Names were valuable property. The Plains Indians
believed that some names possessed magical powers. Names could be
sold, given away, or discarded at will. A boy usually took a new name
when he reached manhood. A girl typically kept her name all her life.
She did not change her name in any way when she married.
When the early settlers translated Native names
into English, they made many mistakes. The Plains people, and other
tribes across the country, often found this quite funny. They would
use the wrong names in their war preparation ceremonies, not to
ridicule the owner of the name, but to ridicule their enemy.
Sitting Bull, for example, the great Sioux
leader, had his name translated as "Sitting Bull", because
the picture of his name, the hieroglyph, looked like a bull that was
sitting to the early pioneers. But his name was not Sitting Bull. It
was "The Bull in Possession", which has quite a different
meaning.
Another example concerns a young Dakota Sioux
warrior. His name was translated as "Young Man Afraid of His
Horses." Actually, his name was "Young Man Whose Very Horses
Are Feared". He was an incredible warrior, with many
feathers.
