SITTING BULL
Sitting Bull whose Indian name was Tatanka Iyotake
Was born in the Grand River region of present-day South Dakota in approximately 1831
His nickname was Hunkesi
Meaning "Slow" because he never hurried and did everything with care
Sitting Bull was a member of the Sioux tribe
Hhe joined his first war party against the Crow at age 14
The Sioux fought against hostile tribes and white intruders
Soon Sitting Bull became known for his fearlessness in battle
He was also generous and wise, virtues admired by his tribe
Sitting Bull became a leader of the Strong Heart warrior society
He successfully increased The Sioux hunting grounds
However the U.S. army continually invaded this territory
They created problems within the native economy
From 1863 to 1868 the Sioux fought the army's encroachment
In approximately 1867
Sitting Bull became the first principal chief of the entire Sioux nation
Shortly thereafter peace was made with the U.S. government
Although Sitting Bull refused to attend the peace conference or sign the treaty
The Fort Laramie treaty
Promised the Black Hills would remain in Sioux possession forever
However
In the mid-1870s gold was discovered
Press reports brought a rush of prospectors
By 1875
More than a thousand prospectors were camping in the Black Hills
The government ordered the Sioux to their reservations
They were given a deadline of January 31, 1876
Anyone who did not comply was considered hostile
The demand was ignored by the Sioux
In March General George Crook set up a camp in order to attack the natives
Sitting Bull and the Sioux realized they could not defeat the army alone
They must stand with other tribes
They were joined by the Cheyenne and Arapaho
On June 17, they forced a retreat of U.S. troops at the Battle of the Rosebud
They then set up camp at Little Bighorn
After the battle
Sitting Bull performed an important religious ritual called a Sun Dance
The Sun Dance was a type of self-torture which included a loss of consciousness
When Sitting Bull emerged from his trance
He told of his vision of soldiers falling from the sky
Sitting Bull's prediction came true on June 25
Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer
Led his soldiers into the village along the Little Big Horn River
By the end of the day, Custer and his army of more than 200 soldiers were dead
Sitting Bull thought by winning this battle the U.S. government would leave him alone
The fighting had just begun
As the battles continued many of Sitting Bull's followers surrendered
However Sitting Bull would not give up
Soldiers chasing him found a note that read
"You scare all the buffalo away
I want to hunt in this place
I want you to turn back from here
If you don't
I will fight you again"
In 1877 Sitting Bull and his followers escaped into Canada
However within four years famine forced them to surrender
Sitting Bull was held as a prisoner of war for two years
He was thensent to join other Sioux at Standing Rock Agency in North Dakota
In 1885
Sitting Bull joined Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show
He traveled throughout the United States and Canada
Some believe he was allowed to join the show to keep him away from the reservation
Sitting Bull returned to the reservation in 1889
Many natives had joined a new religion called the Ghost Dance
They believed an Indian messiah would return their lands
They belived that the messiah would remove the whites
Because of this new religion
Indian police arrested Sitting Bull on December 15--1890 as a precaution
They planned to send him to prison
But when his warriors attempted to rescue him
Sitting Bull was killed
He was buried at Fort Yates
In 1953
His remains were moved to Mobridge--South Dakota
link below-
www.raskys.com/indian/indian2.html
