Sitting Bull killed by Indian police at Standing Rock (1890)

On December 15, 1890, Hunkpapa Lakota leader Sitting Bull was killed by Indian agency police at the Standing Rock Indian Reservation. Authorities feared his influence over the Ghost Dance movement, prompting an arrest attempt that escalated into a struggle. The incident occurred amidst treaty violations and agricultural failure, preceding the Wounded Knee Massacre by two weeks.

Episodes

Background and detail

Background. The Standing Rock Reservation, home to Hunkpapa and Sihasapa bands, was part of the Great Sioux Nation. In February 1890, the U.S. government broke a treaty by dividing the Great Sioux Reservation. By late 1890, harsh weather prevented agricultural yields, leading residents to adopt the Ghost Dance ritual. This movement, originating from Paiute prophet Wovoka, alarmed Bureau of Indian Affairs agents.

Arrest Order. Indian Service agent James McLaughlin at Fort Yates feared Sitting Bull would flee with Ghost Dancers or use his influence to support the movement. On December 14, 1890, McLaughlin drafted a letter to Lieutenant Henry Bullhead, an Indian agency policeman, outlining instructions and a plan to capture Sitting Bull. The order was based on fears that the Lakota leader was about to leave the reservation.

The Struggle. Around 5:30 a.m. on December 15, 39 police officers and four volunteers approached Sitting Bull's house. During an ensuing struggle between Sitting Bull's followers and the agency police, Sitting Bull was shot in the chest and head. The shooting occurred after police were fired upon by Sitting Bull's supporters. He was killed by Standing Rock policemen Lieutenant Bull Head and Red Tomahawk.

People involved

Sources

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.