Sitting Bull's childhood was spent in the southern part of the Dakota Territory (which it was known as at the time).  His Indian name was "Tatanka-Iyotanka," which describes a buffalo stubbornly standing on its haunches.  When he was young, he was known as "Jumping Badger."  Since Jumping Badger won most of the time when the children raced, which gave honor to his father, one of his enemies told his children to call him "Slow."  This brought great dishonor to his father and to himself.  His depression got so bad at one time that he couldn't even look his father in the eye.
One day, his father went to see the witch of the tribe.  She wasn't exactly a medicine man, but she believed in black magic, which everyone else wasn't about to cross her.  When Brave Bull asked for the witch's help, she was glad to help.  The witch talked to Jumping Badger about the boys teasing him one day.  She gave him a "Magic Buffalo Tooth," which the Indians believed was a sign of bravery and strength.  This tooth worked like a reverse psychology method back then.  The next day, he was back to winning all the races and wrestling matches.  For the rest of his childhood, he was known as "Sitting Bull."

>Sitting Bull-Dakota Boy by Augusta Stevenson.  Pgs: 13, 14, 29, 30, 31, 34, 35

For more information on Sitting Bull's childhood, click here.