"Sitting Bull"
January 30, 2011

They say that you could see the devil dancing in the eyes of Sitting Bull, but yet what do we remember of him.  Do the stories reflect back upon one of the greatest warriors and spiritual men in the history of man, who was a great provider for his people, a visionary, a loving father, teacher, singer and the chief of the Lakota?  He would rise to the lead the Sioux nation to their last major battle victory at Little Bighorn in 1867 against the forces of General Custer.

He would lead the Lakota people to the safety of Canada before surrendering in 1881 at Fort Buford in Montana.  His final years were a mere mundane existence until he was shot to death by his own people on December 15, 1890. Sitting Bull was buried at Fort Yates in North Dakota, and in 1953 his remains were moved to Mobridge, South Dakota, where a granite shaft now marks his grave.

Sitting Bull believed in the ultimate life of freedom for his people but they, along with  all of the other  tribes of North America would be swallowed up by the evolution of  progress.

This painting is in tribute to a vision of freedom, to a man called Tatanka-Iyotanka, the great “Sitting Bull.”

This painting was created from photographs taken by the Artist outside of Hardin, Montana.

Image Size – 16” x 18”