Crazy Horse
Some people believe the man in this photograph is Crazy Horse
Born	1838-1840 Bear Butte, South Dakota
Died	September 5, 1877 Fort Robinson, Nebraska

Crazy Horse (Sioux: Tasunka witko, pronounced tashúnka uitko), (c. 1838 – September 5, 1877) was a respected member of the Oglala Sioux Native American tribe and is noted for his courage in battle. Crazy Horse was recognized among his own people as a visionary leader committed to preserving the traditions and values of the Lakota way of life and leading his people into a war against the take-over of their lands by the White Man. Crazy Horse (1877, this is a cropped version from the original tintype) It was widely believed that no photos were taken of Crazy Horse until this one was published in the book With Crook at the Rosebud (1956). ... 1838 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... 1840 is a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Bear Butte is a geological feature located in western South Dakota that was established as a State Park in 1961. ... State nickname: The Mount Rushmore State Other U.S. States Capital Pierre Largest city Sioux Falls Governor Mike Rounds Official languages English Area 199,905 km² (17th)  - Land 196,735 km²  - Water 3,173 km² (1. ... September 5 is the 248th day of the year (249th in leap years). ... 1877 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... State nickname: Cornhusker State Other U.S. States Capital Lincoln Largest city Omaha Governor Dave Heineman Official languages English Area 200,520 km² (16th)  - Land 199,099 km²  - Water 1,247 km² (0. ... The Lakota (friends or allies, sometimes also spelled Lakhota) are a Native American tribe, also known as the Sioux (see Names). ... 1838 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... September 5 is the 248th day of the year (249th in leap years). ... 1877 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Alternative meaning: Lakota, Côte dIvoire is a département of Côte dIvoire. ... Native Americans (also Indians, Aboriginal Peoples, American Indians, First Nations, Alaskan Natives, Amerindians, or Indigenous Peoples of America) are the indigenous inhabitants of The Americas prior to the European colonization, and their modern descendants. ... The Lakota (friends or allies, sometimes also spelled Lakhota) are a Native American tribe, also known as the Sioux (see Names). ...

His Life

Crazy Horse's exact birth date cannot be determined. He Dog, an Oglala warrior, said during an interview on July 7, 1930, "I and Crazy Horse were both born in the same year and at the same season of the year.... I am now 92 years old." That would mean that Crazy Horse was born about 1838. Encouraging Bear, spiritual adviser to Crazy Horse, reported that Crazy Horse was born in the fall "in the year in which the band to which he belonged, the Oglalas, stole 100 horses." According to winter counts kept by Cloud Shield and White Bull, the year was 1840. July 7 is the 188th day of the year (189th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 177 days remaining. ... 1930 is a common year starting on Wednesday. ... 1838 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Crazy Horse (Sioux: Tasunka witko, pronounced tashúnka uitko), (c. ... Winter counts (Lakota: waniyetu wowapi) are pictorial calendars or histories in which tribal records and events were recorded. ... 1840 is a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

The location of Crazy Horse's birth is also up for debate. A September 14, 1887 article in the New York Sun reporting Crazy Horse's death gives his birth place as the South Cheyenne River. All other sources point to either Rapid Creek, near present day Rapid City, South Dakota, or near Bear Butte outside Sturgis, South Dakota. September 14 is the 257th day of the year (258th in leap years). ... 1887 is a common year starting on Saturday (click on link for calendar). ... For the original newspaper of the same name, see New York Sun (historical) The modern New York Sun is a daily newspaper published at New York City which debuted April 16, 2002. ... Rapid City is a city located in Pennington County, South Dakota. ... Bear Butte is a geological feature located in western South Dakota that was established as a State Park in 1961. ... Sturgis is a city located in Meade County, South Dakota. ...

Crazy Horse's father, also named Crazy Horse (c. 1811), but took the name Worm after passing the Crazy Horse name to his son, was Oglala Lakota and his mother, Rattling Blanket Woman (c. 1815), was Miniconjou Lakota. Rattling Blanket Woman may have been a member of the One Horn or Lone Horn family, leaders of the Miniconjou. Crazy Horse had a sister whose name has been forgotten, and a half-brother, Little Hawk, born when his father remarried the two sisters of the Brulé Lakota chief Spotted Tail. Historians believe that his mother either hanged herself when Worm's brother was killed in a raid on the Crows, or, that she returned to her Miniconjou family. 1811 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... 1815 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... The Crow, also called the Absaroka or Apsáalooke, are a tribe of Native Americans who historically lived in the Yellowstone river valley and now live on a reservation south of Billings, Montana, and the current chairman of the tribal council is Carl Venne. ...

