Lakota Warrior

Book excerpt: With his own words and images, Joseph White Bull tells of his memorable life and exploits as a Lakota warrior in the late nineteenth century. The son of a Miniconjou chief and nephew of Sitting Bull of the Hunkpapas, White Bull was an accomplished warrior. He participated in the Fetterman and Wagon-Box fights, and fought at the Little Big Horn, contending that he was the warrior who killed Custer. Many years later, White Bull was persuaded to recount the outstanding events of his life. The result is this remarkable autobiography, consisting of text and drawings. In addition to relating White Bull's accomplishments in war, the narrative includes events from his youth, details of Lakota culture, and an extended Lakota winter count. This bilingual edition, originally published as The Warrior Who Killed Custer (Nebraska 1968), features White Bull's story in its original Lakota, his drawings, and an English translation. The manuscript was translated and edited by James H. Howard, author of The Canadian Sioux (Nebraska 1984) and The Ponca Tribe (Nebraska 1995). Introducer Raymond Bucko is an associate professor of anthropology at Le Moyne College and the author of The Lakota Ritual of the Sweat Lodge: History and Contemporary Practice (Nebraska 1998).