Sitting Crow

[Frank]

I would appreciate some little detailed info about Sitting Crow, he is a Blackfeet Sioux as long as I am concerned but thats all I know about him....and well ofcourse he has a nice pair of goggles and a weird hat that he seem to wear with pride, but anything else anyone? Thank you.

[clw]

I can't help you, but what a wonderful photo! I absolutely love it!! We seldom see photos that capture that wonderful sense of humor.

Nice website, Frank.

[clw]

heheheh.......

[Dietmar]

The LBHA website says that Scarlet Eagle, a/k/a Sitting Crow
fought alongside Kill Eagle (also Blackfoot Sioux) during the LBH battle.

At Standing Rock he was listed with his following in the 1885 census as Kangi Iyotanke. (see also standingrocktourism.com)

[kingsleybray]

Census materials indicate that Sitting Crow was born about 1822. The earliest mentions of him I've so far located are related to the DeSmet peace mission to the non-treaty Hunkpapas in spring 1868. Sitting Crow was a member of Fr DeSmet's escort, indicating that he was a member of the pro-treaty element of the Sihasapa (Blackfoot Sioux). He's not mentioned in the records of the peace commissions of 1865-67. According to one of the 1868 documents he was a member of the Sihasapa chapter of the Strong Hearts (Chante Tinza) warrior society. By 1868 the Strong Hearts had been a key articulator of an anti-USA, non-treaty isolationist agenda for a generation. Sitting Crow's adoption of a pro-treaty stance is one indication of a dramatic shift in Sihasapa attitudes during the mid-60's, which saw a majority of this Lakota tribal division move away from isolationism.

Sitting Crow signed the treaty of 1868 at Ft Rice in July. Agencies were established on the new Great Sioux Reservation, including the Grand River agency in fall 1868 (subsequently relocated to Standing Rock). I've not made an exhaustive study of Grand River documents, but Sitting Crow is noted as one of the resident headmen there in spring 1870 (he isn't mentioned in a fall 1869 document which lists leaders at GR). Thereafter he seems a fixture at Grand River-Standing Rock. The Alex Gardner shot above shows that he was one of the three Sihasapa leaders on the Grand River delegation to Washington in 1872, along with Used As Their Shield (or Grass, father of John Grass), and Iron that Drives Off (Maza Wanapeya - probably not a golfing allusion). He was resident at Standing Rock as a leader of his band through the Great Sioux War, though it is highly likely that younger band members including relatives (and namesakes?) joined the non-treaty bands during the spring-summer of 1876 and so were present at the Litttle Bighorn. He remained a Sihasapa headman at Standing Rock through the 1880s, but then I lose sight of him - Ephriam may be able to help tracking him through the census record.

Hope this helps

Kingsley Bray

[kingsleybray]

By the way . . . Dietmar or one of our material culture experts might fill us in, but the peaked cap accesorised in native fashion seems to be a feature of the 1872 delegations from Grand River and Fort Peck agencies, as the Gardner portraits demonstrate. Several Yanktonai leaders are shown wearing variations of this 'look'. Sitting Crow was a Teton adherent of the style!

Maybe LaDonna could help with information about Sitting Crow descendants at Standing Rock?

Kingsley

[Frank]

kingsleybray ...amazing... thanks a lot!! Never would have thought to get so detailed info. I appreciate this big time!

[Frank]

clw said:

I can't help you, but what a wonderful photo! I absolutely love it!! We seldom see photos that capture that wonderful sense of humor.

Nice website, Frank.

Thanks clw and LOL...hows these for goggles then :

[Dietmar]

These Upper Missouri Sioux look so fascinating. Too bad there is only few published material about the Blackfoot Sioux, Yanktonais and Yankton.
The more we have to thank Kingsley for this information!

Medicine Bear of the Yanktonais wears the same kind of cap in photographs of Stanley Morrow. I am not sure, but I think Morrow made his photos even earlier as 1872.

Was Sitting Bull short-sighted? I have seen Frank´s photo before, but now I start to wonder again...

[Frank]

I think those goggles were just a fashion of the time and made to be more like sunglasses than real glasses for bad eyesight... but, I cant say for sure.

Heres one that I can never look with out laughing:

...as long as Im concerned guys name in the pic is Bear Tail (Crow) but thats all I know...

[Frank]

"Anyone wanna take a ride with me...I'm ready to go...":

Red Fox, Oglala.

[Frank]

Hell...heres few more since we started about the goggles ;D:
www.franksrealm.com/sivu-goggles.htm
...specially the last photo about Red Cloud looks a lot like a some sort of a frog to me...

[crzhrs]

These googles would have come in handy when riding horses at high speeds . . . those bugs wouldn't have been such a problem!

[harpskiddie]

As long as you kept your mouth shut!!!!!

[grahamew]

I'm familiar with the Sitting Bull photo but what makes it especially interesting is that the one taken with it is often thought to be the earliest photo we have of him (unless you count the one of a council at Fort Walsh which, as far as I can tell, supposedly features SB and several of his men), whereas this one barely gets referenced. Is it a Goff photo?

I'm not sure of this, but I believe the goggles were donated by someone in the NWMP (as they then were) or possibly the trader, LeGare, because he developed trouble with his eyes while in Canada. There is a rough portrait sketch of SB at his surrender wearing the goggles, although I haven't come across it on the net - yet!