Sitting Bull's headdress is returned to his people

The great Native American leader Sitting Bull's headdress has finally returned to his people.

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When I visit the Cowboy Hall of Fame in the North Dakota Badlands the last thing I expect to find myself doing is attending a historic ceremony to mark the return of Chief Sitting Bull's headdress to his people.

Sitting Bull, the last of the great Sioux spiritual leaders, led the united Indian tribes to victory against General Custer in the Battle of Little Big Horn in 1876.

His headdress was originally loaned to the centre by the Lakota people of the Standing Rock reservation in Fort Yates, near the small town of Medora where the Hall of Fame is based, for one year.

But it had remained there for four years as one of the star attractions among a collection of Native American and cowboy exhibits telling the story of the Wild West.

The headdress falls almost two metres to the ground and is adorned with over 70 eagle feathers.

Each eagle feather represents a great honour – traditionally killing an enemy, stealing a horse, or going into battle. Under federal law only Native Americans are allowed to handle or possess them.

As I stand gazing at the feathered headdress and feeling the sombre weight of its history I learn from the centre's executive director Darrell Dorgan that it is set to be taken from the museum via police escort this afternoon.

As luck has it I'm here amongst a small and intimate group to observe the leaving ceremony.

The ceremony is conducted by Phil Baird, vice-president of the United Tribes Technical College and President of the Cowboy Hall of Fame, or Eagle Man as he is known by his Lakota name.

Baird and Dorgan slide the display cabinet out of its niche and turn it to face west, in the direction of the Thunder Spirits. They unlock the door and Baird conducts a "smudging", or smoking, ceremony to purify the headdress and ensure a safe passage home.

He burns a bundle of sage, cyprus and tobacco and fans the pungent smoke over the headdress and star patterned quilt on which it will be laid.

"We have got to do this with clean hearts so if you have any problems or negativity I would appreciate you stepping out," he says.

He mouths a series of silent prayers, inviting observers to pray too, and gently lifts the headdress on to a star patterned quilt.

"We bless this gift and now it's time to take it back to its people," he says. "We do this for the children and grandchildren to come."

When the ceremony is over Baird and Dorgan carry the headdress into a van and it begins its journey back to Standing Rock where it is to be officially handed over during a ceremony by tribal elders, including Sitting Bull's great great grandson Ron His Horse Is Thunder, the next morning.

Although the Indians won the Battle of Little Big Horn it marked a devastating turning point in the Indian wars and an end to the conflict.

US forces retaliated and defeated the tribes, forcing them on to reservations and ending forever the way of life they had known.

Sitting Bull surrendered in 1881 and was arrested at Fort Yates. After his release from jail he toured with Buffalo Bill's Wild West show.

He was shot dead in a scuffle with agents appointed by the government to administer the Indian reservations on December 15, 1890.

Buffalo Bill's Colt pistol, which has his name engraved on the barrel and is insured for $US1 million ($NZ1.41m), is also being returned.

IF YOU GO

For information on North Dakota visit ndtourism.com.

Visit zuji.com www.zuji.com.au for bookings in the US.

* The writer was a guest of guest of United Airlines and North Dakota

- AAP