William Sitting Bull facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
William Sitting Bull
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William Sitting Bull in 1904
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| Born |
Runs-Away-From-Him
1878 Southern Manitoba, Canada or northeastern Montana, US
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| Died | 8 December 1909 (aged 31) |
| Occupation | circus performer, farmer |
| Spouse(s) | Scout Woman (died 1931) |
| Children | Nancy Sitting Bull (1903-1959) Rosa Sitting Bull (1906-1907) |
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William Sitting Bull (born around 1878 – died December 8, 1909) was an important figure in Native American history. He was the son of the famous Lakota leader, Sitting Bull. William was known for his work as a circus performer and a farmer.
Contents
William Sitting Bull's Life Story
William Sitting Bull was born around 1878. His mother was Four-Robes-Woman. He was born in what is now southern Manitoba, Canada or northeastern Montana in the United States. His native name was Runs-Away-From-Him, which in the Lakota language is Nakicipa. William had a twin brother named Left-Arrow-In-Him, but his brother passed away when they were very young.
Early Life and Moving Around
After his father, Sitting Bull, surrendered to the United States in 1881, William and his family were held as prisoners of war. They stayed for two years at Fort Randall in Dakota Territory. In 1883, they were allowed to join other members of their Hunkpapa Lakota group. They moved to the Standing Rock Indian Reservation.
After his father's death in 1890, William and his family moved again. In early 1891, they relocated to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. They settled in an area called the White Clay district.
Life as a Circus Performer
In 1901, William Sitting Bull joined a show called Colonel Frederick T. Cummins' Indian Congress & Wild West. Later, in 1904, he became part of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Circus. This was a very popular show that traveled all over.
While traveling to New York City in April 1904, William was seriously hurt. He was in a train accident near Maywood, Illinois. The next month, he became sick with tuberculosis. He was sent home to recover.
After he got better, William rejoined the circus. He traveled to many cities in the United States and even to Europe. William Sitting Bull was a big star in the show. He was presented as the only living son of the famous Sitting Bull. He often played a main role in the show's reenactments of the Battle of the Little Bighorn, also known as Custer's Last Stand.
Family Life
In 1902, William married Scout Woman. She was an Oglala Lakota woman from the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. They had two daughters together. Nancy Sitting Bull was born in 1903, and Rosa Sitting Bull was born in 1906. Sadly, Rosa passed away when she was a baby.
In 1908, William, his mother, his wife, and his daughter asked the Bureau of Indian Affairs if they could move back to the Standing Rock Indian Reservation. However, their request was turned down. Officials worried that William's connection to his famous father might cause problems or unrest on the reservation.
Later Years and Legacy
William Sitting Bull passed away at his home near Wanblee on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation on December 8, 1909. He was buried in the nearby Presbyterian cemetery.
Years later, in 1953, his surviving daughter, Nancy Kicking Bear, helped move her grandfather's remains. Sitting Bull's grave at Fort Yates, North Dakota had been neglected. Nancy and two cousins helped rebury him at the Sitting Bull Monument. This monument is on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation near Mobridge, South Dakota. Today, many people are living descendants of William Sitting Bull.
