In May, the state's History Museum received an invaluable set of artifacts from two families. John Spotted Tail and his wife Tamara and James Newell and his wife Carmen gave the state museum a eagle feathered war bonnet, a set of beaded clothing, moccasins, arrows, and other artifacts that belonged to Sinte Gleska, often referred to as Spotted Tail. In or about 1880, Sinte Gleska gave these items to his friend, Indian Agent and Civil War veteran Major Cicero Newell who asked that his family hand them down to the eldest son of each new generation. After five generations, they decided it was best to return them to the Spotted Tail family and found John and Tamara, who in turn decided it was best for the artifacts to be in the South Dakota's museum. It's a great example of friendship from an age filled with strife.
History 605 S4 Ep 11: Sinte Gleska and Cicero Newell's gift
