The following web links contain information that adds to the historical and cultural background of Ballad of Sitting Bull. They have been chosen for their educational content only. Spirit Series does not endorse, recommend or support any product or service that may be advertised on these sites.
Battle of Little Bighorn
Battle Of Little Bighorn video (9.25 min.): https://mainepublic.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/the-battle-of-little-bighorn-video/ken-burns-the-west/
http://montanakids.com/history_and_prehistory/battlefields/little_bighorn.htm
https://www.nps.gov/libi/index.htm
https://www.history.com/topics/native-american-history/battle-of-the-little-bighorn
https://www.standingrock.org/about/history/fort-laramie-treaty/
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/today/jun25.html (scroll down for text)
Lakota History and Culture
General Information
https://www.pilotguides.com/articles/the-lakota-tribes-of-the-great-plains/.
https://www.legendsofamerica.com/na-sioux/
http://www.crystalinks.com/lakota1.html
https://kids.kiddle.co/Lakota_people
https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/native-people-of-the-american-great-plains
https://americanindian.si.edu/nk360/plains-belonging-kinship/oceti-sakowin.cshtml
Buffalo in the life of the Lakota
https://americanindian.si.edu/nk360/plains-belonging/itbc.cshtml https://www.sdpb.org/learn/nativeamerican/
Beliefs & Spiritual traditions
https://thewildwest.org/indian-religion/
https://thewildwest.org/lakotaindiansconceptofwakan/
Spirit Series Conversation with artist Lyle Miller, Sr.
CHORUS 1 CHARACTER RESEARCH
Buffalo People
https://americanindian.si.edu/nk360/plains-belonging/itbc.cshtml
Drinks Water—ancestral Lakota medicine man
See: “Lakota History and Culture”
Four Horns—Sitting Bull’s uncle/Lakota shirt-wearer
http://www.littlebighorn.info/Indians/FourHorns.htm
Good-Voiced Elk—war chief at Sitting Bull’s 1st coup
See: “Lakota History and Culture”
Her Holy Door—Sitting Bull’s mother
See: “Lakota History and Culture”
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/329959110172009594/ (sitting, on left)
Little Crow—Lakota elder
https://www.legendsofamerica.com/na-littlecrow/
Returns Again—Sitting Bull’s father
See: “Lakota History and Culture”
CHORUS 2 CHARACTER RESEARCH
Crow Foot—Sitting Bull’s son
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crow_Foot
Four Robes—Sitting Bull’s wife
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sitting_Bull%27s_family_by_DF_Barry,_c1891.jpg (2nd from left)
Good Feather—Sitting Bull’s widowed sister
See: “Sitting Bull” & “Lakota History and Culture”
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/329959110172009594/ (standing, on left)
Has Many Horses—Sitting Bull’s child
http://www.worldwisdom.com/public/imagegallery/slideshow.aspx?Category=American+Indian&SubCategory=Women&GalleryID=28&Page=1
Seen By The Nation—Sitting Bull’s wife/Four Robes’ sister
See: “Sitting Bull” & “Lakota History and Culture”
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sitting_Bull%27s_family_by_DF_Barry,_c1891.jpg (2nd from right)
Snow On Her—Sitting Bull’s wife
https://www.geni.com/people/Snow-On-Her/4196798974730038598
Walks Looking (a.k.a. Walks Along)—Sitting Bull’s child
See: “Sitting Bull” & “Lakota History and Culture”
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/329959110172009594/ (standing, on right)
CHORUS 3 CHARACTER RESEARCH
Big Road—Oglala War Chief
See “Battle of Little Bighorn”
http://www.american-tribes.com/Lakota/BIO/BigRoad.htm
Black Elk—famed Oglala medicine man
http://www.history.com/topics/native-american-history/black-elk
http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h3734.html
Red Horse—Minniconjous War Chief (in Lakota: Minni-akiya-oju)
http://www.american-tribes.com/Lakota/BIO/RedHorse.htm
https://museum.stanford.edu/about/press-releases/exhibition-presents-rarely-seen-warriors-visual-account-famous-battle-and
Crazy Horse—greatest Oglala War Chief
http://www.biography.com/people/crazy-horse-9261082
http://www.history.com/topics/native-american-history/crazy-horse
https://crazyhorsememorial.org/
https://www.wolakotaproject.org/tasunke-witko/
Little Big Man—Oglala warrior
http://www.american-tribes.com/Lakota/BIO/LittleBigMan.htm
Low Dog—Oglala War Chief
http://www.indigenouspeople.net/lowdog.htm
Spotted Tail—Brule War Chief
http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h3843.html
CHORUS 4 CHARACTER RESEARCH
General George Crook—Peace Commissioner
https://www.legendsofamerica.com/ah-georgecrook/
http://www.desertusa.com/mag99/may/papr/crook.html
Senator Henry Dawes—leading “Friend of the Indian”
http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Henry_Laurens_Dawes.aspx
Ulysses S. Grant—U.S. President/Civil War hero
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/nativevoices/timeline/342.html
http://www.mscomm.com/~ulysses/
http://americanhistory.about.com/od/ulyssessgrant/p/pgrant.htm
Edward Henry Harriman—railroad magnate
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._H._Harriman
http://www.pbs.org/harriman/1899/1899_part/participantharriman.html