Crazy Horse's name at birth was either Light Hair or Curly Hair, depending on the historical source. As was the custom of the Lakota, his name changed over the years. When he was about 10 years old, Worm changed the boy's name to His Horse On Sight (also translated as Horse Stands In Sight, His Horse Looking or His Horse Partly Showing) after his son's role in the capture of wild horses in the Sandhills of Nebraska. Worm passed on the name Crazy Horse after his son bravely fought with the Arapahos when he was about 18 years old.

It is believed that Crazy Horse was in the Brulé camp when it was attacked by U.S. troops during the Grattan Massacre. After witnessing the death of Sioux leader, Conquering Bear, Crazy Horse wandered alone into the lake country of the Sand Hills, where he had the vision that would guide him for the rest of his life. His vision led him to go against Lakota customs by not wearing face paint or a war bonnet in battle, and to rub dust over his hair and body before going into battle. When he returned after three days, Worm was angry because Crazy Horse had gone off alone while everybody in the village was concerned about the dying of Conquering Bear. When Crazy Horse told Worm that he had gone in search of a vision, Worm exploded because Crazy Horse had not properly prepared himself for such a sacred quest. Wikiquote has a collection of quotations by or about: United States Wikinews has news related to this article: United States United States government Official website of the United States government - Gateway to governmental sites White House - Official site of the US President Senate. ... The Grattan Massacre occurred in what is today Nebraska, USA on August 17, 1854 near Fort Laramie, in which a number of US soldiers were killed by Brule Sioux. ...

Through the late 1850s and early 1860s, Crazy Horse's reputation as a warrior grew as did his fame among the Lakota. Little written record exists of the fights involving Crazy Horse because the vast majority of them were raids against other preliterate Plains tribes. Because of his fighting ability, Crazy Horse was installed as an Ogle Tanka Un (Shirt Wearer or war leader) in 1865. Events and Trends Technology Production of steel revolutionised by invention of the Bessemer process Benjamin Silliman fractionates petroleum by distillation for the first time First transatlantic telegraph cable laid First safety elevator installed by Elisha Otis Science Charles Darwin publishes The Origin of Species, putting forward the theory of evolution... Events and trends Italian unification under King Victor Emmanuel II. Wars for expansion and national unity continue until the incorporation of the Papal States (March 17, 1861 - September 20, 1870). ... 1865 is a common year starting on Sunday. ...

On December 21, 1866, Crazy Horse led the Oglala contingent of a war party comprising 1,000 warriors, including members of the Cheyenne and Miniconjou tribes in an ambush of U.S. troops stationed at Fort Phil Kearny that became known as the Fetterman massacre. Crazy Horse led a decoy party that drew the U.S. soldiers out of Fort Kearny while the main body of warriors hid around the Lodge Trail Ridge. The ambush was the worst army defeat on the Great Plains at the time. December 21 is the 355th day of the year (356th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1866 is a common year starting on Monday. ... Cheyenne lodges with buffalo meat drying, 1870 The Cheyenne are a Native American nation of the Great Plains, closely allied with the Arapaho and loosely allied with the Lakota (Sioux). ... Fort Phil Kearny was an outpost of the United States Army that existed in the late 1860s in present-day northeastern Wyoming along the Bozeman Trail. ... The Powder River Country, northeast of the Bighorn Mountains and south of the Yellowstone River, is shown in red in the western United States Red Clouds War (also referred to as the Bozeman War) was an armed conflict between the Sioux and the United States in Wyoming and Montana... The Great Plains states. ...

