Spotted Tail’s heirlooms displayed at Heritage Center

ANTELOPE LAKE CAMPUS – An eagle feather headdress belonging to Spotted Tail was among items on display in conjunction with the fifty-second annual Sinte Gleska University Founder’s Day celebration.

“Legacy Returns” featured a collection of Chief Spotted Tail’s (1823-1881) personal items, including an eagle feather headdress, a wig fashioned from horse hair, beaded moccasins, pants, shirt and other belongings kept in a suitcase. Spotted Tail gifted the suitcase and belongings to a friend, US Army Major Cicero Newell, who was appointed to oversee the Rosebud Agency in 1879. Spotted Tail may have gifted his personal items to Major Newell because of the Agent’s leadership while at Rosebud.

Newell also wrote Life Among the Sioux Indians in 1890 and included accounts about the time he spent with the Sicangu Oyate and other tribes in the nineteenth century. Newell was critical of General George Custer’s failed attack at Little Big Horn and stated “his haste to get all the glory of killing these people, led [Custer] to make the attack against the orders of his superior officers.”

Newell’s family had kept the artifacts for over a century until a decision was made to return them to Chief Spotted Tail’s living descendants. Chief John Spotted Tail and his wife Tamara were invited to travel to LaCenter, Washington in August 2020 to accept the heirlooms back to Rosebud on behalf of the Tiospaye. The couple, along with several family members, also attended the public display of artifacts which belonged to Spotted Tail held at the Sicangu Heritage Center last week. The display of Spotted Tail’s personal belongings was the first time the heirlooms were made available for public viewing.

The event at the Sicangu Heritage Center kicked off a week of activities celebrating the 1970 founding of Sinte Gleska College, named after Chief Spotted Tail. The community college transitioned to university status with a Lakota ceremony held during the 1992 Founder’s Day activities.