John Kakaygeesick | |
![]() | |
Birth: | 14 May 1844? Lake of the Woods, Minnesota, USA |
Death: | 6 December 1968 Warroad, Minnesota, USA |
Age: | 124 years, 206 days? |
Country: | ![]() |
Longevity claimant |
John “Everlasting Sky” Kakaygeesick (14 May 1844?/May 19 1878? – 6 December 1968) was a Native American longevity claimant, Ojibwe spiritual leader, trapper, and medicine man who allegedly lived to the age of 124. He was from Minnesota, USA.
Biography[]
Early Life[]
John Kakaygeesick claimed to have been born in a teepee on the shores of the Lake of the Woods, Minnesota, USA on 14 May 1844 to Chief Ahya Sha Wash and his wife May Muska Washie. A birth record gave his year of birth as 1844, but the full birth date was not given. Local officials selected his "official" birthday as 14 May.
Kakaygeesick did not remember when he was born, but he claimed to have been 16 years old when Abraham Lincoln became the President of the United States in 1861, indicating that 1845 is a possible alleged year of birth.
Kakaygeesick had at least two children: Mary Angus (1894–1974) and John Kakaygeesick Jr. (1900–1987).
Later Life[]
In 1905, Kakaygeesick and other Ojibwes in Warroad, Minnesota (where he had lived his entire life) were granted 215 acres of land by United States President Theodore Roosevelt. His grandson Don Kakaygeesick was later given the original land patent signed by Roosevelt.
From January 1963 until his death, Kakaygeesick had been a resident of the Warroad Nursing Home. Some time before his death in 1968, he told his close friends that he had been wanting to die for a while.
Death[]

An article about John Kakaygeesick’s death.
John Kakaygeesick died from natural causes in Warroad, Minnesota, USA in the early morning hours of 6 December 1968, at the claimed age of 124 years, 206 days. He was survived by his daughter Mary Angus, son John Kakaygeesick, four grandsons (George Angus, Albert Angus, Robert Kakaygeesick, and Don Kakaygeesick), 14 great-grandchildren, and six great-great-grandchildren.

John Kakaygeesick’s grave.
Kakaygeesick was also thought to have been allegedly 110 years old at the time of his death, indicating that 1858 is another possible alleged year of birth. Some sources say his alleged date of birth was earlier, while others say it was later, but it was established that Kakaygeesick was allegedly between 110 and 124 years old at the time of his death.
Kakaygeesick was buried on traditional Indian burial grounds along the Ka-Beck-A-Nung Trail by the Warroad River, at the Highland Park Indian Cemetery, a private cemetery. His grave lies near that of his brother Naymaypock. A spirit house remains over his grave; three other houses are nearby.
Gallery[]
References[]
- A window into Ojibwe life Pioneer Press, 20 May 2007
- Ojibwe family fights land sale for tribal casino MPR News, 4 November 2010
- Everlasting Sky by Craig Wiese RootsWeb
- John “Everlasting Sky” Kakaygeesick Find A Grave
- Social Security Death Record Ancestry which says he was born in 1878 not 1844