Catch The Bear

[carlo]

Looking for any information on Catch The Bear, Mato Wawoyuspa. Properly translated as Bear That Catches or Catching Bear, but historically translated as Catch The Bear.
He was a Hunkpapa headman of the Kiglaska (Tied in the Middle) band.

He was a close ally to Sitting Bull and with him when on Dec 15, 1890 Indian Police tried to arrest him, resulting in the death of SB. Catch The Bear was purportedly the man who fired upon Bull Head, starting the fight.

I am especially interested in Catch The Bear's (approx.) year of birth and year of death, but any other details would be most helpful.

[Dietmar]

"Ma-to-wa-wo-yu-spa" or Catching Bear (age 36) is listed in the Sitting Bull Surrender Census (1881) among Fire Heart´s Sihasapa (Blackfoot Sioux) with his wife Lone and two sons and a daughter. Is this our man?

[carlo]

Just learned that Catch The Bear's death was actually on that same fateful day. He was shot after shooting Bullhead and succumbed to his wounds.

[carlo]

Sept 21, 2021 7:09:42 GMT -5 Dietmar said:

"Ma-to-wa-wo-yu-spa" or Catching Bear (age 36) is listed in the Sitting Bull Surrender Census (1881) among Fire Heart´s Sihasapa (Blackfoot Sioux) with his wife Lone and two sons and a daughter. Is this our man?

I'm not sure Dietmar. I expected him to be the same age as Sitting Bull, in 'Voices of Wounded Knee' he is mentioned as an "elder". And I'm almost certain he is a Hunkpapa. 

[Dietmar]

Carlo, Catch-the-Bear´s age is given as 44 years when he was killed in 1890.

[carlo]

Sept 21, 2021 7:55:36 GMT -5 Dietmar said:

Carlo, Catch-the-Bear´s age is given as 44 years when he was killed in 1890.

Is that from the same book? I don't have the book myself and on Goggle some pages are missing, so I may have missed his age.

So he may be our man after all. And 44 can be indeed an "elder"... Not sure why he is listed among the Sihasapa though?  

[Dietmar]

His age is taken from data gathered by Herbert Welsh and James McLaughlin in 1890. Their list of Lakota killed in the Sitting Bull arrest ended up in official records. Original letters are in the Walter Campbell/Stanley Vestal collection. Here´s the full list:

The following is a list of the killed and wounded casualties of the fight: -

Henry Bull Head, First Lieutenant of Police, died 82 hours after the fight.
Charles Shave Head, First Sergeant Shave Head, First Sergeant of the Police, died 25 hours after tho fight,
James Little Eagle, Fourth Sergeant of Police, killed in the fight.
Paul Afraid-of-Soldiers, Private of Police, killed in the fight.
John Armstrong, Special Police, killed in the fight.
David Hawkman, Special Police, killed in the fight.
Alexander Middle, Private of Police, wounded, recovering.

Sitting Bull, killed, 56 years of age.
Crow Foot (Sitting Bull's son), killed, 17 years of age.
Black Bird, killed, 43 years of age.
Catch the Bear, killed, 44 years of age.
Spotted Horn Bull, killed, 56 years of age.
Brave Thunder, No. 1, killed, 46 years of age.
Little Assiniboine, killed, 44 years of age.
Chase Wounded, killed, 24 years of age.
Bull Ghost, wounded, entirely recovered,
Brave Thunder No.2, wounded, recovering rapidly.
Strike the Kettle, wounded, now at Fort Sully, a prisoner.

[carlo]

That's great, thank you Dietmar!

Catch The Bear 1846-1890

[Dietmar]

Just have taken another look in the Campbell archive:

Research correspondence with Judge Frank Zahn.

“Sitting Bull and Bull Head (Lt. of Indian Police) had a quarrel in the early days out west. Both swore to revenge on the other. Bull Head was very desirous of going down to Sitting Bull's camp and arrest him. Bull Head and Catch-the-Bear had a quarrel at this Agency during the time when the Indians were getting rations. Catch-the-Bear told Bull Head (who was then a policeman) to look out in the future. You will note that just before the killing of Sitting Bull, Catch-the-Bear broke thru the cordon of Indian Police and said: Gli-gla-po, Gil -gla-po "Disperse, Let him alone" - "Is Afraid of Bear here?" Bull Heads other name was Afraid of Bear. When Bull Head answered "yes" Catch-the-Bear immediately aimed his carbine directly at Bull Head and downed him.
Very truly yours,
Frank B. Zahn”

"On or about Oct. 1890 (a month or so before the Ghost Dance) Catch-the-bear went to the agency office here and asked Caske (a white man) who was issue clerk, for some empty flour sacks. Bull Head, who was then a Policeman was in the same room and heard the conversation.
After Caske gave Catch-the-bear the sacks, Bull Head said to the latter: “I suppose you want these sacks to make sacred shirts for the Ghost Dance?” Bull Head immediately took the sacks, which were on the floor, and when Catch-the bear tried to take them (sacks) Bull Head pushed Catch-the-bear out of the office. Catch-the-bear then said to B.H. “We will see each other about this in the near future.” Catch-the-bear then returned to his home.

In the early days when Bull Head was a hostile a group of warriors were going on a buffalo hunt. Sitting Bull and Catch-the-bear were among the warriors (20 in all). Thru jealousy B.H. accused Sitting Bull & Cath-the-bear as being women. At this time Sitting Bull & Catch-the-bear were two of the bravest men in the camp. For Bullhead´s remarks, Sitting Bull & Catch-the-bear rode up to the former and with small clubs struck him until he fell off his horse. A feeling of enmity always existed between B.H. and Sitting Bull, after the trouble. It is a fact that the motive of the killing of Sitting Bull was thru extreme jealousy. […]
Frank B. Zahn"

“The question as to when Bullhead called Sitting Bull a woman was about 1868 or `69.”

[carlo]

Zahn may have mixed up the year of the flour sack incident, as this story has been dated to SB's trip to the Crow Agency in 1886, see Vestal 'Sitting Bull', p.252-254. The incident between Catch The Bear and Bull Head happened in a store in Lame Deer, on the way to the Crow reservation.

[kingsleybray]

Carlo I was interested to read that Catch the Bear belonged to the Kiglaska band. Where did you learn that detail? Thanks.

[carlo]

I believe it was you!
amertribes.proboards.com/thread/166/hunkpapa