Katie Roubideaux (1890–1991), also known later in life as Kate “Ta Sina Sapawin” Roubideaux Blue Thunder, was a Brulé Lakota (Rosebud Sioux) woman whose long life spans a profound era of Native American history.
Born on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota, she became widely recognized in historical records due to famous studio portraits taken by photographer John Alvin Anderson in 1898, when she was just eight years old. In the photographs, she is depicted wearing a traditional decorated and fringed skin dress, beaded leggings, and moccasins while holding a doll.
She was the daughter of Louis Roubideaux and Adelia Blunt Arrow. Her father was a notable figure on the reservation, serving as the official U.S. interpreter in the late 1880s and at one point acting as the captain of the Indian Police.
Katie lived to be 100 years old, passing away on May 13, 1991. Because her life spanned a full century, she witnessed an extraordinary transition in America and for her people.
Born just fourteen years after the Battle of the Little Bighorn, she grew up during the harsh boarding school era. At age 14, she attended the St. Francis Mission school. Despite living through times when Native languages and traditions were aggressively banned by the government, she held onto her Lakota heritage, keeping songs, stories, and ceremonies alive.
Over her lifetime, she saw the shift from horses to automobiles, lived through both World Wars and the Great Depression, and watched major events like the 1969 moon landing and the 1973 Wounded Knee Occupation.
In her adult life, she was known affectionately to her community as “Granny Kate.” She was married three times, to Henry Knocks Off Two, Phillip Marshall, and later David Blue Thunder, and dedicated much of her life to raising her six children and many grandchildren. She was remembered for living a simple, traditional life, sewing clothes from homemade patterns, and always maintaining a strong Lakota spirit.
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