50 Fun Facts About Sitting Bull

What does the name of Sitting Bull's band, Hunkpapa, mean in Lakota?

By tradition they set up their lodges at the entrance to the great council circle when the Sioux met.

What was Sitting Bull named at birth?

He was nicknamed "Slow" for his careful, unhurried nature.

How did the 14-year-old future chief earn his father's name?

His father then took the name Jumping Bull and gave his son an eagle feather, a horse and a buffalo-hide shield.

What does the Lakota name Tȟatȟáŋka Íyotake roughly translate to?

Americans shortened it to Sitting Bull.

According to family oral tradition reported in 2007, Sitting Bull was born along which river?

That would put his birthplace south of present-day Miles City, Montana, sometime between 1831 and 1837.

Which general's 1864 expedition, the largest ever against Native Americans, fought Sitting Bull at Killdeer Mountain?

More than 4,000 soldiers took part in the overall operation.

Where was Sitting Bull shot in a September 1864 skirmish with soldiers from a wagon train?

The bullet exited through the small of his back and the wound was not serious.

What did Sitting Bull tell missionary Pierre-Jean De Smet when asked to accept the 1868 Fort Laramie treaty?

Gall and others signed a form of the treaty at Fort Rice; Sitting Bull kept raiding forts on the upper Missouri.

Why do historians reject Stanley Vestal's claim that Sitting Bull became 'Supreme Chief of the whole Sioux Nation'?

Individual bands and their elders decided for themselves whether to make war.

Which railway's survey parties did Sitting Bull's Hunkpapa attack in 1871-73?

The Panic of 1873 bankrupted the railway's backer Jay Cooke and halted construction.

Whose 1874 expedition announced gold in the Black Hills, triggering the rush that led to war?

The 1868 treaty had guaranteed the Black Hills to the Sioux.

After what date were Sioux bands still off the reservation certified 'hostile', under Grant's November 1875 order?

That certification let the army pursue Sitting Bull's people as enemies.

In his vision before the Little Bighorn, Sitting Bull saw soldiers falling into camp 'as thick as' what?

They fell upside down, which his people read as a great victory to come.

What sacrifice did Sitting Bull make during the Sun Dance a week before the Little Bighorn?

He fasted as well; the vision came at the climax of the ceremony.

Roughly how many people were in the great camp on the Little Bighorn when Custer attacked?

Bands had gathered around Sitting Bull for safety in numbers throughout the first half of 1876.

What role did Sitting Bull play in the actual fighting at the Little Bighorn?

Crazy Horse led his followers into battle.

What do the Lakota call the river and battle Americans know as the Little Bighorn?

Contemporary participants also called the site the "Valley of Chieftains".

How many of the 7th Cavalry's twelve troops were wiped out at the Little Bighorn?

Custer's own battalion was annihilated while Reno's and Benteen's men were besieged.

On what date was the Battle of the Little Bighorn fought?

It came about three weeks after Sitting Bull's vision.

Where did Sitting Bull lead his band in May 1877 to escape the US Army?

He stayed four years in what is now Saskatchewan, refusing a pardon.

Which North-West Mounted Police commander met Sitting Bull at the border and became his lifelong friend?

Walsh told him the Lakota were on British soil and must obey British law, enforced equally for all.

Sitting Bull named one of his sons after which Blackfeet leader he made peace with in Canada?

The Blackfeet had long been enemies of the Lakota and Cheyenne, but Crowfoot accepted the tobacco peace offering.

Why did Sitting Bull finally leave Canada in 1881?

He crossed with just 186 family members and followers.

At which army post did Sitting Bull surrender on July 19, 1881?

It stood at the meeting of the Missouri and Yellowstone rivers in present-day North Dakota.

Who handed over Sitting Bull's Winchester rifle at the surrender ceremony?

Sitting Bull said: "I wish it to be remembered that I was the last man of my tribe to surrender my rifle."

After surrendering, Sitting Bull's band was held as prisoners of war for 20 months at which post?

They were shipped down the Missouri by steamboat and allowed back to Standing Rock after 20 months.

Which sharpshooter did Sitting Bull 'adopt' in 1884, naming her 'Little Sure Shot'?

He paid $65 for a photographer to take their picture together.

How much a week was Sitting Bull paid to ride once around the arena with Buffalo Bill's show in 1885?

He also charged for autographs and photos, but often gave the money to beggars.

How long did Sitting Bull stay with Buffalo Bill's Wild West?

Historian Robert Utley disputes the rumour that he cursed audiences in Lakota during the show.

What is Sitting Bull said to have declared in Lakota at an 1884 railway ceremony as a translator read a polite speech?

The audience, including President Grant, was reportedly none the wiser.

In what year was Buffalo Bill's Wild West founded?

Cody started it near North Platte, Nebraska, and "Show" was never officially part of the name.

Which Brooklyn activist moved into Sitting Bull's Grand River compound in 1889 as his secretary?

She belonged to the National Indian Defense Association and brought her young son Christy.

The Ghost Dance movement was spread from Nevada by which Paiute prophet?

Also known as Jack Wilson, he promised the return of the dead and the buffalo.

What were Ghost Dance shirts said to do?

Sitting Bull let dancers gather at his camp but did not appear to dance himself.

Which Indian agent at Standing Rock ordered Sitting Bull's arrest in December 1890?

He feared the chief was about to leave the reservation with the Ghost Dancers.

How many Indian agency policemen approached Sitting Bull's house at dawn on December 15, 1890?

Four volunteers came with them; the plan's light spring wagon was left behind.

Which Lakota man fired the shot that set off the fatal fight, wounding Lieutenant Bull Head?

Bull Head then fired into Sitting Bull's chest and Red Tomahawk shot him in the head.

How many men died in the brief fight at Sitting Bull's arrest, including those fatally wounded?

Six policemen died at once and two more later, along with Sitting Bull and seven supporters.

Where was Sitting Bull first buried after his death?

An Army carpenter made his coffin; family exhumed what they believed were his remains in 1953.

The Wounded Knee Massacre took place how long after Sitting Bull's death?

Spotted Elk's band and 38 Hunkpapa were heading for Pine Ridge when the 7th Cavalry intercepted them.

Roughly how many Lakota were killed at Wounded Knee?

Nineteen soldiers were awarded the Medal of Honor for the action.

Sitting Bull's cabin was moved from the Grand River to be exhibited at which event?

Indigenous dancers performed at the same exposition.

Standing Rock College was renamed Sitting Bull College in what year?

It has campuses in both North and South Dakota.

What did ancient-DNA expert Eske Willerslev's team confirm in 2021 using a hair sample from Sitting Bull?

The Copenhagen team had announced the genome project in 2010 with the family's approval.

A 36-foot Lego sculpture of Sitting Bull stands in which theme park?

He also leads the Native American civilization in the game Civilization IV.

Which children's book by Barack Obama lists Sitting Bull among 13 great Americans?

The US Postal Service had put him on a 28-cent stamp in 1989.

In the 1980 case United States v. Sioux Nation, what did the Supreme Court rule about the Black Hills?

The Sioux have refused the money, now over $1 billion, demanding the land instead.

The Standing Rock Reservation is roughly twice the size of which US state?

It has 15,568 enrolled tribal members.

Who played Sitting Bull in the 2007 HBO film Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee?

He had also played the role in the 1995 film Crazy Horse and called it his favourite.

By 1891 about how many Hunkpapa Lakota lived on the Standing Rock Reservation?

They have not been counted separately from other Lakota since.