Neither Wolf Nor Dog

Nerburn feels moved by the Sitting Bull monument, which was designed by a Polish immigrant. Dan explains that the indigenous policemen who killed Sitting Bull were so afraid of retribution that they quickly and unceremoniously buried him in a pine box, violating indigenous burial traditions. Later, when the federal government decided to build a dam and flood the area, Sitting Bull’s descendants took back his body and reburied him near his birthplace in South Dakota. The monument was built shortly after. Dan and Grover place offerings of tobacco at the four corners of the monument, then release it into the wind.

As the men drive away, Dan begins a speech distinguishing between leaders and rulers. He argues that true leaders, like Sitting Bull, are not elected or appointed for a set period, but elevated by the collective decision for as long as they serve the people. He suggests that the federal government saw Sitting Bull as a threat because his people listened to him, and that they sought to replace him with false leaders like the “Indian agents”. Dan argues that modern rulers are not interested in leading, but in empowering and enriching themselves.