William R. Sanford - Hunkpapa Lakota Chief Sitting Bull

Hunkpapa Lakota Chief Sitting Bull

As both war chief and medicine man, Sitting Bull led the Sioux in their victory at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. But he also led them through years of their hardship and turmoil. Hunkpapa Lakota Chief Sitting Bull united many Native Americans and tribes in the struggle to protect the Great Plains and the sacred Black Hills of South Dakota.

Based on the words of Hunkpapa Lakota Chief Sitting Bull, the author tells the story of this fearless leader who fought bloody battles to stop gold prospectors from destroying Sioux lands.

About the Author

William R. Sanford is the author of numerous books for young people. He brings many years of teaching experience to the books he has created.

This book tells the true story of the Hunkpapa Sioux chief Sitting Bull. Many mistakenly believe that his fame rests on the Battle of the Little Bighorn. But his true fame comes from his leadership of the Plains Sioux over many years. Following Custers defeat, the press hurried to print stories about Sitting Bull. Some were made up, but others were true. The events described in this book all really happened.

The white people needed Native American chiefs to sign their treaties. To make this happen, they often pretended that one person led an entire tribe. Only rarely did tribes have one leader. Yet one chief did lead all the Plains Sioux. But he signed no treaties. This chiefs name was Sitting Bull.

This drawing by George Catlin depicts a Sun Dance when the Sioux sacrificed blood and endured pain. These formed offerings to Wakan Tanka, the Great Holy.

In June 1876, Sitting Bull prepared to keep a vow. Months before he had asked Wakan Tanka, the Great Holy, to watch over his people through the winter. In return for this, he promised to sacrifice his blood and endure, pain at the Sun Dance. He would give the Great Holy a scarlet blanket.

Sitting Bull knew the white soldiers were coming closer. He believed the slow and painful ritual would help ensure victory for his people. Sitting Bull was forty five years old. He knew what lay ahead, having endured the Sun Dance ritual before. He proudly wore the scars on his chest and back.

From the woods, warriors chose a cottonwood tree. It would serve as the symbol of the enemy. The warriors carried it to their camp. There they set it erect in a hole.

Priests painted the tree. The west side became red; the south, yellow; the east, green; and the north, blue. At the top they placed a red robe, bits of tobacco, and dried buffalo hide. The priests painted Sitting Bulls hands and feet red. Then they painted blue stripes across his shoulders to symbolize the sky.

It was now time to begin the Sun Dance. Sitting Bull strode to the sacred tree. He sat on the ground, his back rested against the tree trunk. In a singsong voice, he began to pray. Jumping Bull, his adopted brother, carried a sharp knife in one hand. In the other he held a needle-pointed awl. Beginning at Sitting Bulls right wrist, he lifted a bit of skin with the point of the awl. With the knife, he sliced it away. The bit of flesh was smallthe size of a matchhead.

Sitting Bull did not change expression. He continued his wailing prayer. Both men ignored the blood. Jumping Bull made five rows of ten cuts in each arm. They spanned from wrist to shoulder. Blood covered both of Sitting Bulls arms and dripped from his fingers. Sitting Bull had promised the Great Holy a scarlet blanket. His blood was that blanket.

Sitting Bull rose and faced the sun. He pierced the skin on his chest with two sharp wooden skewers. They were attached by thongs to the tree. He began bobbing up and down on his toes. The weight of his body slowly began to tear free the skewers from his flesh. From time to time he looked into the sun. Sitting Bull prayed that the sun would protect his people. The rhythmic dance lasted all day and all night. During that time he did not eat or drink.

Sitting Bull was exhausted. At noon the next day, he staggered a few steps. The last skewer finally pulled loose, and he fell to the ground unconscious. As he slowly came to, Sitting Bull had a vision. He saw the soldiers of the white peoples army. They were entering the Sioux camp, riding in defeat. Their heads were bent, and their hats fell off. He heard a voice say, I give you these because they have no ears.

Sitting Bull told the Sioux what his dream meant. They would win a great victory. The whites would die in battle because they would not listen to sense. He added, These soldiers are gifts of Wakan Tanka. Kill them, but do not take their guns or horses. Do not set your hearts upon the goods of the white man. It would prove a curse to this nation.

Sitting Bull was both chief and holy man. He is holding a calumet, a highly ornamented ceremonial pipe. Traditionally it has been smoked to seal a covenant or treaty or to offer prayers in a religious ceremony.

The Sioux were just one of many tribes living in the Great Plains. Because their territories overlapped, the tribes competed for the same resources. As a result, they often raided each other's camps.

The boy who would one day become Sitting Bull began his life during the winter of 1831. He was the first son born to Returns Again and his wife, Mixed Days. They were Hunkpapas, a branch of the Plains Sioux. They lived in what is now South Dakota. The baby had no name at first. The Sioux believe that people must earn their names for themselves.

The small boy never hurried. He liked to grasp items in his small hands. He stared at the items with wide eyes and a serious face. His movements were clumsy. Thus the child gained the nickname Hunkesi, meaning slow. But his mother denied that the boy was slow. She said that he was only cautious.

Years before, the Plains Sioux had lived in the eastern forests. Their enemies, the Chippewas, obtained guns from white traders. The Hunkpapas moved west across the northern Great Plains in pursuit of game. Huge herds of buffalo roamed the grasslands. Soon after moving there, the Sioux gained horses from Spanish settlers far to the south. Horses became central to their way of life. They made it easier for the Sioux to hunt and to move from place to place. Raiding other tribes for horses became a part of Hunkpapa life.

The land where Slow grew up was harsh. Winter cold could quickly bring death. In summer the sun blazed, scorching the prairies yellow and brown. The Hunkpapas needed to be tough to survive.

The buffalo helped by providing most of what they needed. Its skin became robes and cover for their tipis. The Hunkpapas made cups and tools from the horns. They ground the hoofs to make glue. Buffalo sinews provided thread and bow strings. Sun-dried strips of buffalo meat became jerky, a food that lasted a long time without spoiling. Dried meat mixed with fat and berries became storable pemmican.