Dakota

Sitting Bull (Tatanka Iyotanka)

Picture of Sitting Bull, Tatanka Iyotanka

Sitting Bull or Tatanka Iyotanka, as he was known in his language, was a Dakota Indian from the Hunkpapa Band of Sioux Indians, a respected medicine man, and one of the last free Sioux leaders. On August 23, 1932, Mr. Z. M. Hamilton, a journalist for the “Leader Post” newspaper of Regina, Saskatchewan, referred to the Battle of Little Big Horn as “a massacre.” This term was very incorrect. The Sioux were defending their territory, liberty, homes, and their own…

Read MoreSitting Bull (Tatanka Iyotanka)

Truth and consequences on the reservation–the Elouise Cobell story

Elouise Cobell on the Blackfeet Reservation

Elouise Cobell (Yellow Bird Woman) heard the stories for years: the government was cheating Native Americans on payments for land rights. She took up the cause, and now the Blackfoot Indians are poised to reap billions. In Blackfoot country, passing down stories from one generation to the next is an intricate part of tribal culture. The people who live here at the foot of the Montana Rockies pride themselves on the accuracy of this oral tradition. In the spring, when…

Read MoreTruth and consequences on the reservation–the Elouise Cobell story