Paul Swan was a prominent Minneconjou Lakota headman on the Cheyenne River Reservation.

Early life

Born about 1838, he was the son of the influential headman Chief White Swan, one of six hereditary chiefs of the Minneconjou (a.k.a. Howoju or Owoju) 1866. White Bull later recalled that the elder White Swan "in particular hated the whites."

By the time of the Great Sioux War of 1876-77

Great Sioux War of 1876-77

The Great Sioux War of 1876, also known as the Black Hills War, was a series of battles and negotiations which occurred between 1876 and 1877 involving the Lakota and Northern Cheyenne, against the United States...

, however, White Swan's position had moderated and he had settled at the Cheyenne River Agency on the Missouri River. His sons, however, including Paul Swan a.k.a. Little Swan, Fine Weather and Puts on His Shoes, remained out with the non-treaty bands. Paul fought at the Battle of Rosebud and the Battle of the Little Bighorn

Battle of the Little Bighorn

The Battle of the Little Bighorn, also known as Custer's Last Stand and, by the Indians involved, as the Battle of the Greasy Grass, was an armed engagement between combined forces of Lakota, Northern Cheyenne and Arapaho people against the 7th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army...

. Following the death of his father in 1877, Paul Swan assumed the leadership role of his family band.

Cheyenne River Reservation

It is uncertain when Paul Swan and his brothers surrendered at the Cheyenne River Agency. They may have come in with the large number of Minneconjou who surrendered in the spring of 1877 or they could have gone to Canada with Sitting Bull

Sitting Bull

Sitting Bull Sitting Bull Sitting Bull (Lakota: Tȟatȟáŋka Íyotake (in Standard Lakota Orthography), also nicknamed Slon-he or "Slow"; (c. 1831 – December 15, 1890) was a Hunkpapa Lakota Sioux holy man who led his people as a tribal chief during years of resistance to United States government policies...

 and not returned until the surrenders in 1881-82. By 1886, Paul Swan was living at Cheyenne River.

In 1881, the Minneconjou leadership gathered at Cheyenne River to select new slcapshirt wearers, symbols of leadership among the Lakota. With only three of the original chieftains still living, the tribe decided to select replacements. Paul Swan was selected to fill the vacancy of his father. Other headman selected included Touch the Clouds

Touch the Clouds

Touch the Clouds was a chief of the Minneconjou Teton Lakota known for his bravery and skill in battle, physical strength and for his diplomacy in counsel. The youngest son of Lone Horn, he was brother to Spotted Elk, Frog, and Roman Nose...

, White Bull

White Bull

White Bull was the nephew of Sitting Bull, and a famous warrior in his own right. White Bull participated in the Battle of the Little Bighorn on June 25, 1876. For years it was said White Bull boasted of killing Lt. George Armstrong Custer at the famous battle...

, Big Crow and Touch the Bear.

Paul Swan received an allotment in the Cherry Creek area of South Dakota

South Dakota

South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...

where he raised his family. He died September 30, 1900.