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William Cody and Lakota leaders at Wounded Knee
This rare group portrait was taken at Wounded Knee, South Dakota, on January 16, 1891, one day after the last Lakota surrendered following the Battle of Wounded Knee. It includes William "Buffalo Bill" Cody (at center, wearing a wide-brimmed hat), the famous showman who traveled there after the fighting to help negotiate a peace agreement and to recruit performers for his touring Wild West Show. The photograph also features many of the prominent Lakota leaders who were present at the battle, including Young Man Afraid of His Horses (seated with hat at center), a noted warrior who advocated negotiation with the United States, and Kicking Bear (seated next to him), one of the leaders of the Ghost Dance, a messianic religion that the Lakota had recently adopted. Regarded as the "last of the Indian wars," the Battle of Wounded Knee was a one-sided conflict that resulted in the death of approximately 300 Lakota men, women, and children.
John Grabill, 1891 |