White Bull

For other uses, see White Bull (disambiguation).

White Bull
Tȟatȟáŋka Ská
Personal details
Born	April 1849 Black Hills
Died	June 21, 1947(1947-06-21) (aged 98) South Dakota
Relations	One Bull (brother) Sitting Bull (uncle) Black Moon (uncle) Floris White Bull (descendant)
Parents	Makes Room (father) Good Feather (mother)

White Bull (Lakota: Tȟatȟáŋka Ská; April 1849 – June 21, 1947) later known as Joseph White Bull was the nephew of Sitting Bull, and a famous warrior in his own right. White Bull participated in the Battle of the Little Bighorn on June 25, 1876.

Early life

Born in the Black Hills in South Dakota, his original name was Bull-Standing-with-Cow. He came from a prominent Sioux family, being the son of Good Feather, Sitting Bull's sister, and Makes Room, a respected Miniconjou chief. His brother was One Bull. At just 16 years old, White Bull became a skilled warrior, earning recognition for his bravery by unseating three scouts from their horses and claiming 10 horses for his tribe. In honor of his achievements, his uncle Black Moon then gave him the name White Bull.^[1]

Little Bighorn

For years, rumors circulated that White Bull claimed to have killed Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer at the infamous battle. However, those who knew White Bull disputed this, stating that he never made such a boast, but rather acknowledged struggling with Custer.^[2][3] After the battle, White Bull joined his uncle, Hunkpapa Sioux leader Sitting Bull, while fleeing to Canada. Also, young Chief Solomon "Smoke" and Chief No Neck (Lakota: Tȟahú Waníče) (these two chiefs were the sons of the old Chief Smoke 1774–1864), fled with White Bull and Sitting Bull and their bands to Canada.

White Bull surrendered to government troops in 1876. He eventually became a chief, replacing his father Chief Makes Room upon his death. He acted as a judge of the Court of Indian Offenses, and was a proponent of Lakota land claims in the Black Hills. White Bull died in South Dakota in 1947.

White Bull's relationship to his uncle made him an important contributor to Stanley Vestal's biography of Sitting Bull.

Popular culture

White Bull, played by Sal Mineo, was used as a character in the 1958 Disney Western adventure film Tonka.

References

1. Agency, Mailing Address: Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument P. O. Box 39 Crow; Us, MT 59022-0039 Phone:[phone] Contact. "White Bull - Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2024-04-04.
2. Stanley Vestal, "The Man Who Killed Custer" American Heritage Magazine, February 1957, Volume 8, Issue 2
3. Levin, Sam (2017-02-15). "'Opportunity for healing': General Custer's relative visits Standing Rock". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-04-23.

Further reading

• Stanley Vestal, Warpath: The True Story of the Fighting Sioux Told in a Biography of Chief White Bull (University of Nebraska Press, First Bison Book printing, 1984) ISBN 0-8032-9601-0
• The Warrior Who Killed Custer: The Personal Narrative of Chief Joseph White Bull. Translated and Edited By James H. Howard. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1968.
• Lakota Warrior: A Personal Narrative. Edited by James H. Howard. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1998.

External links

• Sioux History in Pictures (The White Bull Manuscript) at The University of North Dakota
• The Man Who Killed Custer American Heritage Magazine