Can someone translate a name

[plund]

My Grandfather was Alex LaBuff his given name was Estah-A-Gok-pay. I would appreciate if some one could transalate his sioux name so that it will make it a little easier for finding out more info. He helped bury the dead at Wounded Knee. My Great grandmother's name was ska-ya-mome, please translate for me so that I can find her on the enrollments, She was around Ft Larmie possible from Old Smoke band,
Thanks so much for any help you may give me. I am registered at Pine Ridge, but not enrolled.

Pat

[ephriam]

Good morning, Pat:

I have a little information on him. Alexander (Alex) LaBuff was born about 1862 in Wyoming, the son of a white man also named Alex LaBuff (possibly a French Canadian from Quebec) and his Oglala wife Walks With White (Ska-ya-ma-ni). I think that young Alex's Lakota name was probably Istagonga, which translated as "blind" or "not able to see well." As you mentioned, he worked with Paddy Starr in burying the dead at Wounded Knee. Judge Eli Ricker makes a cryptic comment in his notes about Wounded Knee: "Charley [Allen] says Le Buff is the one who has the single eye and not Starr." I am guessing that Alex LaBuff had lost an eye at some point in his life, hence his Lakota name. You probably already know that he was married twice and that he died, according to the Pine Ridge Agency death records, on June 22, 1933.

Is there any family tradition as to what Alex' father was doing in Wyoming in the 1860s?

ephriam

[kingsleybray]

I have a photocopy of a letter written by Wallace Amiotte , datelined Long Valley, SD, November 10, 1959, to the historian George E. Hyde. Wallace was still alive abut 7 or 8 years ago, when I had a phone conversation with him.

Anyway, in the letter Wallace writes: "My uncle who is eighty years old gave me some of this information. Chief Smoke was my great great grandfather. One of Smoke's daughter's name was Pretty Woman, also Walks With, she married Alex La Buff who was a horse trader among the Indians at Ft. Laramie, Wyo. They were married in an Indian ceremony about 1858. They were my great grandparents. They had two children, Janie LaBuff was my great grandmother. She married Stephen Amiotte, Frenchman in 1875, one of Janie and Stephen Amiotte's sons was Emery Amiotte my father.
"No Neck told [that] his dad Chief Smoke had 4 wives, here is a list of all of Smokes children, that we know: No Neck, Charging Bear, Woman-Dress, Stickbread [note by Hyde: Thick Bread] and American Horse. (Two-two and Bearfoot were sons or grandsons of Smoke) Daughters were Pretty Woman, wife of Alex LaBuff my great grandparents [, also] the wife of [Jules] Escoffey . . . They had one daughter she was Mrs. William Larvie. Then Escoffey and Smoke's daughter separated then she married Sleeping Bear. My other relatives call her only old Aunt. The wife of Shangreaux [was another daughter of Smoke's;] this was the parents of Louis Shangreau."
Wallace goes on to talks about Smoke's children, which clarifies some points about the American Horse who was killed at Slim Buttes. "Charging Bear [captured at Slim Buttes] was known as brave fighting man charging into the thick of every battle . . .His son was name Tom Spotted Bear and I believe he is still alive lives around Pine Ridge.
"Woman's Dress my relatives say he is one of Smoke's sons. American Horse - - - I was confused about which American Horse was my great grandfather's brother until I read your book [see Hyde's discussion at RED CLOUD'S FOLK p. 318]. Alfred and Dawsen American Horse I believe were the sons of the Smoke American Horse as they were my grandmother Janie Amiotte's cousins.
" . . . . According to my uncle American Horse Charging Bear, Thick Bread wife of Escoffey, Pretty Woman wife of Alex La Buff were all brother and sister from one of Smoke's wives."

Hope this helps,

Kingsley

[plund]

You are right Alex did have one eye after the age of about 11-12. From my mother's stories , him and a Shangreu cousin were shooting rats underneath some type of building and he got his eye shot out.
His name according to my mother and Aunt had something to do with horses..
I am related to the Amiotte's because Zoe and Alex were brother sister. So that would mean I am related to Old Smoke thru my great grandmother Walks with White/pretty women.
Walks with white/pretty women was around Ft Larmie when she met Alex Sr. I know Alex Sr's father was a French man named Jacques but for the life of me I can't find anything on his Mother. Hints that she might have been a blakfeet women. I only wish that while my mother and Aunt had been alive that I had been smart enough to ask more questions!

[plund]

Also I have my GrandFathers Peace Pipe Bag, it was lost for a while and I had the honor of my ancestors leading me to find it. Now I have to protect it, so that it never gets lost again. I would love to post a picture of it but not sure how to go about that. It is beautiful. I have the family Bible all written in Sioux.

[plund]

My Grandfather was Alex LaBuff his given name was Estah-A-Gok-pay. I would appreciate if some one could transalate his sioux name so that it will make it a little easier for finding out more info. He helped bury the dead at Wounded Knee.
Still looking for a translation. Thier was nother sioux named "Shot in the Eye but alas he wasn't my grandfather. My Grandfather was born in 1862 probably around Ft Larmie.

[Dietmar]

Pat,

welcome to our message boards and thanks for sharing your ancestors´history.

If you like to post photos, you´ll find some help here:
amertribes.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=suggest&thread=850&page=1

Best wishes

Dietmar