Don't know if everyone saw this, I have received a few death threats in the past but no one ever acted on them.
Soon after coming forward and exposing what he called a “fake,” Todd Little Bull was shot and killed near Kyle after several posts on social media.
The person Little Bull accused of allegedly holding ceremonies with fake spiritual experiences is Jerome LeBeau. Little Bull claimed he was asked to shake gourds, turn on small blue lights and blow whistles during ceremonies.
Sometime around midnight on Aug. 2, Little Bull was killed, shortly after posting a voice message from a man named Jack Conroy. The message was left on Facebook Messenger and Little Bull wrote, “one of many threats.” This was posted at 11:36 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 1.
A screen shot of an alleged threat to Little Bull from a man named Tre Vocu surfaced the day of the murder and was shared widely across Indian Country. In this message, Vocu is alleged to have said to Little Bull, “You gotta f***ing cross hair on your head b**ch, your (sic) f***ed in the head and you’re gunna (sic) get yours f***ing p***y better believe that!”
These two alleged threats came as a result of Little Bull’s coming forward with information he supposedly had regarding the illegitimate spiritual practices of Jerome LeBeau; a spiritual mentor whom Little Bull came to for teaching him Lakota ceremonial ways.
On the social media page, Indigenous Life Movement, screen shots and photos of Todd Little Bull’s exposing testimony regarding his experiences with LeBeau were posted and shared.
Little Bull said in these posts, “I had so much Love for Jerome Lebeaux and Thunder Valley. Their family is so Loving and compassionate. I put my heart into everything that I’ve done for them. By that I mean praying with them in the Beautiful way that we pray.”
This is one of the items Little Bull shared on social media as evidence of his situation
FACEBOOK
This is one of the items Little Bull shared on social media as evidence of his situation FACEBOOK
Then Little Bull begins to tell of the negative feelings and the seeming guilt he had. “I told Jerome I couldn’t do any more of the fake shit. So the first thing he does is attacks me where it would hurt me the most. My heart. First thing he does is creates this bulls**t story about me trying to be with his wife. When all she was doing was coming to me to vent about all the helpers in the circle… We agreed on so much wrong and negativity within the alter. The people and the drugs.”
“He also said I was trying to be with Bree and his daughters for sex. Bree, you know that’s not true and I hope you tell. Tacie, you know that’s not true. My texts to the both of you are in my phone and an investigator will over look all of it,” Little Bull said as if to be leaving evidence of any future investigations regarding alleged accusations against himself.
Medicine people in any indigenous nation are keepers of the sacred knowledge, the ceremonies. This knowledge is given to them with great responsibility to the tribe and the population of that tribe. This power can often be abused and this abuse is what Little Bull wanted to expose.
“So why is Jerome mad? Because I couldn’t do no more fckn fake ceremonies. You all see me sitting behind the alter? You want to know why I sit there? Well, I had the dreams to do this stuff within our culture. So I asked Jerome for help. Instead of helping me. He used me. Used me to make it all a show and to look like he has spirits. No, those aren’t spirits. That’s me shaking the gourds. In front of the alter. That’s me with the little light that flashed. It’s a light wrapped in blue material.”
He goes on to cast a dark shadow over the alleged phony activities that were supposedly “spirits” entering into the ceremony; which it turns out these “spirits” can be purchased at any hardware or hunting store, according to Little Bull’s testimony.
“If some of you can recall, one ceremony Jerome said ‘these spirits took this sickness and put it in a small blue material. Nobody move when we turn these lights on’ what really happened was he dropped this little light and he tried to have me find it while I was shaking the gourds in front of the alter… I found it and I threw it under the person that was being doctored. So Jerome crawled under him and grabbed it when the lights came on.”
If these allegations and stories are true, these fictitious ceremonies almost seem comical as the practitioner and his alleged helpers fumbled while attempting to keep the “spirits” a secret. Little Bull says there are others that have helped in these ceremonies.
“There’s been people before that do this for him. You all know who you are. That little bird you hear in ceremony? It’s a bird call. Look it up, you can buy them,” the whistle blower said on social media.
On the night of his murder, Little Bull posted on his Facebook page a photo of a woman named “Shawnta” to which he said, “I love you!...I wish I could just drive to you. I know you would protect me. I love you baby!”
“He also took Shawnta from me. Even she knows about all the fake a** s**t. I pointed it all out to her… She knows all the secrets and shortcuts. The only power he has is the power over the people. Controlling everyone. So this is the truth. His ceremonies aren’t real. I’ll post just a couple screenshots for you to see.”
At this point in his social media activity, Little Bull was allegedly already feeling pressured from supporters of LeBeau, saying, “All of his helpers are threatening me. Saying they are going to kill me. I’ll post a picture of that too. I have screenshots of everything.”
Exposing what he felt was the truth and a violation to the people who believed in these ceremonies, Little Bull felt he would die as a result. “I know this post is going to get me killed but I’m willing to die. I’m ready because I’ve always been about our people. I don’t want them fooled anymore. They are going to tell all these big fake stories about me. Why are they going to do that? To try to cover up me exposing them.”
In a plea to others, Little Bull said, “Everyone who knows about this. Post about it. All you medicine men that have been fooled by him. Post about it.”
Accepting his fate for exposing what he believed to be the truth, Little Bull said, “So here I go on my journey home. I know they are everywhere looking for me. I Love all of you. All the people. I want you to not lose your faith and believe in this way of life and prayer. Every alter isn’t fake. But I know this one is.”
“You and your people are going to kill me. You and your guys are waiting for me,” hours later, the author of these words was killed in the car he drove.
Many have come forward in support of Jerome LeBeau and Todd Little Bull.
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Obituary for Todd Little Bull
Todd Lewis Little Bull was born on August 2, 1990 in Pine Ridge, SD to Ronald Ferguson Sr. and Regina Little Bull. Todd made his journey to the Spirit World on August 2, 2016 in Kyle, SD. Todd is survived by his parents, Ronald Ferguson Sr. and Regina Little Bull, both of Kyle, SD; brother, Bo Ferguson of Pine Ridge, SD; sisters, Gladys Little Bull, Rihanna Little Bull, Sydnee Ferguson and Marvie Ferguson, all of Kyle, SD, Molina Ferguson and Kristy Ferguson, both of Sharp’s Corner, SD; and grandmother, Delores Little Bull of Kyle, SD. Todd was preceded in death by his grandparents, Noah Little Bull, David Little Bull, Jettie Imitates Dog-Little Bull, Lema Bear Tail, Noah Eagle Heart, Franklin Ferguson, and Gladys O’Rourke; sister, Deanna Little Bull; and brother, Ronald Lewis Ferguson Jr. Wake Services: Two night wake service starting at 1:00 PM, Wednesday, August 10, 2016 at the Little Wound High School Gymnasium in Kyle, SD Funeral Services: 1:00 PM, Friday, August 12, 2016 at the Little Wound High School Gymnasium in Kyle, SD Traditional Lakota Services: Mr. Leonard Crow Dog Sr. Burial Services: Kills Straight Family Cemetery, Kyle, SD Arrangements entrusted with Sioux Funeral Home of Pine Ridge, SD
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