Sitting bull
Tatanka Iyotanka (in Lakota: Tȟatȟaŋka Iyotȟaŋka), better known as Sitting Bull (in English Sitting Bull; Grand River, South Dakota; circa 1831-Grand River, December 15, 1890), was an Indian chief of the North American Sioux tribe.
Considered a spiritual leader of the Lakota, he was elected paramount chief of the entire nation as US military harassment of their ancestral lands increased. However, the surrender of the natives was inevitable, so he decided to take refuge in Canada in 1877, although he returned to the United States four years later to surrender to government authorities.
He spent the last years of his life on the Standing Rock reservation, and was part of the Buffalo Bill show. He was killed while a group of Lakota policemen arrested him on charges of instigating a new rebellion by the Indians.
Biography
Childhood and youth
Sitting Bull was born in the Grand River Country in South Dakota to the hunkpapa tribe. It was his parents Jumping Bull and Her-Holy-Door who named him Jumping Badger when he was born. His childhood was uneventful, and he was called by his friends "Slow" (the calm one), since he had a very meticulous behavior. However, at the age of twelve he demonstrated his intrepidity when he rode a young buffalo that had tried to ram him, and for that feat his father organized a party in his honor.
At the age of fourteen, his father gave him a club. This object had a special meaning for the natives, since if the young man managed to hit an enemy in battle, he could give him a lot of prestige. Jumping Badger had such an opportunity when he faced a crow side in his first combat and, in the fray, he managed to pummel an opponent, demonstrating his courage. His father, filled with pride, renamed him Sitting Bull or Sitting Bull ( Tatanka-Iyotanka ) at the ceremony in which he earned warrior status. The nickname refers to the stubbornness of the animal when it is sitting on its haunches.
At the age of fifteen, the young warrior suffered his first wound in battle. This happened during a raid on the Crow tribe's horses, when he was shot in the left foot, lame for life; however, he was able to kill the offender with his knife.
Appointment as tribal chief
Around twenty-five years of age, Sitting Bull had his reputation well established. He had managed to expand the hunting territories of the Sioux, and became a leader of the tribal groups, especially the Silent Eaters who were characterized by their warrior virtues.
Precisely, on the battlefield he had shown his fierceness, but also his wisdom and generosity were remarkable, which he showed with appreciation for children and the disadvantaged, the dedication to seek a peaceful solution to conflicts and affection for animals. For this reason, in 1857 he earned the designation of tribal chief. In addition, he became aware of Lakota spirituality, which is why he was also recognized as a shaman and healer. All those merits made him a spiritual leader.
Clashes with the US Army
Between 1863 and 1868, the U.S. Army raided hunting camps in Lakota territory, causing ongoing conflict. In fact, following a rebellion by the Santee Sioux tribe in Minnesota, an intense military campaign took place in which Sitting Bull had his first battle against government troops in June 1863. In 1864, he fought again at the Battle of Killdeer Mountain, and also sheltered the survivors of the Sand Creek massacre in Colorado Territory, which had been carried out by the military against the Cheyenne and Arapajo tribes. That same year, Miss Fanny Kelly fell held hostage by the Sioux for five months, and was able to meet Sitting Bull. She would testify to the tribal chief's hospitality in these words: “He was courteous and affectionate to his wife and children, and was equally courteous to strangers. During the time I spent with them, food was scarce, and both Sitting Bull and his wife preferred to starve in order to feed me. I keep a place for both of you in my heart."
In 1865, while in the Powder River Territory, Sitting Bull led an offensive against Fort Rice in North Dakota. Two years later —already respected and recognized for his courage, to which were added the innate qualities of a diplomat and a good speaker— he was chosen as the maximum leader of the Sioux nation, while Crazy Horse followed him in command..
The Treaty of Fort Laramie of 1868
In the spring of 1868, the United States government made a peace treaty with the Sioux at Fort Laramie. In this agreement it was agreed that the indigenous people would settle in the Black Hills reservation in the Dakota Territory. In fact, the Black Hills was a sacred site for the Sioux, and was recognized as part of the so-called Great Sioux Reservation. The meetings were not attended by Sitting Bull, despite the fact that he would be persuaded by the priest Pierre-Jean de Smet to sign the treaty.
The Battle of Little Big Horn
Although the Treaty of Fort Laramie guaranteed state protection over Indian property, the discovery of gold in the Black Hills prompted the arrival of adventurers who invaded their hunting grounds. By 1875, it is estimated that there were a thousand settlers established in the area, and when government attempts to buy the area failed —and contrary to what was established in the treaty— it was arranged for the indigenous people to settle on the reservations before January 31. of 1877. Those who did not obey said order would be considered lawbreakers. Faced with the threat, some tribal chiefs decided to sell their land, as did those who had already settled on the reservations such as Spotted Tail and Red Cloud; Sitting Bull, on the contrary, decided to defend his own.
