Three
Bears, a leader of the Kiocses or Kiyuksa
(Cut Offs) band of the Oglalas. There is a photograph
of Three Bears in 'The Crazy Horse Surrender Ledger' and
it seems to be the same man. Three Bears was part of the
anti-Crazy Horse faction after the Lakota surrender in
1877. According to Olson ('Red Cloud and the Sioux Problem'),
the Lakota delegation visited Washington in September
1877 when Three Bears and others met President Hayes.
— Gary
He
was an outstanding war leader of the Kiyuksas. He might
had been to the Southern Oglalas what Crazy Horse had
been to the Northern Oglalas or Spotted Eagle to the Sans
Arc.
I think I read somewhere he was in Little Wound's band,
but I am not sure. Perhaps he was even related to him
(nephew?). Three Bears also often affiliated with the
tiyospaye of Fire Lightning and Two Lance (see
Catherine Price: “The Oglala People”). He had come to
the (Red Cloud) agency in summer 1873 (or 1874) with nine
lodges, accompanied by Two Lance with thirteen tipis.
He soon became a scout for the army and a member of the
agency Indian police. He rose to first sergeant of the
Sioux contingent at Pine Ridge.
In 1874 he had his role in protecting Emmet Crawford´s
detachment at the agency, when agent Saville tried to
erect a flagstaff at the agency ground and Sioux warriors
tried to revolt against it. In
1876 he was with the Indian scouts who helped destroying
Dull Knife´s Cheyenne village and in 1877 he fought
at Slim Buttes with the U.S. army. He was in opposition
to Crazy Horse when he settled at Pine Ridge in 1877 (see
“Crazy Horse” by K. Bray), even threatening him in council
one time.
John
G. Bourke, staff member of General Crook, wrote about
Three Bears:
