Quotes

"What treaty that the whites have kept has the red man broken? Not one. What treaty that the white man ever made with us have they kept? Not one."

"For 64 years you have persecuted my people. I ask you what we have done to cause us to depart from our own country?"

"Behold, my brothers, the spring has come; the earth has received the embraces of the sun and we shall soon see the results of that love!"

At Standing Rock he had this to say, "I surrender this rifle to you through my son. I wish him to learn the habits of whites."

The Fall of Sitting Bull

In May of 1877, U.S. troops forced Sitting Bull and his troop into Canada. He stayed there for many years in exile. Eventually, hunger and cold forced him to come back to the U.S. where he was captured and regrettably agreed to be sent to Standing Rock reservation. He lived there until 1890 when reservation police called for his arrest, fearing he would flee the reservation with the ghost dancers. He was seized by police but, on their way out a warrior named Catch-a-Bear opened fire on the police. The police then shot Sitting Bull, fearing he would flee.

Rising to Power

Sitting bull led numerous war parties against white forts. He teamed up with Red Cloud and together were very successful keeping their land from the whites. Soon, the U.S. government wanted to end Red Cloud's vendetta and agreed to his terms. However, Sitting Bull did not agree to this treaty and kept up the guerrilla attacks on the forts in upper Missouri. He was soon recognized as one of the most powerful chiefs.

Little Bighorn

The battle at Little Bighorn is what Sitting Bull is renowned for. Sitting Bull led his troop of Sioux to a camp at Little Bighorn. Sitting Bull is renowned for his "great medicine" which let him evade the white man, and that drove many more Sioux to his camp. This expansion led to Custer discovering the camp. Custer then attacked the camp expecting an easy victory. What they didn't know was that about 2,000 more Sioux indians came to Sitting Bull's camp. The Sioux attacked and killed all of Custer's men. It was then that the U.S. recognized the true strength of the indians.

Childhood

Sitting Bull was born near Grand River, South Dakota. His birth name was Jumping Badger, but got his fathers name, Sitting Bull, after he killed his first buffalo at age 10. His mothers name was Holy-Her-Door and his older sisters name was Good Feather. He excelled at foot races, horseback riding, and bow and arrows. At age 14 he was involved in a war party that put him against the Crow warriors. He was able to overcome a warrior while they retreated and knocked a rider off his horse. He earned a white eagle feather for his accomplishments.

Overview

Tatanka Iyotaka, more commonly known as Sitting Bull, was born in 1831 and died in 1890. He was the chief of the Dakota Sioux and led the indian resistance against the white settlers. He won many battles and was a great leader.