By March 1876, three military units were deployed in the area and razed the Crazy Horse and Two Moon Cheyenne settlements. The natives who managed to escape were received by Sitting Bull. In fact, the Lakota felt that they could not face the military on their own, so Sitting Bull appealed to other tribes—including the Cheyenne, Arapajo, Miniconjou, Sans Arc, and Brulé—to the site of Rosebud Creek in the Montana Territory. It is estimated that the number of indigenous people gathered reached fifteen thousand souls. Likewise, the tribal chief took advantage of the meeting to make a prayer:
"Wakan Tanka, give me your help and bring before me abundant hunting. Gather the beasts, so that my people may eat this winter to the feat. Let the men who walk in the good way be invincible, so that the tribes may be strong and unstoppable. Give them a kind heart, so that the Siux can strengthen their bonds of friendship and be happy. If you do it for me, I will do the Dance of the Sun for two days and two nights, and I will give you a buffalo."
The paramount chief kept his promise and performed the Sun Dance. As part of the ceremony, his attendant Jumping Bull made fifty cuts on each arm, as a sacrifice. Later, Sitting Bull began to dance: he moved with a rhythmic movement of his feet and, without food or water, he also prayed and watched the trajectory of the sun. It is said that he finished the ritual the following noon when he fell exhausted.In his daze, he described a vision in which a multitude of soldiers and natives fell from the sky. Sitting Bull expressed that the soldiers were an offering from Wakan Tanka, so he exhorted his people to annihilate them in battle. However, he warned them that they should not take their weapons, horses, or any other spoil, because otherwise it would be the destruction of the indigenous people.
Inspired by the vision, the warrior Crazy Horse assembled a contingent of 500 fighters. On June 17, the Indians forced Major George Crook's troops to withdraw at the Battle of Rosebud, and later the victors camped at Little Big Horn, where another three thousand Indians who had abandoned their reservations to join Sitting Bull arrived. On June 25, government troops under the command of George Armstrong Custer launched an attack on the Indians, but were killed at the Battle of Little Big Horn, which has been considered the worst defeat of the armed forces in the Indian Wars. He says that Sitting Bull was in charge of moving the women and children to a safe place while the combat was taking place. On the other hand, the indigenous people ignored his warning and took on the task of seizing the remains of the soldiers. A month later, Sitting Bull had an interview with Colonel Nelson Miles, which ended in an exchange of fire between the two sides.
Sitting Bull Surrender
The Little Big Horn tragedy sparked the ire of Americans, and since then more troops have besieged the Lakota, and the image of the savage and barbaric Indian has taken hold across the country. For the month of September, while the Indians had been dispersed by the buffalo hunt, General George Crook attacked a Sioux village located in Slim Buttes, near the Black Hills mining fields, in which men were indiscriminately executed, women and children. When Sitting Bull appeared at the scene, a note from the military man fell into his hands in which he left a message: That every last one of the indigenous people would be eliminated or taken prisoner, for which reason he demanded the surrender of the Sioux to avoid risk to the lives of their women and children.
Little by little, the tribal chiefs began to surrender —including Crazy Horse— and were forced to cede their lands. Their situation had worsened since the country's Congress had decided to interrupt their supply of provisions, with the aim of subjecting them to government regulations. Sitting Bull decided to resist. In 1877, he led a march into Canadian territory with about a thousand followers, out of the reach of the troops and whose number would rise to five thousand in the following months with the arrival of other refugees. For the month of August, General Alfred Terry traveled to Canada to offer him an amnesty in exchange for taking refuge in a reserve, but Sitting Bull rejected the proposal. Furthermore, Canadian newspapers began spreading false news of an alleged collusion by Sitting Bull with other local tribes to stage an attack in the United States and spark other riots.
In 1881, however, he made the decision to return to the United States. The difficulty of feeding their people due to the decrease in the buffalo herds, the refusal of the Canadians to grant them a reserve and give them rations, the disappearance of several tribal chiefs and the attacks on Sioux families made the situation untenable. On the 19th On July 17, he went to Fort Buford, along with his young son Crow Foot, to whom he handed over his rifle so that he could in turn give it to the commander of the place as a gesture of surrender. An agreement was also signed, in which he was "granted" a pardon for his actions. James Walsh, a Canadian official who was associated with Sitting Bull in that country, expressed himself about the Sioux chief in these terms: “He was not the criminal that some reports described. He was not a cruel man. He was affable. He was not dishonest. He was honest. He loved his people and extended his hand to anyone who reciprocated his friendship ».
