In the Footsteps of Crazy Horse Read online

  club—a hand weapon used by the Lakota and other northern Plains tribes, usually made with a wooden handle and a head of stone, iron, or the tips of buffalo horns

  command—a military unit such as a squad, company, regiment, or battalion under the authority or command of one person

  cooking fire—a small fire in a pit dug into the ground, over which food was cooked or water was boiled

  cottonwood tree—a large hardwood tree common to the northern Plains that disperses its seeds on small white, cottony plumes that float through the air

  coulee—a gully or ravine

  coyote—a wild canine native to North America, larger than a fox but smaller than a wolf

  creek bed—the bottom, often sandy, part of a creek or stream over which the water flows

  Crow—a tribe native to North America who lived on the northern Plains; they were enemies of the Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho

  crow—a large bird found in North America, covered entirely in black feathers, with a raucous, annoying croak

  Dakota—one-third of a nation of people living on the northern Great Plains, the other two being the Lakota and the Nakota; together the three were known as the Allied People

  deer—an ungulate (which means an animal with hooves), common to North America (and elsewhere), hunted for its meat and hide by the native people of North America and later by Europeans and Euro-Americans

  diorama—a miniature replica of a building or part of a landscape; dioramas are often used by museums to depict historical events

  drag poles—two long slender poles tied just above the shoulders of a horse and extending behind it and dragged by the horse; on the drag poles was a lightweight wooden platform for carrying bundles or people

  fort—a military outpost; in this book refers to one belonging to the U.S. government and sometimes containing a civilian trading post located near or in native (Indian) territory

  Fort Laramie National Historic Site—located in southeastern Wyoming on the site of the historic Fort Laramie, operated and maintained by the U.S. National Park Service

  Fort Phil Kearny State Historic Site—located in north central Wyoming on the site where Fort Phil Kearny once stood in the early 1860s, operated and maintained by the state of Wyoming

  Fort Robinson State Park—located in northwestern Nebraska on the site of the historic Fort Robinson, the place where Crazy Horse surrendered and was killed in 1877, operated and maintained by the state of Nebraska

  four directions—west, north, east, and south, known also as the four winds or the four corners of the earth

  frostbite—an injury to extremities such as fingers, toes, or noses caused by extreme cold temperatures; when frostbite occurs, the frozen flesh cannot be restored or healed

  gelding—a male horse that is neutered and cannot sire offspring

  Greasy Grass—the Lakota name for the Little Bighorn River

  grouse—a game bird (one that is hunted) common to the Plains

  gunfire—the shooting or firing of firearms, usually in a battle

  gunpowder—the black powder made from sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate used in firearms and ignited by a spark

  hawk—a bird of prey (one that hunts) that inhabits the Great Plains; there are several species: a red-tail hawk was in Crazy Horse’s dream when he was a boy called Light Hair

  Hidatsa—a tribe native to North America who lived in permanent villages along the upper reaches of the Missouri River in what is now North Dakota and who now live on the Fort Berthold Reservation there

  hoofbeats—the sound made when large hoofed animals such as elk, buffalo, or horses run, especially in groups or herds on hard or dry ground

  Hunkpapa—the third largest of the seven groups of the Lakota; they lived in what is now north central South Dakota west of the Missouri River, and still do

  Indian Bureau—the Bureau of Indian Affairs within the U.S. Department of the Interior

  Indian scouts—warriors from native tribes who were recruited and employed to be scouts for the U.S. Army

  kettle—a cooking pot made of iron; kettles were used by Euro-American immigrants and settlers and traded to the native people at trading posts

  Lakota—one-third of the native nations of the northern Great Plains, which also included the Dakota and Nakota

  lance—a long, very slender weapon for hunting and warfare made of a young pine or ash tree, about as long as the height of a man and tipped with a very sharp stone or iron point

  Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument—first known as the Custer Battlefield National Monument, the name was changed to Little Bighorn Battlefield in 1992; there are two different areas, with a visitor center located on the site of the 1876 battle, operated and maintained by the U.S. National Park Service

  lodge—a tall, cone-shaped dwelling made of buffalo hides used by most of the native tribes of the Great Plains and elsewhere

  lodgepole—a very long, slender spruce or pine pole used to support a hide lodge

  Long Knives—what the Lakota called the soldiers of the U.S. Army because of the swords they carried

