“The Battle of the Dark” occurred on Dec. 15, 1890. That battle ended in the deaths of twelve Native-Americans. One of them was the famous chief Sitting Bull. Tatanka Iyotake had been the most famous hostile since the Battle of Little Big Horn. His refusal to come in to the reservation in 1876, had precipitated that battle. After it, he and his followers escaped to Canada for four years. Starvation caused them to return to America. They were given land on the Standing Rock reservation. In 1890, Sitting Bull was no longer hostile, he was simply trying to defend Indian traditions. In 1890, some of the Sioux got caught up in the Ghost Dance Revival. They were convinced that doing a dance would bring back the good old days before whites had messed things up. Some dancers claimed they would be invulnerable to white bullets when they fought to regain their lands. Sitting Bull was not part of the revival, but John McLaughlin (the Indian agent on Standing Rock) was convinced he was a leading force. Indian police (Native Americans who took jobs maintaining law and order on the reservation) were sent to arrest him. At 6 A.M., they arrived at his cabin on the Grand River. The 59 year-old spiritual leader was grabbed and pulled to a waiting horse. Sitting Bull was reluctantly cooperating when his son taunted him: “You always called yourself a brave chief – now you are allowing yourself to be taken by the Metal Breasts [the Indian name for the Indian police because of their metal stars on their chests].” A crowd had gathered. Sitting Bull pulled away from his captor Bull Head. Someone in the crowd shot Bull Head and he reacted by firing point blank into Sitting Bull’s chest. Another policeman fired into the chief’s head. Numerous shots were exchanged between the crowd and the policemen. Bizarrely, the sound of gunshots caused the trick horse given by Buffalo Bill to Sitting Bull to go into its act. As it pranced, it’s owner lay bleeding to death. It was a surreal ending to a great life.
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/sitting-bull-killed-by-indian-police
https://www.historicamerica.org/journal/2014/12/15/the-death-of-sitting-bull
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sitting_Bull#Death_and_burial
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