Crazy Horse was an Oglala Sioux Indian chief who was born in 1840 and under the Native American name Tashunka Witco near South Dakota. He got his name from his father, who was also named Crazy Horse after he showed the strong skills of a warrior. The Oglala Sioux Indian chief fought against the Black Hills reservations. He was known to be a fearless leader and remained committed to defending his people's way of life. The leader of the Lakota Sioux was also a legendary warrior who is known for his efforts to preserve Native American traditions and Lakota life that he was well familiar with and had lived as a child. He fought several American-Indian Wars and played an important role in in the defeat of George Armstrong. After his death, Crazy Horse became a mythical figure of the Great Plains Indian.
Crazy Horse stood out even when he was a little boy because of his distinct appearance. He had brown, curly hair and was fair-skinned, and this made him very different from other children his age. When he was born, Lakota was the largest band of the tribe, and their domain extended from Missouri River to the west till the Big Horn Mountains. During the 1840s, Lakota were at the zenith of their influence and had minimal contact with whites (Crazy Horse Biography, par. 5 ). He was the youngest Lakota to get the title Shirtwearer, which is the highest honor accorded to males. He remained committed to protecting the Lakota and its lands and traditions. He led thousands of Lakota and Cheyenne in the Battle of Little Big Horn and Battle of Rosebud (Significant Native American Leaders, par.21). His father was a medicine man and mother a Brulé. Most historians agree that his father had the same name, and he got the name once he proved his skills in combat (Crazy Horse, par.2).
Life began to change for the Lakota in the 1850s, as some white settlers began reaching the west looking for gold. The new immigrants create tensions as well as competition for the advisable resources. Military forts were set up in the region, and this encouraged white settlers. Their invasion took their toll on the native Indian populations, introducing diseases and causing deaths and tensions.
His personality
Crazy Horse, one of the most famous Oglala Sioux chief is also considered the last great Sioux. Apart from being a great fighter and a fine tactician, he is also admired for his personal life. Along with being a brave and daring, he was also humble, selfless and generous. He was killed through the deceit of both friends and enemies in 1877. He enjoyed a unique place of reverence among his own people. He was a queer man and sought help from spiritual sources: Sometimes, he was away from the camp for days and remained out alone in the cold (Stauffer, 62).
The Lakotas like to dance and sing, but Crazy Horse never joined them in their dance and singing. As a fighter, he was small bodied and slim He wore no paint and there was only one feather at the back of his head. The Black Hills of South Dakota would not sport the image of the former American president or another historic citizen, but the image of the Crazy Horse, the greatest warrior, ever known. However, the project required engineering experience along with the financial resources to complete the colossal task of creating the statue that was to be 563 feet tall and 641 feet wide. Crazy Horse Memorial nearby attracts locals and visitors from different ethnic backgrounds. Kimbrell (2010, 2) reports that the project is still not over and is now headed by a non-profit organization. In 1877, when he waited during the long summer for the fulfilment of the promise made to him after surrendering, he faced betrayals and false rumours. He was disliked among his men because of his popularity.
Although the statue is still not finished, and Mr. Ziolkowski has been dead for over 30 years, his family now heads a non-profit organization dedicated to the manifestation of Ziolkowski’s vision of the famous warrior.
As a warrior
American history shows the influence of several Indian leaders and warriors, but there are very few such as Crazy Horse., that are remembered for their leadership and volatile role in protecting their homeland. Those who had witnessed the warrior on the battle grounds state that he was not only feared but also praised by his enemy. His skills as a warrior remain unmatched, and he has always been admired for his competency in the battle field. U.S. Army saw threat for their expansion because of his capabilities (Kimbrell,3). Under his leadership, the Sioux became a challenging presence for the US soldiers, who would go to any length to protect homelands.
Crazy Horse was a great motivating force for his soldiers on the battlefield. He dashed directly into the soldiers along with his Braves and soon they were shoving and stabbing on the ground desperately. The Sioux were known to at war for over a century, attacking rival tribes and stealing their buffalo, horses and women (Thomas, par. 4). However, Crazy Horse knew that, in the long run, his tribe would lose against the white settlers, and he accepted the reality, but with bitterness.
In the 1870s, gold was found in the Black Hills of the Dakotas, this led to the US Army driving the Indians off their hunting lands as Thomas (2010, par.1) reports. The Indians fought back, and the story of the life and death of Crazy Horse is particularly noted down in the history. He was known as the most fearsome of the Sioux warriors, who sliced and killed many enemies. His was known for his daring attitude, and his presence on the battlefield was electrifying.
Crazy Horse was as powerful a warrior and was very effective in organizing Sioux warriors. He inspired young warriors to fight by his side. He put his life in danger to others safe. One good example can be seen when he and his brother Little Hawk were outnumbered by the Shoshonis, their traditional enemies. Their escape routes were closed, and Crazy Horse had no choice but to improvise (Kimbrell, 26). He displayed the calm confidence he had and the exceptional abilities in hand to hand combat during that difficult time. This shows the incredible cunning and physical ability possessed by him. Clearly, Crazy Horse was not afraid of anything. Most Sioux believed that he was protected by the spirits and, therefore, was able to perform such heroic deeds. He is held on moral high grounds because of his warrior prowess that he had to protect his people and without any selfish motives.
