Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1911-04-08
n Story Of TITO Skulls X

on the Top OF the Hill," said:
have come with my men and | want t
have your head and l will let you ilav'
eight of my best men for your scalp
but Big Bird said, no, my friend
would rather have your head, be-
cause l and my people could taxi
good care of you, as we all live ii
lodges and do not roam around SC
much as the Sioux do, so Sitting or
the Top of the Hill consented that
his friend should have his head and
told him that within three or four
days his men would attack Big Birds
village. So he went back to his camp
and meanwhile Big Bird informed the
Grosventres to get ready, that within
! three or four days the Sioux were
going to attack them. lie instructed
his men that when they saw an old
man among their enemies they must
not try to shoot him, but to pass on
and to kill the others. After four
days the Sioux attacked the Grosven-
tres Big Bird was sitting on his
lodge making medicine while his men
all went out to fight the Sioux. "Sit-
ting OH the Top of the Hi]l' told his
men to retreat, and the Grosventres
were so excited that they had forgot
ten about big Bird's' friend, so
when hey overlook the Sioux they
noticed an old man was walking be-
hind his NEIL and he was pretending
that he was. going to put up fifht,
so the Grosventres commenced to
shoot at him, but their shots had no
effect on the old man and Big Bird
saw what was going on, so he ran to
help his friend, and reaching him i'll
time, he told his men to 90 on after
the Sioux and let the old man alone.
The Grosventres followed their enc
mics and killed all of them while Big
Bird was talking with his friend.
Sitting on the Top of the Hill, after
he got through drinking and eating
(Which Mrs. Big Bird brought to him)
told Big Bird that they must hurry
up, he must lay down and Big Bird
was to put blanket or robe over
him, and in little, while to remove
it, and carry it out according to the
agreement. So Big Bird did as his
friend instructed, and when uncovered
him the old man was dead, so he cut
his head off and carried it home with
him. He placed the head where the
ants were. Afterwards Big Bird took
the skull and placed it in the center
of his lodge and would place some
food, water and tobacco before it
every day.
Big Bird was getting so old, so he
told his friends that when he died
they must keep his skull with his
friend and make offers to them, and
talk to them whenever they needed
help, and also whenever they wanted
rain they must ask to the skulls, and
that their wants would be granted.
When Big Bird died and afterwards
his head was placed with Sitting on
the Top of the Hill, so that after that
ihe Grosventres carried the skulls
from the Knife river and the last per-
son who had the skulls was Wolf
Chiefs father, whose name was Small
Ankle, and who kept them for nearly
fifty years Small Ankle died about
1899, so Wolf Chief took care of the
skulls.
After Wolf Chief became Chris
tian he asked several other Indians to
take the skulls. They refused to take
them and as Wolf Chief did not be-
lieve any more about the skulls or
Shrine, he sold them to Rev. G. L. |
Wilson and the skulls were taken to
the state of New York.