NO. 5 SITTING BULL STIRLING 7 



Sittting Bull immediately recognized the pictures as scenes from his early 

 life, with the exception of Nos. 39 to 51, and 53 and 54, which he said were 

 not his, but were adventures of his brother Jumping Bull. 



As to the scenes from his own life, he says these are all true scenes, and 

 he drew a similar set many years ago and gave them to his brother Jumping 

 Bull. He saw his brother last summer and understood from him that he still had 

 them. He thinks therefore that this set must be a copy of the one he made, 

 and has been drawn off by some Indian, he does not know by whom. He 

 could tell perhaps by seeing his brother who is at Standing Rock. 



Sitting Bull verified in the main the Index accompanying the pictures. 



No. I he says was his first feat, accomplished when he was fourteen years 

 of age. 



No. ID he says was a Ree, who drops his gun and bow from fear. He was 

 struck (for "coup") but not killed (no blood is shown). The scalp at the 

 horses bridle, here and elsewhere, not being intended to represent the scalp 

 of the enemy drawn. 



No. 55 he says is not completed — should have his "name" (as he calls the 

 sitting buffalo). 



As to the particular history of each event recorded, we found Sitting Bull 

 rather reserved, especially in regard to Scenes Nos. 11 to 26, and we could 

 see that any narration he gave of the several events was colored by the circum- 

 stances of his present situation. And I would suggest that if a more full account 

 of his war deeds is desired, a better time to secure it would be at some future 

 date when his status is definitely determined. 



Yours Respectfully, 



(signed) John P. Williamson, 

 Missionary. 



In reproducing the drawings, the explanation of each is given 

 exactly as written in the Kimball index in 1870. It should be borne 

 in mind that these interpretations were furnished by Indians familiar 

 with the career of Sitting Bull but not by the Sioux warrior himself. 



For purposes of comparison these explanations are supplemented 

 by the interpretations published by Vestal.* 



No. 54 is missing from the set. This picture was one of the Jump- 

 ing Bull series and represented an episode in the famous battle of 

 1870 between the Sioux and the Crow. The Kimball description 

 says "Sitting Bull at the head of his band charges into a camp of 

 Crows and kills thirty of them. (This happened in the winter of 

 1869-70.)" 



* Vestal says, "For Sitting Bull's interpretations of these drawings, given in 

 1885, I am indebted to Mr. Seth C. Jones, Secretary, Municipal Art Com- 

 mission, Rochester, N. Y." 



