Sitting Bull

Updated: February 3, 2026

Sitting Bull was a Hunkpapa Lakota leader and spiritual figure who helped unite many Lakota and allied bands in resisting U.S. expansion onto the northern Plains. He is remembered for his courage, vision, and determination to protect his people's homelands rather than for hatred of other peoples.

Early Life and Leadership

Sitting Bull was born sometime between 1831 and 1837 near the Grand River in what is now South Dakota, at a place the Lakota called Many Caches. As a young man he earned his adult name from his father after showing bravery in battle; the name is often translated as "Buffalo Bull Who Sits Down." Over time he became a leading spokesman and holy man for the Hunkpapa Lakota and, by the late 1860s, was widely regarded as a principal leader among many northern Lakota hunting bands.

The Black Hills and the 1868 Treaty

In 1868, the Fort Laramie Treaty recognized the Black Hills as part of the Great Sioux Reservation and set them aside for the "absolute and undisturbed use and occupation" of the Lakota, who viewed the hills as sacred. In 1874, Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer led an expedition into the Black Hills and reported the presence of gold, bringing along scientists and reporters whose stories helped trigger a rush of miners into treaty lands. Sitting Bull understood that if miners and settlers stayed, his people could lose both their sacred hills and the freedom to follow buffalo across their traditional country.

Sun Dance Vision and the Battle of the Little Bighorn

In 1876, as U.S. forces moved to compel all "non-treaty" Lakota and Northern Cheyenne onto agencies, many bands gathered together for safety in what was then Montana Territory. That summer Sitting Bull led a major Sun Dance ceremony near the Rosebud, where he fasted, sacrificed by cutting his arms, and danced until he collapsed. During this ceremony he had a vision of soldiers falling into camp "like grasshoppers," which his people understood as a sign that they would defeat an approaching army.

Soon afterward, Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho camps formed a large village along the Greasy Grass (Little Bighorn) River in present-day southeastern Montana. On June 25-26, 1876, Custer and elements of the 7th Cavalry attacked this village, hoping to break Native resistance. Instead, Native warriors defeated Custer's command in what became known as the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Sitting Bull's vision and spiritual leadership helped bring people together and strengthen their resolve, while younger war leaders such as Crazy Horse and others directed much of the fighting on the battlefield.

Exile in Canada and Surrender

After the Little Bighorn, the United States sent more troops into Lakota country. Over the next year Sitting Bull and his followers were pursued across the northern Plains. In 1877 he led a group into Canada, where they stayed for several years near Wood Mountain, hoping to live beyond the reach of U.S. soldiers. Life there was difficult: Canadian officials offered limited aid, and the rapid disappearance of bison herds left the people short of food.

As hunger and pressure grew and many relatives had already surrendered at U.S. agencies, Sitting Bull finally agreed to return. On July 19-20, 1881, he and his band surrendered to U.S. authorities at Fort Buford in what was then Dakota Territory, near today's North Dakota-Montana border. He was held as a prisoner of war at Fort Randall for nearly two years before being moved in 1883 to the Standing Rock Agency, where he lived under close government supervision rather than on an independent reservation of his own choosing.

Buffalo Bill's Wild West and Later Years

In 1885, Sitting Bull was allowed to travel for a season with Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West show. He rode in the arena, greeted large crowds, and met performers such as sharpshooter Annie Oakley. After only a few months he returned to Standing Rock with some earnings and gifts, but his official status as a dependent of the U.S. government did not change. Many studio photographs from the 1880s show Sitting Bull in this later period, wearing a mix of traditional clothing and items he received from visitors.

Death and Legacy

In 1890, the Ghost Dance religious movement spread across many Plains reservations, and U.S. officials grew increasingly fearful of Native gatherings. Accounts differ on how strongly Sitting Bull supported the Ghost Dance, but authorities at Standing Rock saw him as a potential focus of resistance. On December 15, 1890, Indian police sent by the reservation agent came to arrest him at his home on the Grand River. In the struggle that followed, a fight broke out, and Sitting Bull was shot and killed along with several of his followers and a number of policemen.

Sitting Bull's death came just days before the Wounded Knee Massacre in South Dakota and marked the end of an era of open Lakota military resistance on the northern Plains. Today he is widely remembered as a symbol of Native resistance and dignity, a spiritual leader who tried to protect his people's lands, rights, and culture in the face of broken treaties and relentless pressure. Visitors can learn more about his life and times at Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument in Montana, at Standing Rock and other Lakota communities, and through museums and tribal colleges that share Lakota perspectives on his story.

Encyclopaedia Britannica: Sitting Bull

Updated: February 3, 2026