Sitting Bull And The Sioux Resistance

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Essay Analysis: Sitting Bull and the Sioux Resistance
1. The change in Lakota culture during the nineteenth century is best time lined by stages in Sitting Bull’s life. At the time of his birth, early in the century, the Lakota’s had just become fully mounted on horses and began acquiring guns from tradesman. In his youth, they had little conception of the white mans world. By his 30th birthday however the white mans world began to intrude. As whites steadily moved westward, conflicts increased and a few years later the Hunkpapas added the white man to their list of enemies. The first couple of battles, about 1863-64, the hunk papas saw defeat due to the failure of their traditional battle styles, lack of numbers, and lack of sufficient weapons. Soon after, the Treaty of 1868 split the tribes into two parts: those who chose to live in the Great Sioux reservation, led by Red Cloud, and those chose to fight and live the life of old, led by Sitting Bull. The discovery of gold in the 1870’s doomed the Lakota fate. Few last huge battles were fought but the gold rush meant increasing numbers of whites and government support. Finally the Lakotas were all either killed or moved to reservations and their old ways were gone, and reservation life was inevitable. These events show how greatly settlers affected the Indians way of living: as whites became more and more populous for whichever reason the Indian were forced to adapt, fight, and eventually completely change their lives to best suit the white mans wants and needs.

2. The Hunkpapas like all plains Indians fought in a time-honored fashion. Singly and in knots they galloped back and forth, firing arrows and musket balls at the enemy. Sometimes they gathered in bunches for a thrust at over-running their enemies. Each warrior sought to display bravery and glorious acts of war for pride. They only followed a leader when it suited his convenience or inclination.

3. Through...