  Mandan—a native tribe of North America who lived along the upper reaches of the Missouri River in what is now North Dakota, allied to the Arikara and Hidatsa and now living on the Fort Berthold Reservation

  mare—an adult female horse

  meadowlark—a small songbird with a bright and cheery call that nests in the grasses and low-growing shrubs of the northern Great Plains

  meat rack—a set of long and thin horizontal stalks supported on vertical poles on which narrow strips of fresh game meat (from deer, elk, antelope, and buffalo) were hung to air-dry

  medicine man—a healer among the Lakota (and other native tribes) who treated illnesses and injuries; many were also spiritual leaders and advisers

  Mniconju—one of the seven bands of the Lakota

  monument—a marker, usually made of stone, that memorializes a person or an important event, such as those at the site of Fetterman Battle of 1866 and the military and Indian monuments at the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument that honor the participants of those battles

  moon—the designation for “month” in the Lakota language

  Mormon—a group of white immigrants who, seeking a home for their religious sect, traveled west along the Oregon Trail in the mid-1800s and crossed through Lakota territory

  mule—the offspring of a male donkey (the sire) and a female horse (the dam); the offspring of a female donkey and a male horse is called a hinny

  Nakota—one-third of the native nation that includes the Lakota and Dakota, who lived on the northern Great Plains and still do today

  Oglala—one of the seven bands of the Lakota

  Oregon Trail—the wagon road from Missouri to Oregon and California used every summer for about twenty years beginning in the late 1840s by Euro-American immigrants looking for a better life in the west

  peace talkers—the representatives sent by the U.S. government in the mid-1800s to negotiate treaties with the native peoples of the Great Plains

  pistol—a handgun, usually a six-shot revolver, used by both Euro-Americans and natives

  powder—see gunpowder

  pronghorn—a hoofed, horned animal, often called an antelope or a goat antelope (although it is neither), that lives on the Great Plains; the fastest land animal in North America, capable of sprinting up to sixty miles per hour

  quarter horse—a breed of horse known for its ability to sprint a quarter of a mile, now used extensively on western ranches to herd cattle or to compete in equestrian events

  reenactors—individuals or groups today who portray or otherwise act the part of historical groups or figures, such as George Custer or Sitting Bull

  reservation—an area of land set aside by the U.S. government, or by a state (there are only a few), on which native people agreed to live or were forced to live

  sacred—describing an object, a place, or an ar
ea considered holy or spiritually important, such as the Black Hills, which were and still are considered sacred by the Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota

  sage—a grass and a shrub, each with several varieties, common to the northern Plains, used by many tribes as a smudge (smoke) in religious ceremonies

  Sandhills—a region of low hills in northwestern Nebraska composed of sand rather than fertile soil

  scout—a soldier or a warrior who moves ahead of the main body of soldiers or warriors to observe and gather information on the enemy

  Shell River—the Lakota name for the stream flowing through Nebraska and Wyoming now known as the North Platte River

  Shining Mountains—the Lakota name for the Bighorn Mountains

  Shoshone—a nation of people native to North America whose territory was west of the Bighorn Mountains in what is now Wyoming

  Sicangu—one of the seven bands of the Lakota

  skillet bread—dough mixed with water and cooked in a skillet; an early staple of Euro-American settlers in the west and later of native people after they began living on reservations

  Smoking Earth River—the name given by the Lakota to the river now known as the Little White River, which flows into the Missouri River in what is now central South Dakota

  soap plant—a succulent plant with long, narrow, sharp bristles common to the northern Plains

  Spotted Tail—a civilian and military leader of the Sicangu Lakota who was killed in 1881

  stallion—the male horse, not neutered, and so capable of siring (fathering) offspring

