Omaha daily bee., 1908-09-20
SITTING BULL A GOOD" INDIAN
How the Great Chief of the sioux
Tribes Came to BE Given
His Name.

AA UNI
Writing of Famous Indian Chiefs" in
Youths Companion General O.. o. Howard
tells how Sitting Bull came by his name,
as follows:
Two Of our states, as boys and girls
know from their geography, are called Da-
ota-one North Dakota. the other South
Dakota-and this was also the name Of In
Lian people Of different tribes speaking tile
same language, who lived i'm the country
north Of the great Platte river, and be-
tween and along our two greatest rivers,
the Missouri and the Mississippi. The
word Dakota means united by compact,
and there were several united tribes who
called themselves the Dakotas.
Sitting Bull was a Dakota Indian. He
was born near an old army station, Fort
George, on Willow Creek, and his father
was Jumping Bun. The Indian chiefs are
very fond Of giving boys new names when
they begin to do something which their
friends notice. II a boy runs fast with his
head up they call him "The Elk, - The
Deer The Wild Horse or some such
name. or perhaps, II he has quick or sly
ways, they name him THE Fox" The
Wolf or The Coyote"
In North Dakota, at this time, there were
great herds of buffalo, and the largest Of
them were the bulls. These were the lead
ers when a herd was running, swimming
a river or jumping across a gully. Even
when a lad Sitting Bulls father could hunt
for buffalOes. and quickly jump the deep
gullies so frequent in that country, always
with his bow in his hand, so his uncle, an
Indian chief, named him Jumping Bull.
His son was a strange boy. His hair was
| straight ike an Indian bnt pf a rrJdiab.
brown color. His head was very large and
his features were more regular in form
than that OF the Indian. He was so odd
I'm his looks and his ways, keeping much by
himself. thinking and planning how best to
have his own way, that his father named
him when quite young Sacred Stand"
Once, at 10 years of age, he went with
some hunters on a wild chase for buffalos
and came back to his fathers wigwam
very happy and proud, for he had sue
ceeded in killing a buffalo calf; but he did
not have a new name till four years later.
At this time he frequently made drawings
Of his totem, what we might call his
family coat of arms. This was a buffalo
bull settled back on his launches in a sit
ting posture, and from it the boy was
named Sitting Bull"
His second feat thought great by In
dlans was when he met a Crow Indian
travelling along a trail claimed by the Da-
kotas. The Crow Indian was riding a
horse, and had, on another horse. his wife,
with a baby strapped to her back. Sitting
Bull, on an Indian pony, charged this little
cayalcade, succeeded in killing all three
without getting a scratch, and made a
rough picture Of the exploit, which he
showed to his companions.
Chief Red Cloud had led the Indians in
1868 at the time when a large number Of
our men fell In battle near Fort Phil
kearny, and after that trouble a scout
picked up an old army roster book which
had once belonged to a company of our
soldiers. On its blank pages Sitting Bull
had made skeleton pictures, and each pic
ture showed some wicked deed. The pic
lures were ridiculous enough, but they
made a fairly good dairy, and the meaning
could not be mistaken. Nearly every record
IN the book was a sketch of the cruel Sit
ting Bull and his victims. Sometimes
he was killing white men, sometimes In
dams, sometimes stealing and driving off
herds of horses. A mans figure with a
tall hat was enough to mean a white
citizen, an uncouth bonnet showed a
woman, stiff outlines gave Indian war
feathers on a soldiers costume, and the
hook was a curious record of years when
Sitting Bull was a famous brave and a
cruel, bad Indian.
To look at Sitting Bull one would say
that he was always quiet and self-con-
tanned. In fact he did usually keep him
self under control; but he was cruel and
almost heartless. He had practised cruelty
TO animals and men from his childhood,
and as long as he lived; he was full of
passion, and often very angry. He was al
ways imperious and insolent toward our
generals. the Indian agent. and other
friends Of the Great Father at Washington.
whom he claimed to hate. He had great
talent and ability to plan campaigns and
battles, wonderful Influence in bringing
Indians together. Notwithstanding all this,
he was afraid of death, and though he
planned the greatest victory which the In
dams ever gained over white men. Sitting
Bull himself was a coward, and disgraced
himself even before his own people by
running away in the very face of success