 1842, 1847, and 1854. He was instrumental in resisting the United States' efforts to remove the Ojibwa to western areas and secured permanent Indian reservations for his people near Lake Superior in what is now Wisconsin.
- ^ Although the original term Ojibwe, also spelled as "Ojibwa," is now preferred to its English corruption "Chippewa," Chippewa has historically been the dominant English usage in the United States, was used in treaties with the United States, and remains part of the official name of many tribal groups: Lake Superior Chippewa, Red Cliff Chippewa, etc.