Conquering Bear
Conquering Bear ( Mato Wayuhi , * around 1800; † August 18, 1854 ) was an Indian from the Lakota tribe of the Brulé (Wazhazha band ).
Conquering Bear and the Whites
Mato Wayuhi was known as the Conquering Bear or also as the Scattering Bear and Circling Bear (wayuhi denotes a bear [mato] that digs for roots and spreads them around itself with soil). Conquering Bear was born in a Brulé camp around 1800 . Among the Brulé, he earned the reputation of an intrepid but also level-headed and peaceful leader. The penetration of the white man into the Lakota hunting areas was initially seen as a nuisance that the Lakota tolerated. Basically, the Lakota didn't care about the whites, as long as they left them in peace and didn't scare away the game. It was only with the increasing flood of migrants and the deterioration in the livelihoods of the Lakota that agreements with the newcomers on the plains became necessary. Conquering Bear also recognized the economic benefits of the whites and established solid trade relationships with the fur traders of the various fur trading companies. This went so far that Bear concluded a kind of "consultancy agreement" with the American Fur Company around 1841 in order to drive out their competitors through "bullying".
The Laramie Treaty of 1851
In the negotiations that culminated in the first Laramie treaty in 1851, Mato Wayuhi was appointed "Chief Chief" of the Brulé by the white negotiators - DD Mitchell, "Superintendent of Indian affairs" and Thomas Fitzpatrick "Indian agent". Conquering Bear was reluctant to accept this title, which came with the expectation that he could control his people. Bear was well aware that the Lakota leadership structure did not correspond to the hierarchical structure of the whites and that he could not meet the expectations of the whites. Nevertheless, he signed the contract as a representative of the Brulé who lived in the "Greater Fort Laramie" area. Conquering Bear and his people tried hard to keep the peace going. However, the differences between the two cultures were always a source of misunderstandings and subsequently led to armed conflicts. Despite the contract, coexistence with the whites for the Lakota continued to be characterized by uncertainties.
The "Grattan Massacre"
In 1854 a Mnikowozu who was staying as a guest at Conquering Bears Camp killed the stray cow of a Mormon emigrant. He reported the "theft" of his cow to the American military in Fort Laramie and demanded action. Conquering Bear, confronted about the incident, offered horses as compensation for the cow. This offer was rejected by the military as well as the Mormons. The military in the person of the ambitious 24-year-old lieutenant John L. Grattan demanded the extradition of the "culprit". Bear refused, who did not understand the excitement about the cow. If the whites wanted the perpetrator, they should take care of it themselves.
On August 19, 1854, the garrison commander instructed Grattan to arrest the alleged criminal. Together with 27 infantry soldiers who were carrying a light mountain howitzer, Grattan set out for the nearby Brulécamp and demanded that the perpetrator be extradited. Conquering Bear understood the grave situation and tried to negotiate. All reparation offers were still rejected. When Conquering Bear refused extradition, Grattan ordered his soldiers to fire a rifle salvo and a cannon shot as a serious warning. Conquering Bear was fatally hit, whether targeted or by a stray bullet, could not be detected. Enraged, the Lakota counterattacked. Within a few minutes, all soldiers - except for one man who was able to hide in a bush during the fighting - were killed. In the dark, this soldier managed - despite some serious wounds - to get to the trading post of James Bordeaux. Bordeaux was able to persuade his brother-in-law Swift Bear to guide the soldier safely past the Indian guard post. Still, the man was out of luck. When he reached Fort Laramie at dawn, he collapsed dead, exhausted from his injuries. Conquering Bear died a few days later.
After this fighting provoked by Grattan, which the whites called the " Grattan massacre ", the Lakota suspected nothing good and they dispersed to the wind. And right, the whites wanted revenge and a punitive expedition was equipped. On September 3, 1855, General William S. Harney surrounded the camp of Conquering Bear's successor Little Thunder on Bluewater Creek with infantry and cavalry units. After a brief mock hearing, 600 US soldiers attacked 250 Lakota and killed 86 Indians. Mostly women, children and old men. The massacre went down in the annals as the Battle of Ash Hollow (or Battle of Bluewater Creek).
siblings
- Red Leaf (Wahpe Sha, 1815 to after 1887)
- Long Chin (Iku Haŋska)
Other names Scattering Bears
“Mato Wayuhi” or “Mato Oyuhi” means “a bear that digs for roots and scatters earth”.
He is also called "Brave Bear", "The Bear" or "Whirling Bear".
children
Well known is Conquering Bear Junior, who still lived on the Rosebud Reservation around 1900.
literature
- Kingsley M. Bray: Crazy Horse - A Lakota Life. University of Oklahoma Press, 2006, ISBN 0-8061-3785-1 .
- Dee Brown : Bury my heart at the bend of the river. Verlag Hoffmann and Campe, Hamburg 1972, ISBN 3-455-08873-2 .
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Conquering Bear |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Mato Wayuhi |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Indians |
| DATE OF BIRTH | around 1800 |
| DATE OF DEATH | August 18, 1854 |