Sitting Bull - the name

Indian legends often tell the story of the high regard which native peoples held animals. Sitting Bull is a great example. Sioux oral history states that his father, after hearing a nearby buffalo bull bellowing took this as a sign. He chose this sign to made four names from, Sitting Bull, Lone Bull, Jumping Bull and Standing Bull.

Wyoming Buffalo

He then used the first and what he considered the most powerful name, Sitting Bull as his own name. But when his 14 year old son showed exceptional bravery counting his first coup, his father gave away that name to his son, who would become the great Sitting Bull of history books and the Wild West Show. Sitting Bull’s father lived out the rest of his life as another of his four names, Lone Bull.

Sitting Bull