In 1870, Crazy Horse married Black Buffalo Woman, already the wife of No Water. It was Lakota custom to allow a woman to divorce her husband at any time. She did so by moving in with relatives or with another man, or by placing the husband's belongings outside their lodge. Although some compensation might be required to smooth over hurt feelings, the rejected husband was expected to accept his wife's decision for the good of the tribe. No Water was away from camp when Crazy Horse and Black Buffalo Woman eloped. No Water gathered a war party and tracked down Crazy Horse and Black Buffalo Woman. When he found them, he shot Crazy Horse in the shoulder. Several elders convinced Crazy Horse and No Water that no more blood should be shed and that as compensation for the shooting, No Water gave Crazy Horse three horses. Because of the incident, Crazy Horse was stripped of his title as Shirt Wearer (leader). At about the same time, Crazy Horse's younger half brother Little Hawk was killed while on a war expeditions south of the Platte River. Sometime during 1871, Crazy Horse married his second wife, Black Shawl. 1870 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... This article is about the Platte River in Nebraska. ... 1871 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ...

On August 14, 1872, Crazy Horse, along with Sitting Bull took part in the first attack by the Lakota on troops escorting a Northern Pacific Railroad survey crew. The Battle of Arrow Creek ended with minimal casualties on either side. On June 17, 1876, Crazy Horse led a combined group of approximately 1,500 Lakota and Cheyenne in a surprise attack against General George Crook's force of 1,000 cavalry and infantry and 300 Crow and Shoshone warriors in the Battle of the Rosebud. The battle, although not substantial in terms of human loss, delayed Crook from joining up with the 7th Cavalry under George A. Custer, ensuring the Custer’s defeat at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. August 14 is the 226th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (227th in leap years), with 139 days remaining. ... 1872 was a leap year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Sitting Bull Sitting Bull (Sioux: Tatanka Iyotake or Tatanka Iyotanka orTa-Tanka I-Yotank, born Hunkesni, Slow), (c. ... Northern Pacific Railway Categories: Stub | Defunct railroad companies of the United States | Idaho railroads | Minnesota railroads | Montana railroads | North Dakota railroads | Oregon railroads | Washington railroads | Wisconsin railroads ... June 17 is the 168th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (169th in leap years), with 197 days remaining. ... 1876 is a leap year starting on Saturday. ... General is a military rank, in most nations the highest rank, although some nations have the higher rank of Field Marshal. ... Portrait of George Crook George Crook (1828–1890) was a Union Army officer. ... An army unit consisting of mounted soldiers is commonly known as cavalry. ... Infantry in the First World War Infantry (or Infantrymen) are soldiers who fight primarily on foot, using personal weapons. ... Species See text The true crows are in the genus Corvus; they are large Passerine birds. ... Shoshone around their tipi, probably taken around 1890 The Shoshone, Shoshoni or Snake are a Native American group consisting of several bands. ... The Battle of the Rosebud (also known the Battle of the Rosebud Creek) occurred June 17, 1876, in the Montana Territory between the United States Army and a force of Native Americans during the Black Hills War. ... The 7th United States Cavalry Regiment is a United States Army cavalry unit, whose lineage traces back to the mid-19th century. ... George Armstrong Custer George Armstrong Custer (December 5, 1839 - June 25, 1876) was an American cavalry commander in the Civil War and the Indian Wars who is best remembered for his defeat and death at the Battle of the Little Bighorn against a coalition of Native American tribes, led by... The Battle of the Little Bighorn, also called Custers Last Stand, was an engagement between a Lakota-Northern Cheyenne combined force and the 7th Cavalry of the United States Army, June 25- June 26, 1876, near the Little Bighorn River in the eastern Montana Territory. ...

At 3:00 p.m. on June 26, 1876, Custer's 7th Cavalry attacked the Lakota and Cheyenne village, marking the beginning of the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Crazy Horse entered the battle by repelling the first attack led by Major Marcus Reno. After driving back Reno's force, Crazy Horse's warriors were free to pursue Custer. In the counterattack that destroyed Custer's 7th Cavalry to the last man, Crazy Horse flanked the Americans from the north and west as Hunkpapa Warriors led by chief Gall charged from the south and east. June 26 is the 177th day of the year (178th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 188 days remaining. ... 1876 is a leap year starting on Saturday. ... Major Marcus Albert Reno was born November 15, 1834, in Carrollton, Illinois. ... The Lakota (friends or allies, sometimes also spelled Lakhota) are a Native American tribe, also known as the Sioux (see Names). ... Kalanchoë infected with crown-gall using Agrobacterium tumefaciens. ...

