Treasuredude --
Sitting Bull's Bones
His Lakota name is Tatanka-Iyotanka. He is
better known as Sitting Bull. His name is recognized by
everyone. He is the Hunkpapa chief and holy man who remained
defiant towards the US military to the very end.
Sitting Bull was born around 1831 near the Grand
River in South Dakota. He first went into battle at age 14 during
a raid against the Crow. Throughout the years he displayed many
feats of daring and bravery. Once, in 1872, during a battle with
soldiers protecting railroad workers on the Yellowstone
River, Sitting Bull led four other warriors out between the lines,
sat calmly sharing a pipe with them as bullets buzzed around,
carefully cleaned the pipe out when they were finished, and then
casually walked away.
In 1876 Sitting Bull participated in the Sun
Dance. Here he had a vision of "soldiers falling into
camp." This was taken to mean that the Indian village would be
attacked and that the Sioux would be victorious. On June 25,
1876, General George Custer and the 7th Cavalry did attack the village
in what would be known as the Battle of the Little Bighorn. The
Sioux were indeed victorious.
After the Little Bighorn, Sitting Bull led his people
into Canada. Eventually he returned to the United States and
surrendered at Fort Buford. Sitting Bull said, "I wish it to be
remembered that I was the last man of my tribe to surrender my rifle."
Sitting Bull lived at Standing Rock reservation and
also joined Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. In 1890, Sitting Bull
embraced the Ghost Dance -- a ceremony that promised to rid the land of
white people and restore the Indians' way of life. Fearing that
Sitting Bull would stir up more trouble, tribal policemen were sent to
arrest him on Dec. 15, 1890. A gunfight broke out and Sitting Bull was
killed. He was buried near Fort Yates in North Dakota.
Here is where the story takes a turn...
In 1953, under cover of darkness, a group of South
Dakotans dug up what they believed to be his bones and reburied them on
a bluff overlooking the Missouri River near Mobridge, South
Dakota. A metal cover was placed over the coffin and then it was
encased in cement. A monument carved by Korczak Ziolkowski (Crazy
Horse Mountain) marks the gravesite.
