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Primary sourceArtifactc. 1875

Sitting Bull's War Shirt

c. 1875

A buckskin war shirt said to have belonged to Sitting Bull, decorated with beadwork and fringe, held at the Royal Ontario Museum.

A war shirt identified as having belonged to Sitting Bull, offering a direct material link to his life.

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Close-up of a pale buckskin shirt with blue-gray staining, featuring a red beaded panel with blue and white stripes at the chest, white quilled or beaded side panels with red and blue edging, and dark hair fringes hanging down.
Sitting Bull's war shirt, c. 1875. Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto.

About this source

What it is

This is a buckskin shirt identified as belonging to Sitting Bull, dating to around 1875. It is decorated with a red beaded panel, striped patterns, quilled side panels, and hanging hair fringe. It is on display at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, Canada, where this photograph was taken in 2011.

Why it matters

War shirts like this were worn by respected warriors and leaders among Plains peoples, often decorated to reflect status, achievements, or spiritual protection. As an object connected to Sitting Bull, it offers a rare physical link to his life as a Hunkpapa Lakota leader during a time of conflict with the United States government.

Look closer

  • What materials and techniques were used to decorate this shirt?
  • What might the beadwork and fringe have meant to the person who wore it?
  • Why is it important for museums to carefully record and preserve objects like this?

This artifact is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Sitting Bull (Tȟatȟáŋka Íyotake) on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Handwritten manuscript page on lined paper, titled 'Articles of a Treaty' in ornate script, with an opening paragraph naming United States commissioners and Sioux Nation delegates, followed by 'Article I' below. The page is aged and yellowed with visible tears along the top and bottom edges.Document

Primary source

Fort Laramie Treaty

29 April 1868

Colored reproduction card labeled 'Chief Sitting Bull Sioux' showing a man in profile with long braids, two feathers in his hair, a red neckerchief, and a beaded vest with geometric and floral designs.Photograph

Primary source

Sitting Bull Portrait by William Notman

William Notman · 1885

Sepia-toned studio portrait of a man with a long braided hair, wearing a light patterned shirt and a feather headdress, looking directly at the camera with a serious expression against a plain backdrop.Photograph

Primary source

Chief Sitting Bull

David F. Barry · 1884

Black and white studio photograph of two men standing in front of a painted forest backdrop. On the left, a older man in a long feathered war bonnet and fringed, beaded buckskin clothing holds a rifle. On the right, a man in a wide-brimmed hat, embroidered jacket, and tall boots rests a hand on his chest.Photograph

Primary source

Sitting Bull and Buffalo Bill

Wm. Notman & Son · 1885

Scanned page of the 1887 Act titled 'An Act to provide for the allotment of lands in severalty to Indians on the various reservations', headed 'Forty-Ninth Congress of the United States of America; At the Second Session', with handwritten marks and a 'Public No. 105' stamp.Document

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Dawes Act

Henry Dawes · 8 February 1887

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