Two Strike (war chief)
Two Strike, known by his Brule Sioux name Nomkahpa, which translates to "Knocks Two Off," was a significant war chief in the Brule Sioux community during the late 19th century. His name was earned during a battle when he knocked two Ute warriors from their horses with a single strike of his war club. Born near the Republican River in present-day Nebraska, he played an active role in Red Cloud's War against the Union Pacific Railroad between 1866 and 1868. In the 1870s, Two Strike allied with the prominent Sioux leader Spotted Tail, working to protect his people from the encroachment of European Americans.
By the 1880s, he became an advocate for the Ghost Dance, a religious movement that sought salvation from oppression, but he later advised his people to abandon the movement prior to the tragic Wounded Knee Massacre in December 1890. Following this event, which resulted in the loss of many Native lives, Two Strike led his people in a rebellion but ceased after receiving assurances of fair treatment from military leaders. His community formally surrendered in January 1891. Afterward, Two Strike lived a quieter life at Pine Ridge, where he passed away around 1915. His legacy remains a poignant part of Brule Sioux history.
Two Strike (war chief)
- Born: 1832
- Birthplace: Near Republican River (now in southern Nebraska)
- Died: c. 1915
- Place of death: Pine Ridge Reservation, South Dakota
Category: War chief
Tribal affiliation: Brule Sioux
Significance: Two Strike was a prominent leader of the Sioux during the time before the closing of the frontier at Wounded Knee in 1890
Two Strike’s Brule Sioux name, Nomkahpa, meant “Knocks Two Off.” The name was earned in battle, after Two Strike knocked two Utes off their horses with a single blow of his war club. Two Strike figured prominently in the history of the Brules late in the nineteenth century, up to and including the “closing” of the frontier at Wounded Knee in 1890.
Born near the Republican River in what would become Nebraska, Two Strike played an important role in raids on the Union Pacific Railroad during Red Cloud’s War (1866-1868). During the 1870’s, Two Strike allied with Spotted Tail and tried to insulate his people from the European American invasion. In the 1880’s, Two Strike became an advocate of the Ghost Dance religion. A month before the massacre at Wounded Knee, however, Two Strike heeded whites’ advice to give up the dance and its promised delivery from white domination. After the slaughter of native people under Big Foot at Wounded Knee in late December of 1890, Two Strike led his people on an angry rampage with other Sioux. He desisted only after General Nelson Meils promised fair treatment for his people. Two Strike’s people surrendered a second time on January 15, 1891. After the turn of the century, Two Strike lived quietly at Pine Ridge, where he was buried after his death in about 1915.