Gabriel Dumont and Sitting Bull

Dumont and Bull, originally uploaded by The Stranger.

Dumont played a critical role in bringing Louis Riel back to Canada, in order to get the government to pay attention to the troubles of the Métis people. He was adjutant general in the provisional Métis government declared in Manitoba in 1885, and commanded the Métis forces in the North-West Rebellion of 1885. Dumont knew six languages, and established a reputation as a guide, hunter and interpreter. He was also famed for his drinking and gambling.

Like Sitting Bull, he joined Buffalo Bills Wild West show.

Sitting Bull toured with Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West Show, where he was a popular attraction. Often asked to address the audience, he frequently cursed them in his native Lakota language to the wild applause of his listeners.

Toward the end of his life, Sitting Bull was drawn to the mystical Ghost Dance as a way of repelling the white invaders from his people's land.