Comments on: Sitting Bull Monument – Mobridge, South Dakota

By: A.B.

A.B. — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 08:32:21 +0000

The use of the word “Sioux” as the “tribe” which Sitting Bull (Tantanka Iyotake, in “Americanized” Lakota) was a member is not merely offensive to many First Nations Peoples in what the world now calls “America”, it is inaccurate. The proper word is Lakota. “Sioux” is a derivation of the French “Nadouessioux”, which in turn was derived from an Odawa word which most likely meant “speaks a foreign language”. Think about how humiliating it would be for the entire world to refer to your own People by a name which is not your own — imagine the English being known as “those smelly people who live on that diseased island” — and you will have only begun to understand why the “Sioux” and other “Indians” learned to not trust the White Man. You will perhaps be able to understand why Tatanka Iyotake fought so hard to protect HIS People.

By: Paul Larsen

Paul Larsen — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 20:56:41 +0000

One of the men moving the remains was a Mobridge banker, Dan Heupel … until quite recently his son Jim owned the burial site and then sold it to several South Dakotans who promised to restore and dignify the monument – the monument bust was carved by Korczak Ziolkowski, the sculptor who began the Crazy Horse Memorial, using a piece of granite blasted from the Crazy Horse site.

By: Kay Anderson

Kay Anderson — Tue, 10 May 2011 20:21:44 +0000

Sitting Bull’s bones were removed from Ft Yates by a group of Mobridge men and and his relative (granddaughter, I believe). My grandfather, Julius Skaug, was a Mobridge lawyer who orchestrated bringing Sitting Bull’s remains back to their land. The group took two cars during the night to get the remains. A Monument Bust was erected over a concrete base. I attended the ceremony dedicating the monument. Many people attended including his relatives, congressional an other dignitaries. I have several pictures from the event. I have heard people have used the bust to shoot at and have defaced it. This is too bad. My Grandfather wrote about Sitting Bull and many Indian (now Native American). I believe my grandmother Skaug visited the reservation and helped the people.
We had beautiful black wool wedding dress (with 600 shark teeth, many moccasins, an incredible beaded saddle blanket, peace pipe, old doll, and more. After I was married and away from home my Mom gave it all to the New Mexico museum. I felt a real loss and feel all should be in South Dakota or the museum in Washington. I don’t even think I have pictures of this collection.
I do have a rare, framed photograph of Sitting Bull in full head dress.