10 Lesser-Known Stories Of Native American Heroes That Deserve More Attention

Although most people will be familiar with the name Sitting Bull, not everyone knows the full scope of his massive achievements. As the head of the Lakota Sioux Nation, he faced up to the might of the U.S. Army, helping to secure victory against General Custer at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. 

As a child, Sitting Bull was nicknamed Slow thanks to his careful and deliberate manner. But when he was just 14 years old, he demonstrated great prowess in battle — earning his father’s moniker of Buffalo Who Sits Down. At the same time, he was presented with a horse and an eagle feather, marking his transition from boy into man.

Years later, with the U.S. government encroaching on native lands, Sitting Bull joined Oglala Lakota leader Red Cloud to fight against the invaders. But when his fellow warriors signed a peace treaty, he declined the offer. Eventually, his refusal to back down would lead him to the battlefields of the Great Sioux War. 

Despite winning an unlikely victory against General Custer, though, Sitting Bull and his comrades eventually lost the war. Fleeing with his band to Canada, he survived there for four years before depleting livestock and conflicts with natives forced him to return. Back in America, he lived out the rest of his days as a celebrity before being killed by a U.S. policeman at Standing Rock.