Post by kingsleybray on May 19, 2011 16:03:40 GMT -5
From Scudder Mekeel's 1931 Field Notes (interview with Silas Afraid of Enemy), we know that this Sans Arc band was associated with the family of Black Eagle (Wambli Sapa), born ca. 1822, one of the last four shirt wearers seated by the Sans Arc tribal council.
The publication of Ephriam's landmark volume THE SITTING BULL SURRENDER CENSUS presents us with a wealth of new evidence on all the Lakotas who had fought in the Great Sioux War, after their final surrender and internment at Standing Rock Agency in 1881. The Sans Arc contingent of these 'Northern Nation' or non-treaty Lakotas was recorded on September 15, 1881 under the leadership of Circle Bear. His name in Lakota, Mato Kawinge, is better translated Turning Bear, kawinge being from the verb 'to turn, turn back'. His name leads off the Sans Arc roster, as head of Standing Rock family no. 246.
It is very interesting to compare the sequence of names immediately following Turning Bear/Circle Bear with the list of his followers compiled by Agent James McLaughlin three months later (December 1881) for annuity purposes. There are twenty-one families listed, starting once more with Turning Bear. I am struck by the high proportion of names that occur in the December list, and the opening section of the September census.
In the nineteen families beginning with Turning Bear, no. 246, and ending at no. 264, Black Eagle Jr., we get the following eleven unambiguous correspondences with the December tally:
Turning Bear
Crazy Thunder
Elk Thunder
Red Cloth
Dog Eagle
White Hair
Thunder Bull
High Lodge
Black Eagle
Running Elk
Black Eagle Jr.
Given the occurrence of Black Eagle and his son/namesake, it seems a fair working conclusion that this cluster of families within the surrendered Sans Arc village equates to the Red Cloth Earring band. This is confirmed further by the fact that Black Eagle and Turning Bear are both listed as headmen in the Sans Arc camp that had surrendered in early February 1881 at Ft Buford. This group was counted at 136 people in one army tally, equivalent to about twenty-two lodges.
The Black Eagle-Turning Bear camp surrendered at Ft Buford as part of a group of 325 people (approx. fifty-four lodges). The other main contingent was Hunkpapa, the named leaders including Crow King and Good (or Pretty) Bear, both associated with the Talonapin (Raw Meat Necklace) band of Hunkpapas.
These conclusions about the Red Cloth Earring band have significant implications for their activities during the Great Sioux War. Black Eagle and Crazy Thunder were among the five hostages given up to Col. Miles by the Sans Arcs and Miniconjous in October 1876. The hostages were interned until summer 1877. A group of 229 people from this village surrendered at Cheyenne River Agency one month later, but the Red Cloth Earring band as a body stayed in the war zone through winter 1876-77. In February 1877 most of the band chose to follow Spotted Eagle's Sans Arc contingent to seek exile in Canada with Sitting Bull. Turning Bear is named as one of the headmen at a council in early spring 1877, immediately before these irreconcilables crossed the border into Canada.
Black Eagle meanwhile, after being freed from internment in August, moved his family to join those Sans Arcs who had chosen to surrender in spring at Spotted Tail Agency. That fall the two White River agencies (Red Cloud and Spotted Tail) were relocated to new unpopular sites on the Missouri. Many of the surrendered Northern Nation people fled to join the exiles in Canada. I believe Black Eagle was among the Sans Arcs who fled from White River in January 1878. Coincident with that flight, the two other Sans Arc hostages, Crazy Thunder and Rising Sun, left Cheyenne River Agency. Their nominal destination was the new Red Cloud Agency, but they never appeared there. Their real intention was evidently to make a juncture with the fleeing Northern Nation people and seek exile in Canada.
It is interesting that there seems to be no indication that significant numbers of the Red Cloth Earring band chose to surrender at Spotted Tail. Only one name in the September 1881 tally appears in the June 1877 Spotted Tail Agency census, that of Paints Yellow. He is perhaps the same man as One paints his horse yellow, listed in Black Eagle's band in the January 1875 Cheyenne River Agency census.
In spring 1882 the interned Northern Nation people at Standing Rock were allowed to return to their home agencies (Oglalas to Pine Ridge, and so on). A part of Turning Bear's following elected not to go to Cheyenne River, but to remain at Standing Rock. Perhaps more information about the Red Cloth Earring band, its sub-groupings and their affinities with other Lakota people (especially the Hunkpapa) can be teased out of the post-1881 census record.
