Sitting Bull

His Life and Legacy

Ernie LaPointe

• Publisher: Gibbs Smith
• Year: 2009
• Print ISBN:
  9781423657989
• eBook ISBN:
  9781423612667
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: Social Science Biographies
• Index: History

An intimate portrait of the Lakota chief by his great-grandson.
Ernie LaPointe, born on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, is a great-grandson of the famous Hunkpapa Lakota chief Sitting Bull, and in this book, the first by one of Sitting Bull's lineal descendants, he presents the family tales and memories told to him about his great-grandfather. LaPointe not only recounts the rich oral history of his family—the stories of Sitting Bull's childhood, his reputation as a fierce warrior, his growth into a sage and devoted leader of his people, and the betrayal that led to his murder—but also explains what it means to be Lakota in the time of Sitting Bull and now.
In many ways, the oral history differs from what has become the standard and widely accepted biography of Sitting Bull. LaPointe explains the discrepancies, how they occurred, and why he wants to tell his story of Tatanka Iyotake. This is a powerful story of Native American history, told by a Native American, for all people to better understand a culture, a leader, and a man.

Table of contents

• Acknowledgments
• Foreword
• Preface
• Introduction
• Jumping Badger
• Earning His Name
• The Strong Heart Society
• Jumping Bull
• Wives and Children
• Gazing at the Sun: The First Vision
• Encountering the Americans
• The Leader of the Lakota
• Arrow Creek
• Broken Promises
• The Stage is Set
• The Battle of the Greasy Grass
• In the Land of the Grandmother
• Military Custody
• A Limited Captivity
• The Ghost Dance
• Betrayal
• The Murder
• Burying the Dead
• Leaving Standing Rock
• The Burial Site of Tatanka Iyotake
• Living The Legacy
• Appendix 1
• Appendix 2
• Glossary