George Battise

George was a Ho-Chunk (Winnebago) man

(Curator Note: Because George was admitted to the Canton Asylum from Wittenberg (Prairie du Chien Indian Agency) prior to 1993, he is considered here as a Winnebago man, but is shown with the Ho-Chunk seal since he came from Wittenberg, WI. See the research note below...)

Biography
Born c. 1892 estimated based on a note in the book "Vanished in Hiawatha" that he was 17 years of age when he died at the Canton Asylum, and from the South Dakota State Historical Society Cemetery Records Search.

Admitted to the Canton Asylum for Insane Indians committed from Wittenberg, on July 18, 1903, per Clara Joinson, diagnosed with epilepsy and grand mal (Tonic-clonic seizures, also known as grand mal seizures, are the most visible type of seizure. They can cause a person to lose consciousness, fall to the ground, have muscle jerks or spasms, and cry out. Grand mal seizures can involve uncontrolled convulsions and other muscle movements. They usually don't last more than a few minutes, but often happen with epilepsy)., and died at the asylum of a grand mal seizure on May 30, 1909.

According to the Dr. L.L. Culp ltr. dated February 23, 1934, George is buried in the Canton Hiawatha Cemetery tier 4 plot 34

His profile is part of the The Canton Asylum One Place Study.

Research Notes
-(Curator Note: Until 1993, the Ho-Chunk Nation was formerly known as the Wisconsin Winnebago Tribe, but the term Winnebago is a misnomer derived from the Algonquian language family and refers to the marshlands of the region. A smallpox and measles epidemic following the Winnebago's first encounter with European travelers nearly wiped out the Tribe. The remaining tribal members were forced to migrate to Iowa, then on to Minnesota, South Dakota, and Nebraska. The Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska is a federally recognized tribe of Ho-Chunk Native Americans. The tribe is also known as the Ho-Chunk: Nįįšoc Hoocąk. The Ho-Chunk Nation is not located on a reservation or a single continuous land base in Wisconsin. The Ho-Chunk Nation is considered a "non-reservation" tribe, as members historically had to acquire individual homesteads in order to regain title to ancestral territory. The tribe changed its name to "Ho-Chunk Nation" to reclaim its traditional Siouan name. The Ho-Chunk usually call themselves Hoocąk waaziija haci, which means "sacred voice people of the Pines".)
-In the 1910 narrative, the first by Harry Hummer...
...in table 7 "Form of mental disease of those admitted since opening of asylum", line #16 page 1 of 3. George Battise is listed with a diagnosis of Epilepsy, grand mal,

...but in Table 8 "Form of mental disease of those in asylum, June 30, 1910, revised", George is not listed, which confirms that he died prior to June 30, 1910.

__________
"South Dakota, Grave Registration Records, 1940-1941", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:CYRJ-SLN2 : Tue Oct 03 20:58:30 UTC 2023), Entry for George Battise.

1909 May 30 - Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/14493845/george-beautiste: accessed 25 January 2024), memorial page for George Beautiste (unknown–30 May 1909), Find a Grave Memorial ID 14493845, citing Hiawatha Asylum Cemetery, Canton, Lincoln County, South Dakota, USA; Maintained by Theresa/Thunderbird (contributor 47100429).

Staff Writer, U. (1998). Canton Asylum for Insane Indians (U.S. National Park Service). National Parks Service. https://www.nps.gov/places/canton-asylum-for-insane-indians.htm

John Woodruff 5-15-09 · George Beautiste 5-30-09 · Baptiste Gingras 12-19-09
See: https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=183486