Hole-in-the-Day (1825–1868) was a prominent chief of the Mississippi band of Ojibwe/Chippewa/Anishinaabe in Minnesota. The native pronunciation has been written with different spellings due different speakers variance in their enunciation, such as Bagone-giizhig, Bagwunagijik, Bug-o-nay-ki-shig, Pugonakeshig or Puk-O-Nay-Keshig. Hole-in-the-Day has also been called Hole-in-the-Sky. The name refers to a dream in which the guardian spirit was seen through an opening in the clouds. It also refers to the Anishinaabek name for the constellation of the same name, also known as the Pleiades.
Biography
In 1847 Hole-in-the-Day succeeded his father, Hole in the Day (senior), as head chief of the Mississippi Band of the Ojibwe in central Minnesota. His father was a member of the Noka(bear) clan and that passed to him. Like his father, Hole-in-the-Day participated in skirmishes against the Dakota, and was prominent in negotiations with the Dakota people and with the U.S. Government. Hole-in-the-Day strove to be considered the head chief of all Minnesota Ojibwe. Many government officials actually did consider him to be head chief in Minnesota. This was due to his endeavoring to be involved in most, if not all, important negotiations and dealings between the Minnesota Ojibwe/Chippewa and the U.S. government, and that he presented himself in an articulate and amiable manner. However, many Chippewa leaders in Minnesota did not recognize him as their head chief.
Personal life
Hole-in-the-Day had several wives. Some accounts number them as many as eight Other sources number his wives as a total of five. What is agreed on though is that one of his wives was a Roman Catholic Irish-American "white" woman named Ellen McCarthy. They began cohabitating after meeting on his journey to the eastern United States, where she worked as a hotel maid and may also have worked as a journalist. She is described as "Irish" but whether this means she was born in Ireland, or only that this was where her ancestors came from is unclear. Some sources give his name as Joseph Hole-in-the-Day. He was considering becoming a Catholic at the time of his death, but had not been baptized.
1862 Dakota War
Very early in the Dakota War of 1862, Hole-in-the-Day spoke out in favor of joining forces with the Mdewakanton to drive European settlers from Minnesota. His threats to attack Fort Ripley were taken as serious. To encourage other Chippewa to join him, Hole-in-the-Day spread a rumor that the Union Army was drafting Ojibwe men to fight in the ongoing Civil War. Largely in reaction to this rumor and war mongering, a group of Leech Lake Pillager band burned the Indian Agency in Walker, Minnesota, took prisoners, and went to Crow Wing.
Hole-in-the-Day had his own major grievances with the Government, but they were not enough for him to actually join the Santee Dakota. Like the other leaders of the Chippewa he offered to fight the Dakota. At a time of cronyism and the spoils system, the Chippewa and the Dakota people were both being victimized by the same rampant political corruption, extortion, and fraud tactics within the Department of Indian Affairs and the timing of their annuity payments were coincidentally close so the media linked their dis-satisfactions in an anti-Native American narrative. At the same time the media published story after story of the Chippewa support of the Government vs. the Dakota. Also at that time Crow Wing, Minnesota citizens used alcohol to get the bi-racial Chippewa intoxicated and sign papers as substitutes to fight in the Civil War. Hole-in the Day was furious when he learned of the subterfuge. Those men were bi-racial White Earth Chippewa. They formed a large portion of Co. G 9th Minnesota.
On 6 September, calls by Hole in the Day for the Ojibwe joining forces with Little Crow prompted Shaw-Bosh-Kung, head chief of the Mille Lacs band of Chippewa to take 700-750 warriors to Fort Ripley to volunteer to fight the Dakota and defend the garrison against Hole in the Day, along with the Sandy Lake band. William P. Dole, the Indian agent was at Fort Ribley, asked that they return to their reservation. He told them they would be informed if they were needed. However, war Chief Mou-Zoo-Mau-Nee (Iron-Walker) and 200 Mille Lacs warriors remained to protect the fort as did 100 from the Sandy Lake band. Both the Sandy Lake and Mille Lacs bands gained "non-removal" designations from the United States Federal Government as a result. Commissioner Dole gave the Mille Lacs band a document stating they could remain on their reservation for 1000 years for their actions.