Brave Bear or Conquering Bear

[clw]

Brule chief of the Gratten fight. Referred to in white history as Conquering Bear and as Brave Bear by George Hyde. I'd like to know his Lakota name and family. If anyone can help, many thanks.

[Dietmar]

His name was Mato Wayuhe. He was a Wazhazha related to Red Leaf.

[clw]

Thanks Deitmar! BTW, here's an interesting bit of data I found in the meantime.

from S. Vestal.... I don't have the book, just the quote.....

The name Mato-wa-yuhe means, literally Stirring Bear. The name refers to a bear which engages in a tumble—the kind of fight which the Sioux call "stirring gravy"—the kind of fight we call a "mix-up " I have heard it translated Bear-that-Digs. Grinnell translates it Bear-that-Scatters (a Cheyenne approximation) The name is spelled "Mah-toe-wha-you-whey" in the official records of the Council. «p. 203»

[charlie]

I have this info on Conquering Bear: indian's name MATO IOWAY, that meaning "Bear that put in escape (the enemy)". After the treaty of Fort Laramie (1851) he was named "Head Chief" of all Lakota people by the Government, an assignment that he did't gladly accept. There are two wonderful photos of him!

[charlie]

P.S. He also was a cousin of Spotted Tail.

[charlie]

I would like talking about chief BRAVE BEAR (NAHKO XHAAESTSE) Southern Cheyenne.
He was born in 1847 and died 23 December 1932. He belonged to war society of Dog Soldier (Ho'tami'ta'niu). He fought at Slim Buttes, Washita and Little Big Horn. Here, he was one of the more brave warriors against Reno and at "Calhoun Hill", where he killed captain Myles Keogh and wounded his horse, the famous "Comanche".
Can anyone to confirm my infos and added other news? He was a great chief, but we had never talk of his life....

[gary]

The Southern Cheyenne Brave Bear should really have his own thread. Here's a quote from the Thomas, OK, Tribune for 29th December 1832, reporting his death:

“Brave Bear, Cheyenne chieftain, died near Thomas Friday evening. Brave Bear, the last of the Southern Cheyennes to fight…against Gen. Custer on the Little Bighorn. He was elected a chief of the Cheyennes in the regular tribal council in 1894. Brave Bear was buried on a hill…near it are graves of three others – a son, a grandson, and a mother-in-law…Buried with the chief were may treasures of his long life, blankets, beaded wear, his large sombrero and cane…The chief was born up on Horse Creek in Wyoming…Some estimated his age a four score and ten [90], others more…Brave Bear was present at the Battle of the Washita and…was present at Custer’s last fight and saw the long-haired general fall…He came to this country by way of…the Upper Arkansas in Colorado…For the past several years he had forsaken the horse for the back seat of a fine motor car …Brave Bear has been a good citizen and neighbor to the pioneers who lived in the country since it was opened to settlement…his influence with his people in recent years has been for them to take up the peaceful ways…”

Brave Bear's account of the LBH (as told to George Bent):

"Lots of war parties of Cheyennes and Sioux had just come into the villages from different points [after] making raids. I was with a party that had just returned with lots of plunder. War societies all through the villages were having scalp dances all night. I was about in [the] center of the big village, dancing until daylight when I went to my father's lodge to take sleep as I had been up all night dancing. I had been sleeping for some time when my father woke me up and told me to get up. Fighting was going on [at the] upper village. He told me he had my war horse and shield all ready. As I got up I heard lots of firing.

I took my small sack that had my porcupine-tail hairbrush and my paints. I had to put on [the] same paint that my shield was painted with, and had [to] put it on just as my shield was painted. This was on my face. My father took off my shield [the] blacktail deer tail. This was to [be] tied to my scalp lock. This charm was to turn bullets [away] from me. My father touched my head four times with this tail before tying it on to my scalp lock. This shield my father gave me of course knew all the medicine that belong[ed] to it.

As I went out [the] front [of] the lodge to mount my horse, women and children ran by me, saying soldiers were in camp fighting. I heard firing plainly now. My father held my shield towards the sun and said to the shield [and] to the sun to protect me from the bullets. Then he put the shield on my right side and told me to go and die in the battle.

As I started towards the battleground I met lots [of] women and children, mostly Sioux. They told us to hurry up as several of us had now got together and lot more warriors were coming behind us. We were all singing our different society songs, some singing death songs, as this is the custom among all the Indians in going into battles. They also sing these songs when they are attacked and [are] in tight places. I heard lots of this singing at Sand Creek when Chivington attacked the village .

