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.

Winner of the 2018 Ohioana Book Award for Nonfiction The little-known but uniquely American story of the unlikely friendship of two famous figures of the American West—Buffalo Bill Cody and Sitting Bull—told through the prism of their collaboration in Cody's Wild West show in 1885. “Splendid… Blood Brothers eloquently explores the clash of cultures on the Great Plains that initially united the two legends and how this shared experience contributed to the creation of their ironic political alliance.” —Bobby Bridger, Austin Chronicle It was in Brooklyn, New York, in 1883 that William F. Cody—known across the land as Buffalo Bill—conceived of his Wild West show, an “equestrian extravaganza” featuring cowboys and Indians. It was a great success, and for four months in 1885 the Lakota chief Sitting Bull appeared in the show. Blood Brothers tells the story of these two iconic figures through their brief but important collaboration, in “a compelling narrative that reads like a novel” (Orange County Register). “Thoroughly researched, Deanne Stillman’s account of this period in American history is elucidating as well as entertaining” (Booklist), complete with little-told details about the two men whose alliance was eased by none other than Annie Oakley. When Sitting Bull joined the Wild West, the event spawned one of the earliest advertising slogans: “Foes in ’76, Friends in ’85.” Cody paid his performers well, and he treated the Indians no differently from white performers. During this time, the Native American rights movement began to flourish. But with their way of life in tatters, the Lakota and others availed themselves of the chance to perform in the Wild West show. When Cody died in 1917, a large contingent of Native Americans attended his public funeral. An iconic friendship tale like no other, Blood Brothers is a timeless story of people from different cultures who crossed barriers to engage each other as human beings. Here, Stillman provides “an account of the tragic murder of Sitting Bull that’s as good as any in the literature…Thoughtful and thoroughly well-told—just the right treatment for a subject about which many books have been written before, few so successfully” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review).

Now is the time for us to come to terms with the proposition on which this little book rests. The foundation for climate change, pandemics, violent inequality, and overwhelming discontent is our uninvestigated, dominant worldview. A solution to these challenges rests with our original, Nature-based worldview. To survive, and collectively thrive, after COVID-19, we must reimagine our place in the world by re-embracing what Four Arrows calls "Indigenous worldview." Sitting Bull modeled such an approach to leadership based on Indigenous worldview. Four Arrows has selected seventeen worldview precepts especially vital for our times, one for each short chapter. You do not have to read the chapters in order. Let your intuition guide your reading. You can even use divination to choose. Just close your eyes and open the book to whatever page emerges.

"Nephew of Sitting Bull, chief of the Sioux, Pte San Hunka (White Bull) was a famous warrior in his own right. ... On the afternoon of June 25, 1876, five troops of the U.S. Seventh Cavalry under the command of George Armstrong Custer rode into the valley of Little Big Horn River, confidently expecting to rout the Indian encampments there. Instea, the cavalry met the gathered strength of Sioux and Cheyenne warriors, who did not run as expected but turned the battle toward the soldiers. White Bull charged again and again, fighting until the last soldier was dead. The battle was Custer's Last Stand, and White Bull was later referred to as the warrior who killed Custer. In 1932 White Bull related his life story to Stanley Vestal, who corroborated the details from other sources and prepared this biography."--

Explores the life of the Lakota leader, Sitting Bull, including the battles in which he fought, his surrender and death. Includes activities, sidebars, a map, and a chronology.