Spotted Tail, Pollock

Student information cards of Pollock Spotted Tail (Little Scout, Comes from the Scout), a member of the Sioux Nation, who entered the school on October 6, 1879 and ultimately departed on June 27, 1887.

The first page began with an untitled poem that opened with the first line “We can never be too careful,” followed by “Which Would You Rather Be a Spider or a Fly? / The White Man Like a Spider,” an account of Mr. Seger’s description of the idiosyncrasies of language translation. It continued on the fourth page. Page two featured news articles…

Group portrait of five Sioux students posed outside a building, presumably on the school grounds. They are, from left to right: William Spotted Tail (Stays at Home), Sarah Mather (Red Road), Max Spotted Tail (Talks with Bears), Oliver Spotted Tail (Bugler), and Pollock Spotted Tail (Little Scout).

Portrait of a group of five Sioux students posed with interpreter Charles Tackett on the bandstand on the school grounds. They are, from left to right: Max Spotted Tail (Talks With Bears), Charles Tackett, Sarah Mather (Red Road), William Spotted Tail (Stays at Home), Pollock Spotted Tail (Little Scout), and Oliver Spotted Tail (Bugler).

Group portrait of the first female students, taken on the morning after their arrival on October 6, 1879 

Note: This image is different from the more commonly seen one. Here there are only twelve people in the back row, not thirteen (it is not yet determined who is not present here). Sarah Mather and Charles Tackett are not included, and…

Group portrait of the first female students, taken on the morning after their arrival on October 6, 1879. Matron Sarah Mather is standing at left and interpreter Charles Tackett is standing at right. 

This image appears in John N. Choate's Souvenir of the Carlisle Indian School (Carlisle, PA: J. N. Choate, 1902).

The…

Group portrait of the first female students, taken on the morning after their arrival on October 6, 1879. Matron Sarah Mather is standing at left and interpreter Charles Tackett is standing at left. 

Group portrait of the first female students, taken on the morning after their arrival on October 6, 1879. Matron Sarah Mather is standing at left and interpreter Charles Tackett is standing at left.

Studio portrait of (back row, left to right): David (Kills Without Wounding), Nathan (Ear), Pollock Spotted Tail; and (front row, left to right): Marshall (Marshall Bad Milk), and Hugh (Running Horse). All are wearing school uniforms. 

Studio portrait of (back row, left to right): David (Kills Without Wounding), Nathan (Ear), Pollock Spotted Tail; and (front row, left to right): Marshall (Marshall Bad Milk), and Hugh (Running Horse). All are wearing school uniforms

Note: The Cumberland County Historical Society has six copies of this image: PA-CH1-021c, 10-B-07.1-.4,…

Studio portrait of (back row, left to right): David (Kills Without Wounding), Nathan (Ear), Pollock Spotted Tail; and (front row, left to right): Marshall (Marshall Bad Milk), and Hugh (Running Horse). All are wearing school uniforms.

Studio portrait of visiting Chief Spotted Tail with his sons, then enrolled at Carlisle. William is seated at left of Spotted Tail, Pollock seated at right, with Max standing at left and Oliver standing at right. (The identifications typed on the back of this photo indicate that Oliver is standing at left and Max on the right, but other…

Studio portrait of five male students and four female students.

They are, back row, left to right: Frank West, George Summers, Percy Zadoka, Warden Cleaver; front row, left to right: Annie Thomas, Minnie Yellow Bear, Pollock Spotted Tail, Hattie Longwolf, and Harriet Mary Elder. 

Studio portrait of nine students. Back row, left to right: Frank West, George Summers, Percy Zadoka, Warden Cleaver; front row, left to right: Annie Thomas, Minnie Yellow Bear, Pollock Spotted Tail, Hattie Longwolf, and Harriet Mary Elder. 

The Cumberland County Historical Society has three copies of this image: PA-CH1-004, 10-B-17, and…

Richard Henry Pratt informs Acting Commissioner of Indian Affairs E. J. Brooks that the party has left, and Spotted Tail took his children and grandchildren - who were all students at the Carlisle Indian School - home.

Note: This item was copied from U.S. National Archives microfilm reels (M234), which were filmed from the original…

Richard Henry Pratt recommends the return of Pollock, Max, and Oliver Spotted Tail to Carlisle if an opportunity presents itself rather than having the cost born by their family.

These materials include a cover letter and a Descriptive Statement of Pupils regarding three students discharged from the Carlisle Indian School and transferred back to their homes at the Green Bay, Rosebud, and Pine Ridge Agencies.