Chief Gall
Hunkpapa Sioux
born: c. 1840 died: 1894
Chief Gall was one of the most aggressive leaders
of the Sioux nation in their last stand for freedom.
The
westward pressure of civilization during the past three centuries has been tremendous.
When our hemisphere was "discovered", it had been inhabited by the
natives for untold ages, but it was held undiscovered because the original owners
did not chart or advertise it. Yet some of them at least had developed ideals
of life which included real liberty and equality to all men, and they did not
recognize individual ownership in land or other property beyond actual necessity.
It was a soul development leading to essential manhood. Under this system they
brought forth some striking characters.
Gall was considered by both Indians and whites to be a most impressive type of physical manhood.
Let us follow his trail. He was no tenderfoot. He never asked a soft place for himself. He always played the game according to the rules and to a finish. To be sure, like every other man, he made some mistakes, but he was an Indian and never acted the coward.
The
earliest stories told of his life and doings indicate the spirit of the man
in that of the boy.
When
he was only about three years old, the Blackfoot band of Sioux were on their
usual roving hunt, following the buffalo while living their natural happy life
upon the wonderful wide prairies of the Dakotas.
It was the way of every Sioux mother to adjust her household effects on such dogs and pack ponies as she could muster from day to day, often lending one or two to accommodate some other woman whose horse or dog had died, or perhaps had been among those stampeded and carried away by a raiding band of Crow warriors. On this particular occasion, the mother of our young Sioux brave, Matohinshda, or Bear-Shedding-His-Hair (Gall's childhood name), intrusted her boy to an old Eskimo pack dog, experienced and reliable, except perhaps when unduly excited or very thirsty.
An
old jack rabbit had waited too long in hiding. Now, finding himself almost surrounded
by the mighty plains people, he sprang up suddenly, his feathery ears conspicuously
erect, a dangerous challenge to the dogs and the people.
A whoop went up. Every dog accepted the challenge. Forgotten were the bundles, the kits, even the babies they were drawing or carrying. The chase was on, and the screams of the women reechoed from the opposite cliffs of the Powder, mingled with the yelps of dogs and the neighing of horses. The hand of every man was against the daring warrior, the lone Jack, and the confusion was great.
When
the fleeing one cleared the mass of his enemies, he emerged with a swiftness
that commanded respect and gave promise of a determined chase. Behind him, his
pursuers stretched out in a thin line, first the speedy, unburdened dogs and
then the travois dogs headed by the old Eskimo with his precious freight. The
youthful Gall was in a travois, a basket mounted on trailing poles and harnessed
to the sides of the animal.
Only the sturdy Eskimo dog held to his even gait, and behind him in the frail travois leaned forward the little Matohinshda, nude save a breech clout, his left hand holding fast the convenient tail of his dog, the right grasping firmly one of the poles of the travois. His black eyes were bulging almost out of their sockets; his long hair flowed out behind like a stream of dark water.
The
Jack now ran directly toward the howling spectators, but his marvelous speed
and alertness were on the wane; while on the other hand his foremost pursuer,
who had taken part in hundreds of similar events, had every confidence in his
own endurance. Each leap brought him nearer, fiercer and more determined. The
last effort of the Jack was to lose himself in the crowd, like a fish in muddy
water; but the big dog made the one needed leap with unerring aim and his teeth
flashed as he caught the rabbit in viselike jaws and held him limp in air, a
victor!
The people rushed up to him as he laid the victim down, and foremost among them was the frantic mother of Matohinshda, or Gall. "Michinkshe! michinkshe!" (My son! my son!) she screamed as she drew near. The boy seemed to be none the worse for his experience. "Mother!" he cried, "my dog is brave: he got the rabbit!" She snatched him off the travois, but he struggled out of her arms to look upon his dog lovingly and admiringly. "How, hechetu," pronounced an old warrior no longer in active service. "This may be only an accident, an ordinary affair; but such things sometimes indicate a career. The boy has had a wonderful ride. I prophesy that he will one day hold the attention of all the people with his doings."
Gall had an amiable disposition but was quick to resent insult or injustice. This sometimes involved him in difficulties, but he seldom fought without good cause and was popular with his associates. One of his characteristics was his ability to organize, and this was a large factor in his leadership when he became a man. He was tried in many ways, and never was known to hesitate when it was a question of physical courage and endurance. He entered the public service early in life, but not until he had proved himself competent and passed all tests.
This
chief's contemporaries still recall his wrestling match with the equally powerful
Cheyenne boy, Roman Nose, who afterward became a chief well known to American
history. It was a custom of the northwestern Indians, when two friendly tribes
camped together, to establish the physical and athletic supremacy of the youth
of the respective camps.
The
"Che-hoo-hoo"
is a wrestling game in which there may be any number on a side, but the numbers
are equal. All the boys of each camp are called together by a leader chosen
for the purpose and draw themselves up in line of battle; then each at a given
signal attacks his opponent.
In this memorable contest, Matohinshda, or Gall, was placed opposite Roman Nose. The whole people turned out as spectators of the struggle, and the battlefield was a plateau between the two camps, in the midst of picturesque Bad Lands. There were many athletic youths present, but these two were really the Apollos of the two tribes.
In
this kind of sport it is not allowed to strike with the hand, nor catch around
the neck, nor kick, nor pull by the hair. One may break away and run a few yards
to get a fresh start, or clinch, or catch as catch can. When a boy is thrown
and held to the ground, he is counted out. If a boy has met his superior, he
may drop to the ground to escape rough handling, but it is very seldom one gives
up without a full trial of strength.
