Ernie LaPointe coming to Germany

[brock]

Ernie LaPointe, Sitting Bull's only living lineal great grandson, will be in Bremen, Germany from December 12-17, 2008. The leggins Sitting Bull was wearing the day he died that was recently repatriated from the Smithsonian will be on display at the Uebersee-Museum-Bremen during this time. Ernie will also appear as a guest of the museum on selected dates to be determined by the museum and Ernie.

For those of you in Germany or nearby Bremen who want an opportunity to question Sitting Bull's great grandson this is it. No other European dates unless someone over there steps forward.

[Dietmar]

I´m very much looking forward to see him...

[Gary]

Will he be coming to the UK at all?

[brock]

Gary,
The Uebersee Museum paid for the trip for he and his wife. I'm sure if he got a like offer from the UK he'd be there in a heartbeat.

[Dietmar]

Besides Ernie LaPointe´s cooperation with the Übersee Museum there will be an exhibition about Sitting Bull from December, 13th 2008 to May 2009. Curator of this project is Dr. Christian Feest, one of the best known scholars on American Indian history and culture in Europe:



www.uebersee-museum.de/Sitting_Bull_und_seine_Welt.html
(sorry, this site is only in German language)

[grahamew]

But will there be a English catalogue for those of us forced to take French, Latin or Spanish instead of German at school?!

[kingsleybray]

grahame

I have contributed two essays for the catalogue, which Christian Feest tells me will be printed bilingually. Subjects: "Sitting Bull and Lakota Leadership", and "Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse".

Kingsley

[grahamew]

Great. Thanks for letting us know. Dietmar, please let me know when it's available and how to get it. Thanks again.

[Dietmar]

Sounds great Kingsley. I´ll get the catalogue and inform you all asap.

Will you be in Bremen, too?
Or does any other of our European friends plan to go there? Let me know... I´ll buy you a drink

[kingsleybray]

Afraid I won't be coming to Bremen in December, Dietmar. I'll take a raincheck on that drink, though.

Best Wishes

Kingsley

[miyelo]

kingsley

would love to read your essay on Sitting Bull & Crazy Horse. Will we be able to get it?
I dont' drink but I can make nice chokers and breastplates!!

[kingsleybray]

miyelo

Thanks for posting the information on Crazy Horse and the Iron Shell family. I would love to be able to speak with the old lady at Parmelee, because we know so little of family histories by the female line. It would restore a whole dimension of Lakota history. Anyway, great information that I'll be thinking about for some time! Why not drop me an email ([e-mail]) while I figure a way to get you a copy of the Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse essay. Chokers . . . mmm.

Fascinated by the detail of Iron Shell and Little Thunder being brothers. Iron Shell's father is said to have been called Shot in the Heel, Little Thunder's father was Black Moon. Maybe these men were brothers, so all their male children would have called each other 'brothers' also. According to the Joseph White Bull interview material in the Walter S. Campbell papers, Little Thunder was related in some way to his (White Bull's) father's family. White Bull's family band was the Inyanha-owin (Shell Earrings) band of the Miniconjou. We know Iron Shell's dad came from the Miniconjou also. There was a later Black Moon born about 1820 who was a shirt wearer among the Miniconjou. His family was at Wounded Knee, the son Philip Black Moon was said to belong to the Ashke tiyoshpaye. This is the name of Iron Shell's tiyoshpaye at Rosebud also, sometimes rendered Ashke Kluwipi, Tie Up Their Own Forelocks. So dimly through the smoke you can maybe see ways in which these families link up. Exciting!

Hope things have warmed up some in South Dakota.

Best Wishes

Kingsley

[miyelo]

well if you are ever on Rosebud let me know and you can meet her. she has had quite a life. She is the real ''Lakota Woman" that Mary Crow Dog wrote about. That book was a farce if you did not know that already. she is only interested in the women and has been linking this all up for years. I will ask her about the names you mention. I must ask her about miniconjou, cuz she told me they were all Brule.
I will write you about stuff.
Toksa

[Dietmar]

The Uebersee Museum in Bremen updated it´s website announcement. Here´s a brief biography on Ernie LaPointe:

www.uebersee-museum.de/Begegnung_mit_den_Lakota-Sioux.html

Earnest (Ernie) Wayne LaPointe, a disabled Vietnam Veteran, was born in 1948 on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation of South Dakota.

He grew up in Rapid City, SD with his half-sister Marlene Little Spotted Horse. Their late mother Angelique LaPointe nee Spotted Horse was a housewife. His late father Claude LaPointe farmed on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, and worked in a lumber yard in Rapid City.

Ernie attended the public school system in Rapid City. When he was 10 years old, his mother died of cancer. At age 17 his father died of a heart attack. He lived with his (half) Sister Marlene, who was already married at that time until he was 18 and old enough to join the military in 1966. He was stationed in Korea, Turkey, and Germany, and all over the United States. 1970-71 he did one tour in Vietnam. He got an honorable discharge from the Army in 1972.

Ernie is a Sun Dancer and lives the traditional way of the Lakota and follows the rules of the sacred pipe.

On his Mother’s side he is the Great Grandson of Sitting Bull and Seen By Her Nation Woman, Grandson of Standing Holy (Sitting Bull’s youngest daughter) her Christian name was Mary Sitting Bull, and Urban Spotted Horse. Ernie can point out a long line of chiefs on his Mother’s as well as on his Father’s side. His Grandfather Spotted Horse was the son of Hunts Enemy and the Grandson of Chief Charging Bear. His Great Grandmother’s (Tokala Win LaPointe) brother was Chief Painted Horse.

In 1992 Ernie was given the opportunity to set the record straight on the Sitting Bull direct blood descendants by speaking at the induction of Sitting Bull into the Hall of Fame of American Indian Chiefs at Anadarko, Oklahoma. Since then he had numerous invitations from Crazy Horse Memorial, South Dakota and the Little Bighorn Battlefield, Montana to speak about his heritage. He also spoke at University’s in Michigan and Ohio. The Monroe (Michigan) Custer Celebration Committee invited Ernie repeatedly to join and speak about his Grandfather.
Ernie also is a frequent guest at the Fort St. Joseph Museum in Niles, Michigan, that includes lectures for adults, and also for teenaged children in High Schools. Go Native America Tours has Ernie lecturing tourists from all over the world, during the summertime.
The History Channel asked for assistance in two documentaries (Command Decisions and History Hogs) in 2004 and 2005.
Ernie finished his two part DVD series the Authorized Biography Of Sitting Bull By His Great Grandson. Part One: The Making Of A Leader; Part Two: Thank You Grandfather, We still Live. He’s working on his first book that will be published autumn 2009 by Gibbs Smith Publishing.

Please look also here for more information:
www.uebersee-museum.de/Sitting_Bull_und_seine_Welt_2.html

[brock]

As a result of his Germany trip, Ernie has been invited in June to appear at a similar exhibit in Finland. As I get the details, I'll post them.