Bloody Knife

Bloody Knife, an Arikara chief and renowned warrior, was born on the Hunkpapa Reservation in North Dakota. As a young man, he returned to his mother’s Arikara people. He gained prominence by safely delivering mail through dangerous territories inhabited by hostile Sioux. Bloody Knife later served as a chief scout at Fort Abraham Lincoln, participated in General Stanley’s 1873 Yellowstone Expedition, and joined Custer’s 1874 Black Hills expedition. He valiantly fought and was killed during the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876 while aiding Reno’s command.