Sitting Bull (Tatanka Iyotake)

Tatanka Iyotake, more widely known as Sitting Bull, was a Hunkpapa Lakota leader whose name means "Buffalo Bull Who Sits Down." He was born around 1831 near the Grand River in what is now South Dakota, and as a young man he earned his famous name from his father after showing courage in battle. He later became a respected spiritual leader and one of the main leaders among the Lakota people.

In 1868, the Fort Laramie Treaty said that the Black Hills were part of the Great Sioux Reservation and were set aside for the Lakota people, who saw the Black Hills as sacred. But in 1874, Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer led an expedition into the Black Hills and confirmed there was gold, which encouraged many miners and settlers to rush into the area, even though this broke the treaty. Sitting Bull understood that if the U.S. government allowed this to continue, his people could lose their sacred lands.

In the spring of 1876, the U.S. Army began sending more troops to force Lakota and other Plains peoples onto reservations. Sitting Bull called for a Sun Dance, where he and other warriors danced and cut their arms as a sacrifice to the Great Spirit. During this ceremony, he had a vision of many soldiers falling into camp, which his people took as a sign that they would win a coming battle. Around this time, Lakota and Northern Cheyenne leaders such as Crazy Horse and others led warriors who fought U.S. troops and won a major fight at the Rosebud.

Soon afterward, a large Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho camp gathered along the Little Bighorn River in what is now Montana. On June 25-26, 1876, Custer and part of the Seventh Cavalry attacked this camp, hoping to force the "free" tribes onto reservations. Instead, Lakota and Cheyenne warriors led by men like Crazy Horse and others defeated Custer's command in what became known as the Battle of the Little Bighorn, one of the most famous Native victories against U.S. troops. This victory, though important, led to even stronger efforts by the U.S. government to track down and control the Lakota people.

After the Battle of the Little Bighorn, the U.S. Army kept chasing Sitting Bull and his followers. By 1877 he led his people across the border into Canada, where they hoped they would be safe. But as the buffalo herds grew smaller, life there became very hard and food was scarce. On July 19, 1881, Sitting Bull finally surrendered at Fort Buford and was taken into U.S. custody; later he and his people were sent to agencies such as Standing Rock, and they did not receive the independent reservation they had hoped for.

After years of being moved and watched by the U.S. government, Sitting Bull was allowed in 1885 to join Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West show for a short time. He traveled in the United States and Canada, where many people came to see him, and he met performers like sharpshooter Annie Oakley. Many photographs from this time still show his strong, serious face, but he later returned to Standing Rock, where he continued to speak for his people until his death in 1890.

Read more about Little Bighorn Battlefield