08/05/2026
Remembering Chief Spotted Tail
Name: Siŋté Glešká
Birthdate/Place: ca. 1823 – White River County, South Dakota
Death date/Place: August 5, 1881 – Rosebud Indian Reservation
Best known for: a Brulé Lakota tribal chief. Although a great warrior in his youth, and having taken part in the Grattan Battle, he declined to participate in Red Cloud's War. He had become convinced of the futility of opposing the white incursions into his homeland; he became a statesman, speaking for peace and defending the rights of his tribe. He made several trips to Washington, D.C. in the 1870s to represent his people, and was noted for his interest in bringing education to the Sioux.
Photograph by Charles Milton Bell, Denver Public Library Repository
