Spotted Tail, pictured here with his wife, was born some time in the
1830s.  His fighting ability earned him the position of chief of the Brule
Sioux.  Spotted Tail and Little Thunder, another Brule chief, sought
revenge of the 1845 killing of the Sioux chief Brave Bear during a battle
with Lieutenant John L. Grattan's forces near Fort Laramie.  In August,
1855, at Ash Hollow, Nebraska, William S. Harney's troops overcame the
Brule Sioux, and on October 18, Spotted Tail and his companions
surrendered.  After his release from prison, Spotted Tail took a more
diplomatic line with the white settlers, though he continued to struggle
for Native American land rights.  He helped convince his nephew Crazy
Horse to surrender in 1877.  Though respected by his people, Spotted Tail
was killed by a fellow Sioux in 1881.