Yellow Bear facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Yellow Bear
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| Mato Gi | |
Yellow Bear (seated, first on left) with group of Sioux
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| Oglala leader | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | circa. 1844 South Dakota |
| Died | September 1, 1913 Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, South Dakota, United States |
Yellow Bear, known in his own language as Mato Ǧí, was an important leader of the Oglala Lakota people. He was born around 1844 and lived until 1913. He became well-known during a time of big changes for his people. Yellow Bear worked to help the Lakota people connect with the United States government.
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Who Was Yellow Bear?
There were actually two important Oglala leaders named Yellow Bear. The first Yellow Bear was a respected headman of the Tapisleca Tiyóšpaye, a large group within the southern Oglala Lakota. He traveled to Washington, D.C. in 1870 to meet with government officials.
By 1871, his village had about 40 lodges, which made it one of the biggest family groups in the Tapisleca Band. Sadly, the first Yellow Bear was killed in 1872 near Fort Laramie during a fight.
A New Leader Emerges
After the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868, many Lakota people began to live on reservations. They started to change their way of life, moving away from buffalo hunting. By 1874, leadership of Yellow Bear's group seemed to pass to his younger brother, Black Hawk. Around this time, another Oglala leader named Yellow Bear, the subject of this article, started to become important.
Yellow Bear During the Great Sioux War
Born around 1844 or 1845, Yellow Bear was one of several younger Oglala leaders who became well-known during the Great Sioux War of 1876-77. This was a time when traditional warrior paths were changing. Yellow Bear showed how new leaders could succeed by working as a link between the U.S. government and the Lakota people.
In the fall of 1876, Yellow Bear joined General George Crook's Indian Scouts. He fought alongside the U.S. Army against the Northern Cheyenne in a battle known as the Dull Knife Fight.
Growing Influence
By February 1877, Yellow Bear was promoted to sergeant in the Indian Scouts. He was seen as the main spokesman for the Tapisleca band at the Red Cloud Agency. This showed how much his influence was growing. A photographer named D. S. Mitchell even took his portrait that year.
In the fall of 1877, Yellow Bear attended a meeting with other Oglala leaders about Crazy Horse. When Indian scouts surrounded Crazy Horse's village, Yellow Bear supported the action. Later that year, he was chosen as one of the Oglala representatives, along with Red Cloud, to travel to Washington, D.C. to meet with the president. He told President Hayes, "I want to know now which is the best way we can live for a long time. I have a band of my own and I have come down to work for them."
Yellow Bear's Family and Community
Yellow Bear married his first wife, Wild Horse, around 1870. About four years later, he also married her younger sister, Holy Day. Together, they had eight children, and four of them lived to adulthood.
After 1878, the Oglala people settled on the Pine Ridge Agency. Yellow Bear's community, called the Shkokpaya, settled northwest of Allen, South Dakota. This area later became known as the Pass Creek District of the reservation.
Community Life
The 1890 Pine Ridge census showed that the Shkokpaya had 22 families, or 99 people. Yellow Bear's brother, Imitates Dog (Sunka Onca), was also a member of this group. Yellow Bear's wives had sisters who married other important members of the Shkokpaya, like Yellow Hawk and Little Crow. Another well-known member was Pawnee Killer.
Yellow Bear continued to be an important Oglala leader at Pine Ridge. He traveled to Washington, D.C. again in 1888. He passed away on September 1, 1913, near Allen, South Dakota.