On January 8, 1877, his warriors fought their last battle, the Battle of Slim Buttes, with the United States Cavalry in Montana and on May 8 of that year he realized that his people were weakened by cold and hunger and he surrendered to United States troops in Nebraska. While staying at Fort Robinson, Crazy Horse took Nellie Laravie, a young half-French, half-Indian daughter of a trader, as his third wife. To encourage Crazy Horse to go to Washington D.C. to meet with the then newly elected President Rutherford B. Hayes, Lieutenant William Philo Clark made him a noncommissioned officer in the U.S. Indian Scouts on May 15, 1877. Crazy Horse still declined to make the trip. January 8 is the 8th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1877 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... The United States Cavalry was, in various forms from 1775 to 1942, historically a horse-mounted cavalry force. ... State nickname: Treasure State Other U.S. States Capital Helena Largest city Billings Governor Brian Schweitzer Official languages English Area 381,156 km² (4th)  - Land 377,295 km²  - Water 3,862 km² (1%) Population (2000)  - Population 926,865 (44th)  - Density 2. ... May 8 is the 128th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (129th in leap years). ... State nickname: Cornhusker State Other U.S. States Capital Lincoln Largest city Omaha Governor Dave Heineman Official languages English Area 200,520 km² (16th)  - Land 199,099 km²  - Water 1,247 km² (0. ... Aerial photo (looking NW) of the Washington Monument and the White House in Washington, DC. Washington, D.C., officially the District of Columbia (also known as D.C.; Washington; the Nations Capital; the District; and, historically, the Federal City) is the capital city and administrative district of the United... For the pop band, see Presidents of the United States of America. ... Rutherford Birchard Hayes (October 4, 1822 – January 17, 1893) was the 19th (1877 – 1881) President of the United States. ... May 15 is the 135th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (136th in leap years). ... 1877 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...

The attention that Crazy Horse received from the army made Red Cloud and Spotted Tail, two Lakota who had long before come to the agencies and adopted the white ways, jealous. Rumors started to spread in the Red Cloud Agency and Spotted Tail Agency about Crazy Horse's desire to slip out of the agency and return to the old ways of life. In August 1877, officers at Camp Robinson received word that the Nez Perce of Chief Joseph had broken out of their reservations in Idaho and were fleeing north through Montana toward Canada. Crook planned to send a large contingent of Lakota warriors to stop them and wanted Crazy Horse to lead attack. Crazy Horse and 7-foot-tall Miniconjou leader Touch the Cloud objected to the plan, saying that they had been promised peace when the surrendered. Crazy Horse finally agreed to the plan, saying that he would fight "till all the Nez Perces were killed". But, Frank Grouard, who had a personal vendetta against Crazy Horse, was acting as the official interpreter, and reported that Crazy Horse had said that he would "go north and fight until not a white man is left". Uproar over the misinterpretation grew until it reached General Philip Sheridan, who ordered Crook to investigate the matter. Red Cloud Red Cloud (Sioux: Makhpyia-luta), (1822 – December 10, 1909) was a chief of the Oglala Sioux. ... Note: as an adjective (stressed on the second syllable instead of the first), august means honorable. ... 1877 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Nez Perce photographed in the 19th century The Nez Perce or Nez Percé (pronounced /n3z pVrs/, or /ne perse/ as in French) are a tribe of Native Americans who inhabited the Pacific Northwest region of North America and adjoining regions at the time of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. ... Chief Joseph (1840 - September 21, 1904) was a Nez Perce Chief, humanitarian, and peacemaker, best known for his principled resistance to the U.S. governments attempts to force the Nez Perce onto a reservation. ... State nickname: Gem State Other U.S. States Capital Boise Largest city Boise Governor Dirk Kempthorne Official languages none Area 216,632 km² (14th)  - Land 214,499 km²  - Water 2,133 km² (0. ... State nickname: Treasure State Other U.S. States Capital Helena Largest city Billings Governor Brian Schweitzer Official languages English Area 381,156 km² (4th)  - Land 377,295 km²  - Water 3,862 km² (1%) Population (2000)  - Population 926,865 (44th)  - Density 2. ... Philip Sheridan Philip Henry Sheridan (March 6, 1831 – August 5, 1888), a military man and one of the great generals in the American Civil War. ...

