This song honors Sitting Bull, or Tatanka Iyotake" as a leader of his people. His main concern was always their survival.
Tatanka Iyotake
The old men say that he fed the nation
Tatanka Iyotake
The young men say he was an inspiration
With courage, honor, and determination
He fought for ground, he fought starvation
Tatanka Iyotake
Just ten years old when he made his first kill
And many hard winters later
When he was the Chief of the Midnight Strong Hearts
They killed 30,000 buffalo a year
The old men say that he fed the nation
Tatanka Iyotake
The young men say he was an inspiration
With courage, honor and determination
He fought for ground, he fought starvation
Tatanka Iyotake
"I will remain what I am until I die,
I will remain a hunter
My people do not want to eat from the hand
to eat from the hand of the grandfather."
The old men say that he fed the nation
Tatanka Iyotake
The young men say he was an inspiration
With courage, honor and determination
He fought for ground and he fought starvation
Tatanka Iyotake
He sold his photograph, he signed it Sitting Bull
He travelled with Buffalo Bill’s show
He fed the white man’s curiosity
When he could no longer hunt the buffalo
The old men say that he fed the nation
Tatanka Iyotake
Copyright 2001 Deb Carpenter
Tatanka Iyotake: Translation
During the song Tatanka Iyotake, you can hear singing and speaking that is in another language. This language is Lakota. The Lakota words are in bold and the translation is directly underneath the Lakota text.
He kolapiyala he meaksuyaunpiyelo heyeyeye
All my friends remember me
He miye t’kaya matakuninsniyelo heyeyeya
I once was somebody and now I am nothing
He sungska akan yankehci he hi na iyalelo heyeyeyo
White Horse Riders have come and gone
(Traditional Song: White Horse Riders
from "Songs of the Teton" by Francis Densmore.
Research and text by Earl Bullhead
Sung by Earl Bullhead and Leland Bullhead)
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Lakota Text for "Tatanka Iyotake"
by Earl Bullhead
Ohinwan taku Icamun yus waunkte mate koes
(Always) (what) (I do) (I will retain)
Ohinwan wasusa waskan kte woete unkisnalalpi unkoleb
(Always) (hunt) (I will) (food) (by ourselves)
Uncunkunbpi uncinbpiyelo
(We want to do) (that’s what we want)
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