Brave Bear says when he and his crowd got to the battleground, the soldiers were fighting on foot and had their horses in the timber in rear of them. I ran, he says, very close to the soldiers. They were firing in every direction as the Indians were getting around them back at the other end of the firing line of the soldiers.

Two Crow scouts of Custer came charging towards me. I also charged on them. When I got near them they both jumped off their horses and got on [the] side of their horses so they could shoot better. Just then lot of warriors rushed up to count "coe" [coup] on them, but I was first to count "coe" [coup] on one. This gave me big honor or big name by counting first "coe" in [the] Custer battle.

When I looked around towards the soldiers they were running to their horses, [and] Indians were thick as ants behind them. [Note: this was after Crazy Horse's flanking charge shattered Reno's defensive line in the timber. Here is Flying Hawk's account.] By this time the soldiers made quick for [the] Little Big Horn. The worst of it was [that] the soldiers struck very high banks of the river and all went over. When they struck the water it sounded like cannon going off. This was awful as the bank was awful high.

When I rode to the bank the Indians were shooting the soldiers as they came up out of [the] water. I could see lots of blood in [the] water. I [had] only seen seven soldiers crawl out on the other side of [the] Little Big Horn. The Indians on that side killed them in little while as they had nothing to shoot with [because] they had lost their arms in [the] water.

When I got across the river I saw three companies [of Custer's battalion] making stand and [noticed] one company [on] the other side of them on knoll. I can not understand why the three companies did not try and help those that jumped off the bank, or why all of them didn't cross over and fight in the village. I think Custer saw he was caught in bad place and would like to have gotten out of it if he could, but he was hemmed in all around and could do nothing [but] only to die then.

These three companies turned all their horses loose; that is, the horses that were not shot down [already]. Only one officer stayed on his horse. It did not take long to kill them here. I saw Yellow Nose with a flag coming out [from] among the dead soldiers. Eight soldiers started towards [the] company on [the] knoll. The officer on horse[back] was behind them. Cheyenne charged this officer, [and] this officer shot him in [the] head. Sioux with scalp lock charged at him also, and he shot this Sioux in the breast. Another Indian [then] rode up and shot this officer off his horse. I captured his horse. It was sorrel horse. This officer killed these two Indians. I have been told since [then that] Custer was with that one company on [the] knoll. [Note: Brave Bear's claim to be the warrior who killed Custer is based on this description of shooting an officer on a sorrel horse, but Custer was probably killed or mortally wounded earlier by White Cow Bull at the river before Custer's troops were fully engaged in the battle, which explains why Custer's decapitated command froze for those fateful 20 minutes that sealed the Seventh Cavalry's fate.]

I think Custer would have been better off if he had got in among the villages and made his stand there among them and got killed there with his men. I understand [the] whites don't like [to] hear that Custer did not act brave in this battle, but Indians here all think he acted cowardly. Twenty-eight Indians were killed in this battle."

I believe (I have not checked this in my books) that Rodman Wanamaker offered a reward in the early 20th century to the Indian who killed Custer. The Indians were suspicious of his motives and feared for the safety of whoever might be identified as the killer. Nevertheless, the reward would come in useful and Brave Bear was effectively elected by the Cheyennes as the killer of Custer so that the reward could be collected. He was prepared to sacrifice his own safety for the wellbeing of his people.

[charlie]

Thank you, Gary. I have only seen an image of him, dated 1913 by Joseph K. Dixon.
There are others images of him? And at which band he belonged?
At regard the date of birth, i have this info: "in 1920 he was 73 years old...."

[gary]

I'm sure that I've seen at least one photo of him. Try SIRIS.

[gary]

I don't always find what I'm looking for the first time on SIRIS, but I've just done a quick search and didn't find Brave Bear.

[grahamew]

Southern Cheyenne Brave Bear : lbha.proboards12.com/index.cgi?board=Indians&action=display&thread=1137428286

[gary]

Thanks for the reminder, Grahame. When I looked at it, I remembered the picture. I think that there is another picture of Brave Bear as an old man.

I really like the Kenneth Ferguson picture.

[charlie]

Wonderful the image of Brave Bear with wife and son (by Snell). The other photo, as an old man and with war bonnet (1913) is in Cowan Auction site. I hope that anyone added more bio-infos (birth-date (1847?), band of birth, etc.). He was a great Warrior. Thanks.