Alfred Burton Welch (1874-1945) Typically referred to as A. B. Welch he was born in 1874 and grew up in South Dakota.  He had daily contact during his childhood with Native Americans. As an adult, living in Mandan, he was well known for his extensive artifact collection and lifelong close association with Native Americans. A. B. Welch was credited as being the first white man adopted into the Yanktonai Sioux Nation by its great chief John Grass and was given the name 'Mato Watakpe' or Charging Bear.  Mr. Welch, in addition to English, spoke the Sioux dialect. Army Major Welch had served in the Spanish American War, in the Mexican Border Conflict and in World War I.  Major Welch served as the Commander of the American Legion Post in Mandan in 1921-1922. On June 12, 1913, A.B. Welch was adopted by Blackfeet/Hunkpapa Chief John Grass as his son.  The event was reported extensively by the Minneapolis Sunday Journal, complete with photos and artwork.  The Journal stated, “(Welch) studied their lives and haunts, became familiar with their bows and arrows... (learned) their history... with the result that a purpose was born within him to do whatever it might be given to him to do, to show his faith and his friendship for these once mighty children of nature, now shorn of their ancient rights.” Chief Grass had learned that Welch fought with distinction in the Philippine-American War. Over time, the two men became close friends. Grass lost a son in 1910, and three years later, he decided to adopt Welch in memory of his late son. It was a great honor; the chief said it was the first time in history that any white man had been adopted into the Sioux nation using the full tribal ceremony. The ceremony took place near Fort Yates. As Welch approached the grounds, he was twice “taken prisoner” by ceremonial war parties and then released when Charging Bear would say, “This man is my friend.” The warriors voted on whether Welch was worthy of this honor. One negative vote would have stopped the adoption, but Welch was accepted and was given his adoptive father’s name, Mato Watakpe. With 500 in attendance, the ceremonies included speeches, converging of elders, drumming, dancing, and singing. North Dakota historian LaDonna Brave Bull Allard writes, “Adoption is one of our sacred seven rites of the Lakota/Dakotas Nation. We adopt all kinds of people young and old. If you lost a sister, you adopted another who reminds of that sister or brother, grandmother etc... We believe that you should never be alone in this world... It is our way,” she concluded. Charging Bear presented to Welch a specially made pipe, and Welch gave Charging Bear a gold watch. Welch also gave the tribe a barbecue, including two steers, 100 pounds of coffee, a wagonload of hard tack, and 100 pounds of tobacco. Among his many contributions to Mandan, he served as its Postmaster in  at least from 1923 through 1933. In November 2005, one of A. B. Welch's collected artifacts fetched $118,000 at public auction.  A well-documented Whitney revolver once owned by Sitting Bull had been presented to A.B. Welch in 1920 by a chief of the Hunkpapa Lakota and a cousin of Sitting Bull, No Two Horns. No Two Horns fought with Sitting Bull at the Little Big Horn. The revolver's handle and its fringed leather scabbard are both inscribed with the scratched notation "Sitting Bull Die 1890."