‘Sitting Bull’ Documentary Explores the History of the Famous Lakota Indian Chief
Leonardo DiCaprio’s Appian Way production company, which was among the creative team behind History’s 2020 docudrama miniseries Grant, returns with this production of Sitting Bull on the History Channel that similarly explores another famous historical figure. In this case, the legendary Lakota leader Sitting Bull, who is portrayed in dramatic reenactments as an adult by Kul Wičaša Lakota actor Michael Spears (Dances With Wolves, 1923).
Narrated by Oglala Lakota actor Mo Brings Plenty (Yellowstone), the two-part Sitting Bull airs over two nights starting on May 27 on the History Channel. It offers an overarching exploration of the fiercely brave chief’s remarkable life and accomplishments (beginning with his boyhood, when he was known as “Jumping Badger”), as well as the abilities that enabled him to rise as a leader and unite Native nations in an extraordinary alliance, and against seemingly impossible odds, as American settlers began expanding westward into the Great Plains under the auspices of Manifest Destiny and encroaching on territories inhabited by the Lakota and others.
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As the series tells Sitting Bull’s story, it details seminal moments and other key figures in Native American history, including the Washita Massacre; renowned warrior Crazy Horse; the Battle of Cedar Creek; the Wounded Knee Massacre; the historic Battle of Little Bighorn, where Sitting Bull led Native warriors against U.S. Army Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer; and the worldwide fame that Sitting Bull gained through Buffalo Bill Cody.
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That story is related and examined through expert interviews, rich archival material and scripted sequences that, while dramatic, also strived to be authentic — in addition to having Native talent onscreen, the project was also aided by Lakota involvement behind the scenes, including Larry Pourier, an Oglala Lakota consultant with over 20 years of experience advising on Native American TV and film projects, and IllumiNative, a Native woman-led nonprofit group focused on increasing Native representation in media.
Sitting Bull premieres on Tuesday, May 27 and concludes Wednesday, May 28 on HISTORY
Wild West- Heroes & Villains
November 2022
Celebrates the unique sense of justice, compassion and adventure in the Old West as seen on TV and in the movies
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