  Strong Heart song—a song of encouragement; Strong Heart songs were sung by both Lakota men and women to encourage bravery and devotion to duty, especially when an enemy was near and a battle was about to occur

  tobacco—the inner bark of the red willow tree, which is peeled, dried, and shredded and smoked in a pipe; later, native people used tobacco traded or purchased from Euro-American traders, today both red willow tobacco and commercial tobacco are used

  treaty—a written agreement that resulted from the negotiations between representatives of the U.S. government and a native tribe and signed by both parties

  treaty council—a gathering or meeting between representatives of the U.S. government and the leaders of various tribes and nations in the west, usually to negotiate a truce or the cessation of hostilities or the ceding of land to the United States

  uncle—a title of respect to an older man when there were no blood ties (or biological relationship); as was also the case with “aunt,” “grandmother,” “grandfather,” “grandson,” and “granddaughter.” This practice was due to the close ties of the extended family or tiyospaye and the importance of the entire village in raising and influencing children

  U.S. Seventh Cavalry—the 650-man regiment under the command of Lieutenant Colonel George A. Custer that attacked the Lakota and Cheyenne village on the Little Bighorn River on June 25, 1876, and was defeated

  wagon—the common mode of transportation used by Euro-Americans in the west in the mid-1800s, essentially a rectangular wooden box on wheels with an axle at either end; some were covered with canvas canopies and were called “covered wagons” or “Conestoga wagons”

  warrior—a war fighter; being a warrior was one of the two roles or duties filled by every Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho male, the second being the role of the hunter

  Whirlwind—a boyhood name likely given to Crazy Horse’s younger brother; he was given the name Little Hawk as a young man

  white—word used to describe a European or Euro-American because of his or her pale complexion

  white hunters—white men who came west in the mid- and late 1800s to hunt buffalo only for the tongues and hides; using powerful long-range rifles, they could (and often did) kill hundreds of buffalo in a single day

  white-tailed deer—a type of deer common to the Great Plains, so called because of the white hair under their long, wide tails

  Worm—the name taken by the elder Crazy Horse when he gave his name to his first-born son, Light Hair, who became the Crazy Horse who is the subject of this book

  woven wire—fencing material constructed in crisscrossing horizontal and vertical lengths of wire

  Bibliography

  As always, my primary source is the Lakota oral tradition through the stories and cultural information told to me by many Lakota elders. I also consulted the following sources:

  Andrist, Ralph K. The Long Death: The Last Days of the Plains Indian. New York: Macmillan, 1964.

  Brown, Dee. Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West. New York: Bantam, 1970. Buecker, Thomas R., and R. Eli Paul, eds. The Crazy Horse Surrender Ledger. Lincoln, Neb.: Nebraska Historical Society, 1994.

  Hardorff, Richard G., The Oglala Lakota Crazy Horse: A Preliminary Genealogical Study and an Annotated Listing of Primary Sources. Mattituck, N.Y.: J. M. Carroll and Co., 1985.

  Kadlecek, Edward, and Mable Kadlecek. To Kill an Eagle: Indian Views on the Last Days of Crazy Horse. Boulder, Colo.: Johnson Books, 1995.

  Sandoz, Mari. Crazy Horse: The Strange Man of the Oglalas. University of Nebraska Press, 1992 (reprint of New York: Alfred A. Knopf 1942 edition).

  Scott, Douglas D., Richard A. Fox, Jr., Melissa A. Conner, and Dick Harmon. Archaeological Perspectives on the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Norman, Okla.: University of Oklahoma Press, 2000.

  JOSEPH MARSHALL III was born and raised on the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation and is an enrolled member of the Sicangu Lakota (Rosebud Sioux) tribe. Raised in a traditional Lakota household by his maternal grandparents, he learned the ancient tradition of oral storytelling. His first language is Lakota.

  He is the author of nine books of nonfiction, three novels, a collection of short stories and essays, and several screenplays. As a speaker and lecturer, he has traveled throughout the United States and abroad.

  Marshall has appeared in television documentaries and has served as technical adviser for movies. He was the narrator for the six-part mini-series Into the West, in which he also played the role of Loved by the Buffalo, a Lakota medicine man. He divides his time between South Dakota and New Mexico. Visit him at www.josephmarshall.com.

  JIM YELLOWHAWK is an enrolled member of the Itazipco Band of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and is also Onodoga/Iroquois on his mother’s side. He is a multimedia artist whose work has been exhibited both in the United States and abroad. He resides in South Dakota. Visit him at www.jimyellowhawk.com.