Wolf's Friend

Wolf's Friend, also referred to as "Ugulayacabe," was a powerful Chickasaw minko during the 1700s. The name "Ugulayacabe" is noted numerous times in both American and Spanish records; however, it does not translate to anything significant in Chickasaw. Wolf's Friend was a renowned war minko and was physically described as a large, dignified-looking man. In 1792, an American wrote that Wolf's Friend "ranks among the first of his nation" in the Chickasaw council. It has also been written in American records that Wolf's Friend led "three-fourths of the Nation ..." and that he was "one of the greatest and [most] influential characters in the Chickasaw Nation."

Wolf's Friend was the leader of a faction of Chickasaws that opposed Chickasaw leader Piominko. Piominko held an alliance with the fledgling United States, along with other unnamed minkos, whereas Wolf's Friend and the Creek Chief Alexander McGillivray sided with Spain. Wolf's Friend signed a treaty of alliance with Spain at Mobile in 1784.

Both Piominko and Wolf's Friend participated in trading with the enemies of the country that they allied with for a period of time. This was part of a strategy of playing one country against the other — thus enhancing trade deals to benefit the Chickasaw tribe. In addition, Wolf's Friend was crafty, and known for encouraging his followers to send covert reports about Piominko's plans to Chief Alexander McGillivray.

Wolf's Friend was said to have been Piominko's biggest adversary throughout the 1780s and into the 1790s. However, it is believed that he lost his influence with the Chickasaws shortly following Spain's withdrawal from Chickasaw Bluffs.

Wolf's Friend seems to have mysteriously disappeared from Chickasaw history around the year 1799. After 1799, Wolf's Friend no longer appeared in American records. There is also no historical record of when Wolf's Friend died.