Ann Weil - Sitting Bull

Around 1831 a boy was born on the banks of what his people called the Elk River.Today people call it the Grand River. The place where he was born is now part ofSouth Dakota. But at the time of his birth, the United States was still forming.This baby boy was born to a band of American Indians called the Hunkpapa. The babysfather, Returns Again, gave his infant son the name Jumping Badger. The boy wouldhave several names during his lifetime. We remember him as Sitting Bull.

Sitting Bull is a legendary gure. And when a person becomes a legend, facts andopinions jumble together. Over the years, it becomes harder to nd the truth in thestories, especially when the stories belong to two very different cultures .

Almost all written history of Sitting Bulls life comes from white Americans whodid not understand his language or his religion. They did not appreciate the relationshipthat had developed between his people and the land they had been taking care of forgenerations.

American Indian history was not written down. It was retold to each new generation.This knowledge was not available to outsiders until recently. Now American Indiansare sharing their stories with the world. Sitting Bulls great-grandson put his familysstories into a book and two DVDs that give all Americans a better understanding ofhow this great man shaped their country and what it means to be an American.

Sitting Bull sat for many portraits after he surrendered in 1881. In this one heis holding a peace pipe.

The Hunkpapa are part of the Lakota Nation. The Lakota, a part of the Great SiouxNation, were a North American Indian superpower in the 1830s. And Jumping Badgerwas born into one of the Lakotas most powerful and respected families.

Lakota babies were strapped to cradleboards and carried on their mothers back.

This photo shows Sitting Bulls camp in the 1870s.

At the time, the Hunkpapa were nomads . They hunted bison, or buffalo. When the greatbuffalo herds moved, the Lakota packed up their homes and belongings and followedthem. Jumping Badger traveled in a cradleboard strapped to his mothers back or attachedto a horse. His familys home was a tipi . This was a cone-shaped structure made ofwooden poles and buffalo hides . It was taken apart and pulled behind horses eachtime the tribe moved.

It was common for a boys name to change as he grew and showed different parts ofhis personality. The infant named Jumping Badger grew into a boy who was called Slow.Slow can mean weak or stupid. But not in this case. This boy was gifted. Other childrenhis age did things quickly, without thinking. Jumping Badger was different. He thoughtrst, and then he acted.

In the past, Lakota children did not go to school. But they still had teachers. Aboys father chose his sons teacher. This was usually a brother or a brother-in-law .Returns Again asked his brother, Four Horns, to teach his son. Four Horns agreed.He taught the boy to ride. He taught him how to hunt. He showed him how to make abow and arrows.

A Boy Called Slow

Slow lived with his uncle so that he could learn more from him every day. Four Horns(see box) was a wise man and a leader of his people. Slow developed into this typeof person as well. Even as a young boy, Slow was already showing he had the fourLakota virtues : generosity, wisdom, bravery, and fortitude .

There was a contest among the boys to shoot the most beautiful bird. One boy shotat a bird. He missed. But his arrow got stuck high in a tree. The boy was upset.It was his best arrow. Slow aimed his arrow at the one stuck in the tree. His aimwas true. He hit the arrow. Both arrows fell from the tree. But the other boys arrowbroke. He was very angry and blamed Slow for breaking his arrow. To avoid an argument,Slow gave the boy his own best arrow. Four Horns was impressed. His nephew was anexcellent shot. He was kind and generous. And he was wise to avoid a ght over abroken arrow.

Four Horns

(about 18141887)

Four Horns was a respected Lakota leader. He was theone who persuaded other Lakota leaders to elect Sitting Bull as their one supremechief when the United States Army threatened to destroy the Lakotas way of life.Four Horns was Sitting Bulls loyal friend until he died in 1887.