Who was Sitting Bull?
Sitting Bull – aka Tatanka Iyotake – was a Teton Dakota chief who united the myriad Sioux tribes during the 1870s in an attempt to survive the influx of white Americans over the Great Plains.
Iyotake was born in modern-day South Dakota in 1831 and, through a series of impressive performances in wars, ascended through the ranks to become principal chief of the Sioux nation in 1867.
In 1868 Sitting Bull persuaded the Sioux to agree with the Second Treaty of Fort Laramie, which guaranteed the Sioux a large area of land in South Dakota. However, after gold deposits were found in the area, prospectors invaded the protected lands leading to a series of events that would eventually culminate in the Battle of Little Bighorn.