Monday, August 15, 2005

My latest book acquisition: The Last Years of Sitting Bull (ND Historical Society, 1984).

Sitting Bull (Tatanka Iyotanka) is said to have called the Killdeer Mountains his favorite place. This is where my grandparents currently live, a few miles from the town of Killdeer where I'm living at present. The name Killdeer is a translation of Tahkakate, "the place where they kill the deer."

The book compares Sitting Bull to Martin Luther King, Jr., due to his courage and charisma. It says his original name was Jumping Badger, then it was changed to Slow. It became Sitting Bull when he was a teen, because he showed stubborness, stamina, and strength.

Sitting Bull toured for one year with the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show, but he didn't like it much. According to Buffalo Bill's biographer, Don Russell, Sitting Bull "was generous in giving his money to newsboys, bootblacks, and other urchins who hung about the showgrounds. He could not understand such poverty in the midst of . . . wealth."

The U.S. government eventually got paranoid that Sitting Bull was preparing to lead the Sioux Nation into battle with Whites, so they called for his arrest, planning to send him to prison. A skirmish ensued and Sitting Bull was shot and killed.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

have you heard the new will smith cd?

Chris Sand said...

why? is it gud?

Anonymous said...

yes... and no. it's kind of sad... like he's begging to be loved--- like he feels the need to explain himself. you feel uncomfortable listening to it- like you're eaves dropping on a private conversation.


iv