"The
dirty brown blanket that hung on the shoulders of Sitting Bull revealed
a figure of impressive strength . . . There was an inexpressible dignity
in the strong face of the old chieftain. The stained feather which fluttered
in his braided black hair, the red and yellow paint smeared on his cheeks,
and the gaudy girdle of porcupine quills and beads seemed trivial and
out of harmony with the eagle nose, straight, powerful mouth and the
general sense of reserved power which expressed a born commander of
men... There was one thing which he had learned, a thing that linked
him with the greatest minds of all ages—the value of human liberty—the
supreme goal of all."
This was the description of Sitting Bull written by news correspondent
George Creelman after meeting the great chief.
His boyhood name was "Hunk-es-ni," which means Slow,
for his careful and deliberate ways. He always took time to think before
he spoke or did anything. Some thought he was slow in the head, until
he proved himself in battle against the Sioux enemies when he was fourteen.
After a great show of courage in a battle with the Sioux, his proud
father gave Sitting Bull his own name, Tatanka Iyotake.
Sitting Bull became famous among the white people for his victory over
General Custer at the battle of Little Big Horn, with the help of other
great Sioux and Cheyenne leaders like Red Cloud
and Crazy Horse. Sitting Bull
didn't actually fight at Little Big Horn, but it was he that brought
together the thousands of warriors to the Rosebud river, and he directed
the attack on Custer while he sat at the top of a hill overlooking the
battle.
But Sitting Bull's leadership at war wasn't his greatest achievement.
He was first known as a wise "Medicine Man," one who could
lead the hearts and minds of his people. He was the greatest leader
in the "Ghost Dance" among the Sioux, giving them hope
of a land where they could live in peace and freedom with their own
customs. The Ghost Dance led to the massacre of hundreds of unarmed
Sioux at Wounded Knee, in December of
1890.
)
Amanda
at Sitting Bull's burial site. The inscription says, "Sitting Bull
was born on the Grand River a few miles west of Mobridge. His tragic end
came at the very place he was born. He was shot as he was being arrested
because of his alleged involvement with the Ghost Dance craze."
The monument in the back was done by sculptor Korzcak
Ziolkowski )
This
Ghost Dance shirt, on display in the North Dakota Heritage Center
in Bismarck, ND, is believed to have belonged to Sitting Bull. Ghost Dance
shirts were usually made of muslin, not hides, and were often decorated
with designs of images they saw while in trances during the dance.
Faces
(Click Here
for more faces) 
Recommend
a face
)
COLOR
ME)
)
)
)
A
Boy Called Slow : The True Story of Sitting Bull
It Is a Good Day to Die