Confinement
In the United States, Sitting Bull claimed for his people the right of free passage into Canadian territory, as well as a reservation on the Little Missouri River near the Black Hills. However, the government ignored his request and they ended up being sent to the Standing Rock reservation. For his part, and due to the fear that his presence could provoke an uprising, the tribal leader was transferred to Fort Randall, downstream of the Missouri River. There he was kept as a prisoner of war for two years, although in reality he had a relatively quiet life, since he was respected by the soldiers, received other tribal leaders who needed his advice and read the correspondence that came from his sympathizers. On May 10, 1883, he was transferred to the Standing Rock Indian agency, where he was able to reunite with his people.
At that location, the agent in charge, James McLaughlin, was determined to denigrate Sitting Bull's tribal chief status, forcing him to work in the open. Nevertheless, he maintained his authority. He demonstrated this when he refused, albeit unsuccessfully, the request of a committee of US congressional senators for part of the Sioux reservation to be awarded to settlers.
In 1885, Sitting Bull was allowed to accompany the Buffalo Bill show that recreated the exploits of the Old West. With this company he managed to travel throughout the United States, Canada and Europe, earning fifty dollars a week for horseback riding, plus he made some money signing autographs. However, he stayed in the show for only four months. It is said that he could not stand the "civilized" society of the white-skinned man, especially when he observed the countless beggars who lived in the streets, to whom he himself gave alms. In addition, he received occasional insults from the public that did not forget what happened in Little Big Horn.Despite everything, during that time he managed to meet with President Grover Cleveland.
Return to Standing Rock
Sitting Bull stayed in a cabin in the Grand River area of the Standing Rock Reservation at Fort Yates, near the same place where he was born. There he lived with two wives, which showed that he refused to leave his customs and his rejection of Christian commandments. He also despised the government's military might and was skeptical of any government promises. However, he decided that his children should be educated in a Christian school, since he was of the opinion that it would be useful for the new generations of Lakotas to read and write.
At Standing Rock, the tribal chief held sway among his people. They, too, held his wisdom in high esteem and received his advice, as Sitting Bull urged them not to give away their land and to be cautious about what they received from the white-skinned man's culture. In addition, he staunchly rejected the agreements of 1888 and 1889 that ceded half of the Great Sioux Reservation and reduced the rest to six separate portions for the Indians. However, he knew that transfer of the land was inevitable, so he proposed the price of $1.25 per acre, but the government envoys found a way to select self-appointed tribal chiefs to purchase said parcels at a ridiculous price. On the other hand, at that time Sitting Bull received the assistance of the New Yorker Catherine Weldon, who provided him with financial help and learned the language from her, just as she taught him the English language.
Death of Sitting Bull
In 1890, Sitting Bull was visited by Kicking Bear, who informed him of the "Ghost Dance," a ceremony that prophesied the return of ancient Indian traditions and the recovery of seized lands by the white-skinned man. The chief of the tribe was skeptical of the ritual, but still allowed his people to practice it if they deemed it necessary.
Soon, the ceremony became so popular among the indigenous people that the government considered it an outbreak of rebellion. Troops were sent to the reservations, and Sitting Bull himself, who had nothing to do with the matter, was considered the power behind the "evil religious practice." Immediately, the government agent in charge of the Lakotas sent an patrol formed by indigenous people to arrest Sitting Bull and force him to finish the ceremony. It should be added that, back on the reservation, the chief of the tribe had a vision in which a bird perched on a hill announced that he would be killed by the Lakotas themselves.
Before dawn on December 15, 1890, forty-three Lakota patrolmen showed up at the cabin of Sitting Bull, who was still sleeping. The tribal chief agreed to accompany them and ordered his horse to be saddled. However, when they were leaving, a group of faithful of the "Dance of the Spirits" challenged the policemen. One of them, named Catch-The-Bear, drew his rifle and shot Lieutenant Bull Head, who in responding to the attack wounded Sitting Bull and was later finished off by Officer Red Tomahawk with a shot to the head. Then the policemen entered the cabin where Crow Foot, the son of the tribal chief, who was also killed, was staying. The scuffle ended with the lives of other policemen and the lives of three hundred members of the tribe, especially women and children.
Sitting Bull's body was buried in the Fort Yates Cemetery. In 1953, a group of citizens of Mobridge (South Dakota), with the permission of the descendants of Sitting Bull and the government, moved the remains to a hill, where a bust of the tribal chief whose author was Korczak Zoilkowski was erected. However, there is dispute as to whether the remains are true.On the other hand, regarding Sitting Bull's private life, it is estimated that he married five women, with whom he fathered twelve children.
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