White Bull describes killing Custer
June 25th marks the 143rd anniversary of the Battle of the Greasy Grass also known as The Battle of the Little Big Horn also known as Custer's Last Stand, the greatest resistance the government has experienced by Natives of this land. My mother told me years ago that our relative, White Bull, was who specifically killed George Armstrong Custer. The first time she told me, I was surprised by her calm and humble approach to sharing this historical news with me. She shared this news so confidently.
Last month, I went to our One Bull Family Reunion. One Bull was the brother to White Bull. They both fought at the Battle of the Greasy Grass and lived long lives of historical significance. Their mother, Good Feather Woman, was the sister to Sitting Bull. Sitting Bull adopted One Bull as his son when One Bull was 4 years old. One Bull wore Sitting Bull's green shield at the The Battle of the Greasy Grass.
At the One Bull family reunion, many stories about One Bull, White Bull and Sitting Bull were shared. Some of White Bull's family joined us. Before introducing a particular White Bull family, my grandfather Everett, talked about White Bull being the one who killed Custer. This White Bull family introduced themselves in our Lakota language. They brought copies of the ledger drawings done by White Bull they retrieved from (I believe) the South Dakota Historical Society. Among the pieces, was a drawing where White Bull depicts he killed Long Hair (Custer).
Our history is not history at all. The blood of our ancestors continues to run through our veins. Our families continue their legacies of strength, perseverance, dedication to our people and the land, resilience. We have it in our blood to do what’s best for our people, to ensure the safety and livelihood of the next generations. We continue to fight the system intended on eradicating us. We continue to adapt to living in two worlds. We continue to long for the days when we were truly free and truly living. We continue to forgive. We continue to demand our voices to be heard. We continue to fight for what is right for the next generations, for what is right for the land.
I wanted to include an excerpt of White Bull describing his experience of literally fighting George A. Custer. I included it below. My mother, Ernestine Brown-Chasing Hawk told me her father, Charles Brown told her he remembers his grandfather, One Bull being interviewed by Stanley Vestal, in the 1930s. White Bull was also interviewed. My grandfather was just a child then.
White Bull’s description of counting coup on Custer in an interview with Vestal:
“I charged in. A tall, well-built soldier with yellow hair and mustache saw me coming and tried to bluff me, aiming his rifle at me. But when I rushed him, he threw his rifle at me without shooting. I dodged it. We grabbed each other and wrestled there in the dust and smoke. It was like fighting in a fog. This soldier was very strong and brave. He tried to wrench my rifle from me. I lashed him across the face with my quirt, striking the coup. He let go, then grabbed my gun with both hands until I struck him again. But the tall soldier fought hard. He was desperate. He hit me with his fists on the jaw and shoulders, then grabbed my long braids with both hands, pulled my face close and tried to bite my nose off. I yelled for help: ‘Hey, hey, come over and help me!” I thought that soldier would kill me. “Bear Lice and Crow Boy heard me call and came running. These friends tried to hit the soldier. But we were whirling around, back and forth, so that most of their blows hit me. They knocked me dizzy. I yelled as loud as I could to scare my enemy, but he would not let go. Finally I broke free. He drew his pistol. I wrenched it out of his hand and struck him with it three or four times on the head, knocked him over, shot him in the head, and fired at his heart. I took his pistol and cartridge belt. Hawk-Stays-Up struck second on his body. “Ho hechetu! That was a fight, a hard fight. But it was a glorious battle, I enjoyed it. I was picking up head-feathers right and left that day…
NATIVE SUN NEWS TODAY
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