Spotted Tail and Red Cloud conspired against Crazy Horse by reporting to Crook that the next time he held council with Crazy Horse, that the Crazy Horse would kill him. Friends of Crazy Horse learned of the plot and told him. He responded by taking his ill wife to her parents at the Spotted Tail Agency, where his enemies circulated stories that he had fled Fort Robinson. Crazy Horse then went to the Brulés agent, Captain Luke Lea, who said that Crazy Horse should return the Fort Robinson and correct the false rumors. When, on September 5, 1877, he returned to Fort Robinson, the guards attempted to arrest him. He resisted and private William Gentiles, a 20-year army veteran who never rose above the rank of private, lunged at Crazy Horse with his bayonet, striking him near his left kidney. He died during the night with his father singing the death song over him. His body was taken away by his parents and laid to rest somewhere in the Badlands. Luke Lea the Younger (April 12, 1879 – November 18, 1945) was a Democratic United States Senator from Tennessee from 1911 to 1917. ... September 5 is the 248th day of the year (249th in leap years). ... 1877 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... The US Marine Corps OKC-3S bayonet From right to left: a carbine, a straight infantry officer sabre, a short curved infantry sabre (briquet), two bayonets. ... The Chinle Badlands at Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. ...

Controversy Over His Death

Monument

According to military records he died before midnight, making it September 5, 1877. According to the Oglala Sioux he died after midnight, making it September 6, 1877. The monument located at the spot of his death says September 5, 1877. Each year the Oglala Sioux meet at the spot of his death on September 6, which makes it very confusing. The photo of the monument to the right says "On This Spot Crazy Horse Ocallala Chief Was Killed Sept. 5 1877" Image File history File links Taken by Wonder_al in Fort Robinson State Park, Nebraska File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Taken by Wonder_al in Fort Robinson State Park, Nebraska File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... September 5 is the 248th day of the year (249th in leap years). ... 1877 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Alternative meaning: Lakota, Côte dIvoire is a département of Côte dIvoire. ... September 6 is the 249th day of the year (250th in leap years). ... 1877 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... September 5 is the 248th day of the year (249th in leap years). ... 1877 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Alternative meaning: Lakota, Côte dIvoire is a département of Côte dIvoire. ... September 6 is the 249th day of the year (250th in leap years). ...

Crazy Horse Memorial

Crazy Horse is currently being commemorated with the Crazy Horse Memorial in South Dakota, a monument carved into a mountain, in the tradition of Mount Rushmore. Crazy Horse Memorial, located between Custer and Hill City in South Dakota, will be the worlds largest sculpture—carved right out of Thunderhead Mountain. ... State nickname: The Mount Rushmore State Other U.S. States Capital Pierre Largest city Sioux Falls Governor Mike Rounds Official languages English Area 199,905 km² (17th)  - Land 196,735 km²  - Water 3,173 km² (1. ... The faces of (left to right) George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln Air Force One flying over Mount Rushmore. ...

There is much debate over the authenticity of the picture that is claimed to be Crazy Horse. He resisted being photographed during his life because he had strong beliefs in preserving the culture and ways of the traditional Native Americans. See link below A sympathetic but detailed account of his life and death for a discussion of the validity of the photo on this page.

References

• Mike Sajna (2000). Crazy Horse: The Life Behind the Legend. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 0-471-24182-2.

Further Reading

• Crazy Horse and Custer: The epic clash of two great warriors at the Little Bighorn. Stephen E. Ambrose. 1975
• "Debating Crazy Horse: Is this the Famous Oglala". Whispering Wind magazine, Vol 34 # 3, 2004. A discussion on the improbability of the Garryowen photo being that of Crazy Horse (the same photo shown here). The clothing, the studio setting all date the photo 1890-1910.
• Crazy Horse (Penguin Lives). Larry McMurtry. Puffin Books. 1999. ISBN 0670882348

Larry McMurtry (born June 3, 1936 in Wichita Falls, Texas) is an American author of many novels, and a screenwriter. ...

External links

• The Crazy Horse Memorial newsgroup and archives for discussion and updates on progress at the mountain carving.
• A more detailed profile of him
• A sympathetic but detailed account of his life and death
• A timeline of his life
• The Story of the Crazy Horse Memorial, South Dakota