What they give us is the fact of his choice and the fact that he lived with it until he died.

The Broader Failure Of The Promises Made At Bear Paw

The historical record of what happened to the nimíipuu after Bear Paw is essential context for understanding White Bird’s decision — not because it validates that decision as obviously correct (he could not have known in October 1877 what would happen to those who surrendered), but because it reveals what the nimíipuu had reason to fear from the army’s promises.

The pattern of broken promises went back decades.