The publication of Ephriam's landmark volume THE SITTING BULL SURRENDER CENSUS presents us with a wealth of new evidence on all the Lakotas who had fought in the Great Sioux War, after their final surrender and internment at Standing Rock Agency in 1881. The Sans Arc contingent of these 'Northern Nation' or non-treaty Lakotas was recorded on September 15, 1881 under the leadership of Circle Bear. His name in Lakota, Mato Kawinge, is better translated Turning Bear, kawinge being from the verb 'to turn, turn back'. His name leads off the Sans Arc roster, as head of Standing Rock family no. 246.
It is very interesting to compare the sequence of names immediately following Turning Bear/Circle Bear with the list of his followers compiled by Agent James McLaughlin three months later (December 1881) for annuity purposes. There are twenty-one families listed, starting once more with Turning Bear. I am struck by the high proportion of names that occur in the December list, and the opening section of the September census.
In the nineteen families beginning with Turning Bear, no. 246, and ending at no. 264, Black Eagle Jr., we get the following eleven unambiguous correspondences with the December tally:
Turning Bear
Crazy Thunder
Elk Thunder
Red Cloth
Dog Eagle
White Hair
Thunder Bull
High Lodge
Black Eagle
Running Elk
Black Eagle Jr.
Given the occurrence of Black Eagle and his son/namesake, it seems a fair working conclusion that this cluster of families within the surrendered Sans Arc village equates to the Red Cloth Earring band. This is confirmed further by the fact that Black Eagle and Turning Bear are both listed as headmen in the Sans Arc camp that had surrendered in early February 1881 at Ft Buford. This group was counted at 136 people in one army tally, equivalent to about twenty-two lodges.
The Black Eagle-Turning Bear camp surrendered at Ft Buford as part of a group of 325 people (approx. fifty-four lodges). The other main contingent was Hunkpapa, the named leaders including Crow King and Good (or Pretty) Bear, both associated with the Talonapin (Raw Meat Necklace) band of Hunkpapas.
These conclusions about the Red Cloth Earring band have significant implications for their activities during the Great Sioux War. Black Eagle and Crazy Thunder were among the five hostages given up to Col. Miles by the Sans Arcs and Miniconjous in October 1876. The hostages were interned until summer 1877. A group of 229 people from this village surrendered at Cheyenne River Agency one month later, but the Red Cloth Earring band as a body stayed in the war zone through winter 1876-77. In February 1877 most of the band chose to follow Spotted Eagle's Sans Arc contingent to seek exile in Canada with Sitting Bull. Turning Bear is named as one of the headmen at a council in early spring 1877, immediately before these irreconcilables crossed the border into Canada.
Black Eagle meanwhile, after being freed from internment in August, moved his family to join those Sans Arcs who had chosen to surrender in spring at Spotted Tail Agency. That fall the two White River agencies (Red Cloud and Spotted Tail) were relocated to new unpopular sites on the Missouri. Many of the surrendered Northern Nation people fled to join the exiles in Canada. I believe Black Eagle was among the Sans Arcs who fled from White River in January 1878. Coincident with that flight, the two other Sans Arc hostages, Crazy Thunder and Rising Sun, left Cheyenne River Agency. Their nominal destination was the new Red Cloud Agency, but they never appeared there. Their real intention was evidently to make a juncture with the fleeing Northern Nation people and seek exile in Canada.
It is interesting that there seems to be no indication that significant numbers of the Red Cloth Earring band chose to surrender at Spotted Tail. Only one name in the September 1881 tally appears in the June 1877 Spotted Tail Agency census, that of Paints Yellow. He is perhaps the same man as One paints his horse yellow, listed in Black Eagle's band in the January 1875 Cheyenne River Agency census.
In spring 1882 the interned Northern Nation people at Standing Rock were allowed to return to their home agencies (Oglalas to Pine Ridge, and so on). A part of Turning Bear's following elected not to go to Cheyenne River, but to remain at Standing Rock. Perhaps more information about the Red Cloth Earring band, its sub-groupings and their affinities with other Lakota people (especially the Hunkpapa) can be teased out of the post-1881 census record.