Spoon Decora (tribal leader)

Category: Tribal leader

Tribal affiliation: Winnebago

Significance: Winnebago leader who played a leading role in negotiating the St. Louis Treaty of 1816

Also called Choukeka, Spoon Decora was one of the first of several Winnebago leaders to carry the name “Decora.” He was born to a French trader, Joseph des Caris, and a Winnebago named Hopokaw. He married a daughter of Nawkaw and had six sons and five daughters with her. Decora took a leading role in the Winnebagos’ conflicts with the Chippewas (Ojibwas) and, shortly before his death, in negotiating the St. Louis Treaty of 1816. He generally refrained from becoming involved in conflicts with whites. Spoon Decora’s son, Konoka, became the Winnebagos’ principal chief in 1816 following the death of the elder Decora.