Hunkpapa Sioux leader and medicine man, born on the Grand River in South Dakota, USA. Even as a youth he was known among the Sioux as a warrior, and by 1856 he headed the Strong Heart warrior society and became chief of the northern hunting Sioux (1866). Bitterly opposed to white encroachment, he made peace with the US government (1868) when it guaranteed him a large reservation free of white settlers. Following the discovery of gold in the Black Hills (1874), he joined with the Arapaho and Cheyenne to fight against the invaders. Although head of the war council, he remained in the encampment and performed a rite while his warriors defeated Colonel George Custer's men at the Little Bighorn (1876). He and his followers attempted to move to Canada, but the Canadian government refused to accept them, and they returned to the USA (1881). After serving a two-year imprisonment, he travelled with Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show (18856). He was arrested for supporting the Ghost Dance movement, and killed by Indian policemen just prior to the battle of Wounded Knee.
1831 – December 15, 1890) was a Hunkpapa Lakota chief and holy man who has become notable in the history of Native Americans and the USA, primarily because he was one of the few members of his race to be part of a major victory against the American army when his premonition of defeating them at the battle of Little Big Horn became reality.Early life
Little is known of the early life of Sitting Bull, his birth date and place is the subject of conjecture mainly to his people’s lack of a written history. Sitting Bull was given the name Tatanka-Iyotanka at his birth, which describes a buffalo bull sitting intractably on its haunches. This when translated into English became known as Sitting Bull, and although not his real name, it would be the one he would reach world-wide fame towards the end of his life time. As a young man, perhaps only about 14, he joined in a raid on the Crow Nation, and saw his first encounter with American soldiers in June 1863, when the army mounted a broad campaign in retaliation for the Santee Rebellion in Minnesota, in which Sitting Bull’s people played no part.
Tribal Leader
The Battle of Killdeer Mountain had struck a hammer blow against Native American resistance and many chiefs gave up the fight and went to reservations. During this time Sitting Bull refused to surrender and rose to be a tribal leader leading his warriors in a siege against the newly constructed Fort Rice in present-day North Dakota. This was at a time when white settlers, miners, farmers, missionaries, railroad workers and military personal all began to expand the United States the Native Americans were increasingly being forced from their own tribal lands. Sitting Bull as a medicine man, a witch doctor for the Native Americans, began to work to unite his people against this invasion. Like many tribal leaders Sitting Bull attempted to make peace and trade with the whites at first, but many of the men they encountered would trick them into poor deals for their lands and produce, creating resentment amongst the tribes. When his people were driven from their reservation in the Black Hills, still considered holy by the Native Americans, after the discovery of gold in 1876, he took up arms against the whites and refused to be transported to the Indian territory.
Victory at Little Big Horn and the aftermath
On June 25, 1876, the tribe fought, defeated and massacred the 7th Cavalry under the command of brigadier general George Armstrong Custer. The Native American's, after being inspired by a vision of Sitting Bull’s where he saw U.S soldiers being killed as they entered the tribe’s camp, fought back. Before the battle more than 3000 Native Americans, many more than the army thought, had left the reservations they had been forced on to or bribed to go to so they could follow Sitting Bull. Custer's badly outnumbered troops lost ground quickly and were forced to retreat as they realized the true numbers of the Native American force and, as if in fulfillment of Sitting Bull’s vision, were quickly driven out by the tribes.
The victory placed Sitting Bull among the great Native America leaders along with fellow Little Big Horn veteran Crazy Horse and Apache freedom fighter Geronimo. But, the Native American's celebrations were short lived as following the battle a public outrage at the military catastrophe, and the death of the popular if incompetent Custer, brought thousands more cavalrymen to the area, and over the next year they relentlessly pursued the Lakota forcing many to surrender. Sitting Bull refused to surrender and in May 1877 he led his band across the border into Canada, where he would remain in excile for a number of years refusing a pardon and the chance to return.
Surrender
Hunger and cold eventually did drive Sitting Bull, his family and a few remaining warriors to surrender on July 19, 1881, he had his son hand his rifle to the commanding officer of Fort Buford in, Montana, telling the soldiers they had come to regard them and the white race as friends.
Fame
In 1885, the year he returned to his people's reservation, Sitting Bull was allowed to leave the reservation to join Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show.
Death
Back at Standing Rock Sitting Bull became interested in the Ghost Dance movement, although it has never been shown he joined it, he certainly allowed others in the tribe to do so. The authorities feared Sitting Bull as a popular spiritual leader would give more creditability to the movement and decided to arrest him. However, his followers were still loyal and fearing the army meant to kill Sitting Bull a fight broke out as they tried to prevent the arrest. Shots were fired and Sitting Bull, who was hit in the head, and his son Crow Foot were both killed. Sitting Bull's body was taken by the Indian police to Fort Yates North Dakota and buried in the military cemetery.
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