SITTING BULL FACTS

Introduction - Sitting Bull

On this page we list facts about the famous Native American Indian Sitting Bull who lived from 1831-1890. In the late 19th century this great chief and holy man led the Sioux Indians in their struggles against the military forces of the U.S. government in their effort to eliminate them from the Great Plains of North America. He became perhaps the most important American Indian of his time. Please read the list below for more interesting facts about Sitting Bull.

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Sitting Bull Facts - The Early Years

Sitting Bull was a Hunkpapa Lakota Sioux Naive American Indian born south of present-day Miles City, Montana.
When born he was given the name Jumping Badger. He would later be named Sitting Bull which was one of his fathers names.
Throughout the late 1860s and early 1870s Sitting Bull was involved in many clashes with the U.S. Army and white settlers. He led many war parties aimed at halting the white peoples expansion into the Indians territory and as retaliation for poor treatment by the government of the United States.
In the late 1860s he led war parties that attacked several U.S. forts in the Dakota Territory including Fort Berthold, Fort Buford, and Fort Stevenson. He also attacked other areas the U.S government had fortified.
Sitting Bull had a vision before the Battle of the Little Bighorn which took place on June 25, 1876. He saw the defeat of the 7th Cavalry commanded by George Armstrong Custer. Although Sitting Bull was not a war leader in the battle he was an inspiration to the Indian warriors and many believed his magical powers were the reason for the great victory.

Sitting Bull Facts - The Later Years

The defeat of the army led by Custer at Little Bighorn led the U.S. to deploy many more troops in the Great Plains. This led to many Indians surrendering and forced Sitting Bull and many of his followers to leave the United States.
In November 1876 Sitting Bull led a group of Indians into Saskatchewan Canada and settled in the Cypress Hills close to Wood Mountain.
In July 1881, facing starvation, Sitting Bull and a small number of his family and followers returned to the United States and surrendered to U.S. authorities. The group was sent to the Standing Rock Indian Reservation on the border of North Dakota and South Dakota.
It is a strange fact that in 1885 Sitting Bull was a guest in Buffalo Bill Cody's (William Cody) famous Wild West show. The two men who had fought on opposite sides in the Great Sioux War of 1876 formed an unlikely friendship. Sitting Bull earned approximately fifty dollars a week and was a very popular attraction for the show.
On December 15th 1890, under the orders of Indian Service agent James McLaughlin, tribal policemen attempted to arrest Sitting Bull believing that he may be involved in the Ghost Dance movement. This movement was aimed at ending white expansionism in the Great Plains and restoring the traditional Native American way of life to the American Indians. Several Indians, in an attempt to protect their great leader, confronted the tribal policemen and a gun fight ensued. Sitting Bull was shot in the melee.