It seemed almost like a real battle, so great was the enthusiasm, as the shouts of sympathizers on both sides went up in a mighty chorus. At last all were either conquerors or subdued except Gall and Roman Nose. The pair seemed equally matched. Both were stripped to the breech clout, now tugging like two young buffalo or elk in mating time, again writhing and twisting like serpents. At times they fought like two wild stallions, straining every muscle of arms, legs, and back in the struggle. Every now and then one was lifted off his feet for a moment, but came down planted like a tree, and after swaying to and fro soon became rigid again.
All eyes were upon the champions. Finally, either by trick or main force, Gall laid the other sprawling upon the ground and held him fast for a minute, then released him and stood erect, panting, a master youth. Shout after shout went up on the Sioux side of the camp. The mother of Roman Nose came forward and threw a superbly worked buffalo robe over Gall, whose mother returned the compliment by covering the young Cheyenne with a handsome blanket.
James
McLaughlin, Indian Agent of Standing Rock, on Gall:
"A
large man of noble presence with military talents of high order combined with
personal character that won respect from those having contact with him."
Gall
(Pizi), known also as Man Who Goes In The Middle and Red Walker, was a close
ally and younger brother of Sitting Bull. He is best remembered for mounting
the successful counterattack on Commander Marcus Reno's troops during the Battle
of the Little Bighorn. Discovering that his wives and children were victims
of Reno's assault, Gall threw himself into the remaining conflict with unbridled
passion, observing later that their loss had "made his heart bad."
Following the Battle of the Little Bighorn, Gall lived with Sitting Bull's camp in Canada from 1877 to 1881. Returning to the United States, he joined the rest of the Hunkpapas on Standing Rock Reservation where he attempted to help his people adapt to the changes demanded of them by assimilationist polices. His willingness to cooperate with white officials led Sitting Bull and other traditionalists to brand him a traitor.
Gall died in Oak Creek, South Dakota in 1894.
More Information
Undoubtedly
these early contests had their influence upon our hero's career. It was his
habit to appear most opportunely in a crisis, and in a striking and dramatic
manner to take command of the situation. The best known example of this is his
entrance on the scene of confusion when Reno surprised the Sioux on the Little
Big Horn. Many of the excitable youths, almost unarmed, rushed madly and blindly
to meet the intruder, and the scene might have unnerved even an experienced
warrior. It was Gall, with not a garment upon his superb body, who on his black
charger dashed ahead of the boys and faced them. He stopped them on the dry
creek, while the bullets of Reno's men whistled about their ears.
"Hold
hard, men! Steady, we are not ready yet! Wait for more guns, more horses, and
the day is yours!"
They obeyed, and in a few minutes the signal to charge was given, and Reno retreated pell mell before the onset of the Sioux.
Sitting
Bull had confidence in his men so long as Gall planned and directed the attack,
whether against United States soldiers or the warriors of another tribe. He
was a strategist, and able in a twinkling to note and seize upon an advantage.
He was really the mainstay of Sitting Bull's effective last stand. He consistently
upheld his people's right to their buffalo plains and believed that they should
hold the government strictly to its agreements with them. When the treaty of
1868 was disregarded, he agreed with Sitting Bull in defending the last of their
once vast domain, and after the Custer battle entered Canada with his chief.
They hoped to bring their lost cause before the English government and were
much disappointed when they were asked to return to the United States.
Gall finally reported at Fort Peck, Montana, in 1881, and brought half of the Hunkpapa band with him, whereupon he was soon followed by Sitting Bull himself. Although they had been promised by the United States commission who went to Canada to treat with them that they would not be punished if they returned, no sooner had Gall come down than a part of his people were attacked, and in the spring they were all brought to Fort Randall and held as military prisoners. From this point they were returned to Standing Rock agency.
When "Buffalo Bill" successfully launched his first show, he made every effort to secure both Sitting Bull and Gall for his leading attractions. The military was in complete accord with him in this, for they still had grave suspicions of these two leaders. While Sitting Bull reluctantly agreed, Gall haughtily said: "I am not an animal to be exhibited before the crowd," and retired to his teepee. His spirit was much worn, and he lost strength from that time on. That superb manhood dwindled, and in a few years he died. He was a real hero of a free and natural people, a type that is never to be seen again.
Chief Gall Tombstone Project
Chief Gall lays buried on a wind-swept hill barely two miles east of the small reservation town of Wakpala, South Dakota. The cemetery itself is unkempt, and the only marker for this distinguished Lakota leader is a lone tree in the cemetery. It is unfortunate that the small stone that is there is now worn and sunken into the ground.
The USTDC Board of Directors is as concerned about this great leader's burial site as they are that of Sitting Bull. This project will restore Chief Gall's final resting place and provide for a caretaker who will maintain this area in a respectable manner. UST will also place a tombstone where he lies buried.
Chief Gall was once a friend of Sitting Bull and was described by General Custer's wife as "The most beautiful man" she had ever set eyes on. This description can be found in her book, Boots and Saddles, written several years after the demise of her husband. Nevertheless, Gall is one of the heroes of the Standing Rock people and though a humble man in many respects, he, like Sitting Bull, always put his people first.
This project will cost approximately $250,000 per year and UST will employ a fulltime caretaker to ensure that this gravesite is maintained at all times. Both Sitting Bull's burial site and Chief Gall's have the same reverence as Wounded Knee and it is important that both these leaders be respected in death as they were in life.