Encounter with U.S. soldiers
The Indian wars against the United States Cavalry of the 1870s are particularly noted in the history. The whites hated the pungent smell of Indians and the Indians resented the way the White treated the Indian women who were abused and exploited by them.
His first encounter with U.S. soldiers was in 1865 and the following years saw him honing his skills as a guerrilla fighter. Fetterman massacre in 1866 occurred after Crazy Horse’s dared Lt. Col. William J. Fetterman and his men into an ambush (Crazy Horse, par. 4). The following decades saw a rigid determination in him to defend the Black Hills and he worked upon the weak spots in his enemy’s lines so as to win the day. Although Crazy Horse and his followers made an attempt to hold on to the remote areas of the Yellowstone country, they were hunted persistently.
Crazy Horse is most famous for the Battle of the Little Bighorn, where he defeated General George Custer. He fought with Red Cloud against American settlers and proved himself to be a skilful warrior. His aim was to preserve the lands and traditions of his people. When the United States sent Army troops to destroy him, his warriors slaughtered over two hundred and fifty American troops at the Battle of the Little Bighorn.
The U.S. Army struck back hard against the Lakota, especially after the defeat of Custer, with the purpose of extracting complete surrender. Crazy Horse continued to fight for his homeland. However, when food supplies began to dwindle, his followers started to abandon him. He was forced to surrender as he realized that it was futile now to fight a lost battle.
Crazy Horse never committed to signing any document and refused to be photographed. He fought for his land and when U.S. government took our orders for all Lakota onto reservations, after the discovery of gold in the Black Hills, it is no surprise that Crazy Horse and Chief Sitting Bull snubbed to obey those orders. He and his soldiers were successful in turning back the white soldiers as they attempted to advance. Later he teamed up with Sitting Bull and devastated General George Armstrong Custer and his Cavalry, in what is known to be as the greatest victory ever by Native Americans over U.S. troops. He was the central point of many conflicts that arose between the U.S. and the Lakota.
The Grattan Massacre
It all began when Lieutenant John Grattan arrived at a Sioux camp with a group of white men looking for men who had killed a cow of their migrants. Violence erupted when the chief of the natives declined to give in to their demands. The chief was killed when one of the white soldiers fired a shot. This further led to more shootings that killed Grattan and his 30 soldiers (Crazy Horse Biography, par.7). The Grattan Massacre is considered to be the first conflict between the Lakota and the United States and also began the long reign of distrust for the whites among the natives.
Crazy Horse was brave, kind, and clever, and the whites feared him because of his prowess and bravery in battle, and he was a natural leader in war. Still, he was very kind with his people. He always thought of the people first, and his remembered for the great act of kindness. He was brave enough to go against the entire U.S. and their firepower with weapons and guns that were no match to the Cavalry rifles. He brought the young warriors in his tribes together and used strategy to fight together, instead of charging forward for individual honour and recognition. He was a clever and smart man and took full advantage of the mistakes made by his enemy. He stood up for what he considered was right. He loved his people and wanted to see them living freely on their lands. He had to make a very difficult decision after the Battle of Little Big Horn. He could either stay off a reservation or die fighting.
His popularity can be seen in television and motion pictures along with the world’s largest mountain carving based on him. A lot has been written on his life, and there are several biographical works done on him. Crazy Horse remained a significant cultural icon for many years and even after his death, he is still being discussed and elevated in academic literature. In short, he is the Lakota symbol of resistance to the domination by the whites. He was not literate and thus there are no written records or letters by him. There are photographs of him, but there are strong doubts about the authenticity of them (Kimbrell ,7).
There are different aspects of his life that most biographers and historians do not agree on. Still, it is agreed upon that he was a very young spectator of the first violent conflict between the two nations, and his death marked the end of the Sioux Wars. He is most well-known for his exceptional warrior qualities and he proved his mettle on the battlegrounds as a young man, against neighboring tribes. He is known to taunt U.S. forces and rode ad of all other warriors, trying to lure the unwary military personnel into traps. He survived every battle he ever fought. It is said that he surrendered to end the conflict with the U.S. military. He was imprisoned and was wounded by a bayonet hurled on his back. Historians believe that he was killed by his people.
Works Cited
"Crazy Horse Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, 2015. Web. 16 July 2015. <http://www.biography.com/people/crazy-horse-9261082>. "Crazy Horse." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2015. Web. 16 July 2015. <http://www.history.com/topics/native-american-history/crazy-horse>.
Kimbrell, Tyler. "Searching for the Spirit of Crazy Horse: A Rhetorical Analysis of Competing Myths." University of Kansas (2014): 1-64. Print.
"Significant Native American Leaders." Significant Native American Leaders. 2015. Web. 16 July 2015. <http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h3951.html>.
Stauffer, Helen. "Two Authors And A Hero: Neihardt, Sandoz, And Crazy Horse." University of Nebraska - Lincoln (1981): 54-56. Print.
Thomas, Evan. "A Good Day to Die." The New York Times. The New York Times, 13 Nov. 2010. Web. 16 July 2015. <http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/14/books/review/Thomas- t.html?_r=0>.
