Woman traces roots to Sitting Bull's tribe

Dorothy Eiken describes her great-great-grandmother, Yellow Eyes, whose photograph is displayed behind her, at Van Meter State Park Saturday, March 10. Eiken learned that Yellow Eyes was probably present at the Battle of Little Bighorn and later became a confidant of Sitting Bull during her later years, keeping the chief informed about a new religious movement on the reservation. (Photo by Eric Crump/Democrat-News) [Click to enlarge]

Dorothy Eiken was well into adulthood before she began to discover her Indian heritage, and what she found is not only a fascinating story but a story that repaired a hole in her life.

Eiken, a member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, spoke at Van Meter State Park Saturday, March 10, and shared what she has learned about her great-great-grandmother, Yellow Eyes, a member of the Lakota tribe that participated in the Battle of Little Bighorn and later a confidant of Chief Sitting Bull.

Although the Lakota tribes passed their culture down orally from generation to generation, Eiken said there are records that have helped her trace parts of her great-great-grandmother's life, including census records that place her on the same reservation where Sitting Bull lived after returning from exile in Canada.

Those records indicate that Yellow Eyes was 72 years old in 1900, though her precise age is difficult to determine because at the time the people did not use European-style calendars, Eiken said.

For example, her grandfather went to the tribal elders when he was a boy and asked them how old he was.

"They said, 'You were born in the moon when the cherries were ripe,'" she said, which meant he was about 9 years old.

Yellow Eyes reported to the census-takers that she was a widow who had nine children and two husbands, though none of her family members were named.

As a younger woman she led the nomadic life of her tribe, following the buffalo herds that provided their livelihood. The buffalo was like shopping centers today, providing food, clothing, shelter and tools.

The life she led was challenging, Eiken said. The women of the tribe did most of the domestic work. Men were mostly warriors whose role was to hunt and to protect the women and children.

"There's determination in that face," she said, with a nod to a photograph of Yellow Eyes. "This was a very tough woman."

When the tribe was forced to live on reservations, Yellow Eyes apparently refused to live in a house, insisting on staying in a tipi instead.

Eiken said discovering the fierce spirit of Yellow Eyes was important to her personally.

Growing up in South Dakota, she was taught to hide her Lakota heritage, she said. Her mother hoped to protect her from discrimination, but the result was a hole in her life that is only now being filled.

"The part of me that was always ashamed of being part Indian is gone," she said.

Contact Eric Crump at

marshalleditor@socket.net