General Nelson “Bear Coat” Miles—prime Indian fighter
https://www.legendsofamerica.com/nelson-miles/
https://www.thoughtco.com/lieutenant-general-nelson-a-miles-2360132
General William T. Sherman
https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-war-in-america/biographies/william-t-sherman.html
https://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/william-t-sherman
CHORUS 5 CHARACTER RESEARCH
Crawler—Sitting Bull’s boyhood friend
http://www.american-tribes.com/Lakota/BIO/Crawler.htm
Standing Bear—respected Miniconjou warrior (in Lakota: Mnikowoju)
https://moabmc.org/chief-standing-bear#biography
Gall—great Hunkpapa warrior/War Chief
http://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2008/fall/gall.html
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/224173/Gall
Iron Hawk —respected Hunkpapa warrior
https://www.astonisher.com/archives/museum/iron_hawk_little_big_horn.html
https://davidhumphreysmiller.org/iron-hawk/
Jumping Bull—Sitting Bull’s adopted brother
See “Battle of Little Bighorn” & “Lakota History and Culture”
One Bull—Sitting Bull’s nephew
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Bull
White Bull—Sitting Bull’s nephew/Miniconjou warrior & Chief
http://www.nps.gov/libi/historyculture/white-bull.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Bull
CHORUS 6 CHARACTER RESEARCH
Bloody Knife—Arikara Scout who worked with Custer
http://www.american-tribes.com/Arikara/bio/BloodyKnife.htm
https://www.notesfromthefrontier.com/post/bloody-knife-custer-s-favorite-scout
Mitch Bouyer—French Canadian/Indian interpreter
http://www.friendslittlebighorn.com/Mitch%20Bouyer.htm
https://military.wikia.org/wiki/Mitch_Bouyer
Boston Custer—Colonel Custer’s youngest brother
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Custer
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/7147125/boston-custer
Colonel George Armstrong Custer
http://www.nps.gov/libi/learn/historyculture/lt-col-george-armstrong-custer.htm
http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/1800sarmybiographies/p/custer.htm
http://www.history.com/topics/george-armstrong-custer
Captain Thomas Custer—Colonel Custer’s brother
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/%7epardos/TomCusterArticle.html
Isaiah Dorman—African American/Indian interpreter
http://www.blackpast.org/aaw/dorman-isaiah-1840-1876
https://www.nps.gov/libi/learn/historyculture/isaiah-dorman.htm
CHORUS 7 CHARACTER RESEARCH
Captain Frederick Benteen—commander of Companies D, H, K
http://www.historynet.com/frederick-w-benteen.htm
http://www.cleavelin.net/benteen.html
Curly—Crow scout working with Custer
https://www.astonisher.com/archives/museum/curley_little_big_horn.html
https://www.historynet.com/curley-custer-not-end.htm
Libbie Custer—Married to George Armstrong Custer
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Bacon_Custer
http://www.mandanhistory.org/biographiesak/elizabethcuster.html
Young Hawk—Arikara scout working with Custer
https://www.astonisher.com/archives/museum/young_hawk_little_big_horn.html
https://www.historynet.com/the-arikaras-custers-13th-company.htm
Major Marcus Reno—commander of Companies A,G,M
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcus_Reno
https://www.nps.gov/libi/learn/historyculture/major-marcus-reno.htm
White Man Runs Him—Crow scout working with Custer
http://www.astonisher.com/archives/museum/white_man_runs_him_little_big_horn.html
Sergeant Charles Windolph—under Major Reno’s command
http://www.astonisher.com/archives/museum/chas_windolph_little_big_horn.html
https://bhveterans.org/2018/06/05/charles-windolph/
CHORUS 8 CHARACTER RESEARCH
Bull Head—reservation policeman/one of Sitting Bull’s killers
https://www.odmp.org/officer/2470-lieutenant-henry-bullhead
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/sitting-bull-killed-by-indian-police
Buffalo Bill Cody—great showman/friend of Sitting Bull
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffalo_Bill
http://www.biography.com/people/buffalo-bill-cody-9252268#buffalo-bill-the-hero
Major James McLaughlin—Agent at Standing Rock who ordered Sitting Bull’s arrest
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_McLaughlin_(Indian_agent)
Red Cloud—Oglala reservation Chief
https://www.biography.com/people/red-cloud-9453402
http://aktalakota.stjo.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=8307
Queen Victoria of England
http://womenshistory.about.com/od/victoriaqueen/p/queen_victoria.htm
http://www.biography.com/people/queen-victoria-9518355
Major James Walsh—R.C.M.P./friend of Sitting Bull
http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/walsh_james_morrow_13E.html
https://www.yorktonthisweek.com/news/local-news/history-corner-major-james-morrow-walsh-fort-walsh-north-west-territories-1.23106561
Sitting Bull/Thathan’ka Iyota’ka—Lakota Chief
http://www.nps.gov/libi/learn/historyculture/sitting-bull.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sitting_Bull
http://www.indigenouspeople.net/sittbull.htm
http://members.tripod.com/%7eRFester/lakota.html
https://www.history.com/topics/native-american-history/sitting-bull