I have always been amazed by the facts surrounding Sitting Bull’s vision of the outcome of the Battle of Little Bighorn in 1876.  Sitting Bull prophesized the Indians would achieve a victory over the American cavalry sent against them.

It seems eerie that he participated in a Sundance ritual that allowed him to have a vision of the Indian’s victory over George Armstrong’s 7th Cavalry.  After fasting and self-mutilation he accurately predicted the American army would be defeated.  In his vision he had seen cavalry soldiers entering the Indian’s Village upside down and with injuries to their bodies.

My choice to portray Sitting Bull’s vision of great Indian victory on a buffalo skull is a notion that intrigues me.  I have researched Sitting Bull’s vision and understood Custer’s scouts had come across a buffalo skull showing the soldiers were going to be defeated.  Custer’s Crow scouts had warned him of Sitting Bull’s Vision, but Custer chose to ignore the warnings.  Custer and the 7^th Cavalry were wiped out at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. 

Caution might have prevented the massacre of Custer and the 7^th Cavalry in 1876.  I realize this was not the personality of George A. Custer.  It’s hard to believe what really did happen at the Battle of the Little Bighorn.  There are many more questions than answers in all the readings.  Still there were obvious signs, which would have warned the cavalry to proceed with caution.  Sitting Bull’s vision on a buffalo skull was only one of many obvious warning signs.  Indian scout interpreted outcome of the Little Bighorn Battle – yet Custer chose to ignore it for whatever reason or reasons.

Though I have never really seen the actual Sitting Bull vision painted on the buffalo skull, I chose to make one on a skull, as I would imagine that vision.